The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2025 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2025 Edition

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2025 Edition is an annual list of my favorite instant noodles that I’ve reviewed. This last year, I’ve kit some milestones I’m rather proud of, Toward the end of last year, I published by 5000th review. That’s a lot of instant noodle to try throughout the years! With my 500th review, I did a documentary as well as a behind the scenes – check those out to find out about me and what I do here. This list is based of reviews up to #5160. If you are a manufacturer or simply want to see me try a variety I’ve not, please reach out – always happy to try something new. I would also like to mention this list is dedicated to my friend Jamie Burridge, who passed earlier this year. With that, let us look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2025 Edition. ...see full post

#5192: Nissin x Irvins Salted Egg Mala Flavour – Singapore

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#5192: Nissin x Irvins Salted Egg Mala Flavour - Singapore

This is the last of the multipacks – I’m really making progress through all these Nissin Singapore products! Soon, the monster box will be gone and I’ll have room. Not to say I don’t like what’s in the box as I very much do. I’m curious about this one – it’s salted egg again, but instead of pepper spicy, I’m guessing it’s Sichuan peppercorn spicy. Let’s see if it works! ...see full post

#5190: Nissin x Pepper Lunch Beef Cheese Curry Flavour – Singapore

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#5190: Nissin x Pepper Lunch Beef Cheese Curry Flavour - Singapore

The saga of the huge box from Singapore continues! Until I saw these, I’d never heard of Pepper Lunch, which is a restaurant chain. But indeed, there are locations here as well as in Singapore and probably elsewhere as well. Let’s try this cheese curry – high hopes as I love curry. I’m eating curry for dinner – I make it all the time. ...see full post

#5189: Nissin Cup Noodle Spicy Ramen – Japan

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#5096: Nissin Cup Noodle Spicy Ramen - Japan

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff at MiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “We’re keeping it hot with this next choice! Nissin created a tasty cup of spicy ramen with plenty of hot chili. But don’t worry—it’s not just spicy! It combines shoyu with miso, garlic and kimchi vinegar to create a flavor profile with tons of depth for an addictive taste!” ...see full post

#5188: Nissin Donbei Oni Kaki-Age Udon – Japan

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#5155: Nissin Donbei Oni Kaki-Age Udon - Japan

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff at MiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “Oni means ogre or demon, but the only thing monstrous about this udon bowl is how delicious it is! Combining katsuo (bonito) and tasty tsuyu (a sauce noodle base) with udon noodles and a yummy fried shrimp and veggie disc topping, this bowl is devilishly delicious! ...see full post

#5187: Nissin Jumbo Seafood Chilli Crab Flavour – Singapore

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#5187: Nissin Jumbo Seafood Chilli Crab Flavour - Singapore

You might have noticed a different background on the pics lately. So there’s a company that does flooring called Flooret and they had a thing in facebook offering to send free samples. Well, I got some and  that’s what these are. I’m going to get a big piece and get it cut which is darker than this one I’ve been using. It’s pretty neat stuff and I’m pretty stoked. Let’s continue on though – this is a chilli crab pack from Singapore – one of the signature dishes of the country. Let’s give it a try! ...see full post

#5185: Nissin Tasting Donbei Hakata-Style Kitsune Udon – Japan

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#5185: Nissin Tasting Donbei Hakata-Style Kitsune Udon - Japan

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “Hailing from Fukuoka, another place with plenty of beautiful fall foliage, this bowl captures the unique taste of Hakata udon! This style features hints of grilled flying fish, bonito, mackerel, pilchard and more in the broth for plenty of umami, topped with tasty fried tofu!” ...see full post

#5180: Nissin Cup Noodles Spice Scent Creamy Green Curry – Japan

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#5180: Nissin Cup Noodles Spice Scent Creamy Green Curry - Japan

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “As the temperatures go down, it’s important to stay warm with this yummy ramen! This creamy soup with a green curry oil, a coconut milk base and tasty sweet basil and kaffir lime leaves, this ramen cup is bringing a special and very tasty twist to ramen!” ...see full post

