Top Ramen vs. Maruchan has always been debatable; it is hard to find the winner because each person will have different preferences. However, you can rely on the comparison in this post to have an overview of them before selecting one of them.
If you love both, you may pick the two to bring a fresh breeze to each meal. However, you should examine the detailed comparison below before finalizing your choice.
Essential Things You Need To Know About Maruchan
Maruchan is one of the notable noodle brands loved by many people.
Maruchan is one of the most famous instant ramen noodles brands worldwide. It is a product of Toyo Suisan, a notable Japanese ramen noodles company. Furthermore, the manufacturer introduced Maruchan to the US in 1972.
Maruchan appears in many regions of the United States and Mexico. This brand has some factories in the US, such as Irvine, Richmond, California, Texas, and Virginia. These plants make more than 3.6 billion bags of ramen noodles annually (1).
Wheat flour is the main ingredient to create smooth and yummy Maruchan noodles. Also, you will fall in love with its broth’s flavorful taste. You can enhance its taste by adding other condiments, veggies, eggs, and sauces.
The brand offers various appealing flavors to customers, such as beef, chicken, chili, shrimp, beef, veggies, and pork. Therefore, you can freely choose your favorite flavor, depending on your preferences.
Maruchan Instant Lunch
Maruchan instant noodles make for a convenient meal on the go.
Maruchan Instant Lunch is the cup noodles version. You can find everything in a cup with noodles, dried veggies, meat, and seasonings. These cups are sold at a low price. Also, you can prepare them quickly with some simple steps.
To enjoy Maruchan cup noodles, simply boil water on the stovetop and fill the cup with hot water. Season your noodles with dry veggies and condiment packages. Cover the cup and wait about 3 minutes to consume delicious and soft noodles.
A Short Brief About Amazing Top Ramen Noodles
Top Ramen noodles are the best-loved food of many students.
Top Ramen is a notable brand of noodles originating from the Nissin company, a Japanese food manufacturer. This company launched the Top Ramen brand in 1970 and was brought to the United States in 1972.
Top Ramen features incredible flavor and low price, so this brand is the best-loved choice of many college students in the United States.
The smooth noodles mainly consist of regular wheat, which is suitable for eating hot or cold. The broth becomes more flavorful with rich seasonings, veggies, and additional ingredients.
Like Maruchan noodles, their flavors are diverse, with various delicious options, such as beef, chicken, hot and spicy beef, chili vegetarian, and soy sauce vegetarian tastes.
Top Ramen Cup Noodles
Like the Maruchan brand, Nissin also sells Top Ramen in a packet or cup with seasonings, dried vegetables, and other dehydrated ingredients. Therefore, it makes for a convenient and suitable option for busy people.
These cup noodles are available in convenience stores. All you need to do is fill the cups with prepared boiling water to enjoy. Adding sausages or eggs can make the cup of noodles more delectable.
Top Ramen And Maruchan – Ultimate Comparison
Maruchan and Top Ramen: Which is better? Indeed, there will be no true winner when comparing them since each person will have different preferences and choices. The comparison below helps you find the right one for you.
Flavor Choices
As I mentioned, Maruchan and Top Ramen offer various flavor options to their customers. It’s time to explore the special features of each flavor of Top Ramen and Maruchan noodles.
Maruchan
Sriracha chicken and chicken tortilla are popular flavors of Maruchan noodles.
It’s easy to find many Maruchan packages with different flavors at many food stores and supermarkets. Here are some popular options you can pick.
Creamy Chicken: You should consider this recommendation if you love creamy broth. You can find the similarity between its taste and creamy pasta. You should add a small amount of water to get the creamy texture.
Chili: Maruchan noodles provide a strong burst of chili flavor. When you prepare the noodles, it’s best not to dilute the broth with too much water.
Shrimp: The shrimp flavor is for those who love noodles with a slight umami taste without a lingering fishy taste. You can add some real shrimp to make the noodles more delicious.
Pork: Customers can find a slight umami taste when enjoying the noodles with the pork flavor. I am sure this version’s meaty and deep flavor will make you love it on the first try.
Roast Beef: Maruchan noodles with beef and smoky flavor are popularly sold at many grocery stores.
Top Ramen
Top Ramen flavor is diverse, with beef, chicken, and many choices.
Like Maruchan, the Top Ramen flavor range is diverse, with many tasty choices. You can choose one of the recommendations below to enjoy, depending on your desires.
Chicken: Top Ramen noodles with chicken flavor are popular in many supermarkets worldwide. The noodles provide a typical chicken profile of savory and rich in every bowl.
Beef: Dark broth is the dominant feature of this version that is created by a dark salt seasoning. It also brings a strong savory taste to the noodles. Plus, the noodles have a mild beef flavor.
Hot And Spicy Beef: The delicious Top Ramen noodles are free of MSG and have a signature beefy taste. Unlike regular beef noodles, this option is spicier, and it can stimulate your taste buds at the first bite.
Soy Sauce Vegetarian: Nissin produces Top Ramen with soy sauce vegetarian flavor for vegetarians worldwide. The noodles have a signature umami flavor of soy sauce and the delicate taste of veggies.
Chili Vegetarian: Chili vegetarian Top Ramen noodles are great options if you want instant ramen on fasting days. The noodles’ hot and super spicy flavor will leave a deep impression on your mind after enjoying them.
