This Instant Pot Ramen Noodles Stir Fry is hands down one of the quickest and easiest dinners you can make and yet it’s one of our new favorites! And by using brown rice ramen noodles and a homemade stir fry sauce, this dinner is gluten free, dairy free, 21 Day Fix and Weight Watchers approved! This post contains affiliate links for products I’m obsessed with.
Guys. This recipe.
The inspo behind it comes from two wildly popular recipes – my Asian Chicken Meatballs and my Chicken Ramen Noodle Stir Fry.
That should tell you all you need to know, friends.
Except that there is more. This recipe is basically the I-don’t-have-time-for-that version of both of those recipes combined because there is:
- minimal chopping
- only one minute of hands-off cook time in the IP
- no need to roll any meatballs
And yet, there is the same delicious flavor of the Asian Chicken Meatballs and also the fun, noodle-y deliciousness of the stir fry.
Boom.
It’s also Gluten Free thanks to my favorite amazing Gluten Free Ramen Noodles, and it’s also dairy free, too!
Ingredients
This recipe starts out with a similar stir fry sauce as I use in many of my other Asian inspired recipes, including those famous meatballs.
To make the sauce you need:
- pure maple syrup – Yes, you can sub honey!
- coconut aminos – You can sub tamari or low sodium soy sauce if you aren’t gluten free.
- tomato paste – To amp up the flavor a bit. TIP: freeze the rest of the can of tomato paste, as it’s the perfect amount for my Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes and my Instant Pot BBQ Chicken [Crock Pot Option].
- low sodium chicken broth – This isn’t typically in my stir fry sauces, but the Instant Pot needs a little bit of extra liquid.
- sprinkle of salt – If you are really watching your sodium, you can omit this and add some salt at then end of cooktime, as needed.
Remaning Stir Fry Ingredients:
- avocado, olive, or coconut oil – I prefer the neutral taste of the avocado oil.
- lean ground chicken, ground beef, or ground turkey – Whatever you want to use here will be delish! You could even use chicken sausage for a fun twist!
- garlic – I use two cloves, but garlic lovers can can up this amount.
- fresh ginger – I store fresh ginger in the freezer so it keeps fresh longer, plus it’s easier to grate this way!
- matchstick carrots – To save time, I buy a bag of already shredded carrots! They are great to use in salads, too, and my kids even snack on them.
- sugar snap peas or snow peas – Since both of these come bagged and washed already, this is another way I save time in this particular recipe.
- brown rice ramen noodle cakes – Not only are these brown rice ramen noodles gluten free, they have two grams of fiber per serving! **See note below on where to purchase these!
- optional – Sesame oil and chili garlic paste – I love Sambal Oelek and always have it in my fridge. I just drizzle a tiny bit of both sesame oil and sambal oelek on my plate before serving and YUM! You could also garnish with some green onion or cilantro, but I love that this dinner is so no fuss and delish without any fresh herbs.
Where can I buy Brown Rice Ramen Noodles?
I can find them in my local store, and also at Costco, but I have purchased them on Amazon as well.
Note: If you use my affiliate link for ramen, please note that it’s for 2 twelve packs! This is the best price per unit option on Amazon, if you can’t find them locally. But know that you’ll be getting 24 noodle cakes!! They last for a long time in the pantry, so not to worry!
How to Make Instant Pot Ramen Noodles Stir Fry
Step one: Prepare your Stir Fry Sauce. It’s important to have this ready before you begin so your veggies don’t overcook while sautéing them.
Step two: Cook up your ground meat and add in garlic and ginger until fragrant.
Step three: Stir in your veggies. No need to saute them, just stir to combine.
Step four: Place your ramen cakes on top of the veggie mixture, then pour half of the stir fry sauce over top of them. Flip cakes over and pour in the other half of the sauce. Lock lid and cook on manual high pressure for 1 minute, followed by a quick release.
Step five: After cook time, remove your lid and gently pull the ramen noodles apart using two forks. It’s likely that your ramen noodles won’t be fully cooked yet, and that’s ok! Just pull them apart, mix up the stir fry, and place the lid back on top. Give everything a couple of minutes to steam, and then you should be good to go!
