Ramen Burgers

Picture this: ramen noodles, topped with a cheeseburger, bacon, greens and sesame oil. Welcome to ramen burgers!

Why we love this recipe

I think I pretty much established my forever love for ramen when I dreamed up this recipe for breakfast ramen.

Yup, those 59 cent packets of noodles with a flavor packet that we all lived on the first year we graduated from college because we couldn’t afford anything else.  

For years after that era in my life, I didn’t even think about ramen, much less buy it and eat it.  

But then for some reason I developed a deep ramen yearning that led to this cheesy ramen soup, and then a chicken ramen soup. So I guess it was inevitable that ramen burgers were in my ramen future!

What is a ramen burger?

So, how is a ramen burger different from a regular hamburger? I’m so glad you asked!

I got the idea for this plate full of naughty deliciousness from my friend Linda, who told me about the original version created by Keizo Shimamoto, and I could NOT get his creation of ramen and burger out of my mind. His ramen burger recipe features the ramen noodles being cooked and shaped into bun shapes and fried, and since I cannot compete with THAT I decided to do a quicker spin on his hamburger ramen scrumptiousness.

So this recipe features a warm pile of ramen noodles, topped with a cheeseburger, a little bacon, some chopped greens and if you want to get extra fancy, a drizzle of sesame oil over the whole thing.  

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

How to make this recipe

This recipe is pretty easy, but it’s important to get the order of things right so that everything is piping hot and perfect All At The Same Time.  

So here’s how things should go. It looks like a lot, but the whole process is going to take less than a half hour.

1. Chop up a little lettuce. I used romaine because I wanted the nice crunch.
2. Cook the bacon and cover it with a piece of foil or a pot lid. Leave the drippings in the skillet.
3. Bring the ramen water to a simmer.
4. Cook the burgers in the same pan you made the bacon in.  We’re making diner-style flat burgers that take EXACTLY 3 minutes, start to finish.
5. At the same time, pop the ramen noodles into their water.  They also take EXACTLY 3 minutes.   I don’t know about you, but this seems like fate to me.
6. Mix in the flavor packet with the ramen to give it that nice salty punch.
7. Scoop the noodles out the liquid and pop them on a plate.
8. Top with a burger, top the burger with the bacon, scatter the chopped lettuce over everything, and if you are feeling fancy, drizzle a little sesame oil on top.  Voila!

YOU HAVE MADE RAMEN BURGERS.

Equipment we used for this recipe

These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!

• Measuring Cup: We love these angled cups that show the measurements on both the inside and outside of the cup.
• Tongs: We have this essential kitchen tool in all sizes from short to extra long.
• Fish Spatula: It’s not just for dish (although we love it for Julia Child’s Filet of Sole)…it’s thin enough to scoot under anything you want to flip!
• Medium Skillet: We have a drawer full of these, but this one is our fave.
• Cutting Board: These sturdy, dishwasher-safe cutting boards come in all different sizes.

And if I haven’t persuaded you yet about the wonder that is ramen and bacon recipes, I also happen to have a ramen pasta carbonara recipe to tempt you with.

I heart ramen!

Other ramen recipes we love!

We want to know what you think! 🤔

If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe.

Ramen Burgers

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Picture this: ramen noodles, topped with a cheeseburger, bacon, greens and sesame oil. Welcome to ramen burgers!

• Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 2 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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• 2 slices thick cut bacon, cut in half
• 1–2 three ounce packets of dried chicken or beef ramen noodles (see note)
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• Sea salt and pepper
• 2 slices American cheese
• 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
• Sesame oil for drizzling (optional)

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Instructions

1. Cook bacon in a medium skillet until done to your liking. Set aside and top with foil to keep warm, but leave the drippings in the skillet.
2. Heat the water for the ramen (following package directions for amount), and turn the heat under the skillet with the bacon drippings to high.
3. Season the burger meat with a little sea salt and pepper and form into two loose balls. Place in skillet and immediately flatten them out with a spatula and don’t touch them again for two minutes.
4. Right after you put the burgers in the skillet, pop the ramen noodles into their water. Cook for three minutes.
5. Meanwhile back at the burgers, flip them at the two minute mark. Top them with the American cheese, cover the skillet (this helps the cheese melt) and cook them for one more minute.
6. When the ramen is done, add the flavor packet and stir.
7. Time for the assembly! Take the ramen noodles out of the broth with tongs and place on each plate. Top with cheeseburger and bacon. Scatter lettuce on top. Drizzle with sesame oil if you like (we like!). Serve at once!

Notes

I made ours with one ramen packet divided among the two dishes. If you have hearty eaters, it is TOTALLY okay to make one ramen packet per person, and you can cook up both ramen packets in the same pot at the same time.