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We’re beefing up your ramen noodle packages by adding juicy ground beef, carrots, red peppers, and green onions to a crockpot to simmer in a flavorful, sweet and savory sauce. Slow cooker beef ramen is a Japanese-inspired dish that will satisfy even the hungriest teens!
Beef Ramen Noodles
Slow cooker beef ramen is traditionally made with tender chunks of beef, much like Mongolian beef, but we’re making ours with seared ground beef instead. It’s a bit of a shortcut and cost-effective which is one of the best parts about Ramen noodles!
They have always been a budget-friendly way to make hearty soup. Yes, it’s those same packages of noodles you poured boiling water over when you lived in the dorms during college days.
Do you remember when you blew your food budget at the beginning of the month and were too afraid to call home? Yeah, those.
Little did you know you could make a delicious noodle bowl without the need for those little flavor packets that are so high in sodium.
With ground beef, veggies, and a few extra pantry items, this is one way to make a cost-effective and cozy bowl of soup that rivals anything you’d order at a Japanese restaurant.
A lot has changed since college! 😉
Why you’ll love Slow Cooker Beef Ramen
Easy to make – Brown the beef and toss everything but the noodles into the slow cooker. The noodles cook super fast so they get added in at the end. It’s that easy.
Super satisfying – Not just for college students! A perfectly flavorful, fully loaded, slurpable bowl of beef ramen noodles is served! Great for busy nights and it’s one the whole family will enjoy.
Cost-effective – If you’ve stocked up on packages of Ramen noodles or have a ton of frozen ground beef you have saved up, this is a great way to use them both. Toss whatever veggies you have in the fridge and avoid waste.
Helpful Tools
- Slow Cooker – A 6 quart slow cooker is standard for most crock pot recipes. This is my favorite.
- Veggie Chopper
- Ladle – This ramen is less soupy, more hearty, but it’s still easily served with a ladle.
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Ground Beef – Use extra lean ground beef so there isn’t an excess of fat. I like to use ground sirloin 93/7.
- Veggies – Matchstick carrots and sliced red bell pepper add beautiful color to this dish. The carrots and red bell pepper are on the sweeter side and pair well with the sugary elements in this dish.
- Aromatics – Roughly chopped scallions (aka green onions) and minced garlic.
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce – A slightly salty, umami flavor that gives the beef and flavorful broth a darker color. Popular in Asian cooking, it adds so much flavor!
- Brown Sugar – There’s something so complex about the balance of sweet and salty in slow cooker beef ramen. It’s not at all overpowering, but necessary!
- Liquid Stock – I like to use chicken stock but if you want a more robust beef flavor, go ahead and use beef broth.
- Ramen Noodles – You’ll need 2 packs of these but you can discard the seasoning packet & we’re going to ignore the package instructions. We just want the noodles. These can be found in your local grocery store, Asian food market, and even some dollar stores.
- Optional Garnishes – Sesame seeds for a great textural element and more scallions.
How to make Slow Cooker Beef Ramen
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. If necessary, drain any excess grease. If you’re using extra lean ground beef there shouldn’t be too much.
- Step Two: Add the cooked beef to the basin of your slow cooker then add the carrots, red bell pepper, and scallions (saving some for garnish).
- Step Three: Whisk together the garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, and chicken stock and pour that into the slow cooker as well. Stir to combine.
- Step Four: Cook on low for 4-6 hours and with 30 minutes left in the cooking time, add the dry Ramen noodles. Stir them around frequently so they are covered in liquid and cook evenly until tender.
- Step Five: Serve topped with additional scallions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Every slow cooker runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.
What to serve with Beef Ramen
Traditional ramen is served with soft-boiled eggs and lime wedges, otherwise it’s completely satisfying on its own.
Try some air fried edamame with a sprinkling of salt, a side of dumplings or pot stickers, or a crispy refreshing salad.
You could always just enjoy it with a side of bread to sop up the juices.
