A twist on Mac and Cheese, this quick-and-easy cheese ramen recipe uses cheddar cheese, milk, and a pack of instant ramen noodles to create a creamy, indulgent cheesy ramen. Perfect for days when you want something easy and comforting.

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Mac and cheese is delicious comfort food to me that's warm, comforting, simple to make, cheesy, tastes great, and is usually made in a big batch which means lots to eat (or share) - but what if I only want one portion?
This is where mac and cheese ramen comes in! If you're looking for a creamy cheesy cheese ramen recipe, this will be it!
The best part is, this cheese ramen recipe makes one bowl of creamy cheesy ramen noodles, perfect as a snack or a cozy meal.
Another cozy and easy meal that I love to make when I am dining alone is my Tuna Mayo Deopbap Rice Bowl!
Ingredients for Cheese Ramen
- Ramen/Noodles - When it comes to ramen, I like to use thicker noodles. I find it has a bit chewier (when not overcooked). The only ones I have ever found that were the thicker noodles were all Korean brand ones. I like to use the Shin Ramyun brand ramen noodles.
- Cheese - For this cheesy ramen recipe, I like to stick to the staple which is cheddar cheese. However, you can be quite creative and add different types of cheeses to this for different textures!
Best Cheese for Ramen
- Cheddar - smooth, creamy, and salty with a slight tang. This cheese melts very easily and I like to turn off the heat before adding this in to melt.
- Mozzarella - not much in terms of flavor but it gives that nice stretchy cheese pull and gives the cheese a bit of a chewiness. I generally don't like to add too much of this because when it cools, it turns hard and solidifies so you lose that creaminess. This takes a bit more heat to melt as well, so I usually have to leave the heat on for 30 seconds while trying to melt this into the sauce.
- Cream cheese - add a tablespoon or two for slightly more creaminess.
- Cotija/Feta - salty with a bit of gooeyness. I have used this in the past because I love the saltiness this cheese provides. It also gives the sauce a bit more of a gooeyness.
- Processed Cheddar Cheese Slices (American Cheese) - For an extra silky cheesy ramen, you can also melt a slice of processed cheese into as well!
Cheese Ramen Toppings
- Furikake (Try our Homemade one!) - This adds a bit of saltiness and a lot of umami!
- Fried Egg - To make this more filling, I like to add a fried egg to make it a heartier meal.
- Green onions - Minced green onions add a lot of extra flavor and cut a bit of the heaviness from the cheesy noodles.
- Seaweed - I like to use roasted seaweed snacks and crush them into tiny flakes and sprinkle some on for some extra saltiness.
- Toasted sesame seeds - this adds a nutty flavor to your cheesy ramen.
- Miso Butter - To make this buttery, I like to melt miso butter (which is very easy to make). It adds butteriness and a salty kick as well.
- Sriracha Hot Sauce - To make this cheese ramen into a spicy ramen, I like to use sriracha hot sauce. It gives it a spicy kick but it also adds a bit of garlic flavor as well.
- Crushed-up potato chips - This adds a bit of saltiness, msg, and a crunchy texture to your creamy cheesy ramen.
- Deep-fried garlic or shallot bits - This also adds a bit of garlic flavor but it also adds a bit of crispy texture as well.
- Garlic Oil or Chilli Oil - I like to drizzle a bit of garlic oil or chili oil for some extra garlicky flavor.
Tips on How to Make Cheesy Ramen Noodles
- Use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce - I like to use a cornstarch slurry to thicken my cheese noodles because I find it silkier and creamier than using flour roux. It's super important that you use cold water to mix the corn starch with, or else it will make the corn starch slurry clumpy.
- Turn off the heat before adding in the cheese - Use the residual heat from the hot milk and noodles to melt the cheese. This will prevent the cheese from sticking to the bottom of the pan when the pan gets very hot. Just make sure the thickened milk is bubbling and very hot before turning off the heat and adding in the grated cheese.
- Do not overcook the noodles - I find this tastes best when the noodles are not overcooked. You get a bit more of a chewy texture and less of a mushy texture. To prevent your noodles from being overcooked, you can subtract 1 to 1 and a half minutes from the cooking time given to you in the instructions.
- Can you make this cheese ramen soupy? - Yes! you most definitely can. To make this thinner and soupier ramen noodle recipe, just omit the corn starch slurry thickener steps.
More Easy Recipes You May Like
- Tuna Mayo Deopbap (Korean Tuna Rice Bowl)
- Korean Glass Noodles (Japchae / Chapchae)
- Beef and Onion Soy Sauce Noodles
- Beef Chow Fun (Beef Ho Fun)
- Crispy Cheung Fun (Rice Noodle Rolls) + Spicy Hoisin & Maple Sesame Sauce
- Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap)
Did You Make This Cheese Ramen?
