Hamburger Ramen turns a pound of ground beef and three packs of instant ramen into a fast, saucy skillet dinner. The noodles are boiled and drained, then tossed with browned beef, garlic and green onions in a sweet-savory sauce of soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and a little sriracha. It serves 6 and is ready in 30 minutes.
How to make it: Cook the ramen without the seasoning packets and drain it. Brown the beef with sesame oil and garlic, drain the grease, stir in the green onions and sauce ingredients for 2 minutes, then toss in the noodles.
Why You’ll Love It
- 30 minutes: 10 minutes of prep and 20 of cooking.
- Budget-friendly: ground beef, instant ramen and pantry sauces.
- Saucy noodles: every strand gets coated in the soy and ginger sauce.
- Easy to change: add vegetables, swap the sauce, or make it a brothy bowl.
Ingredient Notes
Instant ramen: Three 3-ounce packages. Any brand works, about 9 ounces of noodles in all, and chow mein noodles work too. Throw away the seasoning packets.
Ground beef: One pound, browned and drained.
Sesame oil and garlic: Two teaspoons of sesame oil and four cloves of garlic, minced, pressed or from a jar of paste.
The sauce: A quarter cup of soy sauce (low-sodium if you prefer), a tablespoon of packed light brown sugar, a tablespoon of ginger paste or freshly grated ginger, and a teaspoon of sriracha, more or less to taste.
Green onions: Three, thinly sliced, stirred in with the sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 packages instant ramen noodles (3 ounces each), seasoning packets discarded
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced, pressed or paste
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon ginger, paste or freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon sriracha, more or less to taste
How to Make Hamburger Ramen
1. Cook the noodles. Cook the ramen noodles according to the package directions, without the seasoning packets. Drain them in a strainer but do not rinse them.
2. Brown the beef. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the sesame oil, garlic and ground beef. Cook and crumble until the beef is no longer pink and reaches 160°F. Drain any excess grease.
3. Make the sauce. Stir the green onions, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and sriracha into the beef. Cook for 2 minutes to combine the flavors.
4. Toss and serve. Stir the ramen noodles into the beef mixture until well combined, and serve.
Do You Use the Ramen Seasoning Packets?
Not for this skillet. The soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and garlic are the seasoning here, and a few habits keep the noodles saucy instead of salty or greasy.
Toss the packets. Cook only the noodles and throw away the seasoning packets, or save them for something else. With the packets added on top of the soy sauce, the dish comes out too salty and the flavor is off.
Drain, don’t rinse. Drain the cooked noodles in a strainer, but skip the rinse.
Drain the beef. Pour off the extra grease after browning, before the sauce goes in.
Watch the salt. Low-sodium soy sauce gives you more control; taste before serving.
| Style | Seasoning packets | Liquid |
|---|---|---|
| Saucy skillet (this recipe) | None | Soy sauce only |
| Brothy ramen bowls | One packet | 4 cups beef broth |
| Korean-style | Three beef packets | 2 1/2 cups water |
Tips for Success
Can I add vegetables?
Yes. Cook thinly sliced red onion, red bell pepper strips, finely diced broccoli and matchstick carrots with the beef. Water chestnuts, baby corn or sliced mushrooms need no chopping at all.
How do I make the sauce thicker?
Whisk a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch into the soy sauce before it goes into the pan, along with a splash of chicken broth, rice vinegar, hoisin and oyster sauce.
Variations
- Brothy ramen bowls: brown the beef, then add garlic, ginger, sesame oil, 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce, red pepper flakes, 4 cups beef broth and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Add 4 packages of ramen with one seasoning packet and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Top with lime juice, green onions, chopped peanuts and chili crunch.
- Teriyaki: cook the beef with onion, garlic and ginger, simmer it in 3/4 cup of teriyaki sauce, and toss with 6 ounces of cooked ramen. Top with green onion and sesame seeds.
- Korean-style: simmer the browned beef in 2 1/2 cups of water with 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce, 1/3 cup brown sugar, crushed red pepper and 3 beef ramen seasoning packets, then cook the noodles in it.
- Vegetable ramen: add red bell pepper, broccoli and carrots with a hoisin and oyster sauce.
Storage & Reheating
It is best fresh; the noodles soften the longer they sit. USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave until it reaches 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with steamed edamame, a cucumber salad or spring rolls, or make a pan of egg fried rice for a bigger spread. For more quick noodle dinners, try 15 minute Mongolian ground beef noodles or beef and broccoli ramen stir fry, made with steak. For a hands-off soup, there’s slow cooker beef ramen, and for more takeout-style nights, chicken and broccoli stir fry or slow cooker ground beef chow mein.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is hamburger meat good in ramen?
Yes. Browned ground beef tossed with drained ramen and a soy, ginger and brown sugar sauce makes this quick skillet dinner, and it also works simmered in beef broth for brothy ramen bowls.
What can I do with ground beef and ramen?
Make this saucy skillet, a brothy ramen bowl, a teriyaki version, or a Korean-style pan with the beef seasoning packets. All four are above.
Do I use the seasoning packet?
Not in this recipe. Discard it; with it the dish comes out too salty.
Can I use a different noodle?
Yes. Any brand of instant ramen works, about 9 ounces in total, and chow mein noodles work too.
Final Notes
Put the noodle water on first so the ramen and the beef finish at the same time. If you make this, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Hamburger Ramen
Want This Recipe Later?
We'll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
Ingredients
- 3 packages instant ramen noodles 3 ounces each, seasoning packets discarded
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced, pressed or paste
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste or freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon sriracha more or less to taste
Instructions
- Cook the ramen noodles according to the package directions, without the seasoning packets. Drain them in a strainer but do not rinse them.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the sesame oil, garlic and ground beef. Cook and crumble until the beef is no longer pink and reaches 160°F. Drain any excess grease.
- Stir the green onions, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and sriracha into the beef. Cook for 2 minutes to combine the flavors.
- Stir the ramen noodles into the beef mixture until well combined, and serve.