Step six: Serve with a little (optional) drizzle of chili garlic paste and sesame oil. It’s also yum with freshly chopped green onions and cilantro!
Can I make the Ramen Noodles Separately?
Yes! You can follow the instructions on the packet or use my favorite hot water method – just place the ramen in a bowl of hot tap water until soft. Then you can add it to the cooked stir fry.
I don’t have an Instant Pot. Can I make this Stir Fry on the stove?
Absolutely! You will just cook the ground meat, add your veggies, then add stir fry sauce and cooked noodles! It’s still a really quick meal when you make it this way! See the recipe card below for full details.
I don’t like Snow Peas. Can I switch to a different veggie?
Absolutely. My husband isn’t the biggest fan of them, but I really loved that they didn’t need to be prepped at all! You could swap out string beans, bell peppers, whatever you like! Just know that broccoli gets super soft really quick in the instant pot, so one minute of cooktime is too long. If you plan to use broccoli, steam it separately!
More Gluten Free Ramen Noodles Recipes:
Instant Pot Ramen Noodles | Gluten Free Ramen Noodles
Healthy Chicken Ramen Noodle Stir Fry
Instant Pot Ramen Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup can sub honey
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos or sub low sodium soy sauce if you aren’t gluten free
- ¼ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Sprinkle salt
- 2 teaspoon avocado, olive, or coconut oil
- 1 lb lean ground chicken or ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 8 oz sugar snap peas or snow peas
- 2 brown rice ramen noodle cakes
- Optional - sesame oil, chili paste (Sambal Oelek)
Instructions
Instant Pot
- In a small bowl, mix together stir fry sauce - maple syrup, coconut aminos, chicken broth, tomato paste, and a sprinkle of salt. Set aside.
- Set Instant Pot to saute and once hot, add in oil and ground chicken. Stir fry until almost cooked through, then add in ginger and garlic. Cook for an additional minute, or until fragrant.
- Add in matchstick carrots and sugar snap peas. Give everything a stir, but no need to cook the veggies. Then place ramen noodle cakes on top of the veggies. Pour half of the stir fry sauce over top of the ramen cakes, the flip them over and pour the rest of the sauce on top. Try to make sure all of the cakes have gotten wet - especially the sides, but also make sure the ramen cakes rest on top of the meat and veggies.
- Set your Instant Pot for 1 minute on manual pressure. After cooktime, do a quick release.
- Using two forks, gently break up the ramen cakes and stir up the stir fry. The ramen noodles will likely still be a little hard, so after stirring, pop the lid back on for a few minutes before serving.
- Optional - drizzle a tiny amount (I use ⅛-¼ tsp) of sesame oil and chili paste on top before enjoying (my kids don’t love this, but I do!)
Stovetop Directions:
- In a small bowl, mix together stir fry sauce - maple syrup, coconut aminos, chicken broth, tomato paste, and a sprinkle of salt. Set aside.
- Place the two ramen noodle cakes in a bowl and cover with very hot tap water – not boiling, just very hot. Set the bowl aside and start your stir fry.
- In a large skillet, add in oil and ground chicken. Stir fry until almost cooked through, then add in ginger and garlic. Cook for an additional minute, or until fragrant.
- Add in matchstick carrots and sugar snap peas. Cook until veggies are tender.
- Drain noodles and gently pull them apart. Add noodles to the pan with the chicken and veggies. Top with sauce and cook everything together for 1-2 minutes or until hot and the sauce begins to thicken.
- Optional - drizzle a tiny amount (I use ⅛-¼ tsp) of sesame oil and chili paste on top before enjoying (my kids don’t love this, but I do!)
Katrina says
Can you clarify the size of the ramen cakes? The affiliate link does not work to the one mentioned. I took a guess based on what my local store had but I’m pretty sure I added to much. The ramen was not cooked fully during the planned recipe time and I think it might have been a liquid to noodle ratio issue. The flavor of the recipe was great and my 3 year old liked it.
