Tempeh Scramble Breakfast Ramen
Breakfast ramen sounds like something a college student invented at 3 a.m., but this version is actually intentional and surprisingly good. The idea is to take everything you'd want in a savory breakfast scramble and put it in a bowl with noodles and broth instead of on a plate with toast. Tempeh stands in for eggs, crumbled and cooked with turmeric until it's golden and satisfying in that protein-rich, I-can-handle-my-day kind of way. The broth is a light miso base that won't weigh you down before noon, and the whole thing comes together in about 25 minutes, which is faster than waiting in line at a cafe for a breakfast burrito. It's plant-based without trying too hard, high in protein without tasting like a fitness influencer made it, and weird enough to be interesting but familiar enough that you won't scare off anyone who's skeptical about breakfast experimentation. If you're bored of oatmeal or you want something savory that isn't just another avocado toast situation, this is worth trying.
Dawn breaks in turmeric—tempeh crumbles, golden warm—morning needs no eggs.
Let Me Tell You...
I've never been an eggs person.
I know that's weird to admit because everyone acts like eggs are this universal breakfast requirement, but they've always tasted vaguely sulfuric to me and the texture makes me feel like I'm eating something that's still partially alive.
So when I went plant-based for a while, I didn't miss them.
What I did miss was having a hot, savory, protein-heavy breakfast that didn't involve peanut butter or pretending that a smoothie counts as a meal.
I'd been making tempeh scrambles on toast for a few weeks when I realized I had leftover miso paste and ramen noodles, and the whole thing just clicked.
Why not make it a soup?
Why not make it ramen?
There was no good reason not to, so I did.
You want irregular chunks, not uniform pebbles.
The first time I made it, I didn't use enough turmeric and it looked pale and sad, like it had given up on itself.
Turmeric is what gives tempeh that eggy golden color, and you need more than you think.
I also learned to cook it in a hot pan with a little oil until it gets crispy on the edges, because soft tempeh tastes like wet cardboard no matter how much seasoning you throw at it.
Once I figured that out, the scramble part became legitimacy good, the kind of thing I'd eat on its own if I wasn't putting it in ramen.
It's nutty and savory with a little bit of earthiness that reminds you it came from soybeans, but not in a bad way.
It deepens the flavor and stops it from tasting like dusty vitamins.
The miso broth is stupid simple.
You heat up vegetable stock, whisk in miso paste, add a little soy sauce and ginger, and that's it.
It's light enough for breakfast but still has enough flavor that you're not just drinking hot water with noodles in it.
I throw in whatever vegetables I have around, usually mushrooms, spinach, and cherry tomatoes, because they cook fast and don't require a lot of knife work when I'm half awake.
The whole thing comes together in the time it takes to brew coffee and check your phone, which is exactly the kind of efficiency breakfast should have.
Miso loses its probiotics and flavor complexity if you overheat it, so add it off the heat or at a gentle simmer.
The first person I served this to said it smelled like a Japanese diner and tasted like Sunday brunch, which I'm pretty sure was a compliment.
My neighbor, who's vegan and very serious about it, asked for the recipe and then made it three times in one week, which felt like winning a small award. It's become my go-to when I want breakfast to feel like an event instead of just fuel, and it's especially good on cold mornings when you want something that warms you from the inside out.
It's not traditional, and I'm sure someone from Japan would have questions, but it works.
And sometimes that's all that matters.
Ingredients
- 8 oz tempeh, crumbled into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as grapeseed or avocado oil), divided
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 5 cups vegetable broth (preferably low-sodium)
- 3 tablespoons white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 packages (6–8 oz total) fresh ramen noodles, or 2 bricks instant ramen noodles (seasoning packets discarded)
- 1 cup shiitake or cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts separated)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Preparation
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the crumbled tempeh and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–6 minutes until it starts to brown and crisp on the edges.
- Add the turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper to the tempeh. Stir well to coat evenly and cook for another 2–3 minutes until the tempeh is golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for 4–5 minutes until softened and beginning to brown.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the grated ginger and the white parts of the green onions. Let simmer for 3–4 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat. In a small bowl, whisk the miso paste with a few tablespoons of the hot broth until smooth, then stir the mixture back into the pot. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions (typically 3–4 minutes in boiling water). Drain and divide among serving bowls.
- Add the baby spinach and cherry tomatoes to the miso broth and let them wilt for 1–2 minutes.
- Ladle the hot broth, mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes over the noodles in each bowl. Top with the golden tempeh scramble and garnish with the green parts of the sliced green onions and any optional toppings.