Japan's best Vegan Instant Ramen is from T's Tantan! In this ramen eater's humble opinion, they have the tastiest product on the market.
This vegan instant ramen comes in 3 varieties. I'll review each of them (you can buy them here) and let you know which one is my favorite. First, here's a little background info.
T's Tantan - THE spot for Vegan Ramen
People often associate "Tokyo vegan ramen" with T's Tantan, a ramen restaurant group based in Tokyo. Every ramen that T's serves is vegan, including their signature sesame "tantanmen".
In short, T's is the most famous vegan ramen restaurant in Japan. It only made sense that they expanded to instant ramen at one point.
They delivered of course, tying up with local instant ramen producer Yamadai.
To be fair, there aren't a whole lot of vegan instant ramen / vegetarian instant ramen in Japan to begin with. But from the ones I've sampled, these from T's are head and shoulders above the rest.
Let's dive in! Starting with...
Vegan Tantanmen
T's naturally had to create one based off their signature tantanmen. Like at their actual restaurants, the soup here is beautifully nutty and deep with sesame flavor. Tantanmen is normally a spicy ramen. This one is mildly spicy, with just enough chili oil heat.
Crunchy and cute mini bok choy, soft edamame-like beans, and seasoned soy meat make for wonderful toppings.
Vegan Sanratan
Sanratan is a hot and sour ramen style that leans closer to the roots of ramen. As you'd expect, the soup goes back and forth between being spicy and sour. This comforting soup is the perfect companion for those cold and rainy days.
Among toppings, there's a generous amount of fluffy tofu and sweet-flavored corn.
Vegan Shoyu Ramen
Shoyu (soy sauce) seasoned ramen is the most consumed style in Japan. T's often serves it at their ramen restaurants too. While this is the lightest of the three, it's anything but boring. The soy sauce seasoning is tangy and a little sweet.
But there's a delicious richness coming from a packet of vegetable-oil that you add right before eating. On warmer days, this is my jam.
The Noodles and My Favorite
T's pulled out all the stops when they partnered with Yamadai. Besides being 100% vegan, these instant ramen are much lower in calories than normal.
Furthermore, the noodles are lower in calories but still have wonderful texture and bite to them.
From the above 3, my favorite is the tantanmen. They're all great but this one is particularly special. Even if you're not vegan, it'll make you dance and sign.
As the world shifts to more plant-based food, the vegan instant ramen / vegetarian instant ramen world is only going to get bigger!