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Spicy Short Rib Peanut Ramen, our favorite winter ramen! Enjoy this on nights when youโre craving your favorite bowl of carry-out ramen, but want something simple and homemade. This ramen is flavored with warm spices, peanut butter, and chili paste. Itโs creamy, spicy, and filled with plenty of ramen noodles. Each bowl is topped with kimchi, fresh herbs, nori, and lots of toasted sesame seeds. And best of all, itโs all cooked in one pot โ either the crockpot, instant pot, or on the stove. One of our favorite bowls of ramen โ even better than a restaurant! Best enjoyed on cold days, because thereโs nothing better than a steaming bowl of ramen on a cold winterโs night.
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Soup is the name of the game these days, itโs all weโve been wanting. With the snow falling pretty consistently and many people battling colds, Iโve been making soup after soup. Everything from classic chicken noodle soup to my creamy potato, chili, and then so much ramen. Which I think might be the all-around family favorite.
Iโve made more variations on ramen than I can remember, but if you take a family poll, I think everyone will say that this is their favorite. My brothers especially love this one since I finally used short ribs.
Itโs simple as can be to make and so warmingly delicious. Pretty hard to pass up a bowl of this ramen.
The inspiration for this ramen, however, came from my younger brother, Red. He was in Hawaii for Christmas with his girlfriendโs family. He sent me a ton of photos of food from the restaurant they ate at on Christmas Eve. It was a Korean place and it looked absolutely incredible.
The thing about Red is that he doesnโt go into much detail, if any. He sent the photos and said, โthis was really goodโ. I tried to get more out of him, but then he disappeared for the night.
It was obvious from the photo that they enjoyed Korean-style BBQ with kimchi on the side. And thatโs when I dreamt up this soup. A ramen with Korean-inspired short ribs in a spicy but creamy broth with lots of kimchi on top.
Different, but it sounded really dish!
The details
You can make this easily on the stove, in the crockpot, or super fast in the instant pot. Iโve made this all 3 ways and each yields the same outcome. I think the crockpot is easiest, but use the cooking method that works best for you.
For the crockpot, layer in the short ribs, then pretty much every other ingredient goes in. The broth, tamari, coconut milk, peanut butter (the not so secret, secret to this ramen), chili paste (I love to use Gochujang โ Korean chili paste), shallots, garlic, ginger, a couple of bay leaves, and a cinnamon stick.
Cover and cook low and slow until the ribs are falling apart.
When the soup has finished cooking, preheat the broiler to high, broil the ribs with some of the sauce until caramelized.
While the short ribs broil, add the spinach and ramen noodles to the broth.
As always, I use Brown Rice and Millet Ramen noodlesย (which you can find at Whole Foods and in many grocery stores). These taste just like real-deal ramen noodles, but theyโre much healthier, gluten-free, and vegan.
For toppings, I kept things easy and simple. Lots of kimchi, cilantro, green onion, and sesame seeds. You can add some chili oil too if you like.
This ramen is perfect for any night of the week, whether itโs a snowy night, pouring rain, or simply a night where you just need a warming soup.
Iโm so thankful for easy dinners like this!
Looking for more warming winter soups? Here are a few to try:
Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup.
30 Minute Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen
Better For You Chicken and Spinach Ramen
Healthier Italian Wedding Soup with Lemon and Garlic
Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup
Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Lastly, if you make this Spicy Short Rib Peanut Ramen be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, donโt forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Spicy Short Rib Peanut Ramen
Ingredientsย
- 3-5 pounds beef short ribs, bone-in or out, fat trimmed
- 8 cups low sodium beef or chicken broth
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 2-4 tablespoons chili paste, to taste, (I use Gochujang)
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 6 shallots, sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped ginger
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 4-6 squares dry ramen noodles
- kimichi, cilantro, and green onion, for serving
- chili oil, nori sheets, and sesame seeds, for serving
Instructionsย
crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of the crockpot, season the short ribs with pepper. Pour over the broth, coconut milk, and tamari. Add the chili paste, peanut butter, shallots, garlic, ginger, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.2. Preheat the broiler to high. Remove the short ribs from the crockpot and place onto a baking sheet. Break into a few chunks and discard any bones. Broil until caramelized on top, about 3-5 minutes, but watch closely.3. Meanwhile, crank the heat on the slow cooker to high. Stir in the spinach and noodles and let cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the short ribs.4. Ladle the broth, short ribs, spinach, and noodles into bowls. Top as desired with kimchi, cilantro, green onions, chili oil, and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Instant Pot
