Like many students, I lived on ramen when I was in college. Those little microwaveable packets were cheap, easy to make, and they never let me down when I needed some nourishment. Now, years later, I do my best to eat whole, nutritious foods and fewer packaged ones. But I do still have a soft spot for the savory, umami flavors in beef ramen. So, I developed this homemade crockpot beef ramen recipe for a better-for-you take on a nostalgic meal!
This crockpot ramen is super easy and has all the rich, umami flavors I remember. It’s also full of high-protein meat and plenty of veggies to keep me full. Plus, it makes enough to feed my whole family. To make it, I just combine the ingredients in the morning, give it a stir, and let my slow cooker do its thing.
Recipe Highlights
This has become one of my go-to slow cooker recipes when I need a delicious meal that my husband and teenagers will eat. Here are a few reasons it’s one of my favorite easy recipes:
- With just 15 minutes of prep time, the ingredients come together quickly for a hands-off meal I can toss together fast
- It’s naturally high in protein and dairy free, and I can modify it to be gluten-free with two ingredient swaps
- The ground beef and veggies are the nutrient superstars in this dish, but even the soy sauce provides some of the benefits of fermented foods
- Ever since tightening up my goals for how much protein to eat to support my optimal health, I do my best to include high-quality protein in all my meals and this recipe provides 27 grams of protein per serving
- I ditch the seasoning packets that come with dry ramen noodles and flavor the dish with more natural ingredients, meaning it’s easy to customize to suit my flavor preferences without being loaded with sodium
- Because of the fresh veggies, this recipe helps me get more fiber, a super important nutrient that we need more of
Health Benefits
Made with a touch of honey and a homemade seasoning blend instead of the provided seasoning packets, this crockpot beef ramen recipe is free from refined sugar. It’s also a good source of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber, making for a filling and well-balanced meal that I look forward to.
Ingredient Notes For Crockpot Beef Ramen
A few helpful tips about the ingredients I use:
- Ground beef – I use lean grass-fed ground beef from Butcher Box, but you could also use lean ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground pork
- Cole slaw mix – To save time, I use bagged cole slaw, but you can shred whole cabbage if you can’t find those ready-to-use bags
- Shredded carrots – I use pre-shredded, bagged matchstick carrots from the produce section of my local grocery store, because they are thicker and stand up better to cooking (plus, they reduce the prep time). If you cannot find shredded carrots at the store, you can shred your own carrots, but they will likely ‘melt’ into the beef and vegetable mixture a bit
- Low-sodium soy sauce – may sub tamari for a gluten-free recipe. You could also use coconut aminos, but I tried that and it wasn’t my favorite. I don’t recommend it, since it gave a little too much sweet flavor
- Ramen noodles – use any ramen packets and discard the seasoning pouch that comes inside. For gluten-free, I really like the gluten-free Lotus Foods Brown Rice and Millet Ramen
- Edamame – get the frozen, shelled edamame from the freezer section and add it while still frozen
Ingredient Highlight: Edamame
Edamame are whole, immature (green) soybeans. Not only are they versatile and used in many Japanese and other Asian-inspired recipes, but edamame is also an excellent source of vitamins and fiber. It’s rich in plant-based protein and an excellent source of a few essential vitamins and minerals, including iron, magnesium, potassium, and folate.
Make It Gluten Free
I’ve tested this recipe using all gluten-free ingredients, and it works great. For a gluten-free ramen noodles recipe, I use brown rice ramen noodles and swap tamari for the soy sauce (or use certified gluten-free soy sauce). The gluten-free brown rice ramen noodles took a bit longer to soften than regular ramen noodles once added to the crockpot, so I recommend adding 10-15 minutes to the total time if you use those.
How To Store
I find that this dish is best served fresh as the noodles tend to become a bit soggy as they sit. However, if needed, leftovers will keep fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. If possible, I recommend omitting the ramen noodles until just before serving.
How To Serve
I serve this beef ramen with a variety of toppings. Some favorites are Sriracha or other hot sauce, kimchi, chili oil, chili crisp, sesame seeds, and a drizzle of hot honey.
I’m allergic to eggs, but my husband likes to add a fried egg to his to make it even more filling. To make it a larger meal, some recipes that pair well with this dinner are this Instant Pot jasmine rice and my favorite cold cucumber salad.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Crockpot Beef Ramen Recipe
This crockpot beef ramen recipe has all the savory, umami flavors of microwaveable ramen packets, but in an easy, nourishing, high-protein, veggie-packed slow cooker meal.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 4–6 green onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 (12-ounce) bag cole slaw mix
- 2 cup shredded carrots*
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure honey
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 3 (3-oz) packages of ramen noodles (seasoning packets discarded)
- 1 cup shelled edamame, frozen
- For serving: fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, Sriracha, sesame seeds, chili crisp, hot honey, and/or crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, mist the surface with cooking spray and add the ground beef, the white/light green parts of onions, and the minced garlic. Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink, breaking up the meat and stirring occasionally, 6-7 minutes.
- Transfer the ground beef mixture to the slow cooker.
- To the slow cooker, add the cole slaw mix, shredded carrots, chicken broth, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, vinegar, honey, and ginger; stir to combine.
- Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is bubbling, on the LOW setting for 4 hours or on HIGH setting for 2 hours.
- Remove the lid and stir in the frozen edamame. Then, nestle the noodle cakes into the sauce as best you can. You may need to spoon some of the meat and vegetable mixture over the noodles.
- Replace the lid and cook on the HIGH setting for 15-30 minutes or until the noodles are tender, stirring once or twice to separate the noodles. Stir the green parts of the onions and the cilantro into the beef and noodle mixture.
- Serve hot with desired garnishes.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive so we can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Notes
*Preshredded, bagged carrots from the produce section work best in the recipe because they are thicker and stand up better to cooking (plus, they’ll save you time). If you can’t find them, you can shred your own carrots but they will likely ‘melt’ into the beef and vegetable mixture a bit.
For gluten, free, use tamari instead of soy sauce. And use 3 gluten-free noodle ‘cakes’ such as these Lotus Foods Brown Rice and Millet Ramen.
Gluten-free brown rice ramen noodles will take about 30 minutes to soften once added to the crockpot and covered with the beef and vegetable mixture, so you’ll need to add 10-15 more minutes if using those.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe (1 2/3 cups)
- Calories: 370
- Fat: 10 g
- (Sat Fat: 3 g)
- Sodium: 1,191 mg
- Carbohydrate: 44 g
- (Fiber: 5 g
- Sugar: 7 g)
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 49 mg
