How to Make Birria Ramen

Learn how to make birria ramen - a tangy and smoky ramen with marinated, slow cooked beef in a spicy broth and served with noodles. It’s the perfect fusion of Mexican beef birria and Japanese ramen!

If you love birria tacos, you’re going to love this birria ramen! It’s filled with tender and juicy beef that’s marinated and slow cooked with a mix of chili peppers, herbs and spices.

The resulting broth and shredded birria are served with chewy ramen noodles and topped with cilantro, jalapeños, radishes and lime juice for the most amazing and flavorful ramen!

For a true ramen experience, you can also serve it with soft boiled ramen eggs!

While this birria ramen isn’t a quick ramen recipe, the fall apart beef is definitely worth the wait! Follow it up with this easy instant pot flan for dessert and you've got the perfect meal.

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What is birria ramen?

Birria is a Mexican dish most commonly made with lamb, but also made with beef, where the meat is marinated and slow cooked with spices and chilies for hours until tender. The meat is shredded and can be served in the cooking liquid as a soup or stew or stuffed into tacos.

Birria ramen (or birriamen) is basically birria stew served with ramen noodles and other toppings.

Why this birria ramen recipe works

• Marinating and slow cooking the beef results in the most tender, juicy and flavorful birria.
• The chili infused broth is packed with flavor. It coats the ramen noodles and the birria makes the most delicious slurpy ramen broth! 
• The birria is even more flavorful the next day, so this ramen is perfect for meal prep. Just cook up your noodles and dinner is served!

Ingredients

For a full list of ingredients and quantities, check out the recipe card at the end of this post. 

You’ll need 2 pounds of beef shank for this recipe. Beef shank is a cut of beef taken from the cow’s leg. It’s a lean cut but can be tough, so it’s best prepared using braising or slow cooking methods to make shredded beef.

The base of the birria broth is made with chicken stock. You can use store-bought or homemade like this Instant Pot chicken bone broth.

For the ramen noodles, I used dried ramen noodles (cooked to package instructions) but you can also use fresh ramen noodles. You can use dried instant ramen noodles also to make this birria recipe.

The marinade to make the birria and birria broth includes peppers, spices and herbs including chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and dried guajillo peppers.  

The chipotle peppers in adobo add a spicy and smoky flavor to the birria.

Guajillo chiles are a dried chili commonly used in Mexican cuisine to add a tangy and smoky flavor to dishes.

Variations and substitutions

• Substitute ancho chili peppers for the guajillo chili pepper if needed.
• Substitute smoked paprika or chipotle powder for the chipotle peppers in adobo if absolutely necessary.
• You can use beef or vegetables broth as a substitute for the chicken broth. You can also use beef consommé.
• Instead of beef shanks, use chuck roast or short ribs. Whatever cut of beef you use, make sure it’s suitable for slow cooking. Also, I suggest using a bone-in cut as it’s more flavorful than boneless.
• For a less spicy ramen, reduce the amount of chipotle peppers used.

Topping ideas for homemade ramen

• Is ramen really ramen without marinated ramen eggs? You can also just use these sous vide soft boiled eggs or even sous vide hard boiled eggs.
• Diced white onions or green onions. Try pickled red onions as well.
• Chopped cilantro and/or sliced radishes.
• A squeeze of fresh lime juice.
• Sliced jalapenos or other hot chile.
• Garnish with crispy fried garlic or shallots.

Step by step instructions to make birria ramen

1. Soak the guajillo peppers in 1 cup of boiling water for about 30 minutes, until softened. Open and remove most of the seeds.

2. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a blender and pulse until a paste forms. Add 1-4 tablespoons of the guajillo pepper soaking liquid until the mixture is pourable.

3. Pour the marinade over the beef shanks and let sit in the fridge overnight. (I use a ziplock bag to marinate the shanks as it makes it easier to coat all sides of the beef).

4. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the beef shanks (marinade included) and brown on both sides (about 2-3 minutes per side).

5. Pour in broth, bring to a simmer, cover and simmer for 4-6 hours, until beef shanks are tender.

6. Strain the broth through a mesh sieve (you can also serve as is, but it won't be as clear).

7. Serve with cooked ramen noodles and toppings. 

Recipe tips

1. When marinating the beef, I recommend using a large ziplock bag as it makes it easier to coat all sides of the beef shanks.
2. Browning the beef shanks adds flavor and seals in the juices so be sure not to skip this step.
3. You’ll need to use a large pot in order to fit the beef shanks and all of the broth.
4. To control the saltiness of the ramen broth, I recommend using a homemade or low sodium chicken broth.
5. You can also use homemade beef broth like this slow cooker beef bone broth.
6. For a clear broth, be sure to strain it through a mesh strainer before serving. Strain it twice for extra clarity.
7. If you’re adding marinated ramen eggs as a topping, you should make them in advance as they need to marinate overnight.
8. If you’re planning for leftovers, store the birria and noodles separately. If the noodles are stored in the broth, they will get mushy.

Frequently asked questions

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