We Found The Best Instant Ramen And It's Super Affordable

Instant ramen can be anything you want it to be: You can enjoy it as a five-minute meal of noodles and broth, or make it better by upgrading it with what you have at home. But one thing is for certain: Ramen is a household staple for many, and a lifesaver if you don't have a ton of money. (Just ask every cash-strapped college student.) That being said, all ramen isn't equal in terms of taste, and we once did a ranking of 12 different instant ramen brands to find out which we liked best. Surprisingly, our top choice was a familiar big brand.

That would be Maruchan, but not its popular chicken flavor, which came in second on our ranked list. Our taste tester said that Maruchan's Creamy Chicken flavor was its best showing. "Don't let the 'creamy' part of the description throw you off," they wrote. "It just signifies the thickness of the broth rather than a flavor profile, which, for hardy soup lovers, is comfort in a bowl. It allows the chicken flavor to be the main character, and is perfect for people who like to add proteins and greens to their ramen; it's a do-it-yourself meal that takes only minutes to prepare." Additionally, each package was only $0.47 at the time the list was written, which puts it in budget food category.

It's worth mentioning that the "creamy" element in Maruchan's Creamy Chicken ramen is not powdered milk, butter, or cheese, which are all popular additions to make creamy instant ramen. It's a dairy substitute, composed of palm oil, corn syrup, and sodium caseinate — which is indeed derived from milk protein, and used as a stabilizer. And although it's only a minor component in the ingredients, sodium caseinate does count as a dairy product, which means it could potentially trigger an allergy in those who are sensitive to it. Those following vegan or kosher diets should also be aware that it's an animal-based protein.

The reason why the creaminess of the broth is important is because it does a few key things. As our tester wrote, "[It] buffers any sharp chicken flavoring aftertaste while also cutting down the intensity of the salt, which comes in at 1,220 milligrams for the entire 3-ounce package." It gives the packet broth some additional body, which many instant ramen products tend to lack. For all of these reasons, as well as its affordability, Maruchan's Creamy Chicken ramen became our favorite of the 12 ramen we ranked.