Cheesy Ramen on the Stove: Instant Noodles in a Real Cheese Sauce in Ten Minutes

Kraft Mac & Cheese has spent decades in one aisle and is now stepping out of it. Food Dive reported on 6 October that the brand will launch Cheesy Ramen, its first move into a new category in about two decades, in chicken, spicy and pork flavours. The single-serve microwavable bowls take about 3.5 minutes, cost a suggested $2.99 and are due in April 2027. Food Ingredients First added on 13 October that Kraft Heinz is entering a US ramen category worth $2.7 billion and growing 9 per cent a year, according to Circana.

You do not have to wait until spring. Cheesy ramen is a home-kitchen idea before it is a product, and the logic is simple: instant noodles release starch into a small amount of liquid, which thickens it into a sauce that holds cheese far better than plain water would.

Instant noodles date to Japan in 1958, and dressing them up at home is a habit almost as old as the product. Melting cheese over a bowl of them is a familiar trick in Korean-style instant noodle cooking, and it is the same idea Kraft is now putting in a bowl.

The method here uses less liquid than a normal ramen and a splash of milk. The cheese melts into the starchy broth instead of splitting. Mild cheddar and a slice of American-style cheese give flavour and a smooth melt.

Ingredients

Serves 2. Total time 15 minutes.

• 2 packs (about 85 g each) dried instant ramen noodle blocks, seasoning sachets set aside
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 100 ml whole milk
• 1 teaspoon cornflour, mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 100 g mild cheddar, finely grated
• 2 slices American-style processed cheese, torn
• 2 spring onions, sliced, and chilli oil or black pepper, to finish

Method

1. Bring the stock and milk to a gentle simmer in a wide pan over medium heat. Do not let it boil hard, or the milk may catch.
2. Add the noodle blocks and simmer for 3 minutes, turning them once and loosening the strands with chopsticks.
3. Stir in the butter, garlic powder, soy sauce and a quarter of one seasoning sachet if you want more savoury depth.
4. Add the cornflour mixture and cook for 1 minute, stirring. The liquid should now be reduced to about 150 ml and coat the noodles.
5. Take the pan off the heat. Add the cheddar and American cheese in three handfuls, stirring after each until it melts into a smooth sauce.
6. Taste and adjust the seasoning with pepper or a few more drops of soy sauce. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with a splash of hot stock.
7. Divide between two bowls, top with spring onions and a drizzle of chilli oil, and eat straight away, before the sauce tightens.

Tips, swaps and storage

The melt depends on heat. Take the pan off the burner before the cheese goes in, and add it gradually. Pre-grated cheese in a bag often contains anti-caking starch that makes the sauce grainy, so grate your own.