Nancylynn says
Hi! It’s a bit hard to describe the size – this is what I used: https://www.lotusfoods.com/products/organic-millet-brown-rice-ramen-4-ramen-cakes
Amber says
Quick to put together in the Instapot was really tasty, but I used Chinese noodles (expiring soon) instead of ramen cakes. So, the noodles were dry and clumpy. I would double the sauce next time when I make this, I even used frozen snap peas and had no problems with that.
Thanks for another recipe to keep in my files.
Nancylynn says
Thank you Amber! Doubling the sauce sounds like a great idea!
Danielle says
Seriously delicious! One of my family’s favorites. I do agree with a previous review about the times though. I’ve made this a few times and it easily takes me over an hour between mincing garlic and ginger, measuring and mixing the sauce, sautéing the meat and waiting for the instapot to pressurize. Totally worth the effort and time, it just bugs me when a recipe says it only takes less than 10 minutes when that’s blatantly not true.
Nancylynn says
Thanks for the feedback! It’s tricky with IP recipes because the cooktime listed is just the actual cooking time at pressure. I can understand your frustration though!
Priscilla says
So delicious and easy to make!
Nancylynn says
Thank you Priscilla!
Kristen says
For anyone having issues with the noodles not being soft enough after cooking – try soaking the noodle cakes in hot water (I use a bowl) for 1-2 minutes before placing in IP and covering with the sauce. I’ve found that really helps!
Nancylynn says
Kristen, great advice!
Rox says
Can you freeze left overs?
Tracy Conlin says
I had a heck of a time finding the right noodles for this recipe but I finally found them on amazon. I had to buy a pack of 12 but that’s not a problem since my whole crew loves this recipe.
Nancylynn says
Too much ramen is never a problem here either! lol! Thanks for tracking them down and trying the recipe. I was just able to score some of the ramen from Thrive market too!
Christina says
I want to make this, but what’s a ramen noodle cake? I only know of the square packages and the cups of soup/ noodles.
Thank you!
Amy says
My grocery store gave me brown rice stir fry noodles instead of brown rice ramen noodles. 😡 Do you think they can be an equal sub in terms of how to cook? My IP is brand new so I’m really a newbie. 😂
Amy says
Never mind! Just saw the previous question asked and answered. 🤦🏻♀️
Chelsea says
This was delicious and couldn’t have been easier! I made hibachi style veggies on the side. Love your recipes!
Ann says
Tried this recipe, and really enjoyed it, but your times are WAY off. Even if I had bought ready-to-use veggies, I think it still would’ve taken me more than five minutes to measure and mix ingredients for the sauce and get all the packages open. As for cook time–1 minute is the time for the pressure cooker AFTER it is up to pressure (which by the way, the noodles were still so “al dente” as to be inedible). 1 minute doesn’t take into account the time it takes to sauté the meat, ginger and garlic, nor the time it takes for the pressure cooker to get up to pressure before the 1 minute cook time you list. I liked the result, but I’m going to have to print this out and make a LOT of notes before I try making it again.
Nancylynn says
Thanks for your feedback
Mao says
Tried this recipe and really enjoyed it! I’ve made it twice now. Hubby loves it too. Thanks for another easy recipe.
Nancylynn says
You are so welcome Mao!
Samantha says
Oh my this dish was amazing! So easy and my husband requested we add it to the recipe rotation… it’s better than take out. Could I double this recipe and still do 1 min? Thank you!
Julie says
Loved the flavor of this- but my snap peas got really soggy and stringy. Any suggestions? Or anyone else have this problem? Thanks for another easy and delicious dinner!
Julie says
I was even thinking of adding plain frozen peas instead….
Kristen says
I’ve found the same, but I don’t mind them like that…. I’ve put them the IP after releasing the pressure… sat the lid on top and let them heat/steam cook them for 5-10 mins and it worked for me. I know this is an old post, but hopefully this will help someone else with the same issue.
Nancylynn says
Thank you, Kristen, for helping a fellow reader! Love this community!
Samantha says
10/10! Your recipes always impress me. Quick and easy throw together dinner. It’s flavourful, and so so delicious. I love it! 💜
Natalie A. says
Hi! Love all your recipes and I’m looking forward to trying this one! Question, can I use stir fry rice noodles that are loose and not in cake form? Thanks!
Nancylynn says
I would cook them separate, but yes!