8 Maruchan Instant Ramen Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

Ask any college kid: There is no better or easier ultra-cheap dorm room meal than instant ramen. It's great for messily slurping down as a snack, but with a few additional ingredients, it can easily be made into a meal. It may not exactly be the most nutritious choice, but when it's the end of the month and you're waiting on a paycheck, or it's 2 a.m. and you need to get something in your stomach without making a fast food run, cooking instant ramen in your dorm room always has you covered. 

Of course, there are different instant ramen brands to choose from, but Maruchan just happens to be my favorite. The brand makes a variety of flavors, so I wanted to try and rank them from worst to best. Honestly, a lot of these flavors taste a lot more similar to one another than you might think, but some are especially delicious, while others are ultimately just forgettable.

So, whether you're looking for the base of your next budget meal or you're just interested in stocking your pantry with a new flavor of your favorite comfort food, you're in the right place. This is Maruchan instant ramen flavors, ranked worst to best.

Instant ramen is already known for being incredibly salty, but Maruchan's soy sauce flavor takes it to a whole new level. The broth in this ramen is wildly salty, so much so that it feels like you have to take a sip of water immediately after taking a single bite of the noodles. Luckily, it's not just salty, since the soy sauce adds a layer of complexity that you don't get from every Maruchan flavor. However, that complexity is completely overshadowed by the salt content in this dish.

Luckily, there are ways to remedy this overly salty flavor profile. You can either choose to use a smaller portion of the flavor packet or simply add more water to the mix. Either way, you'll be left with a milder broth that you can then add other ingredients to if you want to enhance the flavor further. However, if you prepare this stuff as intended, you're going to end up with an over-salted bowl of soup that doesn't taste great.

Does Maruchan's creamy chicken instant ramen actively taste bad? No, that's not why it ended up on the second-to-last slot on this list. Rather, it earns this place in the ranking because it's not actually that creamy at all. There's very little that distinguishes it from the regular chicken flavor, except the fact that it's not quite as flavorful. Look at the broth, and you might notice that the color is a bit lighter and more opaque than the regular version, but other than that, there's not a lot of creaminess to be found. There are plenty of ways to add creaminess to the dish, like by adding a slice of American cheese, some heavy cream, or even a squirt of mayo. But all on its own, this package of soup isn't particularly creamy.

If you're looking for a super mild, approachable Maruchan flavor, then the creamy chicken has you covered. But when you're looking for a bolder, more intense flavor that actually makes for a good meal, then you're better off finding another variety from the brand.

Perhaps the most basic, approachable flavor in this lineup, Maruchan's chicken flavored instant ramen was an absolute staple for me in college. I love this flavor because it can be used as a base for so many different meals, and the broth is easy to dress up with additional ingredients. That being said, all on its own, it's not the most exciting flavor of the bunch. That doesn't mean it tastes bad — it's basically just salty chicken bouillon, which is hard not to like. However, it's just not exciting enough to crack the top five flavors.

The broth has a nice, herbal quality to it, but it's not very complex. I think it's at its best when it's dressed up with some hot sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, or soy sauce (or all four, if you're feeling really adventurous), along with some actual chicken and a few veggies to round out the meal. However, you can also eat it on its own as a bland snack or meal when you're not feeling your best and want something basic and easy to eat.

Anyone who likes seafood soup may find themselves interested in trying Maruchan's shrimp flavor, which is one of the more unique options of the bunch. And although it's far from my favorite, I have to admit that it's a bit more interesting than the chicken, for example. There's only a slight note of fishiness in this broth, with a distinctly shrimp-like flavor that's nonetheless quite mild. It's a great option if you're planning on adding seafood to your instant ramen, but the seafood flavor isn't so pronounced that it would turn off someone who isn't a big seafood person altogether.

If you happen to have some frozen or canned shrimp on hand, it can make a delicious addition to a bowl of shrimp instant ramen, which is when I would choose this flavor over others. However, it's not delicious enough that I would choose this variety of Maruchan if I were planning on eating the soup all on its own.

When you want some instant ramen that's bolder and more intensely flavored, you should check out Maruchan's beef instant ramen. This is one of the more flavorful broths of the bunch, and although it's not my favorite, there are definitely times when it could make sense to choose this variety. This ramen has an undeniably beef-y flavor to it, but it's quite salty. You can cut down on the amount of seasoning you use if you want that flavor to be milder, or you can pour in more water than usual. Of course, if you like that extra layer of saltiness, then you may prepare this product as intended.

If you're going to opt for beef Maruchan and you want to make the flavor more balanced, consider adding plenty of veggies, like bok choy, edamame, or even chopped scallions to the mix. All of these ingredients will help make the broth taste a bit lighter and less intense since there's something to cut through all that richness. Otherwise, you'll be left with a perhaps annoyingly hearty bowl of beefy noodles.

I've already mentioned the fact that Maruchan's chicken flavor is basic and, ultimately, a bit boring. At the same time, that chicken flavor is comforting for so many. If you want that lighter, less intense chicken broth flavor but with more interest and complexity, you may want to check out Maruchan's roast chicken flavor instead. It doesn't differ too drastically from the original, but it has a touch more of that rich, umami flavor you'd expect from broth made from actual roast chicken.

Although you can technically eat all of these instant ramen flavors all on their own, without any additional ingredients, this is the first one that's actively appealing even without anything else added to the mix (although, of course, other flavorful ingredients still make it better). This flavor is a good halfway point between the lighter but less flavorful options in this lineup and the more intense, perhaps too-salty options on this list.

There are so many supposedly spicy products on store shelves that offer little to no spice at all. And although Maruchan's chili flavored instant ramen isn't the spiciest food you'll ever eat, it packs enough heat to keep it interesting. That's exactly why this flavor ranks in the No. 2 spot on this list: It packs an unexpected punch of flavor that can make for a solid meal even with the most basic of toppings (or even none at all). As soon as you pour the seasoning packet into the noodle water, you'll immediately notice that reddish hue that lets you know you're getting something with some heat.

There's also a nice saltiness to this flavor that's more well-balanced and less overwhelming than some of the other flavors on this list. It's an instant ramen flavor that's somewhat intense in its heat, but not too concentrated. Of course, if spicy food isn't your thing, then you can probably skip this flavor. But if you like your ramen to have a little kick to it, then this is the instant ramen you've been looking for.

Finally, we've come to the most flavorful Maruchan instant ramen flavor of them all: pork. I'd actually not tried the pork flavor until this taste-test, but I can now say with confidence that this is the one I'll be getting from here on out. Although some pork broths can be too fatty and salty, that's not the case here. There's quite a bit of flavor concentration, of course, and you can certainly taste a note of umami pork flavor. But it's not exactly fatty, and the balance of saltiness is quite good. The result is a slurpable broth that would be delicious even without the noodles present.

Because this is undeniably the best Maruchan flavor I've tried, it's also the best soup option for layering on other toppings. Even just a few toppings — like a boiled egg, chopped scallions, and even some sliced pork belly — can transform your bowl of soup into something special. But this is also the flavor that tastes best all on its own, so you don't even need to add anything to your bowl to get a standout, slurp-worthy soup. Give it a try if you want to change up your instant ramen game.

I chose these Maruchan instant ramen options based on availability at my local grocery store, and I ranked them based on taste. I paid particular attention to the balance between different flavors, prizing the varieties that offered a decent level of flavor concentration without being overly salty. The best of these products taste good enough to enjoy on their own, but can be further enhanced by additional ingredients. I cooked these noodles on the stove, and I tasted them while they were still hot.