If you want to make your meal a little extra special, provide chopsticks for people to use for the noodles.
- It wouldn’t exactly be ramen anymore, but you could skip the noodles and serve it over rice or in lettuce leaves.
- Swap out the beef for a lean meat like ground turkey or chicken for a lighter version. Or, try my slow cooker chicken ramen that uses chicken thighs!
- Add red pepper flakes or sriracha for a spicy kick.
- Add some fish sauce or oyster sauce to the broth for another layer of flavor.
- Finish it with a squirt of lime juice to really brighten it up.
- Fresh ginger in the soup or pickled ginger on top is always a great pairing with soy sauce and beef.
- If you like a lot of broth, only add one pack of noodles.
Storage & Reheating
How to store leftovers
Keep leftovers in an airtight container. Be sure to wait until it’s completely cooled before closing the lid. When you don’t, you trap the heat which causes excess moisture. This can affect the flavor when it’s watered down.
How long will it last in the fridge?
Store cooked and cooled beef ramen noodles in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How to reheat it
The microwave is great if you’re short on time, or the stovetop over medium-low heat.
FAQs
Is this a good make ahead dish?
Definitely! If you’re wanting to cut down on the time you can brown the beef the day before. You can also get ahead by chopping veggies and having them ready to go.
The entire soup can be made the day before and then reheated, or you can make the soup without the noodles.
When you’re ready to serve, place dry noodles in a bowl and pour hot broth overtop and let it sit for a few minutes.
Can you put raw beef in the slow cooker?
Technically you can but for this recipe, I don’t recommend it. Browning the beef first gives it so much added flavor and caramelization that you just don’t get adding it in raw and then slow cooking it.
If you want a start from raw option, try my slow cooker beef & broccoli.
What cut of beef is good for ramen?
Whether you use ground beef or strips of beef, I’d say top sirloin is the best. It’s lean and has a ton of flavor.
I like to use 93/7 or 90/10 ground sirloin so it’s not greasy.
What other vegetables can I add to beef ramen?
Toss in some extra veggies or swap them completely. Bok choy, mushrooms, bean sprouts, or snow peas are perfect.
Any fast-cooking veggies should be added later on to avoid them getting mushy.
Need more noodle recipes? Try these:
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken and Noodles
Easy 30-Minute Chicken Noodle Soup
Slow Cooker Turkey Noodle Soup
Click here for my entire collection of soup recipes.
Slow Cooker Beef Ramen
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef I recommend sirloin (93/7)
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1 medium red bell pepper sliced
- 2-3 large scallions roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 14.25 ounces chicken stock or beef stock
- 2 packs ramen noodles
- sesame seeds optional
- scallions optional
Instructions
- To a large skillet over medium heat, brown the beef until no longer pink. Drain any grease, if necessary.
- Pour the cooked beef into the basin of a 6 quart slow cooker.
- To the slow cooker add the carrots, red bell pepper and scallions.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar and chicken stock.
- Pour the sauce into the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.
- Approximately 30 minutes before serving, add the dry ramen noodles. [discard the seasoning packets, you only need the noodles.]
- Stir those around frequently to make sure they get all covered and cook evenly.
- When the noodles are tender, serve, topping with additional scallions and some sesame seeds.
Video
Notes
- You can swap out the beef for ground turkey or chicken.
- Add red pepper flakes or sriracha for a spicy kick.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- This recipe originally called for 1/3 cup brown sugar but after hearing from many that it was too sweet, I scaled it back to 2 Tablespoons. That said, if you prefer sweeter, you can use up to 1/3 cup.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
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5 star
Also only cooked noodles about 5 minutes.
Thanks, Tracy!
This recipe is now in my family’s regular dinner rotation. Just stopped by to get it started for tonight, and had to thank you for it.
I’d been looking for easy ground beef recipes that aren’t tacos or casseroles. And this is both. Minimal ingredients, ridiculously easy, and a welcome difference to our normal staples.
