While I consider myself a lover of spicy food, I am brave enough to admit that my palms are starting to sweat just by writing the words spiciest instant ramen noodles.
Generally, I don’t like to suffer so I prefer my food more in the range of jalapeno hot so that’s about my daily level that gives me pleasure with no suffering.
On the Scoville scale, jalapeno has a rating of 2,500-8,000 SHU. That’s going to be really low for some of you but that’s good enough for me on a daily basis.
However, if you want to challenge yourself, tasting the spiciest instant ramen noodles is a very fast way to do it.
Table of Contents
The Spiciest Instant Ramen Noodles You Should Eat
While we can get an idea about how hot a pepper is by checking its rating on the Scoville scale, the same cannot be said about most instant ramen noodles packages. Although, there are some that are rated according to the Scoville scale, too.
Also, what might seem spicy for me, might seem like a walk in the park for some of you.
When I met my boyfriend, he wasn’t used to eating spicy food. Almost 15 years later and he’s eating Buldak without complaints. So, the level of spice we can handle changes in time and that’s always been so fascinating to me, watching his journey from someone who wasn’t a lover of spicy food to someone who cooks hotter foods than I do.
Anyways, I hope you can find the spiciest instant ramen noodles to suit your expectations and desires.
1. Daebak Noodles Ghost Pepper Spicy Chicken Flavor
I think the mention of ghost pepper is enough to inform us just why the Daebak Noodles Ghost Pepper Spicy Chicken Flavor is considered to be among the spiciest instant ramen noodles.
On the Scoville scale, ghost pepper has an average of about 1 million SHU. Even compared to a habanero, which scores about 350,000 SHU, the ghost pepper is pretty much close to the top.
Could the Daebak Noodles Ghost Pepper Spicy Chicken Flavor be the spiciest cup of noodles we’ve ever eaten?
It’s certainly possible. Or maybe you’ve had something even spicier.
My recommendation is to have a glass of milk around, just to be on the safe side. And I don’t recommend eating this when it’s hot outside, unless you are running your AC on full blast.
Expect some coughing, sweating, sniffling, and a bunch of joy or pain, it depends on how you look at it. The burn will last a while.
My guess is that the Daebak Noodles Ghost Pepper Spicy Chicken Flavor might become your all time favorite.
I love that besides the heat we also get some amazing flavor. It’s not all about feeling as if we’re on fire, it’s also about enjoying something really tasty.
All in all, if you want a promising start for your quest, my first recommendation would be the Daebak Noodles Ghost Pepper Spicy Chicken Flavor.
It combines an authentic Korean recipe with the springiest black noodles. This dish looks just as stunning as it tastes.
By the way, does everyone crave eating some dessert after eating some spicy food or is that just me?
2. Samyang 2X Buldak (Korean) Hot Spicy Chicken Stir Fried Ramen
How hot is the 2X Buldak Ramen?
According to this article, the original Samyang Buldak Ramen was said to have 4,404 SHU and the Samyang 2X Spicy Buldak Ramen is reported to have 10,000 SHU. It’s about as hot as a serrano pepper, if that helps.
I would say that for people who are very used to spicy foods, the Samyang 2X Buldak (Korean) Hot Spicy Chicken Stir Fried Ramen would be spicy but it won’t be called too spicy by any means.
For others, it will be considered really hot. It depends on your tolerance and what you’re used to.
Overall, it absolutely deserves its spot among the spiciest instant ramen noodles, especially for people who want to take it gradually.
I would absolutely recommend the Samyang 2X Buldak (Korean) Hot Spicy Chicken Stir Fried Ramen for making a quick, delicious and pretty nice portion of stir fry in a skillet or wok.
They’re delicious just straight out of the package but they’re fabulous for a stir fry with whatever bean sprouts, broccoli, sugar snap peas or other veggies you prefer. I love eating them like that because they’re so delicious that even people who don’t love vegetables will crave this dish permanently.
Moreover, if you’re building up to eating spicier food, using the Samyang 2X Buldak (Korean) Hot Spicy Chicken Stir Fried Ramen to make a stir fry with a considerable amount of vegetables will cut down the spiciness to a more tolerable level.
Add some cabbage, bean sprouts, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, carrots, and some green onions and you’ve got yourself a delicious dinner in 15 minutes.
3. Samyang Buldak 3x Spicy HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen
If you’re saying to yourself “that Samyang 2X Buldak (Korean) Hot Spicy Chicken Stir Fried Ramen is not good enough for me anymore”, then you might be ready for the Samyang Buldak 3x Spicy HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen.
According to this website, the Samyang Buldak 3x Spicy claims to be around 13,000+ SHU. That’s still in the serrano pepper range on the Scoville scale.
One thing is for sure. People definitely seem to love the Samyang Buldak 3x Spicy HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen a whole lot.
If you are ready to take on a worthy challenge, you should definitely try it as one of the spiciest instant ramen noodles. I hope you have fun.
4. Maruchan Bowl Fire Spicy Beef Flavor
With this one we’re definitely entering more normal levels, a taste galaxy that I would say that is pretty much available to most people without screaming that it’s too spicy.
