Instant noodle cups – so portable, so ubiquitous. They’re everywhere! People seem to really like them for lunch. I’ve found that people also like to take them when backpacking or camping – all you need is hot water and once done, you can flatten them so it’s easy to pack out your trash. These convenient meals have come a long way since their inception – many flavors and countries of origin. This list is a compilation of my favorite instant noodle cups from the over 2,500 instant noodle reviews I’ve done to date.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of All Time 2017 Edition
#10: Mamee Mie Goreng Indonesia Spicy Sambal Flavour – Malaysia
The noodles came out so nicely – they have a great character of chew and whilst not in a broth, they’re not dry after being drained. The flavor is wonderful – spicy and tasty with that sweet-hot kick I love about mie goreng. The crunchy bits rounds everything out soundly. Original review
#9: Nissin Nupasta Carbonara Flavour Instant Noodle – Hong Kong
The noodles came out very, very well. They have a very fresh quality to them and a decent quantity. The vegetables and meats hydrated and cooked great – little bits of bacon, mushroom and other stuff throughout. The flavor was just great too – the white powder turned into a sauce with perfect thickness and quantity – and it tasted like an alfredo sauce. This was just plain awesome. Original review
#8 Nissin Soba Nudeln Mit Yakisoba Sauce Yakitori Chicken – Germany
The noodles are thin and very good – just perfect for yakisoba. The flavor is just perfect – I mean wow! It’s like the taste of grilled chicken and very good. The included garnish is everywhere are very nice. Impressed! Original review
#7: Mamee Chef Lontong Flavour – Malaysia
The broth is first off a lot of fun to look at; the red and cream colors are really good looking. The broth has a creamy and spicy taste with lots of nice pieces of red pepper, and as always the ‘mi tarik’ noodles were just right. Very new and unique. Original review
#6: Nissin Cup Noodle Light+ Bagna Cauda – Japan
The noodles have a really nice quality to them – not mushy or anything; they’re just really good. The broth is saucy and hearty with a cheese and light fish taste which is augmented with vegetables galore. Amazing! This doesn’t make me think of low-calorie noodles, yet they are. Original review
#5: MAMA Instant Cup Noodles Seafood Pad Kee Mao Flavour – Thailand
The flavor is really quite good and can be summed as kind of a sweet seafood taste with a great bite of spiciness – and then this lingering flavor from the holy basil. It’s got a really different flavor I wish was present more often in instant noodle varieties. Original review
#4: MyKuali Penang Red Tom Yum Goong Noodle Authentic Taste – Malaysia
The noodles have a very light chew and a different mouthfeel. While I wasn’t entirely satisfied with this new style of noodle in the White Curry cup, this works very nicely with the tom yum. The broth is a tour de force of strong flavors – spicy, lemongrass pucker and a really nice balance of shrimp and vegetable taste. Original review
#3: Mamee Chef Curry Laksa Flavour – Malaysia
There are some flavors erupting from Malaysia that are just fantastic and this instant noodle cup exudes them like a rock star. The noodles came out excellent – pretty much identical to the packaged version. The broth and garnish as well were great – rich curry flavor and premium garnishes including little tofu puff bits and pepper. Original review
#2: MyKuali Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodle Authentic Taste – Malaysia
The noodles are soft and have a kind of dark tan color to them. The broth here is like you died and went to prawn mee heaven. It’s thick, oily, spicy and tasty. It’s just awesome stuff, and then they go and include those awesome fried onions. The only thing is the bustling of motorbikes and people talking at the hawker court. Original review
#1: Nissin Cup Noodles Gourmet Sabor A Caldo De Camaron – Mexico
So the noodles came out great in the microwave – flat and thin with a nice light tooth. Indeed the broth was a show stopper – a great Mexican shrimp broth with a rich flavor and light heat. Moreover, it has a sweetness I’ve only seen in Southeast Asian variants previously. The shrimp that are included are among some of the largest I’ve seen in an instant noodle – not only did they hydrate perfectly but they’re of good quality as well. The other bits of garnish supplied such as cabbage, carrot and other things round everything out and give the cup an excellent premium feel. In conclusion, this was absolutely wonderful stuff and I am seriously impressed – best of the instant noodle cups to date. Original review
