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Vegan Sesame Tantanmen (Homemade Ramen)

February 25, 2019 By Lisa Kitahara 52 Comments

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This Vegan Sesame Tantanmen features the perfect ramen noodles swimming in a creamy sesame broth, served with spicy tofu crumbles and fresh vegetables. The perfect easy to make comfort meal!

Coming at you HOT with this delicious, ultra rich and creamy Vegan Sesame Tantanmen! Super excited about this one because well.. I think the title says it all. Vegan Ramen, who doesn’t get excited about ramen?! Soft chewy noodles drenched in a nutty, spicy broth with little chewy bits of meat-y mince and crunch from the vegetables. You really don’t need butter or meat to make a dang hearty and delicious ramen.

Tantanmen is a Japanese take on Sichuan Dan Dan noodles. It’s typically served spicy with traditional asian vegetables, minced pork and garnished with green onions. The creamy nutty sauce is usually made from sesame paste or peanut butter. One of the best Tantanmen’s I’ve ever had was actually from a vegan ramen restaurant in Japan, in Tokyo Station. The noodles were perfectly cooked, the ratio of noodles to broth was perfect, and the broth was creamy, flavourful but not too salty. The vegetables and soy crumbles just made it extra special with the additional textures. On my flight back to Canada, I was totally inspired to make this slurp worthy bowl of tantanmen at home.

I think the soup base is the most important component when it comes to a good bowl of Tantanmen. When making the soup base, I tried a couple different ingredients, variations and ratios but ultimately settled on this combination of flavours (very similar to the one I tried if I remember correctly).

  • Asian sesame paste - for it’s subtle nuttiness and makes it super creamy
  • Soy sauce - for it’s saltiness
  • Rice Vinegar - for a slight tang to balance out the richness
  • Sesame oil - for its aromatic flavours (this stuff never needs an explanation why you should add it… it’s just essential)
  • Rayu (Japanese chili oil) - for the spice
  • Soy milk - to make it extra creamy

This Vegan Sesame Tantanmen has been my go-to comfort meal during this winter. I love how simple and easy it is to make!

Ramen come in all sorts of flavours, shapes of noodles, vegetable combinations… I’d love to know your favourite or if you’d like to see more veganized ramen recipes!

Why you’ll LOVE this Vegan Sesame Tantanmen, it’s:

  • creamy
  • rich
  • chewy
  • crunchy
  • warming
  • so full of flavour
  • homemade and easy to make
  • and makes the most satisfying comforting meal!

Tips and Tricks to making Vegan Sesame Tantanmen (Homemade Ramen)

  • I highly recommend using the fresh ramen noodles sold in the fridge section vs. dried or frozen ones. They all are very different in texture.
  • I chose bean sprouts, cabbage, corn as my vegetable toppings but you can use any you like! I also like to add in bamboo shoots and all sorts of mushrooms like shiitake, enoki, shimeji or oyster.
  • Serve the ramen as soon as the noodles are cooked. Leaving ramen noodles in hot broth for too long over cooks them and you end up with soggy too-soft noodles.
  • The ramen paste can be made in patches ahead of time, I would use around 3-4 tablespoon per bowl if you triple the recipe. It can be stored in a air tight glass jar for a week.

If you recreate this Vegan Sesame Tantanmen please share it and let me know what you think by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!

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Vegan Sesame Tantanmen (Homemade Ramen)


★★★★★

5 from 26 reviews

  • Author: Lisa Kitahara
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
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Description

This Vegan Sesame Tantanmen features the perfect ramen noodles swimming in a creamy sesame broth, served with spicy tofu crumbles and fresh vegetables. The perfect easy to make comfort meal!


Ingredients

Units Scale

Soup Base:

  • 3 tbsp asian sesame paste
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • ½ tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp rayu (Japanese red chili oil)
  • 1 cup soy milk (250ml)
  • 1.5 cup kombu dashi broth or vegetable (300ml)

Spicy Fried Soy/Tofu Crumbles:

  • 100 g soy meat or tofu
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ginger, minced
  • ½ tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sake (optional)
  • ½ tbsp miso paste
  • 1 tsp red chili oil

Other Ingredients:

  • 2 portions of ramen noodles
  • ½ head of small cabbage, shredded
  • 1 cup bean sprout
  • ½ cup corn
  • Additional garnishes: crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, sliced green onions, sliced garlic tops, soy sauce and rayu/red chili oil.

