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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.
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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
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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
So delicious! We used 2 tablespoons of chilli paste and it was way too Spivey for most of my family! Next time I’ll add just 1 teaspoon and taste it! But other than us being babies, the flavor is beautiful!
Hey Kathleen,
Perfect!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx
Soooo good. I made the recipe as is and added some cooked chicken breast at the end that I had leftover.
Amazing. I wanted it to last forever. I added hot sesame oil, sliced jalapeños and soft boiled egg on top too. Phenomenal thank you!!!
I see the anise star in the pic, was that supposed to be in the recipe too?
Hey Kelly,
Perfect!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! No need for the star anise:) xx
I tried this recipe, and while the flavors were delicious, my ramen noodles got mushy. Any tips?
Hey Ann,
Happy Monday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Did you only cook the noodles for 5 minutes? You could just keep them separate next time:) xT
I left the noodles out of the main pot and cooked/served them separately every time I served the dish (including when serving for leftovers) – that really helps!
Hey Liv,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you:)
Ooh la la, this was delicious! Big fan of this recipe! I added mushrooms, which I highly recommend – ups the umami flavor even more 🙂 Great recipe!
Hey Liv,
Happy Friday!!⛄️❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Made this last week for dinner and it’s delicious, still slurping it up for lunch this week. Thank you for all the goodness.
Hey Annette,
Happy Thursday! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for making it! xT
When you see the ingredients it looks curiously strange, but I went with it and I’m glad I was curious enough to try. It was so good. I never had short rib in ramen either and it worked perfectly.
Hey Liz,
Happy Thursday! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for making it! xT
Absolutely love your recipes – so flavorful and creative! Question – making this now and want to chill overnight to skim any fat . Better to broil the short ribs prior to chilling and put them back in the soup OR separate them out and broil today or tomorrow OR leave them in the soup, refrigerate, and take them out tomorrow to broil? TY again for all your fabulous food!
Hey Christine,
I would broil them when you are ready to serve the soup:) I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out! xx
10 out of 10! This was amazing!
Hey Rhea,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx
Has anyone subbed the beef with chicken or tofu? My ribs went bad and I don’t want to buy more.
Hey Bettie,
I’m sure chicken would work just fine for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
You have star anise in the photos, but I don’t se it in the ingredients list. Should we use it or not, and if so, how much?
Hi Carol,
No need to use any star anise, you can follow the recipe as written:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
This recipe is worth the effort. I’ll be making this again.
Thanks so much Rachael!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit and appreciate you making it! xT
Any substitute recommendations for coconut milk? I want to make this, but I’m just not a fan of coconut.
Hey Kristen,
Sure, any other milk that you enjoy will work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
This was absolutely delicious!! I forgot to buy shallots for it so I sliced up an onion as a substitute. So yummy…perfect for a cold January night. I will say it has way more than 6 servings but I think it should freeze ok.
Hey Jen,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it was enjoyed! xx
Just finished enjoying this ramen with the whole family… kids loved it! Curious if you’d recommend other veggies to add – feel like mushrooms would be great. Also, any suggestion for an alternative to the short rib? It was my first time cooking with them and while tasty, they were a bit greasy – hoping to find a different meat that could substitute it without losing too much of the taste. Definitely a keeper!!!
Hey Sofia,
Thanks so much for trying this dish!! Sure, mushrooms would be delicious!! You could totally use chicken or a chuck roast in place of the short ribs. Let me know if you have any other questions! xx
This was sooo good! We used boneless short ribs and seared them in a cast iron skillet prior to serving. The broth was super flavorful, admittedly I did add more chili paste and garlic because we love spicy. We used Trader Joe’s ramen. All in all 5/5. It’s getting added to the dinner rotation.
Hey Kirsten,
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