Taste Comparison: Which Is Tastier?
Maruchan and Top Ramen are diverse in flavor options, with some differences between their soup tastes. You can find out which one is superior in this section!
Normally, you will add the Top Ramen soup after mixing hot water with noodles and seasonings. Its taste is typically rich and creamy (creamy chicken flavor version). When eating Top Ramen noodles, you can find light veggies flavors.
In addition, the noodles are more flavorful with the appearance of onion powder and soy protein. Plenty of dried herbs give the Top Ramen noodles a fresh taste and attractive fragrance.
Meanwhile, the flavor of Maruchan noodles is milder than Top Ramen. Plus, the Top Ramen noodles are oily and lack the herb package compared to Maruchan noodles. If you want to enjoy creamier noodles, Maruchan is the better choice.
Absorption And Texture Of Noodles
The noodles can be undercooked if they don’t absorb enough hot water, so it’s necessary to evaluate the flavor absorption of the noodles and their textures when comparing 2 types of noodles.
Top Ramen is better for this category since the noodles can absorb more seasonings than those Maruchan varieties. Also, the Top Ramen noodles are good at soaking up water to create great chewiness and softness.
In contrast, Maruchan noodles are harder and absorb less flavor and water, so you need to wait longer. Sometimes, the boiling water is not even enough to cook them thoroughly.
Preparation
In general, the preparation of Top Ramen and Maruchan noodles is similar, with some simple steps. You only need to prepare boiling water and pour it into the noodle bowls.
Add seasonings, cover the bowls, and wait a few minutes to enjoy the chewy and yummy noodles. Furthermore, you may customize the two noodle options with whatever toppings you have at hand.
Ingredient Quality
In terms of ingredient quality, there is not much difference between Top Ramen and Maruchan noodles.
Their packages or cups include wheat noodles, seasoning packets, and dried vegetables. Sometimes, manufacturers add herbs and other additional components, like sauces, to the noodles packages.
Their qualities are the same; the only difference between them is that the Top Ramen’s seasonings are stronger and deeper than the Maruchan ones.
How Long Do Top Ramen And Maruchan Last?
When comparing the shelf life of Top Ramen and Maruchan noodles, it’s hard to say which brand is better since most instant noodles last 6 to 8 months after production. Of which, 6 months are for cup noodles and 8 months are for packaged ones.
Nutrition Value (Chicken Flavor Version)
Top Ramen and Maruchan noodles are high in calories, fat, and sodium, but the amount of these nutrients in Top Ramen is slightly higher than in Maruchan noodles. In addition, Top Ramen contains more protein than Maruchan. Check the table below to see the differences.
It’s time to try the chicken flavor option of Top Ramen and Maruchan to find which is tastier.
Can You Microwave Top Ramen And Maruchan?
Is it safe to microwave Top Ramen and Maruchan noodles? The answer is “yes” if you take the noodles out of the cups or packages and microwave them in a heat-resistant container. However, you shouldn’t do the same thing with cup noodles.
So, why should you not microwave Top Ramen cup noodles and Maruchan Instant Lunch (cup noodles)? Typically, the noodles are sold in styrofoam cups that can melt and release toxic chemicals into the noodles under high heat.
The chemicals can affect the flavor of the noodles and create weird odors. Not only that, but when you ingest these chemicals for a long time, this can cause some adverse health risks.
Furthermore, microwaving cup noodles can be messy due to the leak of food via the holes and cracks caused by high temperatures inside the microwave.
Sometimes, it’s possible to microwave Top Ramen and Maruchan cup noodles, but they must be packed in cups with a “microwave-safe” symbol. In this case, you should check the packaging carefully before heating it.
The best solution to microwave your noodles is to remove them from the cups and cook them with water in a microwave-safe container. Also, you can boil water in a separate container and pour the water into the noodle bowl.
Follow the steps to cook Maruchan noodles in the microwave properly.
Tips To Enhance The Taste of Top Ramen and Maruchan
You can apply some amazing tricks to increase the flavor of Top Ramen and Maruchan noodles.
- Don’t let your noodles sit too long because they can become soggy. So, you should eat the noodles immediately after they have been cooked to enjoy the impeccable texture of the noodles.
- Diversify the flavor of Top Ramen and Maruchan noodles by adding other ingredients, such as hot sauce, bacon bits, beef cubes, veggies, and herbs.
- Instead of using hot water, it’s better to cook the noodles with chicken, pork, or beef broth to make your noodles richer in taste.
- I highly recommend adding seasonings to the noodles before pouring the hot water or microwaving the noodles because this helps seasonings, noodles, and soup blend perfectly.
- In Japan, Korea, and some Asian countries, people often consume noodles with kimchi, seaweed, and sesame. You may also give these combinations a try.
FAQs
What are other interesting facts about Top Ramen and Maruchan noodles? I guarantee you can figure them out from the answers to these frequently asked questions below.
Do You Have Your Choice?
Both Top Ramen and Maruchan are popular brands of instant ramen noodles. Each brand will have its own advantages and disadvantages, so evaluating which brand is better will depend greatly on each person’s feelings and preferences.
Which is your preferred option? Feel free to show your choice in the comment part. Also, I hope to see your feelings after consuming Top Ramen and Maruchan noodles. Finally, please share this post with your loved ones. Thanks for your time!
