Best Instant Ramen: Nongshim Shin Ramyun Review

Why you should trust this guide

I am writing this as someone who eats instant ramen on the nights I do not feel like cooking real food, not as someone who treats it as a novelty. These five packs are ones I actually keep in rotation, and I have opinions about each that come from cooking them the lazy way and the slightly-less-lazy way. I am not going to pretend any of these is a gourmet experience, because they are not. The point of this category is a fast, cheap, comforting bowl, and that is exactly the lens I am using.

To keep this honest, I worked from each product’s stated Amazon details and from my own experience eating these brands over the years. I did not run lab measurements or weigh anything, and I am not claiming a panel of editors tasted them blind. Where a brand lists a calorie count, a cooking instruction, or a halal certification, I am treating that as the manufacturer’s stated information. Everything about flavor, texture, and how the noodles hold up is my own read, and I have flagged the trade-offs I run into so you know what you are signing up for.

How we researched

My evaluation comes down to a few things that matter when you are tired and hungry. First, noodle texture, both straight out of the pack and after the noodles have sat in broth for a few minutes, because a noodle that turns to mush by the time you sit down is a real problem. Second, the broth or sauce on its own, before any add-ins, since the seasoning packet is what you are really buying. Third, how well each pack takes to the cheap upgrades I always have around, namely an egg, scallions, cheese, or a handful of vegetables.

I also weighed practical factors that decide whether a pack stays in the cabinet. Cook time and whether it works on a stovetop or in a microwave matter on a lazy night. Heat level matters, because some of these are not for everyone. Pack size and how the per-pack cost feels matter when you are stocking up. I am not assigning scores or numbers I did not measure. This is a ranked read based on what I actually like to eat and where each pack falls short.

Nongshim Shin Ramyun

Shin Ramyun is my default and the reason it sits at the top. It is the pack I keep at least six of in the cabinet at any time. The noodles are thick and chewy and, crucially, they survive a long simmer without going limp, which means you have a little slack if you get distracted. The broth is a bold, beef-flavored base with chili heat and real depth, and Nongshim includes a generous flake mix of dried vegetables that rehydrates into something more interesting than the usual dust. Nongshim describes it as a bold beef-flavored broth with a signature recipe of bouncy noodles, and that matches what comes out of the pot.

Where this pack earns its spot is how well it takes to add-ins. Drop in an egg, throw on some scallions, and melt a slice of American cheese on top, and a ten minute pantry meal turns into something I genuinely look forward to. Nongshim leans into this with messaging about customizing your bowl, and it is true, the rich broth carries extras without getting muddy. It is ready in minutes on either the stovetop or the microwave, and the 20-pack makes it easy to stay stocked for a household or a couple of roommates.

The honest trade-off is heat and salt. This is a properly spicy pack, and the sodium load is high even by instant ramen standards, so it is not the one to hand someone who wants mild. If you can find the Black Bag version, it is a step up in richness, but it is harder to track down and costs more, so the standard red pack is what most people will actually be eating.

Sapporo Ichiban Original

Sapporo Ichiban Original is the pack I reach for when I want comfort rather than a fight. The yellow pack with the rooster has been around for over fifty years, and the formula has not been ruined the way a lot of legacy products eventually are. The broth is a clean shio (salt) base, the noodles are soft and springy, and the whole thing is far less aggressive than Korean ramyun. It is genuinely my comfort food pack, the one that does not ask anything of me.

That mildness is also what makes it the best base here for building a bowl. Because the seasoning does not dominate, you can add chashu, a soft egg, or a scoop of kimchi and let those flavors lead instead of competing with the existing broth. If you like the idea of treating instant ramen as a starting point rather than a finished product, this is the pack I would point you to. The listing covers the practical stuff, with the package weighing about 6.2 pounds for the multipack and measuring roughly 11.4 by 28 by 38.4 centimeters, so you know what kind of shelf space the case takes.

The trade-off is the flip side of the praise. On its own, without add-ins, the shio broth can read as a little plain or even flat next to the bolder Korean and Indonesian packs. If you want a bowl that tastes loud straight out of the packet with no effort, this is not it. It rewards a small amount of work, and if you are not willing to add anything, you may find it underwhelming.

Indomie Mi Goreng

Indomie Mi Goreng is the best pick here if you want fried noodles instead of soup. This is a dry-style pack, so you boil and drain the noodles, then mix in the sweet soy sauce, chili paste, fried onions, and seasoning oil that come in the packets. The result is the closest thing to street food you can get from a five minute pantry meal, and the sweet, savory, slightly spicy mix is genuinely addictive. The official cooking instructions are simple, add hot water, wait about three minutes, then drain before saucing.

