Coconut Curry Ramen with Crispy Tofu

Name: Coconut Curry Ramen with Crispy Tofu
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon sesame oil ((or other oil of choice)); 3 medium garlic cloves, (finely grated or minced); 1 inch fresh ginger, (finely grated or minced, peeled); 2 baby bok choy, (chopped); 1 bell pepper, (sliced (optional)); 3-4 cups mushrooms, (sliced (white, cremini or shiitake)); 2 tablespoons red curry paste ((see notes)); 1 tablespoon curry powder; 1 teaspoon salt, (more or less to taste); 1 (14oz) can light coconut milk; 3 cups vegetable broth (no salt added) or water; 3 packs ramen noodles; 1 block firm tofu; 1 tablespoon sesame oil ((or other oil of choice)); 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt

A simple coconut curry ramen, topped with crispy tofu. This vegan dish is done in under 30 minutes and is packed with flavor. Use gluten-free ramen or rice noodles to make it gluten-free!

I shared a sneak peek of this dish earlier this week on Instagram and I got many requests for the recipe, so here it is! Coconut curry ramen with crispy tofu. What could be better? Curry spices, noodles and tofu are all some of my favorite savory ingredients. Combine them together and you get the best comforting meal.

Notes on Substitutions:

More than ever, I’m focusing on easy recipes with many substitution options. This one is no exception. Here’s how you can adjust it using what you have:

Skip the tofu. Maybe use some edamame instead!
Use different vegetables. I haven’t tried them all obviously, but I’m thinking shredded carrots, broccoli and other leafy greens would work well. I will say though, that mushrooms add a great flavor to this dish and you may be missing out.
Use water instead of broth. Again, you’ll be missing some flavor, but it works! You can also use bouillon cubes. Make sure to adjust the salt and spices if using water.
Try rice noodles instead of ramen.
Try full-fat coconut milk. I haven’t tried it myself, but I’m thinking it will just be extra creamy.

How to Make Coconut Curry Ramen with Crispy Tofu

Here are the steps to make coconut curry ramen with crispy tofu at home.

Prepare the Crispy Tofu
Press the tofu for 15 minutes if desired (I don’t bother and it still turns out good and crispy for this dish). Cut the tofu into little cubes. Toss in a bowl with the oil, salt and garlic powder.
Heat a cast-iron skillet (or non-stick skillet) over medium heat. Add the tofu and cook for 7-8 minutes on one side, then flip and cook another 4-5 minutes.
Prepare the Ramen
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, peppers and bok choy to the saucepan and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the curry paste, curry powder and salt. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and broth. Bring to a boil, then add the ramen noodles. Simmer for 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat until the noodles are cooked. Serve with crispy tofu and sliced green onions.

Make it a One-Pot Meal

Here’s an easy way to make this a one-pot meal.

Instead of making crispy tofu, you can just add diced tofu directly to the pot. I would add it with the coconut milk and broth to keep it simple, but you could technically make it slightly crispy by adding it first with the oil. Another option is to skip the tofu or use edamame! The tofu is my favorite part though.

This is comfort food at it’s best.

More Ramen Noodle Recipes:

Coconut Curry Ramen with Crispy Tofu

A simple coconut curry ramen, topped with crispy tofu. Basically the best vegan noodle soup. This dish is done in under 30 minutes and is packed with flavor.

Course Main Course

Cuisine vegan

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sesame oil (or other oil of choice)
3 medium garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
1 inch fresh ginger, finely grated or minced, peeled
2 baby bok choy, chopped
1 bell pepper, sliced (optional)
3-4 cups mushrooms, sliced (white, cremini or shiitake)
2 tablespoons red curry paste (see notes)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
1 (14oz) can light coconut milk
3 cups vegetable broth (no salt added) or water
3 packs ramen noodles

Crispy Tofu

1 block firm tofu
1 tablespoon sesame oil (or other oil of choice)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Curry Ramen

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1-2 minutes. I like to do this first to avoid getting a raw ginger taste in the dish. Otherwise, add it with the vegetables.
Add the mushrooms, peppers and bok choy to the saucepan and sauté for 5 minutes.
Stir in the curry paste, curry powder and salt. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and broth (or water). Bring to a boil, then add the ramen noodles. Simmer for 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat until the noodles are cooked.
Serve with crispy tofu and sliced green onions.

Crispy Tofu

Press the tofu for 15 minutes if desired (I don't bother and it still turns out good and crispy for this dish). Cut the tofu into little cubes.
Toss in a bowl with the oil, salt and garlic powder.
Heat a cast-iron skillet (or non-stick skillet) over medium heat. Add the tofu and cook for 7-8 minutes on one side, then flip and cook another 4-5 minutes.
Serve on top of the curry ramen.