Instructions

For the Spicy Fried Soy/Tofu Crumbles:

  1. If using soy meat, soak in hot water for 5 minutes. If using tofu, crumble tofu until they resemble minced meat.
  2. Heat a small skillet over medium high heat with some sesame oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic and ginger. Add in the soy/tofu crumbles and then add in the sake, soy sauce, miso paste and red chili oil. Fry until the crumbles get slightly crispy (around 3-5 minutes)

For the toppings:

  1. Prep the vegetables by slicing them and steaming them for around 3 minutes.
  2. Bring a medium pot to a boil and then cook the ramen according to instructions (around 5 minutes)

For the Soup Base:

  1. Combine all the ingredients except the soy milk and broth into a bowl until a paste forms.
  2. Heat the soy milk and vegetable stock over medium low heat, then reduce to low as soon as you start to see bubbles. Whisk in the paste made earlier until dissolved.

To assemble:

  1.  Place cooked noodles into a bowl. Pour over half the broth. Add on the fried minced soy meat, vegetables, additional garnishes and chili oil.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 miutes
  • Category: Entree
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Japanese

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @Okonomikitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #okonomikitchen

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Reader Interactions

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Mekomeko

    April 14, 2019 at 11:17 am

    I ve made several iterations of this soup with various noodles and mixes of whatever in the fridge veg and its become at least once a week dinner for us. I found video on you tube and followed to your blog. Keep up the goid work i look foward to trying other recipes.

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      April 25, 2019 at 4:10 am

      Hi Mekomeko,

      Thank you so much for your kind words!

      Reply
  2. Chelsea

    May 05, 2019 at 7:34 pm

    What type of veg broth do you use? So many variations!

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      July 21, 2019 at 1:46 pm

      Hi Chelsea,

      I use a Japanese brand but any vegetable broth should do!

      Lisa

      Reply
    • Bettina Nolden

      November 05, 2020 at 9:43 pm

      A wonderful soup - real soulfood! Thought it was a bit complex first but great instructions & tips made it easy & fun to cook. Highly recommended!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  3. Emily

    December 29, 2019 at 7:28 am

    I tried this recipe a few months ago and it immediately became a favourite! I make it most weeks (often multiple nights in a row) with various toppings depending on what's in the fridge and how ambitious I'm feeling. It's not the simplest meal but I feel like the effort put in is minimal compared to the taste you get out of it!
    I've even recently been to Tokyo and tried the tantanmen from T's, which was amazing but honestly I think this could be even better than T's (is this vegan blasphemy?) Thank you for sharing Lisa!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      December 29, 2019 at 4:19 pm

      Hi Emily!
      Oh my gosh, thank you so much for this comment! I'm so glad you enjoyed. Happy holidays <3

      Reply
  4. Vee

    January 28, 2020 at 1:45 am

    Such a great recipe! I tweaked it to what I like, but I’ve been craving this forever and finally got to eat it again! Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      January 29, 2020 at 5:21 am

      I'm so glad you enjoyed Vee! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Ashley

    April 14, 2020 at 10:48 pm

    I can’t get rayu at any of my local stores. Any recommendations for a substitution?

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      April 15, 2020 at 1:30 pm

      Hi Ashley!
      Rayu gives it its authentic flavour but you could really use any chili oil 🙂

      Reply
      • Ashley

        April 19, 2020 at 10:47 pm

        I just made this for dinner tonight (using a different chili oil) and it turned out SO delicious! The broth was absolutely incredible, so rich and creamy, I could eat a bowl of it by itself!! The tofu crumble was also a great touch. I will definitely be making this again!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
  6. Shelby

    April 15, 2020 at 5:17 am

    Hi there - is soy milk a vital ingredient or can I swap it with oat milk? I realize soy milk is generally used in Japanese cooking so I understand if it can’t be swapped 🙂
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      April 15, 2020 at 1:29 pm

      Hi Shelby!
      You could use another milk but the flavour will be much different. What I would try it blending silken tofu with water to make a quick soy milk that way but not heating it too the point where it curdles. Oat milk will definitely affect the taste!

      Reply
    • Tash

      October 20, 2020 at 7:04 am

      Fantastic recipe and a new favourite. Made a few substitutes that worked fine:
      - I used good quality oat milk instead of soy milk. Still tasted great and not noticeably different to versions I've had with soy in the past.
      - Used Chinese tahini and chilli oil since we have a good chinese grocer in the area. Still tasted great!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  7. Maya Bates

    April 16, 2020 at 12:18 am

    This recipe is amazing! So flavorful and delicious. I’ve made it three times this week!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Rachelle

    April 23, 2020 at 6:31 am

    LOVE this! I have been craving tantanmen!! We even tried ordering from one of our favorite ramen places on the island (I live on Oʻahu), but no one answered. I’m so glad I found you! My husband went back for seconds!! I used almond milk instead of soy, and the broth didn’t seem as creamy or as thick as I had hoped. Do you think it was because of the almond milk? I wish we had cornstarch...maybe that would thicken the soup?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      April 24, 2020 at 2:22 pm

