If you have a few staple Asian sauces on hand, this easy ground pork ramen is a quick weeknight win.
The first time I made this recipe for my husband and me was actually on a Saturday evening, and we liked it so much that I made it again the very next night! I was looking for something quick and easy that would make me feel like I was eating takeout. I looked through my pantry and realized I had oyster sauce, soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, and rice vinegar on hand. I thought to myself, Well, I can make some sort of sauce with these ingredients, toss it with some cooked ground pork, and serve it with ramen in a creamy broth. WIN!
Why You’ll Love this Ground Pork Ramen
This easy pork ramen recipe is perfect for two and comes together in about 30 minutes!
- Great for cooking for two: This recipe is perfectly scaled for two bowls, using just 8 ounces of ground pork and half a carton of broth. Use the rest of the pork to make a half batch of my Swedish-style Meatloaf, and pop the leftover broth in the freezer for your next quick soup.
- Easy to customize: You can use your favorite brand of ramen cakes and broth in this recipe. You can also swap the ground pork for ground chicken if you’re not a fan of pork.
- Convenient ingredients: Many of the ingredients used in this recipe are common pantry staples or can be easily found at grocery stores.
Key Ingredients & Possible Swaps
Note: I developed this recipe using ground Pork, Kirkland Tonkotsu broth, and Lotus Foods ramen cakes. The substitutions listed below are suggestions for you to use what’s in your pantry or easily accessible to you.
- Ground Pork: If you do not like pork, then you could try this recipe with ground chicken or ground turkey. I recommend using higher fat ground chicken or turkey so the meat doesn’t dry out and to ensure the best flavor.
- Broth: You could try this with chicken broth or another ramen broth. I’ve seen a chicken miso ramen broth by Pacific Foods at my grocery store. I’ve never tried it, but it could work.
- Ramen Noodles: Any type of ramen cake should work. If you use one with the seasoning packet, just skip the packet if you are using the tonkotsu broth.
Fun Topping Ideas for Ground Pork Ramen
My faves are chili garlic sauce, sliced green onions from my garden, and sesame seeds. Some other options that you could try include:
- A jammy hard boiled egg
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Bean sprouts
- Pickled red onions
Julie’s Recipe Notes & Tips
I love making this recipe during the week because it comes together in about 30 minutes. It’s flavorful, a nice change from the usual ground beef or chicken recipes that I make, and it’s just enough for my husband and me.
- Don’t skip the vinegar. The first time I made the sauce for this ground pork ramen, I didn’t use any vinegar. I felt like it was missing something, so the next time I made it, I added a little rice vinegar. It gave just enough acidity to balance the salty and sweet ingredients in the sauce.
- Use chicken broth in the sauce. I prefer using chicken broth to complete the sauce instead of water. It gives the sauce more flavor.
- Brown the pork. When you add the ground pork to the skillet, let it sit for a minute or two, then flip it and let it sit for another minute or two. This allows the pork to develop some crust, which contributes to a boost in flavor.
- Taste before adding more salt. The pork sauce already contains soy sauce, oyster sauce, and hoisin sauce, which are incredibly flavorful on their own. Adding salt before tasting the final dish could make your meal taste too salty.
- Store bought broth is a life saver. I use Costco’s tonkotsu ramen because it tastes so good. Seriously, the first time I tried it, I went back to Costco and got more. Using store bought broth cuts down on the time needed to make the recipe.
Easy Ground Pork Ramen
Ingredients
- 8 oz ground pork
- Tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 3 Tbsp chicken broth
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 C chopped green onions
For the Ramen
- 1 ramen noodle cake I suggest Lotus Foods Brown Rice & Millet
- 2 C ramen broth I suggest Costco Tonkotsu Pork Ramen Broth
- 1 C water
Garnish
- chopped green onions
- Chili garlic sauce
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook the ramen. Bring the broth and water to a boil, then add the ramen noodles. Cook until the noodles are tender and have absorbed most of the broth. I like my ramen thicker and less soupy, so I let the noodles continue to simmer after they're tender until most of the broth has been absorbed. If you prefer a soupier ramen, remove the noodles from the heat once they're done cooking so you have more broth remaining.
- Make the sauce. Meanwhile, whisk together the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ground ginger, chicken broth, garlic cloves, and chopped green onions.
- Brown the ground pork. Add the ground pork to a skillet over medium heat and let it sit for 1-2 minute per side to get some crust. Then cook, breaking it into small pieces as it browns. If the skillet becomes too dry, add a splash of water.
- Add the sauce. Pour the sauce over the ground pork and reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Simmer the pork. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pork is fully cooked and the sauce has thickened and coats the meat.
- Assemble the ramen bowls. Divide the ramen noodles between two bowls and top with the seasoned ground pork, sliced green onions, chili garlic sauce, and sesame seeds.