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Recipe Card
Cheese Ramen
Joyce's Recipe Notes
- I like to use instant noodles with thick noodles (like Shin Ramyun, or anything by Nongshim). I find it has a chewier texture and it's a bit harder to overcook. When shopping for them, they are usually instant noodles made in Korea.
- If you like a thinner cheese sauce, add 1-4 tablespoons of hot water to the cheese ramen and mix well. I like to reserve and use the instant noodle water that the noodles were soften in.
- Do not use the soup flavor packet for this recipe. It will make the noodles super salty. Save the soup packet for something else (like popcorn or meat marinade!)
Ingredients
Corn Starch Slurry (Thickener)
- 2 teaspoon corn starch
- 2 teaspoon water (cold)
Cheese Sauce
- ½ cup milk
- 1½ teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon butter (salted)
- ½ cup cheddar cheese (grated and packed into ½ cup)
Noodles
- 1 package instant noodles (soup flavor packets removed)
Spices (Optional)
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (to make it spicy)
Instructions
Preparation
- Combine the cornstarch with cold water in a small bowl and set aside for later.
- Grate the cheese and set aside for later.
Prepare the Ramen Noodles
- Boil some water in a pot or a kettle.
- Put the ramen noodles into a large bowl. Do not use the flavor packets
- Once the water is boiling, pour it into the bowl and submerge the ramen noodles in the hot water. Put a lid on it and set it aside to soften in the hot water.* If you are using thin ramen noodles, cook them for 1 minute in the hot water** If you are using thick Korean noodles like Shin Ramyun or any Nongshim brand, then cook it for about 2 minutes
Making the Cheese Sauce
- While you are waiting for the noodles to soften, add milk, butter, soy sauce and spices (optional) into a small pot, and give it a quick stir and set the stove to medium-low heat.
- Once the butter melts and the milk has come to a low rolling boil (approx. 2 minutes), stir the corn starch slurry in the small bowl and add it into the pot.
- Keep stirring until the milk has thickened.
- Once the milk has thickened and starts to bubble, turn off the heat and add in the grated cheese and stir until the cheese has melted and combined with the creamy milk.
Mix the Cheese Sauce with the Ramen Noodles
- Drain the noodles and add them to the creamy cheese sauce and mix well.** If you like your cheese sauce less thick, add 1-4 tablespoons of hot water at a time to the cheese ramen and mix until it is the right consistency.
- Top with garnishes and toppings and enjoy it while it's hot! 🙂
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*
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Josie says
I haven't tried to eat Cheese Ramen..... However, since this Dish is easy to make out, and ingredients are handy in my kitchen, so, I definitely will try out to make.it. Will write you after my cooking result about this.. Thanks
Joyce Lee says
Hi Josie
Hope you like it!
Mikayla says
Umm lets just say i was lazy and did it all in ONE pot so i cooked the noodles and then added cheese and seasoning and i threw in milk and butter and lets just say I could hold in upside down over my head and not be worried....
Just J says
I have been doing this for years but two pac squares, one seasoning pack (save the other for emergencies) and 2 slices of kraft or velveeta.
I boil two square packs with one pack of seasoning
drain 95% of all the water (cuts fat starch)
pour wet noodles on two slice of cheese to get it to melt
stir thoroughly, a couple of drops of hot sauce and stir more.
Love this stuff!!!
Joyce says
Hi Just J!
Yum!! Your version sounds so creamy!! haha Isnt't this stuff awesome? I never thought of hot sauce! I should definitely try that next time! 😀
I love how you save your seasoning for emergencies haha I swear I have a whole drawer full of them! haha 😀
heather (delicious not gorgeous) says
WHOAAAAAAA. also, cheddar is life. american cheese is trash. (and not in a good trashy way like mcdonald's mcflurries lol).
Joyce says
Speaking of mcflurries...I think I'll go pick one up today! haha 🙂
romain says
Furikake in mac and cheese. Now that is a great idea. With the toothiness of the ramen noodles, the cheddar and the soy, this mac and cheese that I can really get into. Going to have to try your furikake recipe soon as well. Yum!
Joyce says
Ramen definitely tastes best with a bit of toothiness! When I was little, I used to think my dad was crazy when he only cooked my noodles for 30 seconds haha! The things we learn! 🙂
Marie says
Love this mac and cheese twist! Looks like total comfort food and so quick to make too. It such a great idea to add soy sauce in the cheese sauce for that extra umami flavour too. So much yum!
Joyce says
My fave is definitely that it's quick to make! 🙂 Comfort food 365 days a year! 😀