How to Make Ramen Noodles From Scratch

Understanding Ramen Noodle Basics and History

Ramen noodles are a staple food that originated in China but became deeply embedded in Japanese cuisine during the early 20th century. The dish consists of wheat noodles served in a flavorful broth, typically topped with various ingredients like vegetables, meat, and eggs. When you make ramen from scratch, you're creating three main components: the noodles themselves, the broth, and the toppings. Each component requires different techniques and time investments.

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The history of ramen shows that this dish wasn't always as popular as it is today. In Japan during the 1950s, ramen was considered cheap street food. However, over decades, it evolved into a respected culinary tradition. Today, Japan has thousands of ramen restaurants, many specializing in specific regional styles. The Yokohama Ramen Museum catalogs over 100 different ramen varieties, each with distinct broth bases and noodle types.

Making ramen from scratch differs significantly from using instant packets. Fresh ramen noodles have a completely different texture and flavor profile compared to dried, dehydrated versions. The broth made from scratch contains complex flavors built through hours of simmering bones, aromatics, and seasonings. Commercial instant ramen packets typically use pre-made broth concentrate and pre-cooked noodles. Understanding these differences helps you appreciate why homemade ramen takes more time but delivers superior results.

The basic ramen equation involves three to four hours of active and passive cooking time. This includes approximately 30 minutes for noodle preparation, 2-4 hours for broth development, and 10-15 minutes for final assembly. Planning your cooking schedule around these timeframes ensures you're not rushed during the process.

Practical Takeaway: Gather information about which ramen style interests you most—tonkotsu (pork bone), shoyu (soy-based), miso, or shio (salt-based)—before you begin shopping for ingredients. Your chosen style determines which broths and toppings you'll need.

Making Fresh Ramen Noodle Dough

The foundation of quality ramen starts with the noodle dough. Fresh ramen noodles are made from four basic ingredients: bread flour, water, salt, and an alkaline substance called kansui. Kansui is crucial—it's a mineral solution containing sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate that gives ramen noodles their distinctive chewy texture and slight yellow color. You can order kansui online, or substitute a mixture of baking soda and water in a pinch, though the results won't be identical.

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The dough-making process begins with combining dry ingredients. For a standard batch serving four people, you'll need 400 grams of bread flour, 6 grams of salt, and 2 grams of kansui dissolved in 150 milliliters of water. Mix the salt and kansui solution together first, then gradually add this liquid to the flour while stirring with chopsticks or a fork. The dough will appear shaggy and crumbly initially—this is normal. Once the flour has absorbed most moisture, switch to hand mixing and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.

After kneading, the dough requires a resting period called hydration. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for at least one hour, though many ramen chefs recommend waiting four to six hours. During this time, the flour continues absorbing water, making the dough easier to stretch and roll. Some chefs refrigerate dough overnight, which is perfectly acceptable and sometimes produces better results.

Rolling and cutting the noodles represents the most labor-intensive part of noodle-making if doing it by hand. Divide the rested dough into four portions. Working with one portion at a time, use a rolling pin to create sheets about 2 millimeters thick. This requires patience and even pressure. Once rolled, dust the sheets lightly with extra flour, fold them accordion-style, and slice with a sharp knife into strands about 2-3 millimeters wide. A pasta machine with a 2-millimeter setting streamlines this process considerably.

Practical Takeaway: Invest in or borrow a pasta rolling machine if you plan to make ramen regularly. Hand-rolling dough is possible but physically demanding. Fresh noodles can be cooked immediately or frozen in portions for future use—simply freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then transfer to freezer bags once solid.

Crafting Rich Ramen Broths From Scratch

Ramen broth represents the soul of the dish, and creating one from scratch requires patience and quality ingredients. The most common styles include tonkotsu, which uses pork bones; shoyu, which uses a soy-based seasoning; miso, which incorporates miso paste; and shio, which relies on salt and seafood stock. Each style demands different cooking approaches, but they all share common techniques involving long simmering to extract flavor and create a silky mouthfeel.

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Tonkotsu broth serves as an excellent starting point for beginners. This style requires pork bones—specifically pig trotters, neck bones, or leg bones—which contain large quantities of collagen and fat. These elements break down during cooking, creating the characteristic creamy white appearance and rich flavor. To begin, blanch 2-3 pounds of bones in boiling water for two minutes, then rinse them thoroughly under cold water to remove impurities. This step prevents cloudiness in your final broth.

After blanching, place the bones in a large pot with eight quarts of water, along with aromatics: one onion halved, a 4-inch piece of ginger smashed, and six scallions. Some chefs add dried shiitake mushrooms or a piece of kombu (kelp) for additional umami depth. Bring the water to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Maintain this low simmer for 12-20 hours. During this extended cooking, fat and collagen dissolve into the broth, creating thickness and richness. Skim any foam or impurities that rise during the first hour of cooking.

Shoyu broth begins with a similar bone base but adds a shoyu tare—a concentrated soy-based seasoning—during final preparation. A basic shoyu tare combines soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, garlic, ginger, and kombu or bonito stock. This tare is added to your finished broth at a ratio of approximately one part tare to six parts broth, adjusted to your taste preference. Miso broth follows the same logic, but miso paste is whisked into the hot broth at the end—never boiling miso, as heat destroys its beneficial probiotics and complex flavors.

Practical Takeaway: Prepare broth in your slow cooker or Instant Pot to reduce active monitoring time. A slow cooker can simmer broth safely for 12+ hours with minimal attention. An Instant Pot achieves similar results in 2-3 hours using high pressure, though some believe the extended simmer creates superior flavor development.

Creating Seasoning Tares and Flavor Layers

Tare is the concentrated seasoning component that flavors your broth and defines the ramen style. Creating tare from scratch allows you to customize salt levels, sweetness, and umami depth to match your preferences. A well-made tare transforms simple bone broth into restaurant-quality ramen. The three primary tare types—shoyu, miso, and shio—each follow different formulas but apply the same principle: a concentrated flavor base that gets diluted into broth at serving time.

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Shoyu tare represents the most versatile option for home cooks. Combine one cup soy sauce, one-quarter cup mirin, two tablespoons sake, one tablespoon sugar, three smashed garlic cloves, a one-inch piece of sliced ginger, and a sheet of kombu in a saucepan. Heat this mixture gently until small bubbles form around the edges, then turn off heat and let it steep for two hours. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve before using. This tare can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month