Bold, spicy, and comforting, these Spicy Miso Tofu Udon Cup Noodles are a homemade twist on instant noodles. With hearty udon, tofu, and a rich spicy miso broth, they’re perfect for an easy, flavourful meal anytime!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Convenient – This DIY cup noodle recipe is a lifesaver on busy days. With minimal prep, you’ll have a delicious meal in just minutes by adding boiling water.
- Customizable to Your Taste – Whether you prefer a spicy, savory, or light broth, you can easily adjust the ingredients to fit your flavor preferences.
- Perfect for Meal Prep – Make a few jars in advance and store them in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. They’re a great option for grab-and-go lunches or dinners throughout the week.
- A Healthier Option – Skip the artificial additives and excessive sodium in store-bought cup noodles. This recipe uses fresh ingredients, so you can enjoy a wholesome and nutritious meal.
- Versatile and Flexible – With a variety of noodles, proteins, veggies, and seasonings to choose from, you can mix and match to create endless flavor combinations.
- Perfectly Portion-Controlled – Each jar is designed for one serving, making it easy to enjoy a satisfying meal without overindulging.
Ingredients
These DIY Cup Noodles are incredibly versatile and easy to customize! While I’ve included a combination of ingredients for this recipe in the card below, feel free to tailor them to your preferences or use what you have on hand. It’s also a fantastic way to repurpose leftovers! If you'd like to create your own version of Cup Noodles at home, here are the main categories I'd include:
- Bouillon Paste or Powder: This forms the foundation of the soup base. Use chicken, beef, or vegetable bouillon in powder, paste, or cube form. Better Than Bouillon is one of my favourite go-to brands for rich flavour.
- Soup Base Seasonings: Add a flavourful kick to your soup with seasonings like miso paste, Thai curry paste, soy sauce, sriracha, hot sauce, chili oil, garlic or onion powder, or fresh ginger. Let your creativity guide you to craft unique and tasty soup bases!
- Vegetables: Around one cup of sliced vegetables works best. Choose fresh options like baby spinach, bell peppers, or mushrooms, frozen veggies like peas and corn, or even pickled ones like kimchi for an added zing.
- Protein: I’ve used shredded roasted chicken breast, but you can substitute with cooked meats, cubed tofu, edamame, chickpeas, or even a hard-boiled egg for extra protein.
- Udon Noodles: For this recipe, I'm using cooked Japanese udon noodles - they're perfect as they soften quickly in hot water and soak up the flavourful broth wonderfully. Alternatively, you can also use dry vermicelli rice noodles, egg noodles, or dry glass noodles made from mung bean or sweet potato.
- Garnishes: Enhance your cup noodles with toppings like fresh herbs (basil, cilantro, or mint), green onions, or a squeeze of lime juice to brighten the flavors.
These ingredients offer endless possibilities to create a comforting, delicious meal in minutes! For exact measurements, check the recipe card below.
Instructions
STEP 1: Add ingredients (soup base, vegetables, protein, noodles, and garnishes) to a mason jar.
STEP 2: Refrigerate mason jar for up to 2 days until you're ready to eat.
STEP 3: Remove mason jar from fridge and let jar come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes by resting on the counter, or run it under lukewarm water for a couple of minutes. This will help prevent the hot water from cooling down too quickly, and reduce risk of glass cracking.
STEP 4: Boil 2 cups (500 ml) of water. Add boiling water to mason jar until the ingredients are fully covered. Cover with lid.
STEP 5: Let ingredients steep for 5 minutes until the ingredients are softened.
STEP 6: Remove the lid, squeeze lime wedge (if needed), give the contents a good stir to mix the soup base thoroughly, and enjoy!
Equipment & Storage
I love using my Hamilton Beach electric kettle for making cup noodles—it boils water in just 2 minutes, making the process quick and effortless. It's efficient, heats the water to the ideal temperature, and ensures your noodles cook perfectly every time!
For containers, I recommend 1 litre (32-ounce) wide-mouth mason jars. They’re the perfect size for a single serving, with plenty of room for all your ingredients and a large opening for easy stirring and eating.
Stored in the fridge, these cup noodles will stay fresh for about 2 days, due to the short shelf-life of tofu. You can opt to use a different source of protein for a longer shelf life! Alternatively, another way to extend the shelf-life of tofu is to keep it submerged in water using a separate container in the fridge, typically for up to 5 days, before adding it into your mason jar. Or, you can also opt to bake or pan-fry the tofu first to extend the shelf-life up to 5 or so days. Freezing the tofu is also a great option for extending shelf life!