#5177: Nissin Cup Noodle Extra Special Chili Tomato Ramen – Japan

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Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “Next up, we’re making a stop at the fanciest haunted ramen shop! This cup is fancier, high-class version of Cup Noodle’s classic chili tomato flavor. With a special hot chili oil for spice and rosemary meatballs, this is a fuller (and tastier) experience than the classic!” ...see full post

#5173: Nissin Yakisoba U.F.O. Pokkunmyon Korean-style Sweet & Spicy Carbonara Creamy – Japan

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#5173: Nissin Yakisoba U.F.O. Pokkunmyon Korean-style Sweet & Spicy Carbonara Creamy - Japan

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff at MiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “Sometimes the cutest monsters have the strongest bite! This cute cup features yummy yakisoba with a creamy carbonara-style sauce. But don’t be fooled! The sauce has a bit of Korean sweet and spicy flavor that will creep up on you if you’re not ready for it!” ...see full post

#5172: Totino’s Ramen Noodles Cheese Pizza Naturally Flavored – United States

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#5328: Totino's Ramen Noodles Cheese Pizza Naturally Flavored - United States

Well kids, here we are. It’s kind of funny; I’ve had many a pizza flavored instant noodle – from places like Pakistan, Serbia, Brazil, and Indonesia to name a few. Nothing from the United States though. All these others employed a standard fried wheat noodle and were indeed the ‘standard’ instant ramen style noodle. In this one for the US, the term ‘ramen’ is doing some incredibly heavy lifting. I feel partially to blame to be honest – I’m The Ramen Rater – but I do not only review Japanese varieties like shio, tonkotsu, miso and shoyu, but try everything from everywhere. So, is this something that is called ramen, or is it ramen? You be the judge. Rather, I will after I sample it. Let’s begin. ...see full post

#5171: Acecook Local One Cup Toyama Black Shoyu Ramen – Japan

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#5171: Acecook Local One Cup Toyama Black Shoyu Ramen - Japan

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff at MiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “Let’s take a fall break with a quick trip to Toyama, with a beautiful mountain painted with all of the fall colors this time of year! This black shoyu ramen is a famous Toyama variety that combines dark, deep soy sauce, pepper and chicken for tasty soup full of flavor!” ...see full post

#5169: Nissin Do-Miso Shop Special Miso Ramen – Japan

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#5169: Nissin Do-Miso Shop Special Miso Ramen - Japan

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff at MiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “Get a deep, rich taste of fall with this tasty miso ramen pack from Do・Miso, a popular Tokyo ramen shop.! The soup for this bowl is made up of a tasty blend of 5 different red miso types with accents of garlic and spice for an even deeper flavor!” ...see full post

#5168: McTrader Ramen Noodles Sirloin Artificially Flavored – United States

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#5168: McTrader Ramen Noodles Sirloin Artificially Flavored - United States

My 5000th review was of the chicken version from this brand. Why? It was a brand I’d not seen, I got it locally, and when I found it I was surprised to find it as well and excited. I saw a post in the Ramen Junkies group showing this beef version, and I could tell from the shelf picture it was from the same place – a discount store called Dollar Tree. So, I thought I’d look to see if they have it and they did. What I find interesting is that I thought these were made in China – they’re not. These are made in India, and a sirloin flavor, which connotes beef seems very out of character.  Once again, I review another McTrader product. Let us begin. ...see full post

#5166: Momofuku Spicy Soy Noodles – United States

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#5166_ Momofuku Spicy Soy Noodles - United States

Here’s my next to last of these varieties and I have to say I’ve enjoyed them so far. Nice chewy noodles, good Taiwanese style flavors. These are made for Momofuku, a restaurant founded by David Chang. A-Sha Dry Noodle is making these, so if you like their products, you’ll like these. Let’s cook it up! ...see full post

#5165: Nissin Cup Noodles Beef Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup – United States

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#5165: Nissin Cup Noodles Beef Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup - United States

