It would be impossible to agree on the best instant noodles. There are thousands of varieties, and the World Instant Noodles Association counted 106.4 billion servings eaten worldwide in 2019. We couldn’t pick just one noodle. So we decided to round up some favorites from discerning experts, for when you want a fast, affordable, tasty meal that you can whip up from your pantry by just adding water.
And even though this metric would be impossible to quantify, I thought about the entire eating experience: the trifecta of presentation, aroma, and flavor that makes a standout dish. All of the noodles I tried were satisfying. But the best ones were a treat and made me feel like I had accomplished more than just boiling water for five minutes.
These quick pho noodles are a favorite of cookbook author Andrea Nguyen when she doesn’t have time to simmer a broth for hours. “It has so much MSG, but in about 5 minutes, you’ll have a bowl of pho to slurp up,” she complains. “I was charmed by the presentation of these noodles, which feature numerous dried scallions and thin slivers of wheat protein “beef.” This soup was satisfying to eat and is a decent imitation of pho; it felt more substantial than other simple noodles.
The bouncy noodles are evenly covered with a smooth, viscous, earthy sauce after being prepared using Maangchi’s technique. The tangy seafood-flavored Neoguri broth balances the Chapagetti sauce’s sweetness from the black bean paste (chunjang). The carrots, which tasted shockingly overcooked and bitter, and the brown, spongy dehydrated bits in the Chapagetti mix (presumably “meat flakes”) weren’t to my taste. However, the Neoguri noodles’ large kombu (kelp) flakes provided an additional layer of brininess and some texture. Both of these noodles were thicker and more resembling udon than other varieties, but they were also chewier. After trying the noodles on their own, I added some steak to the dish, and the fatty meat went well with the jjapaguri. The process for making Maangchi was the trickiest I tried (it involves setting aside some broth and adding noodles back to the pot after draining), but it only took a few minutes to make the meal.
Instant noodles are steeped in more than just hot water and seasoning. They’re also steeped in historical and cultural significance. Momofuku Ando created instant noodles in 1958 as a postwar invention to help curb world hunger, and since then, they’ve bloomed into a huge industry, inspiring museums, poems, and prison bartering systems. They’re simultaneously embraced as cheap sustenance, proffered as a way to help future food shortages, and used as a backdrop for culinary experimentation—all of which makes them perfect for our current moment. That, plus the simple fact that a great bowl of instant noodles is comforting and delightful to slurp: warm, carby, salty, and delicious.
