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Spicy Short Rib Peanut Ramen, our favorite winter ramen! Enjoy this on nights when you’re 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. It’s 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, it’s all cooked in one pot – either the crockpot, instant pot, or on the stove. One of our favorite bowls of ramen – even better than a restaurant! Best enjoyed on cold days, because there’s nothing better than a steaming bowl of ramen on a cold winter’s night.
Soup is the name of the game these days, it’s all we’ve been wanting. With the snow falling pretty consistently and many people battling colds, I’ve 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.
I’ve 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.
It’s 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 girlfriend’s 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 doesn’t go into much detail, if any. He sent the photos and said, “this was really good”. 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 that’s 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. I’ve 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 – 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 noodles (which you can find at Whole Foods and in many grocery stores). These taste just like real-deal ramen noodles, but they’re 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 it’s a snowy night, pouring rain, or simply a night where you just need a warming soup.
I’m 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, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Spicy Short Rib Peanut Ramen
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 570 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
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 sautè. 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.
I was excited to try this recipe, but I was disappointed, it was way too much fat. It is possible that I have not eaten much meat over the last year. But the whole dish was swimming with fat. I ended up tossing it all. I couldn’t see a way to salvage.
Hi Marjorie,
Thanks for giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear there was so much fat for you. The short ribs do release a lot of grease, but you can chill the dish and skim that off. I hope this helps! xx
Super easy, really tasty. I couldn’t find any short ribs, so I used stew meat. Still delicious. Will try it with short ribs in the future.
Hey Brian,
Happy Monday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Hi Teighan
Just wondering if you could add any additional veggies and if so what would you recommend and at what point?
Thank you
Hey Diane,
Totally, I would add mushroom halves and even carrots in step 1. Let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Just wondering if you used star anise in the broth and if so, how much? I see a pod in one of the pictures but it’s not listed in directions/ingredient list.
I’d say stick it in if you fancy it – plenty of flavour without!
Thanks Becks!
Hey Shannon,
Sorry, I just used the star anise for the photos, you do not need it in the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
This is sooo good! I cooked the broth a day ahead, chilled it and picked off the hardened fat from the top…possible that some of the flavour went with it, but it was still incredibly tasty. I used a hand blender to whizz up the broth before using, which incorporated all the onions etc…definitely a keeper of a recipe. And I agree with the reviewer who said not to miss the step of broiling the beef at the end. All the toppings…what a supper!
Hey Becks,
Happy Monday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Outstanding and so easy!! I reduced the cooking liquid to 6 cups and used half broth half water.
Hey Ellen,
Happy Monday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Hi Tieghan,
This sounds amazing. I’m going to test it out today. I was just wondering, if you tried searing the short ribs before adding them to the crockpot, or if you think that would add any benefits?
Thank you for all of your amazing recipes!
Hey Jenna,
Sure, if you have the time, you can totally sear the short ribs, that will be great! Let me know how this recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx
This was so delicious! I have never made a ramen dish before and absolutely loved this short rib recipe! I used a mix of boneless and bone-in short ribs and it was perfect. Was pleasantly surprised at how much thicker the broth got after the noodles were added. Everything about this recipe was perfect!! I don’t usually write reviews but thought I should let you know that this is a new favorite!
Hey Karen,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
This was so delicious – perfect for a wintery day! Lots of flavor – the 4 T gochujang paste was the right amt of heat for me. I couldn’t find bone in short ribs so I used boneless and just added a couple oxtail marrow hoping that would make up for the boneless ribs. I did season the short ribs with salt and pepper. I didn’t have any fatty layer that is in a lot of the comments. So good – thanks for another great recipe that is so quick and easy to throw together in the crockpot.
Hey there,
Happy Sunday!!🪷 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xT
This turned out well, although I agree with other reviewers that there was too much fat in the soup (which I tried to skim off without much success). I made the stovetop version, with only 1.5 pounds of boneless short ribs (that I found on sale!) and three packs of ramen. I pretty much followed the recipe, but the one thing I’d change next time is to shred the beef with a fork instead of leaving it in chunks. The flavor of the meat was good, but we just didn’t like the big pieces among the noodles.
Also, I saw a sarcastic comment on this page (I think it was) about yet another ramen recipe (something like “How inspiring”), but thanks to you, I’ve learned new and creative recipes for these very ordinary noodles. So thank you, and I look forward to more!
Hey Helen,
Happy Weekend!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback!! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! A tip for the fat, take a large metal spoon and load it with ice, run that across the top of the soup and the fat should easily stick to it. I hope this helps! xT
Thanks, Tieghan, for the suggestion for the fat! Easier than laboriously trying to skim it off, and less time-consuming than putting so much soup through a small-ish fat separator.
Another great ramen recipe! We trimmed the fat off our short ribs and didn’t find the dish overly fatty at all. Incredibly flavourful dish!
Hey Hilary,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:)
Very delicious but so much fat. I skimmed about 1.5 cups of fat off the top. Then enjoyed the hell out of it! Loved the sour kimchi topping. I was going to skip it and then I didn’t and I’m so glad. if I make this again, I will probably use a different kind of meat that’s less fatty. Like Chuck roast or something.
Hi Angela,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear about the fat, let me know if you give the chuck roast a try! xx
I really want to make this for my family but 1 person has a peanut allergy- any suggestions for a good replacement for the peanut butter???
Hey Tara,
Sunbutter would be a great option to use in place of the peanut butter! Let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This was so good! Everyone loved it. I cooked it in a slow cooker for 8 hours. Don’t skip the broiling of the meat. It makes a very tasty difference. I used all the condiments which finished it off nicely. I did trim excess fat from the ribs and had to skim quite a bit off the top at the end, but it wasn’t the end of the world. Make this. It’s a perfect winter meal.
Hey Dre,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
This recipe was AWESOME! So easy to make and incredibly flavorful.
Hey Katie,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx