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This simple, warming Crockpot Crispy Pork Ramen is for those nights when you’re craving your favorite bowl of ramen, but want to stay in and be cozy at home. All cooked in a crock pot, instant pot, or make the stove-top version. Whatever works for you! This dish is flavored with miso, chili paste, and Chinese 5 spice. It’s creamy, spicy, and filled with plenty of ramen noodles. Each bowl is topped with crispy caramelized pork (or chicken). It’s one of the best bowls of homemade ramen, even better than a restaurant!
I’m not sure I could think of a better Monday in December recipe. This has to be one of my favorite bowls of ramen yet. I can’t wait to share it with my family soon! Being here in New York, I am craving this homemade bowl. It’s chilly here this week! And while I am used to cold weather, the damp cold here in New York City is just a different kind of cold. It’s bone-chilling, and when you add the wind, it’s biting.
Regardless, it’s wonderful to be here. And while I can definitely get an incredible bowl of ramen here in the city (I actually think I will), I much prefer homemade.
This recipe is full of so many yummy flavors. You just have to love it!
Just like a couple of other ramen recipes I have on the site, my brothers really inspired this one. They LOVE ramen. They’ve had the privilege of enjoying real-deal ramen straight from Japan on multiple occasions. So they really know how to direct me when it comes to creating a new recipe.
Recently, they’ve been loving a more traditional (but not traditional, tradition), pork ramen. They get theirs with caramelized pork and shiitake mushrooms, then spicy jalapeños on top with lots of green onions.
This sounded like such a wonderful December recipe to feed the family while they’re all in town for the holidays. I knew I needed to make it.
Details
As I mentioned, the boys have been enjoying pork ramen, so I used a pork butt for this recipe. You can use a pork butt or roast, or just use some skinless chicken thighs/breasts. Both options are equally great.
For the crockpot, layer thinly sliced onions on the bottom of your crockpot. Layering the onions on the bottom is important. They’ll cook quicker and become a little caramelized.
Then, everything else goes into the pot. Tamari (or you can use low sodium soy sauce), miso paste, chili paste, and then my favorite, Chinese 5 spice. Chinese 5 spice is a warming blend of Chinese cinnamon, fennel seed, star anise, and cloves. It sounds different to add this to such a savory recipe, but trust me, it really works.
For the chili paste, I use Gochujang, which is actually Korean chili paste. But it’s SO GOOD.
When everything is all together, slow cook this all day long. With a pork butt, the longer the better. If you use chicken, don’t cook longer than five or six hours tops.
When the soup has finished cooking, preheat the broiler to high, then drizzle the pork with honey. The honey helps caramelize the pork making it crispy and delicious. Broil until caramelized on top, about 5-8 minutes – watch carefully!
While the pork broils, mix coconut milk into the soup. This will tame the heat and give a creamier broth. Then add the dry ramen noodles.
For the actual ramen noodles, I love using Brown Rice and Millet Ramen noodles (which you can find at Whole Foods and in many grocery stores). These taste just like real-deal ramen noodles, but they’re much healthier, gluten-free, and vegan.
And of course, no bowl of ramen is complete without the toppings. After all, they’re the best part, right? I do soft-boiled eggs, plenty of green onions, candied jalapeños (my favorite topping right now), and lots of sesame chili oil. some other great toppings: fresh cilantro, sesame seeds, scallions, lime juice, and sriracha.
I’m especially excited to re-create this ramen for my family. My two younger brothers, Malachi and Red, are already looking forward to it. Can’t wait!!
It’s creamy but spicy, and the flavor is spot-on. The crispy pork makes for a rich, decadent bowl.
Looking for more warming winter soups? Here are a few to try:
Better For You Chicken and Spinach Ramen
Healthier Italian Wedding Soup with Lemon and Garlic
Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup
Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Crispy Pork Ramen, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Crispy Pork Ramen
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 319 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2-3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2-3 pounds pork butt or 6 chicken thighs/breast
- 6-8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 2-4 tablespoons chili paste (I use Gochujang)
- 1 tablespoon Chinese 5 spice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
- 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
- 2-3 teaspoons honey or brown sugar
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 4 squares ramen noodles
- soft or hard boiled eggs, for serving
- toasted nori sheets, candied jalapeños, green onions, and chili oil, for serving
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. Layer the onions on the bottom of your crockpot. Add the pork butt/chicken, broth, tamari, miso paste, chili paste, Chinese 5 spice, ginger, and mushrooms. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. 2. Preheat the broiler to high. Remove the pork and place it onto a baking sheet. Break into a few chunks. Drizzle each chunk with honey. Broil until caramelized on top, about 5-8 minutes, but watch closely. 3. Meanwhile, crank the heat on the slow cooker to high. Stir in the coconut milk and toasted sesame oil. Add the noodles and let cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.4. Ladle the broth, mushrooms, and noodles into bowls. Top with crispy pork. Top as desired with eggs, green onions, jalapeños, and chili oil. Serve immediately.
Instant Pot
- 1. Layer the onions on the bottom of your instant pot. Add the pork butt/chicken, broth, tamari, miso paste, chili paste, Chinese 5 spice, ginger, and mushrooms. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 60-70 minutes. Quick release the steam.2. Finish as directed above through step 2.
Stove
- 1. In a large soup pot set over medium heat, combine the onions with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the pork butt/chicken, broth, tamari, miso paste, chili paste, Chinese 5 spice, ginger, and mushrooms. Cover and cook over low heat for 3-5 hours or up to all day, adding water if needed to keep the pork covered. 2. Preheat the broiler to high. Remove the pork and place it onto a baking sheet. Break into a few chunks. Drizzle each with honey. Broil until caramelized on top, about 5-8 minutes, but watch closely. 3. Meanwhile, stir the coconut milk and toasted sesame oil into the soup pot. Add the noodles and let cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes.4. Ladle the broth, mushrooms, and noodles into bowls. Top with crispy pork. Top as desired with eggs, green onions, jalapeños, and chili oil. Serve immediately.
This post was originally published on December 12, 2022
OH MY GOD SO GOOD and really easy. Can’t believe I’d pay 14 dollars for this at a restaurant 😆
Hey David,
Happy Monday! Big thanks for making this recipe and your comment, I love that it turned out well for you!
Excited to make this!
Just using chili paste no added heat – is the base of the ramen pretty spicy or just flavorful? Also will this freeze well??? ( I’ll leave noodles out 🙂
Hey Monica,
Sounds great! The base is not spicy:) Yes, just freeze without the noodles.
I hope you love this recipe! Have a great Sunday!
We make this at least once every two months. It is a family favorite! My two high school children absolutely love this recipe, especially after a cold night of practice outside.
Really easy to make. We love adding the candied jalapeños to this. Definitely worth doing!
My husband loves adding the Trader Joe’s, crunchy chili onion oil to this as well.
Hey Jolene,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe so often and your comment, so glad it always turns out nicely for you!
Have a great holiday!🎄🎁
How does this change if I accidentally bought bone in pork? 🙃
Hi Susiana,
I’ve never used bone in pork here, so I am not sure the exact adjustments to make.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!
Hi Tieghan! I am hoping to try this recipe for a family gathering. I have a fair amount of pork belly I need to use up – and want to use my crockpot. Would you do it the same way as described (with the pork butt)? Thanks for any hints you may have. Can’t wait to try it out!
Hey Yonnie,
I have never tested this recipe with pork belly, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for you!
I hope you love this recipe!
Hi Tieghan! Just wanted to follow up. Used pork belly and it was INCREDIBLE! Served this for a holiday celebration and everyone loved it! After 7 hrs in the crockpot, I pulled the pork belly out. I crisped it up later when I was ready to serve it… 325° for abnout 12-15 min with a quick glaze of soy sauce and brown sugar. Also kept the ramen noodles separate, which worked great! Thanks for the amazing recipe, will definitely make again!
Yay! Thank you so much, Yonnie! Love to hear this was a hit!
Have a very Happy New Year!🥂🎆
I’m making this for the second time. My family absolutely LOVED the flavor!
The only think we didn’t like was making the noodles right into it. They swell up rather quickly. They had eaten up all the broth before I sat down with mine, and we really would have loved to keep all the extra broth for leftovers because it was SPECTACULAR!
This time I’m making both ramen noodles and rice on the side. I will use broth for the liquid when cooking both of them, but then everyone can pour some more of what they want right over it before they eat.
Absolutely love the flavor profile. This time we are trying it out with the addition of a lot of garlic to help fight off a bug we caught. There’s no way that could make it bad, but will report back!
Hey Christina,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for sharing your notes on what worked well for you. So glad you have been enjoying this recipe!
Have a great week!
Mine did not look like this – was much much lighter – also seemed a bit oily. It was still really good but unsure as I followed the recipe.
Hi Rachael,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe! Glad to hear it was enjoyed:) The oil is probably from the pork.
Ai the brothnwas perfect after slow cooking but the coconutmilk ruined it for me. I’m going to make it again and skip the coconutmilk. The pork tasted amazing.
Thanks for trying this recipe and your feedback!
Fabulous! Pork is fatty so you must skim it off a bit. The flavours are world class. Thank you. I will be making this broth through the winter.
Hey there,
Awesome! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your comment!
Have a great weekend!
We love this recipe and have made it a few times! But I was wondering what kind of adjustments I would need to make it I was doing frozen pork vs thawed! Let me know your thoughts!
Hey Nic,
So glad to hear this recipe is always enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! I would not recommend using frozen meat, you want to thaw it first:) Let me know if I can help in any other way!
Hi Nic, I’m making this today with frozen pork butt. I usually just add 15 minutes to the instant pot time in the first step of the recipe. We make it all the time and I’m never organized enough to use unfrozen meat.
Tieghan, I have to say that all of your ramen broth recipes are so incredibly flavourful, delicious and easy. Often, for a quick weeknight dinner I will just pick any of your ramen recipes and make the broth, throwing in whatever veggies and meat I have on hand and need to use up. Last night I skipped the crispy pork (although it looked amazing) and just thinly sliced pork tenderloin, throwing it in at the last minute to let it cook. My husband went back twice for more. Thank you for this!
Thank you so much, Gabby:) I am so glad your family always enjoys the ramen recipes! Thanks for making them!
Made this today and my family loved it! Used chicken breasts but would also like to try it with pork in the future.
Hey Jamie,
Thanks for testing this recipe out, I’m thrilled it was a success for you. Happy November!🍂🍁
I made this the other night and my family of 5 loved it! I used chicken due to the concern that the broth would be waaaaaay to fatty if I used pork shoulder/butt. Any tricks to avoiding the inch layer of fat from pork? I imagine the flavor is superior. Thanks!!
Hi Ann,
Love to hear this! Thank you so much for making this recipe and your feedback. For the pork fat, once the the dish is finished, you can take a cold spoon to the top of the broth and the fat will adhere to that. I hope this helps.
Have a great weekend!
I was so excited to make this, but it was terrible. The entire family was very disappointed!
Hi Claire,
Very sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed. If there is anything specific that I can help with, please let me know!
Is there anything I can sub the coconut milk with?
Hi Christy,
Another milk that you enjoy will work here! Please let me know if you have any other questions!