      Yes, soy milk (the one I use) is a lot more thicker than almond milk! I wouldn't add cornstarch to this or it might become goop-y as oppose to creamy! Happy to hear you still enjoyed it <3

      Reply
  9. Lea Petrovic

    May 18, 2020 at 10:42 am

    Hi Lisa

    I have been looking for a vegan tantanmen recipe since I return from my trip to Japan. This recipe looks exactly like what I was looking for. My question is whether I can use an Asian sesame sauce instead of the tahini

    Regards
    Lea

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      May 18, 2020 at 12:29 pm

      which asian sesame sauce is it? 🙂

      Reply
      • Lea Petrovic

        May 21, 2020 at 11:44 pm

        Hi Lisa

        I could only find a Chinese Sesame "Sauce" (100% sesame no other ingredients written in English on a label) at the Asian supermarket in my town (Newcastle, NSW, Australia. I checked the label with a Chinese colleague at work who described it as a paste and it is darker in colour which I read is due to the sesame seeds being heavily toasted to create a robust roasty flavor, that is different from Tahini.

        Reply
        • Lisa Kitahara

          May 24, 2020 at 12:20 pm

          Yes! That will work 🙂

          Reply
  10. M

    May 24, 2020 at 3:17 pm

    Hi Lisa,
    I am another orphan of T's, so this is a great find, especially the tofu crumbles. Looking forward to trying it. Thanks!

    Reply
  11. Lea Petrovic

    June 09, 2020 at 3:47 am

    Hi Lisa

    I made your recipe for 4 people and used half sesame sauce and half tahini for the soup base as I was concerned about the thickness of the sesame sauce. Next time I make the soup base I'll just use the sesame sauce to see which I like better. My guests, who I'd traveled to Japan, raved about the dish and thought it was better than the ones we had at T's in the Tokyo railway station.
    Many thanks for a great and easy recipe!

    Reply
  12. Andrea

    June 20, 2020 at 7:39 pm

    Hi Lisa

    Can we use coconut milk instead of soy milk?

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      June 23, 2020 at 11:51 am

      Hi Andrea! I don't suggest using coconut milk because the flavour is completely different!

      Reply
  13. Nicole

    July 10, 2020 at 5:08 am

    I've been following you for years now and trying this recipe was one of my favorite decisions!! I used ground Hot Italian Beyond Sausage on top! It was so so good. Also added edamame, sautéed spinach, grilled onions, corn, and tomatoes on top! Absolutely delish. Great job!!

    Reply
  14. Charlotte Webber

    July 15, 2020 at 7:30 am

    I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I've made it a few times now and the creamy broth is just gorgeous. It's the ultimate comforting meal and one of my new go-to's!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  15. Zerowaste newbie

    September 06, 2020 at 10:17 am

    Love this recipe! I have been making it twice already, I swap the tahini to peanut butter but they works perfectly! My daughter said they taste like instant noodle 😋

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      September 06, 2020 at 1:47 pm

      So glad you hear you enjoyed! Love the idea of peanut butter for a different flavour, I'll have to try it out 🙂

      Reply
  16. Nyasha

    September 20, 2020 at 2:57 pm

    Yours looks way more delicious than mine! Such a great post and I hope you can check out my tantanmen recipe on my website and comment what you think I can see from your recipe that there are quite a number of ingredients that I'm missing so I'm planning to refine my recipe and follow yours. I'll get back to you with the results!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  17. Ciara

    November 12, 2020 at 1:13 am

    I've made this recipe several times with various toppings and I love it. I made it most recently swapping the tofu for my own homemade seitan and it was incredible. Definitely an autumn/winter favourite.

    Reply
  18. Theresa

    November 13, 2020 at 10:47 pm

    Thank you Lisa for this wonderful recipe! My husband and family says its like restaurant quality ramen. I use pork but the seasoning makes it so fragrant and the broth is surprisingly creamy and rich. We've made it many times since you've put out the recipe. My husband is now very adept with making the soup base =D

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  19. Guido

    November 15, 2020 at 11:39 am

    Fantastico, io dono italiano ma lo trovò divino.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  20. Charlotte

    November 16, 2020 at 1:55 pm

    Hey Lisa,

    thanks for sharing your recipe and emphasising the importance of preparation before one starts cooking 😉
    I've never added fried tofu/soy to my ramen but the extra crunch and ginger made it sooo good!
    Since ramen are really expensive in Germany (compared to Japan), I almost never have some.
    So I am extra thankful for your recipe!