Toasty's Tips
- Customize to Your Taste - Mix and match ingredients to suit your preferences! Experiment with different proteins, vegetables, and seasonings to create a flavour combination you’ll love.
- Prep Ahead for Convenience - Assemble several jars at once for quick, grab-and-go meals during the week. Stored in the fridge, they’ll stay fresh for about 2 days (due to the short shelf-life of tofu). Stored in the fridge, these cup noodles will stay fresh for about 2 days, due to the short shelf-life of tofu.
- Extend Shelf Life - Given the relatively short shelf life of tofu, opt for a different source of protein for a longer shelf life! Or, another way to extend the shelf-life of tofu is to keep it submerged in water using a separate container in the fridge, typically for up to 5 days, before adding it into your mason jar when you're ready to eat. Or, you can also opt to bake or pan-fry the tofu first to extend the shelf-life up to 5 or so days. Freezing the tofu is also a great option for extending shelf life!
- Use Boiling Water - Always pour freshly boiled water into the jar for the best results. This ensures even cooking and helps the flavors meld together beautifully.
- Choose Quick-Cooking Noodles - Udon noodles work great, but you can also try other quick-cooking varieties like ramen, vermicelli, shirataki, or glass noodles.
- Bring to Room Temperature - If the jar is coming straight from the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or run it under lukewarm water for a few minutes. This prevents the hot water from cooling too quickly and reduces the risk of the glass cracking.
- Reheat as Needed - If your noodles aren’t hot enough, transfer them to a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and heat for an additional minute.
- Layer Ingredients Strategically - Place the bouillon and seasonings at the bottom of the jar, followed by protein and vegetables. Add the noodles on top to prevent them from absorbing too much liquid while stored.
Other Flavours to Try
Check out these other easy and delicious Noodle Cup recipes:
📖 Recipe
Spicy Miso Tofu Udon Cup Noodles
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
Soup base
- 1 teaspoon bouillon - paste or powder
- 1 teaspoon miso paste
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- ½ teaspoon garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Vegetables
- ¼ cup broccoli florets - sliced
- ¼ cup green bell peppers - sliced
- ¼ cup tomatoes - sliced
- ¼ cup peas
- 2 tablespoon carrot - sliced
- ¼ cup kimchi
Protein
- ⅓ cup firm tofu - cubed
Noodles
- 1 cup udon noodles - cooked
Garnishes
- 1 tablespoon green onions - sliced
- 3 basil leaves
- 1 lime wedge
Instructions
- Add ingredients (soup base, vegetables, protein, noodles, and garnishes) to a mason jar.
- Refrigerate mason jar for up to 3-4 days until you're ready to eat.
- Remove mason jar from fridge and let jar come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes by resting on the counter, or run it under lukewarm water for a couple of minutes. This will help prevent the hot water from cooling down too quickly, and reduce risk of glass cracking.
- Boil 2 cups (500 ml) of water. Add boiling water to mason jar until the ingredients are fully covered. Cover with lid.
- Let ingredients steep for 5 minutes until the ingredients are softened.
- Remove the lid, squeeze lime wedge (if needed), give the contents a good stir to mix the soup base thoroughly, and enjoy!
Notes
- Watch the step-by-step video tutorial here.
- Customize to Your Taste - Mix and match ingredients to suit your preferences! Experiment with different proteins, vegetables, and seasonings to create a flavour combination you’ll love.
- Prep Ahead for Convenience - Assemble several jars at once for quick, grab-and-go meals during the week. Stored in the fridge, they’ll stay fresh for up to 2 days.
- Use Boiling Water - Always pour freshly boiled water into the jar for the best results. This ensures even cooking and helps the flavours meld together beautifully.
- Choose Quick-Cooking Noodles - Udon noodles work great, but you can also try other quick-cooking varieties like ramen, vermicelli, shirataki, or glass noodles.
- Bring to Room Temperature - If the jar is coming straight from the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or run it under lukewarm water for a few minutes. This prevents the hot water from cooling too quickly and reduces the risk of the glass cracking.
- Reheat as Needed - If your noodles aren’t hot enough, transfer them to a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and heat for an additional minute.
- Layer Ingredients Strategically - Place the bouillon and seasonings at the bottom of the jar, followed by protein and vegetables. Add the noodles on top to prevent them from absorbing too much liquid while stored.
STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO
You can find step-by-step video tutorials for all of my recipes on my YouTube Channel. There you'll find many more tips and tricks to help you along!
Nutrition
Note: Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Comments
No Comments