- 1. In the bowl of the instant pot, season the short ribs with pepper. Pour over the broth, coconut milk, and tamari. Add the chili paste, peanut butter, shallots, garlic, ginger, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 60-70 minutes. Quick release the steam.2. Preheat the broiler to high. Remove the short ribs from the instant pot and place onto a baking sheet. Break into a few chunks and discard any bones. Broil until caramelized on top, about 3-5 minutes, but watch closely.3. Switch the instant pot to sautรจ. Add the spinach and noodles and let cook, uncovered, for about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the short ribs.4. Ladle the broth, short ribs, spinach, and noodles into bowls. Top as desired with kimchi, cilantro, green onions, chili oil, and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Stove
- 1. In a large soup pot set over medium heat, season the short ribs with pepper. Pour over the broth, coconut milk, and tamari. Add the chili paste, peanut butter, shallots, garlic, ginger, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook over low heat for 3-5 hours or up to all day, adding water if needed to keep the short ribs covered.2. Preheat the broiler to high. Remove the short ribs from the pot and place onto a baking sheet. Break into a few chunks and discard any bones. Broil until caramelized on top, about 3-5 minutes, but watch closely.3. To the soup, add the spinach and noodles and let cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the short ribs.4. Ladle the broth, short ribs, spinach, and noodles into bowls. Top as desired with kimchi, cilantro, green onions, chili oil, and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Star anise is shown in the photos, but it isn’t listed in the ingredients. Oversight? If so, how many would be used per recipe amount?
Hey Teresa,
You do not have to use star anise in this recipe, if you have 1 you can toss it in:) I hope you love this ramen!
This recipe is an all time favorite. Whenever I need to a meal that feels like a hug, I throw all of this into the instant pot. It never fails. Thank you Tieghan! ๐
Hey Mar,
Love to hear this recipe is always a hit, thanks a lot for making it so often and taking the time to comment! Enjoy your day!
This recipe is so delicious. No need to substitute or add a thing. We use a pressure cooker and it couldn’t be easier. Loved by my whole family.
Hey Emily,
Happy Monday! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well!
We liked this recipe but the cinnamon stick really took over the flavor. Curious on why this was added in and if it would taste too bland without it
Hey Kristen,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! You could leave the cinnamon out if you wanted, I like the warming flavor that it adds:)
I want to make this with leftoover ribs and “rib juice”. How would I change the steps?
Hey Camille,
So sorry, I am not sure! What kind of ribs are using? Let me know if you give it a try!
Is the coconut sweetened or unsweetened?
Hey Rochelle,
I like to use unsweetened coconut milk. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Is there an alternative to using those blocks of ramen? I don’t like using them as I think they are very unhealthy – usually fried and contain a ton of ingredients that include the word sodium plus unpronounceable contents. Plus, a serving size of those noodles is 1/2 a block which technically would imply that this recipe would serve 8 or 12. Could I use the Hakubaku ramen noodles instead?
Hi Glenis,
Sure, you could use another noodle that you enjoy. I like the Lotus Foods Brown Rice Ramen noodle blocks for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
This has become one of my family’s favorite meals!
Hi Courtney,
So kind of you to try this and leave feedback, glad to hear it was a hit! Have the best day!
I noticed in your Tik Tok video there wasn’t Coconut Milk added, did you forego it or just didn’t record it?
NVM I see your response to someone else!!
Hi Garrett,
You can go ahead and add the coconut milk in step 1. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Iโve made it quite a few times and now get cravings for this recipe.
Thanks so much, Tal! Love to hear this!
Can I substitute the coconut milk with anything?
Hi Ted,
Sure, you can use any other milk that you enjoy. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
So I just started the slow cooker but my sauce looks like a cream sauce with the coconut milk and not like your picture at all. And then I watched the video and there was no mention of coconut milk. Can you clarify there is coconut milk?
Hi Amelia,
You are correct to add the coconut milk in step 1, the color will darken with the cook time! I hope this turns out well for you! xT
Could you half this recipe and still make it in a slow cooker? Thank you ๐
Hey Emily,
You bet, that would be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this dish! xT
Such a recipe! I made it in the Instant Pot and added mushrooms and broccoli with the noodles and spinach at the end. Next time I think I will also garnish with crushed peanuts.
Hey Shawna,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
We used pork ribs because my friend doesnโt like red meat but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and it is delicious. Will make again. And again.
Hi April! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Hope you’re having an awesome weekend! ๐ xT
In the photos I see you have 5 star whole aniseโฆ did you use for the broth and if so how many?
I was wondering the same thing but then I decided it was probably just styling for the photo.
Is 6 shallots the correct amount? That seems like a lot.