Birria Ramen Recipe

Move over birria tacos because birria ramen is out of this world! Nuanced consommé, tender beef, and ramen noodles are a match made in heaven.

When I first heard about birria ramen, I thought it was an intriguing fusion, so I had to try it. Blending the robust flavors of birria with the familiar comfort of ramen is genius! This twist on ramen is nuanced, standing out distinctly from classic versions. The broth takes center stage with its thicker, richer consistency, and an unmistakable smoky sweetness adds a uniquely satisfying dimension. Grab your chopsticks and a ramen soup spoon!

Why You’ll Love Birria Ramen

Fall-apart tender beef – Minimal work is required to shred it. The meat will start falling apart when you try to lift it from the pot.

Drinkable broth – Once the beef and ramen are gone, you will pick up the bowl and down any broth that’s left. It is that delicious.

Freshness throughout – Although there are a lot of big, bold flavors going on, the aromatics and tomato puree keep everything tasting fresh.

Hearty and cozy – There’s no shortage of beef in each bowl, and the hot broth paired with the heat of the chiles will warm you from the inside out. Note that this recipe is not super spicy. It is relatively mild, but you can up the heat with hot sauce, spices, and toppings if you like extra heat.

Versatile – I’ll go into more detail in a bit, but there are so many directions you can go with birria ramen.

Birria Ramen Ingredients Notes

• Beef chuck roast: I recommend a bone-in roast if you can find it since the bones help create an even more flavorful broth. Alternatively, you can replace 2-3 pounds of roast with beef short ribs.
• Aromatics: Onion, garlic, carrot, and celery take this birria ramen over the top. Without them, the flavor profile isn’t as outstanding.
• Chiles: Most of the chiles used are guajillos. They have a lot of depth. They are sweet and tangy with an underlying smokiness. Morita chile peppers and chipotle mecos also make an appearance. Moritas have a nice fruitiness, whereas Chipotle mecos are very smoky (like BBQ smoky) and peppery.
• Beef bouillon: Specifically granulated, enhances the beefiness of the broth.
• Cumin: This is a must for any birria recipe, whether you’re making ramen or tacos. The warm, earthy spice adds a lot of depth.
• Tomato puree: Puree is preferred over sauce since it includes no additional seasonings like herbs and spices. Tomato puree is also thicker.
• Ramen noodles: You can use the noodles from any packages of ramen you have or go all out with traditional Japanese ramen noodles.

Find the complete birria ramen ingredients list with measurements in the recipe card below.

How To Make Birria Ramen

1. Sear: The first thing you want to do is sear the beef on all sides. Although it may seem counterintuitive since the meat is cooked in liquid, this extra step leaves fond at the bottom of the pot, adding a layer of beefy goodness to the consommé. Once done, remove the beef and set it aside.
2. Saute: Add the aromatics and chiles to the pot with the residual oil and fond to wake up the flavors and get a nice toast on the chiles.
3. Build the broth: I like to add the seasonings first to wake up the flavors. Then, I follow with the water and broth, return the meat to the broth, and leave that to simmer for half an hour to rehydrate the chiles and draw out impurities from the meat that will float to the top.
4. Blend: Fish out the chiles, blend with some broth, and pour the puree into the pot. After that’s done, leave to simmer for a few hours. In the meantime, relax or get a few tasks done.
5. Shred: Remove the beef, shred it, and discard the bones and aromatics. You can remove them with tongs or use a strainer. Some of the aromatics may dissolve due to the long cooking time – my carrots and onions were nowhere to be found. But the bay leaves are the ones you really want to try to find and remove.
6. Build the bowls: Cook the ramen noodles, divide them between the bowls, top with beef, then ladle the broth over the top. Afterward, you can add your desired toppings.

Variations, Substitutions, and Cooking Tips

Make it vegan – Swap the beef for tofu (stick with 2-3 ounces per serving) and use vegetable bouillon instead of beef. The cooking process will differ as well. Since you’re not slow-cooking beef, you can simmer the broth until you like the flavor of it and add the tofu towards the end.

