Buzz
Substituting ingredients in traditional dishes can be controversial. Some food lovers are innovators, willing to try new things and experiment for the perfect dish. Others, however, prefer the classic recipe and might reject any change—especially when it comes to a beloved dish like ramen. If authentic ramen noodles are unavailable, the purists might suggest skipping ramen altogether. But I say, why not use spaghetti as a substitute, with the help of some baking soda? It works just fine.
I used to be strict about the right ingredients for dishes like pad kra pao or neua pad prik—no basil but the right kind of basil, no bell peppers! I would have criticized anyone swapping spaghetti for ramen noodles, calling it something else entirely. I was a purist, and it made sense: people from the countries that made these dishes care deeply about their food traditions. They worry that their culture is being diluted. But if you think about it, ingredient swaps have always been part of how food spreads and evolves. Sometimes, these swaps help people stay connected to their roots, even when they’re far from home.
For some people, fresh ingredients are always at hand, international grocery stores are nearby, and exotic items are easy to find. But for others, it’s a different story. Some live in food deserts with limited options, or simply can’t afford the luxury of dining out for ramen every time they crave it. What then? Do you give up on cooking? My mom didn't. She'd use what she had on hand—bell peppers instead of a more obscure vegetable, or lemon instead of lime—and the dish was still delicious. In fact, some substitutions can be even better, and with ramen, it can make all the difference.
Why spaghetti works as a ramen substitute
While noodles aren’t the only ingredient in ramen—and certainly not the most essential (that honor goes to the dashi!)—they’re still an important part of the dish. If you can't find fresh ramen noodles or forgot to pick some up, you can easily swap them with dry spaghetti, cappellini, or angel hair pasta. Both ramen and Italian pasta share a similar wheat-flour base, but ramen noodles have one key ingredient: Kansui. This alkaline solution is what gives ramen its unique texture and golden color. If fresh ramen is out of reach, you likely won't find kansui either, but with a little baking soda, you can replicate its effects.
Using baking soda to turn spaghetti into ramen
A quick and simple trick is to add baking soda directly into your boiling pasta water. This method, from Okomomi Kitchen, offers a simple and effective solution. Just stir in the baking soda into your pot of boiling water to create an alkaline solution, which mimics the kansui used in traditional ramen noodles. Then, cook your spaghetti (or cappellini for a noodle closer to ramen size) according to the package instructions. When you drain them, you’ll notice that the noodles have a springier texture and a yellow tint compared to regular pasta.
For the more adventurous ramen fans, making your own ramen noodles from scratch using baking soda as a substitute for kansui is an option. Normally, kansui is mixed directly into the noodle dough, like in this recipe from Fine Cooking. If you can’t get your hands on kansui, you can recreate it by baking regular baking soda at low heat. The New York Times explains why this works scientifically, but here’s the gist: baking the baking soda transforms it into a much stronger alkaline salt—sodium carbonate—which more closely resembles kansui both in flavor and effectiveness. To try this, use the baking method from the Fine Cooking recipe above.
Ramen is all about teamwork—it's not just about the noodles. A complete dish includes quality dashi, chashu, and your favorite toppings. If you don’t have freshly cut ramen noodles on hand, that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying a satisfying meal. Will it taste as perfect as the authentic ramen you’d get at a specialty restaurant, or as good as the ramen you had growing up in Osaka? Maybe not. But if a small swap can bring you closer to those cherished flavors or memories, then it's definitely worth it.