The name Fire is promising. But I would say that the Maruchan Bowl Fire Spicy Beef Flavor could be considered quite mild.
On the other hand, the flavor is truly delicious.
The heat is just right, not too much, not too little. I guess that would be the best way to describe them.
I saw someone mentioning that we shouldn’t open the hot packet and sniff it. That was funny. I don’t know why someone would think that it’s a good idea to sniff some hot pepper powder.
I also saw another person mentioning that they make a full meal out of the Maruchan Bowl Fire Spicy Beef Flavor by cracking an egg in the water, adding some frozen veggies, some leftover meat or sliced up sausage. That’s definitely a cheap, delicious, filling meal when you don’t have the budget or time for anything else.
5. Nongshim Hot & Spicy Instant Ramen Noodle
The Nongshim Hot & Spicy Instant Ramen Noodle receives mixed reviews. Not for the taste because people love how this one tastes and that’s totally important even when we’re looking for the spiciest instant ramen noodles. It’s not only about the dish being hot but also very tasty.
And the Nongshim Hot & Spicy Instant Ramen Noodle is really tasty, delicious.
However, it has received mixed reviews when it comes to how hot it is.
One person may mention that it’s not really hot. The flavor is delicious and it has a nice spice.
Another person may mention that it’s a little too spicy, especially when compared to other brand’s spicy noodles.
I saw another buyer leaving a review offering advice on how to temper the spice a bit.
Obviously, the first advice was to use just half of the spice packet.
Another person mentioned that their ass exploded after eating this, which is always funny to read.
All in all, as people seem conflicted about just how hot the Nongshim Hot & Spicy Instant Ramen Noodle really is, I think you should give it a try and decide for yourself. The taste will be delicious, at least you can be sure about that.
6. Samyang Buldak Korean Hot Spicy Chicken Stir-Fried Ramen Noodles
This is the first original with 4.404 SHU.
Even if it’s not the spiciest instant ramen noodles from this brand, it still deserves a shout out.
Most of us began our terrifying journey with this one, the original Samyang Buldak Korean Hot Spicy Chicken Stir-Fried Ramen Noodles. It still brings back so many fond memories.
7. Nongshim Gourmet Spicy Shin Instant Ramen Noodle
A buyer mentioned that when they usually get spicy ramen they need to add ghost peppers to give it more heat. However, they mention that they were surprised and elated when they discovered that the Nongshim Gourmet Spicy Shin Instant Ramen Noodle had just the right amount of heat and they didn’t need to add more.
The recommendation is that if we like heat, we need to order the Nongshim Gourmet Spicy Shin Instant Ramen Noodle.
The texture of the noodles is nice, too.
Plus, the portion size is quite generous.
The manufacturer describes them as a customizable dish to which we can add shiitake mushroom slices, carrots, and green onion to get different textures as we eat.
There’s also a warning that they’re spicier than our average instant noodles.
All in all, I think that the Nongshim Gourmet Spicy Shin Instant Ramen Noodle sounds absolutely promising.
8. Maruchan Ramen Lime Chili Shrimp Flavor
If you want some nice, exciting change from the usual chicken and beef flavors, then I definitely recommend trying the Maruchan Ramen Lime Chili Shrimp Flavor. I’m salivating just thinking about it.
The noodles are firm and chewy, which is absolutely something we always look for with instant ramen. The seasoning packets will add a flavorful umami boost.
However, I wouldn’t call them exactly spicy. I just wanted to include them for a change of flavors.
9. Culley’s “The World’s Hottest Ramen Noodles”
These are brought by Culley’s all the way from New Zealand.
And their description sounds awesome: a fusion of Culley’s signature flavor-full taste with the world’s hottest Carolina reaper as a ramen soup.
That’s one perfect way to end my recommendations. It’s definitely something to add to your list, too.
How to make instant ramen noodles spicier
There are always toppings we can add that can make our instant ramen noodles even spicier.
Just like we can add eggs, meat, various vegetables, mushrooms, and green onions, we can also increase the spicy level in various ways.
Asian chili sauce
This is usually made with Asian hot red chilies, like Thai bird’s eye chilies, which score about 50,000 to 100,000 SHU.
So, adding some extra Asian chili sauce can increase how spicy a dish is and it can add some very nice extra flavors.
An Asian chili sauce is usually made from roasted chilis, blended to form a paste that is simmered with fried shallots, garlic, shrimp paste, sugar, fish paste or soy sauce.
Chili oil
This is definitely one of my favorite toppings when I’m eating instant ramen noodles.
You can quickly make your own by simply pouring some hot oil over chili flakes.
If you want some intense kick, I recommend buying some Carolina Reaper pepper flakes.
Carolina Reaper pepper flakes are a must have in any home.
I know that some of us prefer eating the spiciest instant ramen noodles just as they come but there are always options when the level of spice doesn’t hit the spot, just like we can add extra ingredients like eggs, meat, various vegetables, mushrooms, and green onions.