My usual move is to add a fried egg and some shredded cabbage, which turns a single packet into something that actually feels like a plate of food. Indomie sells these in a 30-pack of individually wrapped packets, and the per-pack cost is hard to beat, which is a big part of why it stays in my cabinet. Each packet runs around 390 calories per serving, so it is a light meal on its own and an easy base to bulk up.

There are real caveats. Each packet is a single small serving, so one is rarely enough for a full dinner and you will often cook two. The seasoning leans sweet, which not everyone wants in a savory noodle, and the allergen list is broad, calling out preservatives, sesame and sesame oil, soy and soybean, and wheat, so it is one to check if you are sensitive. The brand lists it as 100 percent halal certified, which is useful if that matters to you.

Samyang Buldak

Samyang Buldak is the pick for people who actually want heat. Buldak is the fire-chicken pack that went viral years ago, and the original flavor still holds up. It is genuinely hot, not novelty-spicy, but what saves it is that the chicken flavor underneath the burn is good enough that the heat does not feel like pure punishment. Samyang positions the Buldak sauce around the fusion of fire and creaminess, and there is a real chicken character there if you can take the spice.

I rarely eat it straight from the recipe. I cook it with a few extra ounces of broth and melt in a slice of cheese, which takes the edge off and turns it into something I can finish without regretting it. The sauce is versatile beyond the noodles too, the brand markets it for dipping, drizzling, marinating, and mixing, and that tracks. There are now around a dozen flavor variations, and if the original sounds intimidating, the carbonara version is the easiest entry point because the cream tames the heat from the start.

The obvious limitation is the spice itself. For a lot of people the original is simply too hot to be enjoyable without dilution, so it is not a pack I would stock for a household that does not love chili. It is also a dry-ish sauced style rather than a soup, so if you are after a brothy bowl this is not the format you want.

Maruchan Gold

Maruchan Gold is the upgrade pack, the one to cook when you actually want to enjoy what you made. The key difference is the noodles, which are air-dried rather than fried, so they cook up to a noticeably better, silkier texture than a standard instant block. Maruchan describes it as Japanese-style instant ramen with a deep umami broth, and the chicken base here is richer than the cheaper Maruchans, with real freeze-dried garnish in the pack instead of just powder.

In practice this is the pack I treat as a small step up rather than a grab-and-go. It still cooks fast, boil water in a saucepan, add the noodles, and cook for about three minutes while stirring, so you are not paying for the better texture with a longer wait. It works for a late-night bowl or a quick dinner, and it takes add-ins well, though honestly it needs them less than the others because the broth and garnish carry more on their own.

The trade-off is price and expectations. Gold costs more than other Maruchans, so it is not the one to buy by the case for everyday eating. And while it is a clear notch above standard instant, it is still instant ramen, not a fresh bowl from a shop, so do not expect it to close that gap entirely. I think of it as the best version of the convenience, not a different category.

What to look for

The right instant ramen depends on what you want the bowl to do. These are the factors I weigh before stocking up.

• Soup or dry style: Decide whether you want a brothy bowl (Shin, Sapporo, Maruchan Gold) or sauced fried noodles (Indomie, and Buldak runs dry-saucy). They are different meals.
• Heat level: Shin and especially Buldak are properly spicy, while Sapporo and Maruchan Gold are mild. Match this to who is actually eating.
• Noodle texture: Thicker chewy noodles (Shin) and air-dried noodles (Maruchan Gold) hold up better than thin fried blocks if your noodles tend to sit before you eat.
• Add-in friendliness: Milder, cleaner broths like Sapporo take chashu, egg, or kimchi without clashing. Bolder packs already taste loud on their own.
• Pack size and cost per pack: Multipacks like the Indomie 30-pack and the Shin 20-pack make stocking cheap. Maruchan Gold is the pricier treat.
• Cook method: Most of these work on a stovetop or in a microwave, which matters when you have no pot or no patience.
• Dietary notes: Check the stated allergens and certifications. Indomie lists a broad allergen set and 100 percent halal certification, for example.

The verdict

For most nights, Nongshim Shin Ramyun is the pack I would stock first. The chewy noodles, the deep beef-chili broth, and how well it takes an egg and cheese make it the best all-round bowl here. If you want something gentler that you plan to build on, Sapporo Ichiban Original is the cleaner base, and for fried noodles that taste like street food, Indomie Mi Goreng is the cheap, satisfying answer.

If heat is the whole point, Samyang Buldak delivers a serious burn with real chicken flavor under it, just plan to balance it with broth and cheese. And when you actually want to enjoy what you cooked rather than just fill up, Maruchan Gold and its air-dried noodles are the upgrade worth paying a little more for. None of these is a substitute for cooking real food, but on the nights I am not, these are the five I keep around.