Experiment with chiles – Anchos and pasillas are pretty standard as are arbols. You may even want to incorporate a fresh jalapeno or two.

Have the toppings ready to go – This makes assembly easy, plus the smell of birria ramen is so mouthwatering that you’ll want a bowl as soon as possible. The consommé takes hours, so there’s no reason to extend the wait. Toppings to consider include:

• Lime wedges
• Soft or hard-boiled eggs
• Shredded cabbage
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Sliced radish (fresh or pickled)
• Chopped fresh or pickled onion (pickled red onions add a great tangy element to the dish!)
• Sliced jalapeno (fresh, pickled, or candied)
• Sliced fresh green onions
• Cotija cheese or queso fresco
• Hot Sauce, like Sriracha or Tapatio

Make Ahead

Birria ramen is a great make-ahead. Prepare as instructed and cook noodles as needed. You probably won’t serve eight bowls of ramen at once, so only cook the amount of noodles you need and store the rest of the consommé and beef in the fridge (in an airtight container) for a later time. If stored properly, the beef and consommé will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How To Use Leftover Birria

• Make more ramen noodles and top it with birria
• Make tacos! Serve it with corn tortillas, chopped fresh onion and cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice for street taco style
• Serve it burrito style
• Eat on its own as a stew
• Make enchiladas
• Birria quesadillas are amazing! Especially with shredded Oaxaca.
• Put it on a homemade pizza
• Make taquitos
• Tostadas, or do it Mexican Pizza Style
• Birria Fries
• Birria Nachos
• Add it to pasta instead of ramen
• Use it as a topping for plain or tomato rice

Continue to Content

Birria Ramen Recipe

Yield: 8 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours 10 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 25 minutes

Move over birria tacos because birria ramen is out of this world! Nuanced consommé, tender beef, and ramen noodles are a match made in heaven.

Print

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil of choice
• 6 pounds beef chuck roast (preferably on the bone), cut into 4-5 large pieces
• Kosher salt
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and halved
• 4 (1-inch) pieces of carrot
• 2 (1-inch) pieces of celery
• 6 garlic cloves, stem ends removed
• 6 guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
• 1 chipotle Morita, stems and seeds removed
• 1 chipotle meco, stems and seeds removed
• 5 tablespoons granulated beef bouillon
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 9 cups water
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
• 12 ounces ramen noodles

Optional Toppings

• Lime wedges
• Soft or hard-boiled eggs
• Pickled onion
• Shredded cabbage
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Sliced jalapeno
• Sliced radish

Instructions

Beef and Consommé

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat—season the meat with salt.
2. Brown the meat on all sides, work in batches if necessary, then transfer to a platter.
3. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and chiles to the pot.
4. Cook for 5 minutes; add the beef bouillon, chili powder, and cumin. Stir to wake up those flavors.
5. Return the meat to the pot and pour in the water. Add tomato puree, bay leaves, salt, and pepper as well.
6. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
7. Skim any impurities that collect at the top of the pot.
8. Remove the chiles and transfer them to a blender. Blend until smooth, adding broth as needed.
9. Place a strainer over the pot and pour the puree through it to remove any bits of skin. Stir to combine.
10. Cover the pot and simmer for 3-3 ½ hours or until the beef is fall-apart tender and easy to shred. Uncover the pot to stir every 30 minutes or so. Add the oregano during the last 30 minutes.
11. Skim any fat off the top.
12. Remove and discard the aromatics. This includes the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves.
13. Remove the meat and shred. Also, discard any bones.

Ramen

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Add the noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Drain the noodles and divide them between the serving bowls. Top with shredded beef.
4. Ladle the birria consommé over the noodles and beef.
5. Complete each bowl with any desired toppings and enjoy.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 914Total Fat: 57gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 31gCholesterol: 283mgSodium: 1604mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 87g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

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Monique McArthur

Monique McArthur is a mother of two, writer, fan of home cooking, and creator of delicious recipes. She envisions herself as a self-taught cook who also learned extensively from a family of restaurateurs. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, shopping, running with her dogs and spending time with family.

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