Ah, it’s meteorological autumn here in the western hemisphere. Hot, sunny weather is making way for rain and cooler temps. It’s kind of nice – an generally the time I come out with a new USA top ten list. This list combines varieties made in the United States as well as ones made for the United States . Got varieties you’d like to see me review? Contact me! Make sure to check out the announcements at the bottom. Without further ado, here’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time 2026 Edition.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time 2026 Edition
#10: Cielo Birria Flavor Instant Ramen Noodle
Noodle was very nice – thin and light. They worked so well with the broth. Let me say I’ve tried a few birria ramen varieties, and this one was tops. The broth is brought through a liquid base. It’s oily and savory – a little sweetness, a nice beefiness, and bits of veg throughout. Very impressed. Original review | Get it here
#9: Choi Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup
Here’s a nice surprise. These are made in South Korea and really a great find – chicken instant noodles. The noolde is very good – nice gauge and light tooth. The seller here is the chicken flavored broth which is super savory and full. Was thrilled and I think if you are looking for a nice chicken instant, this is the ticket. Original review | Get it here
#8: Sapporo Ichiban Japanese Style Noodles Chow Mein
Noodle came out great – nice gauge. The flavor is a sweet and Worcestershire taste; not sharp like yakisoba but a little tanginess there. Really love this still and highly recommend. Original review | Get it here
#7: Nissin Hot & Spicy Fire Wok Sizzlin’ Rich Pork
This one is truly excellent – a kind of spicy pork tonkotsu take. Broth is on the lean side and it ends up more saucy. Spicy level isn’t going to send you away screaming, but it’s solid and the flavor is as advertised. Just typing this makes me want to try it again – easy to find and reasonably priced. Original review | Get it here
#6: A-Sha x 88Rising Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
Excellent noodle – nice chew and texture. The broth has a really savory flavor paired with a sweetness – and it tastes like beef noodle – it’s extremely good stuff! Bits of veg in there are nice. Not spicy either. This is really great and I’m thrilled. Original review | Get it here
#5: Maruchan GOLD Spicy Miso Ramen
Noodle is soft and with a very nice gauge. The broth has a nice miso flavor – not violently red miso dependant which I enjoyed. All in all, a premium range nicety. Original review | Get it here
#4: Nongshim Tonkotsu Ramen Premium Noodle Soup
This one really took me off guard. Made in the United States by a company that usually produces Korean varieties, we have a Japanese standard. Tonkotsu is a pork bone broth and noodle combo that’s very good, and this is honestly one the the best I’ve tried anywhere. It is microwavable and comes with a sachet of spicy stuff so you can have it spicy or not. Just amazing stuff. Original review | Get it here
#3: Nongshim Ramyun Spicy Broth & Vegetables
Noodle is of a very good gauge and chew – definitely the classic ramyun style. The broth has very nice elements of ramyun and perfectly presented. There’s spiciness, no bitterness, and a tanginess as well as the anchovy which is so good. Veg is in order as well. All in all, I’m thrilled with this one and highly recommend it – happy birthday, Nongshim! Original review | Get it here
#2: Sapporo Ichiban x Marutai Kagoshima-Style Creamy Tonkotsu Flavor Ramen
Noodle? Just right – thin, nice chewiness to it straight noodle. The broth is very rich – sumptuous. Salty, porky, and very tasty with little dark bits floating about. Highly recommend. Original review | Get it here
#1: Nongshim Budae Ramyun Noodles With Soup Mix
A few years ago, Nongshim came out with a product called K-Army Stew. It was crafted as a version of budae jjigae, a fusion of army rations and Korean broth. Well, as far as I can tell it’s back with this one and I’m very excited about it. A thick ramyun style noodle is paired with an oily broth that includes heat and a smoky grilled taste. Honestly, it has notes of hot dog and SPAM in there – just a very tasty comfort food. Original review | Get it here
Special Announcements
The Ramen Rater Humbly Asks For Your Help
After about a decade of having the main tool for my reviews other than instant noodles, my old workhorse computer is in desperate need of replacement. Editng images, rendering video and lots more go on. When I asked for donations initially, people were asking if I just wanted a new computer to play Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto. To be honest, games like that make me extremely nauseated. I spend most of my time on here working on posts and Photoshop and Premiere. I’ve started a GoFundMe hoping to make enough to replace it. Ports have gone bad, drives have errors – it’s a lot of things. One person got cranky and just said get a Chromebook – although that’s not going to work obviously. Anyways, if you can help I would truly appreciate it. Here is the GoFundMe link and here is my Patreon page. Thanks!
Top Ten Redux 2.0
A while back, I got some advice. ‘Why not call your list by the number of the following yea if it was the second half of the year?’ It made sense to me; the list would be current for more of the following year than the current. Well, this theory ended up being very frought with confusion. That being said, I decided to take a year off on some lists that I published last year that say 2026 and will revisit them in 2027.
5000 Reviews!
Reaching a span of over 20 years and 5000 reviews, I decided to go all out and do a documentary about how I got my start doing what I do as well as a one on how I do it– check it out!
The Ramen Rater Is All Over The Place!
If you really like seeing what I’m posting, you can follow on quite a few platforms. The Ramen Rater posts to Facebook, X, Bluesky, Reddit, Tumblr, Threads, Instagram, and Substack daily! You can also just watch the thousands of videos I’ve created on YouTube!
Definitive Guides
This year, I’ve decided to do a special series called Definitive Guides. Recipes, trivia, history, and more on some of the most loved and fascinating varieties of instant noodles around the world! With that said, I’ve got one on Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun, and Indomie’s Mi Goreng and Nissin Foods’ Cup Noodles Pumpkin Spice! Very recently, I released a Definitive Guide To Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup. Future guides will include MAMA Tom Yum, and more. My plan is do feature one or two products from each country.
Ramen Junkies
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