Notes

I used spicy Thai Kitchen red curry paste. Each brand will be different and some will possibly be spicier and more flavorful. For this reason, you may want to use less if you know your curry paste is on the spicier side. Adjust to taste.

You could likely use full-fat coconut milk, but I only tried the recipe with light. It will be richer with full-fat coconut milk.

You could easily use different vegetables in this dish. Use what you have! Shredded carrots, broccoli and spinach would be good. I do love the flavor of mushrooms though and I’d highly recommend it if you have some on hand!

Want to make this a one-pot meal? Just skip the crispy tofu and throw in diced tofu into the dish at the same time as the coconut milk and broth.

I used these ramen noodles. Each pack or portion is 70g. You could also use rice noodles. If your ramen noodles come with a flavor pack, don’t use it!

This is not meant to be a traditional ramen recipe.

If you make this coconut curry ramen, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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View Comments

Monique says:

2020-04-27 at 1:28 pm

Delicious! Amazing flavour and loved by all my family. I would add more spice next time but that’s a personal preference. Great recipe!
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2020-04-28 at 9:01 am
  
  Hi Monique, thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback. I'm so happy you guys loved it! And yes, it's definitely a personal preference and may also depend on the brand of curry powder and curry paste you use. But you can very easily adjust it to your taste. Thanks again and have a good rest of your week. :)
Catherine says:

2020-05-16 at 3:32 pm

Perhaps my addition of carrots, spinach, broccoli, AND mushrooms was a bit too much, but it turns out this recipe is super boring. It was hard to even tell that it was a curry dish. And I even doubled the curry/spices to make up for the extra ingredients. We were bummed. Sorry to be negative, Caroline. I debated keeping my negative comment to myself. But, I wish someone had written this for me so I knew where to spend my cooking time and resources.
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2020-05-16 at 4:43 pm
  
  Hi Catherine, thank you for your honest feedback. Unfortunately I haven't tried the recipe with all of those vegetables together and so, I can imagine the added volume would make the flavors more bland. I've had nothing but great feedback so far, though of course everyone has their own preferences. The type of curry powder and paste that you use will also make a big difference, which is why I added a note on this. Plus, some like more spice than others! I'm sorry it didn't meet your expectations. Have a good weekend!
Anja Calise says:

2020-10-23 at 6:49 pm

I chose the one-pot option and crisped the tofu right at the beginning -- it turned out great! I didn't make any changes otherwise and the amount of spices worked very well for me. My partner was impressed as well and we will definitely have this dish again. Thank you for sharing!
Anja Calise says:

2020-10-23 at 6:50 pm

I chose the one-pot option and crisped the tofu right at the beginning -- it turned out great! I didn't make any changes otherwise and the amount of spices worked very well for me. My partner was impressed as well and we will definitely have this dish again. Thank you for sharing!
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2020-10-26 at 10:20 am
  
  Hi Anja, I'm so happy to hear you both liked it! Thank you for the feedback. :)
Kortneii Mackenzie says:

2020-11-18 at 6:09 pm

Just love this recipe. I have made it many times! Thanks for sharing!
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2020-11-20 at 9:06 am
  
  I'm so happy to hear Kortneii! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. :)
Natalie Burke says:

2021-10-20 at 5:08 pm

Delicious! So flavourful. I made it exactly as written and my entire family loved it.
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2021-10-21 at 2:19 pm
  
  I'm glad you all enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. :)
Nancy says:

2021-12-13 at 4:10 am

Made this for dinner last night and it was so delicious!! Very full flavoured!!
Not sure what happened with Catherine's!
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2021-12-13 at 9:55 am
  
  Thank you for the feedback Nancy! I'm so happy that you liked the recipe. It looks like Catherine had made some changes to the recipe (added more vegetables), which will affect how flavorful the recipe is. Everyone has different preferences though of course. It's good to hear that you enjoyed it! :)
Michelle McLachlin says:

2021-12-29 at 2:37 pm

Delicious! Thanks for sharing. I used celery instead of bok choy, and used brown rice noodles. I also added cilantro, green onions and peanuts as a garnish.
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2022-01-04 at 9:16 am
  
  Thank you for the review Michelle! I'm so happy you liked it and those are delicious toppings!
Andrea says:

2022-01-20 at 6:38 am

So great- not too hard, fairly quick, definitely flavourful, and soul-warming! Definitely going on the make again list in my household. We used soba noodles and instead of the baby bok choy (because my partner didn't know what this was/couldn't find it at the grocery store) we used yu choy (which I'd never heard of before!). Also, the crispy tofu was so delicious, I kept eating it on its own!
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2022-01-20 at 9:07 am
  
  Thank you Andrea, I'm so happy that you enjoyed the recipe! And I'm glad it worked well with the soba noodles. It sounds like a delicious substitution!