This slow cooker beef ramen makes a comforting, savory-sweet noodle dinner practically hands-off. Ground beef, colorful vegetables, and a rich soy-brown sugar sauce simmer together in the slow cooker for hours, building deep flavor, then ramen noodles get stirred in right at the end to soak up all that savory goodness. It’s easier than you’d think, and you can keep it classic with scallions and sesame seeds, or dress it up with your favorite ramen toppings. It’s a great weeknight dinner that mostly cooks itself, perfect for a busy day when you still want something warm and satisfying.
The beauty of this dish is how the slow cooker does most of the work. Browning the beef and prepping the vegetables takes just a few minutes, then everything simmers together low and slow, letting the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and chicken stock meld into a rich, savory-sweet sauce that coats the beef and vegetables. Adding the ramen noodles only in the last 30 minutes keeps them from turning mushy, so you get perfectly tender noodles in a deeply flavorful broth-like sauce.
Why this works
A few simple techniques are what give this dish its rich flavor and great texture, and they’re worth understanding.
Browning the beef first builds flavor before it hits the slow cooker. Browning and draining the ground beef develops savory, caramelized flavor that a straight simmer wouldn’t achieve, and draining off the excess fat keeps the final dish from becoming greasy.
The sauce does the heavy lifting over a long, slow cook. Combining garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, and chicken stock creates a sauce that’s savory, sweet, and deeply flavorful, and letting it simmer with the beef and vegetables for hours allows all those flavors to meld and penetrate everything in the pot. This slow build is what makes the dish taste so rich despite requiring so little hands-on effort, essentially, time is doing the work that constant stirring and attention would otherwise require on the stovetop.
Adding the noodles at the very end is the key timing trick. Stirring in the dry ramen noodles only about 30 minutes before serving (and discarding the flavor packets, since the sauce already provides plenty of seasoning) means they cook directly in that flavorful liquid and turn perfectly tender without turning mushy or falling apart, which would happen if they cooked in the slow cooker for hours.
And stirring frequently once the noodles go in ensures even cooking. Since the noodles are added toward the end and need to cook through in the hot liquid, stirring them regularly helps them cook evenly and keeps them from clumping together or sticking to the bottom of the slow cooker.
What goes in
The ingredient list is simple and mostly hands-off once assembled.
You’ll need ground beef, matchstick carrots, a red bell pepper, scallions, garlic, low-sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, chicken stock, and ramen noodle packets (noodles only, discard the seasoning packets). For garnish, you’ll want sesame seeds and more scallions, both optional.
A few notes. Use low-sodium soy sauce so you can control the saltiness, since the sauce already has a good amount of soy sauce and stock. Discard the ramen seasoning packets, the homemade sauce provides plenty of flavor on its own. Feel free to swap in or add other vegetables you enjoy in ramen, like mushrooms, bok choy, or bean sprouts. And keep some extra scallions and sesame seeds on hand for garnishing individual bowls.
How to make it
Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain off the excess fat.
Add the beef to the slow cooker.
Add the matchstick carrots, red bell pepper, and scallions to the slow cooker.
In a bowl, mix together the garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, and chicken stock.
Pour the sauce into the slow cooker and stir to combine.
Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the dry ramen noodles (discard the seasoning packets, you only want the noodles).
Stir frequently to make sure the noodles are fully covered and cook evenly.
When the noodles are tender, serve, topped with extra scallions and sesame seeds if desired.
Tips, serving, and storing
A few things help. Brown and drain the beef well before adding it to the slow cooker for the best flavor and texture. Stir the noodles frequently once they go in so they cook evenly and don’t clump. Add the noodles only in the last 30 minutes, adding them any earlier will make them mushy. And taste before serving, adjusting with a little extra soy sauce if you’d like more depth.
A couple more. Feel free to dress this up with additional ramen toppings, like a soft-boiled egg, sriracha or chili oil for heat, sliced jalapeños, or a drizzle of sesame oil. And if you’re feeding a crowd, this recipe scales up easily, just use a larger slow cooker and adjust the ingredients proportionally.
This dish is a complete, comforting meal on its own, needing little more than a sprinkle of scallions and sesame seeds to finish it off. It’s great for busy weeknights since the slow cooker does most of the work, and it’s easy to customize with whatever ramen toppings you love. Serve it hot, straight from the slow cooker.
For storing, keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The noodles will continue to absorb liquid as they sit, so they’ll be softer and the dish less brothy the next day, still delicious, just a different texture. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of water or broth if it needs loosening up. I wouldn’t recommend freezing this one, since the noodles don’t hold up well to freezing and thawing.
This makes about 4 to 6 servings. Savory, comforting, and packed with beef, vegetables, and noodles in a rich sauce, this slow cooker beef ramen is an easy, mostly hands-off dinner that’s perfect for busy days when you still want something warm and satisfying. Set it in the morning, and by dinnertime the hardest part left is stirring in the noodles.
WP Tasty (Tasty Recipes Premium) field values
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
- Diet: (leave blank. Contains beef and wheat (ramen noodles), so it isn’t vegetarian or gluten-free. Use gluten-free ramen noodles and tamari to make it gluten-free; Halal with halal beef.)
- Keywords: slow cooker ramen, beef ramen noodles, crockpot ramen, easy ramen recipe, slow cooker beef noodles
- Serving Size: 1 serving (recipe makes about 4 to 6; source did not specify servings)
- Calories: (leave blank. No nutrition data was provided. Generate values with Nutrifox before publishing rather than estimating.)
- Equipment: Slow cooker, skillet, mixing bowl
Slow Cooker Beef Ramen Noodles
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Skillet
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 2-3 scallions roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 (14.5 oz) can chicken stock
- 2 packets ramen noodles noodles only, discard seasoning packets
- sesame seeds for garnish, optional
- scallions for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Brown the Beef: Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain the excess fat.
- Add to Slow Cooker: Add the beef to the slow cooker, along with the carrots, red bell pepper, and scallions.
- Make the Sauce: In a bowl, mix together the garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, and chicken stock. Pour into the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cook: Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
- Add the Noodles: About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the dry ramen noodles (discard the seasoning packets).
- Stir and Cook: Stir frequently so the noodles are fully covered and cook evenly.
- Serve: When the noodles are tender, serve, topped with extra scallions and sesame seeds if desired.