Holy cow – what a week. On Tuesday, we had a huge storm – a bomb cyclone. Areas around here had gusts equal to hurricane force. The cyclone sucked air out to sea, which made winds go the opposite direction they usually do – causing power outages… We had just shy of a 2 day power outage. It sucked. Well, I’m back. Let’s do it up! ...see full post

#5164: O’Food Garlic Tteokbokki – United States

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#5164: O'Food Garlic Tteokbokki - United States

Thank you to James from Lakeside, California for sending this along! He also sent a bulgogi sauce version but my wife absconded with it – and I let her. I generally don’t get anything noodle related that she’s all over so I figured that’s fair. Tteokbokki and rice cakes in a tubular shape, usually with a lot of tasty sauce and other toppings. It’s freaking wonderful. This one comes with two servings. Let’s give it a try! ...see full post

#5162: Sapporo Ichiban Travel Ramen Yokohama Tan-Men – Japan

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#5162: Sapporo Ichiban Travel Ramen Yokohama Tan-Men - Japan

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff at MiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “Next up is a tasty bowl of liquid gold straight from Yokohama! This Tan ramen, different from Tan Tan Ramen. This pack feature thick noodles in a deliciously light salt broth with chicken and pork for umami and napa cabbage and cabbage to soak up that soup! Yum!” ...see full post

#5161: Snapdragon Beef Pho Beef Flavored Noodle Soup – United States

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#5161: Snapdragon Beef Pho Beef Flavored Noodle Soup - United States

After going to the dollar store in search of something – which I found – I was on my way home and passed by a little free food pantry. People just put food in there and you just take it out. I found this one in there. I have put plenty of noodles in there in the past, so when I find something, I feel happy to abscond with it. I’m happy to not have to pay for a multipack of these, so thank you random donor. I’ll put some cool stuff in there shortly. Let’s cook this… ...see full post

#5160: Acecook Kojiya Hakkaisan Sake Lees Rich Miso Ramen – Japan

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#5160: Acecook Kojiya Hakkaisan Sake Lees Rich Miso Ramen - Japan

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff at MiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “Next up, let’s indulge in the deep umami of miso. Combined with Chicken and pork stock for a flavor explosion, this cup of noodles balances its richness with sweet sake lees and bits of corn culminating to a hearty, yet refined ramen. It’s complex, pack-a-punch taste is perfect for a cozy meal!” ...see full post

#5158: Trailtopia Adventure Food Beef Stroganoff Flavored Ramen Noodles – United States

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#5158: Trailtopia Adventure Food Beef Stroganoff Flavored Ramen Noodles - United States

Big thanks to The Fat Hipster for sending this along. This is an instant noodle for hikers and campers. So if you’re neither, think of carrying tons of stuff for a multi day outdoor trip. You will need food. Do you want to carry something heavy or light? When you’re done, do you want big trash to lug around? Well, this is a solution. These packs aren’t huge, they’re light, and unlike a foam bowl, this is also the cooking vessel and folds up for disposal away from the trail. Sounds interesting. I’m very curious about this, so let’s get to it. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Chili Crisp Roundup & Buyer’s Guide – Updated

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The Ramen Rater's Chili Crisp Roundup & Buyer's Guide

A couple of years ago, I found out about Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp.  A crunch, oil, and a little spiciness. I dubbed it ‘Love Sludge’ – it was so good that I evangelized it to all my friends. Since then, the enamor has most certainly worn off. I don’t know if they changed the recipe, but the last couple of times I’ve gotten some, it’s ended up in the bin, not completely used. Well, I thought a list of alternatives to Lao Gan Ma that are out there that not everyone’s heard of (nor I myself) would be neat. So, I started sending a few emails, asking for samples, and here’s The Ramen Rater’s Chili Crisp Roundup & Buyer’s Guide. I figure 14 varieties is more than enough to show a landscape of flavor and textures that are out in the wild – and I’m sure there are many more. With holidays coming up, if you’ve got a ramen junkie or chilehead to get something for, there’s a lot of different things here that will work that they might not have tried. These are in order of when I received/bought them. Each one has a link to where you can get them. If I end up with more, I will be happy to add them at the bottom. With that, let’s get oily! ...see full post