I do double the broth ingredients, add broccoli or peas, and cook my noodles separately. I find that facilitates leftover night a little easier.
Yay 🙂
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. Can frozen broccoli be added to this? When should it happen?
Hi, yes. I’d add it about 30-45 minutes before the cook time is up (before the noodles).
Followed the recipe to a tee. Too salty and not enough texture. A heartier noodle would have worked out better than ramen. Ramen turned to mush. Not soupy at all. Noodles absorbed all liquid.
I just cooked the veggies in the pan I browned the beef in and skipped the slow cooker, so I can’t comment on the texture, but the flavor is very good. The people complaining about it being too salty are definitely not reading the instructions and are adding the seasoning packet, there’s no way the broth and little bit of (low sodium!) soy sauce are making it too salty. I saw the note about the brown sugar and would probably opt for a bit more next time, but I could see how that might be a bit sweet for some people. Overall great simple recipe! I’ll definitely be adding this or some variation of it to my rotation.
Thanks for reporting back & for actually reading the post lol 🙂
Can i leave the peppers out? If so does it change cook time?
Yes & no 🙂
My whole family loved this recipe! Delicious flavor and easy to throw together. Will make again!
Thanks Marci!
Can I use lo mein noodles for this? Or does it have to be taken?
Yes, you can use whichever, just adjust cook time so they’re the right level of done for you.
This recipe needs broccoli, mushrooms, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes.
Easy additions that are mentioned above.
Waaaay to salty. Had to rinse the noodles to get some of the saltiness out bc it wasn’t edible. That was with low sodium soy sauce. Will try using low sodium chicken broth and water down the soy sauce. It would have been very good otherwise. Willing to try it again with less sodium.
Whole family loves this!
Yay 🙂
This recipe sounds awesome, I do prefer a shredded beef rather than ground beef. Would you know how to change the cooking to accommodate for that switch?
You wouldn’t have to change much. Which cut did you have in mind?
Made this tonight. I used low sodium soy sauce and low sodium beef broth and it was still so salty. Maybe way less soy sauce if I decide to make this again.
You didn’t happen to add the seasoning packet, did you? It shouldn’t have been too salty.
Do you have a conversion recipe to cook this in the air fryer?
No. I don’t see that as an option.
Can I make this on the stove and what would you recommend for time cooked?
Good easy dish to make. Overall I enjoyed it but would go easier on the soy sauce next time since I found it a bit salty.
My whole family loved this recipe! After I ate my serving and the kids were full, my husband was using the serving spoon to eat straight out of the pot 🤣
Love that! Thanks Marcy!
A favorite. I use coconut aminos and ground pork. A staple for busy weeks.
Thanks Cylina!
I made this tonight for myself, husband and 20 month old. I was looking for cost effective meals and my husband is a big fan of ramen. It was wonderful! I always tell people to read through the whole recipes before starting. It helps not to accident add or miss ingredients!! I made a few slight changes. I actually did half chicken broth and half beef. We love vegetables so I added extra peppers and carrots, as well as threw in red pepper flakes, thin sliced mushrooms and bamboo. I did make extra broth to add to make up for the extra. I love recipes like this, because you can change it to your flavor type. It ended up being a spicy, tiny bit sweet, just right amount of salty dish. Will make again.
Love that & I wish everyone read the recipe before starting, it definitely helps!
Very good dish. I read all of the comments first and saw the many comments regarding the high sodium level. I made the recipe as written with low sodium soy sauce and Kitchen Basics beef stock. The Kitchen Basics beef stock has much less sodium than Emeril’s brand. I thought the sodium level was fine. Thank you for a good recipe.
Thanks Kathy! I often use Kitchen Basics 🙂
Delicious and easy recipe! It’s also very easy to pack and bring to work for lunch, thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Deirdre!
How much is a serving? Making this tonight and looking forward to it!
I say it serves 4 but that’s being generous. It’s more like 6.