Name: Instant Pot Ramen Stir Fry
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1 min
Total time: 6 min
Ingredients: 1, 3 ounce package dried ramen (soy sauce flavor for vegetarian or chicken, beef, etc.); 1 cup water; 1 cup frozen stir fry mixed vegetable mix; ¼ teaspoon minced garlic; ¼ teaspoon sesame oil; ¼ teaspoon soy sauce; 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

This Instant Pot ramen stir fry is packed full of veggies so it’s super healthy, right? I love making this meal for my kids using up any odds and ends in the fridge and pantry. Everything tastes better mixed up with ramen noodles, even veggies!

Top view of ramen stir fry surrounded by chopsticks, green onions, white cloth, and instant pot

The best Instant Pot ramen hack

If you found this recipe by googling “Maruchan ramen recipes” in the hopes of finding something easy, fast, and oh-so-satisfying, congrats!

You’re in the right place.

This Instant Pot ramen stir fry is my all-time favorite ramen hack. It’s done in only two minutes more than regular ramen, and it’s packed with healthy veggies.

Because it only uses a half teaspoon of the ramen’s included flavor packet, it’s even healthier.

And you won’t miss the flavor packet because this recipe is packed instead with fresh garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Yum!

Ramen noodle stir fry—in an Instant Pot?

“But Lisa, it’s an Instant Pot, not an instant wok—does it really work for stir fry?”

Yes!!!

You can definitely make stir fry in an Instant Pot, and it’s absolutely delicious! Plus, there’s no actual frying involved, so you won’t have to worry about accidentally setting off your smoke alarm.

If you do decide that you want your noodles to be extra crispy, feel free to pop your Instant Pot onto Sauté and toss them with tongs for a minute or two.

Ramen stir fry in dark bowl on blue tablecloth surrounded by red chopsticks and green onions

My favorite way to top off any ramen noodle stir fry is with a crispy egg on top—bonus points if you can manage to keep the yolk runny!

There’s nothing more satisfying than mixing all of that savory egg flavor into an already scrumptious bowl of ramen.

It’s also an easy and inexpensive way to add protein to this filling meal.

Easy Top Ramen stir fry recipe for Instant Pot

Like a lot of my recipes, this stir fry is as easy as one-two-three.

Throw ingredients into the Instant Pot
Cook
Fluff & serve

To make things easier, I designed the recipe for one so that you can just multiply it times however many people you’re feeding.

Bonus: this recipe only takes 1 minute to cook in the Instant Pot. So depending on how quick you get at throwing all of your ingredients in to cook, you might be able to get this from pantry to table in 10 minutes!

Close up of ramen stir fry with broccoli, sugar snap peas, green onions, and sesame seeds

Instant Pot ramen noodle soup

Maybe it’s mid-December and you’re freezing. Maybe it’s mid-July and you just want soup!

Whatever your reason, this dish is insanely easy to turn into a soup. Keep all of those delicious veggies and prepare with two cups of water and the entire seasoning packet.

Boom!

Instant Pot ramen noodle soup.

Can I use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic?

Sure! I do this all the time if I’m in an extra hurry or don’t have any fresh garlic on hand.

If you know that you’re just the kind of person that hates chopping up garlic, I recommend using the jarred minced garlic. It still has lots of amazing flavor, just minus the hassle.

Can I add chicken to my ramen stir fry?

Yes, definitely!

If you’re not adding an egg on top of your stir fry, this is a great way to add some protein to your meal.

Since this recipe only cooks for a couple of minutes, you won’t be able to add raw chicken to this recipe without overcooking the noodles.

Instead, you can use the saute feature on the Instant Pot to saute chicken (thighs, breast, or tenderloins) with some oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder before adding the rest of the noodles.

You can also just throw some chopped precooked chicken into the Instant Pot on top of the ramen and veggies.

Top view of ramen stir fry with chopsticks surrounded by green onion

What kinds of vegetarian/vegan protein are good for this?

For a meat/dairy free approach, I recommend using tofu, seitan, or shrimp (if you eat seafood).

As usual, you can just pop these into the Instant Pot with the ramen and veggies. Shrimp especially don’t need much work.

The other three are best with a bit more love. For all of these plant-based proteins, I recommend marinating them in some soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and salt for 20 or so minutes before tossing them onto a baking sheet and into a frying pan for about 3-5 minutes.

This marinating and baking step gives some much-needed extra flavor, so it’s worth the extra time! Once the protein is cooked (I like mine crispy), you’ll just add it to the already-cooked ramen stir fry.

close up teriyaki — If you like this Instant Pot Ramen recipe, you’ll love this super easy Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken rice bowl using the same vegetables!

Can I make a gluten free ramen stir fry?

Conventional ramen noodles are made with wheat, so you’ll want to avoid those if you’re gluten free. Soy sauce is also packed with gluten, so avoid that as well.

But, just because you’re gluten free doesn’t mean that you can’t eat delicious ramen stir fry! Simply sub out conventional ramen for gluten free ramen and conventional soy sauce for coconut aminos.

For protein, you can definitely use an egg or some chicken, but be sure to avoid seitan. Tofu and tempeh can be gluten free, but you’ll want to double check to be sure!

Can I meal prep this ramen stir fry?

Yes, yes, yes! This recipe is perfect for meal prep (or opportune leftovers—whatever you want to call them).

If I know that I’m going to be busy the next day, I just make an extra portion or two and package it up! I really love these meal prep containers because they keep everything pre-portioned and super easy to reheat and serve.

I wouldn’t recommend prepping more than 2 days ahead for these, as the noodles can get soggy.

More easy one pot meals