    Thanks again for sharing and creating,
    Charlotte

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      November 17, 2020 at 11:14 am

      Hi Charlotte,
      Thanks so much for making this recipe I am SO glad you enjoyed!! ❤️

      Reply
  21. Lucy

    November 23, 2020 at 1:10 pm

    I made this ramen for the first time yesterday and it was AMAZING! It was surprisingly easy to make and it was so so tasty. This was definitely one of the most “authentic” tasting ramen dishes I’ve had since I was in Japan!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  22. HungryHuyen

    November 27, 2020 at 5:16 am

    LOVED THIS RECIPE! Easy + straightforward to make and deliciously creamy. Broth was not too salty and it was a perfect amount of spice. Tofu crumble was nice and chewy, bursting woth flavour, just how it should be! Will be making it again for sure!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  23. Sara

    November 30, 2020 at 3:16 pm

    This was so easy to make! I love how this recipe is formatted. Super tasty and appreciate the fact that it’s also vegan 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  24. Matthew Pappas

    January 13, 2021 at 6:13 pm

    After much trial and error to replicate T’s TanTAn noodles in Tokyo, I finally tried this recipe and it is almost spot on. I was very please with the broth! I often dream of T’s TanTan and this is the closest thing to it!
    I’d love to see @okonomikitchen try their black sesame version of it!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      January 19, 2021 at 2:57 pm

      Happy to hear it was a hit Matthew!! 🙂

      Reply
  25. Nathalie Anne Fahrer

    January 19, 2021 at 8:47 pm

    Perfect recipe to satiate the itch for a good tantamen while lockdown is going on and it's vegan which is a win win as I want to try and eat more healthy and sustainable.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  26. Stella

    April 26, 2021 at 12:55 am

    So yummy and easy to make! I found it to be rich and creamy—just like a typical pork ramen. So much flavor I definitely recommend. 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  27. Claudia

    June 22, 2021 at 6:40 pm

    Lisa you are a goddess!
    I tried to make vegan tantanmen ramen before followed the recipe and it thin and meh. I was SO disappointed.

    Last night I tried your recipe and it was fantastic!!!So creamy, so delicious. I am soo grateful. Now I am going to check out your other ramen recipes and buy your cookbook, And go to your youtube channel:)

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  28. Ruth

    August 05, 2021 at 12:04 pm

    My first time making a tantanmen and just oh wow 🤩 It was super easy to make and tasted amazing so it will definitely become a staple for me. I made mine with soy meat and silken tofu + black sesame seeds and spring onions but could definitely see this working with lots of different veg.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  29. Bee

    August 29, 2021 at 3:18 am

    Mindblowingly good ramen, another keeper recipe for sure!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  30. Alice

    February 19, 2022 at 6:32 pm

    Tried this recipe yesterday, it was SO delicious !! The sesame paste really added something to the soup flavour. About the toppings, I used corn, the minced tofu recommanded but also roasted sweet potato, butter garlic mushrooms, and sesame cabbage. I want to do it again right now haha! Everyone liked it a lot.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  31. Millie

    April 10, 2022 at 5:03 am

    This was delicious! I ended up using almond butter instead of the sesame paste as I couldn’t find any and figured that it’s a pretty neutral, nutty flavour.

    My toppings were: pan fried button mushrooms, Chinese broccoli, caramelised leek, pickled ginger and chopped toasted cashews.

    If you use almond butter, use less. Maybe 2 tbsp? I ended up having to add a lot of extra water to offset how thick the soup became.

    Very good!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  32. Clover

    April 30, 2022 at 9:41 am

    This was so delicious I’m still thinking about it the next day. I first had this at T’s tantan in Tokyo and had totally given up on being able to taste it again here in Australia but this recipe was so good it low key made me a little bit emotional hahaha

    We had ours with some fried up shiitake mushroom, corn and bokchoy and served with fresh enoki mushroom in the broth, soy sauce eggs and some dried seaweed, then spring onion and sesame seeds on top.

    I didn’t end up having quite enough Asian sesame paste so the rest I substituted a bit of tahini and a bit of peanut butter and it still worked great 👍

    I couldn’t find rayu so I used Lao gan ma instead and it wasn’t very spicy, so I might add more Lao gan ma or even chilli flakes next time

    Such a good recipe though! So keen to make it again 😋😋

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  33. Iren Feher

    June 22, 2022 at 8:27 pm

    Hi Lisa,
    I’m not able to find Asian sesame paste near me. I can buy it on Amazon but it’s expensive. What would you recommend as a substitute? Will peanut butter be good to replace sesame paste?
    I’ve used tahini when I made this, but the flavor was very off.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  34. Marissa Charles

    November 06, 2022 at 12:26 am

    Hello! I purchased everything to make this recipe and have a question. I bought the kombu dashi broth packets pictured in your blog and the instructions are in Japanese. Can you please tell me how much water to mix with the packet? Also, I accidentally bought a sweetened soy milk for cooking. Is the sweetener going to ruin the recipe? Thank you so much!

    Reply
  35. Krystal

    December 27, 2022 at 4:10 am

    Thanks for sharing an amazing recipe! I enjoyed cooking and eating it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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