How instant noodles are made
Instant ramen blocks are steamed, then fried for a minute or two so they rehydrate in boiling water.
- stations
- 7
- things upstream
- 33
- raw sources
- 13
- steps from the ground
- 9
The short version
Wheat flour is mixed with salty, alkaline water into a dough, rolled into thin sheets, slit into ribbons and crimped into waves. The noodles are steamed to cook the starch, cut into blocks, and then dried by flash-frying or hot air. Dehydrated blocks soften in hot water in a few minutes.
-
Dissolve salt and alkali
Salt and kansui, an alkaline mineral water, are dissolved in water. Salt strengthens the gluten, and the alkali gives the noodles their chew and slight yellow color.
Goes in -
Mix and knead the dough
The liquid is added to wheat flour, and the dough is rested so water spreads evenly, then kneaded. The water is about 30 to 38 percent of the flour weight.
Goes in -
Roll it into a belt
Two sheets of dough are pressed together by rollers into one belt, and the pass is repeated until it is thin. Rolling builds gluten structure and gives the noodle strength.
-
Slit and crimp the ribbons
Rotating slitters cut the sheet into strands. The conveyor belt moves slower than the blades, so the strands pile into the characteristic waves.
-
Steam to cook the starch
A steam tunnel gelatinizes the starch so the noodles are already cooked. This step and the frying are what let the block take up water quickly later.
-
Fry or blow-dry the blocks
Cut portions are flash-fried for 1 to 2 minutes at 140 to 160 °C, dropping moisture from 30 to 50 percent to 2 to 5 percent. Air-dried noodles instead spend 30 to 40 minutes in hot air at 70 to 90 °C. Frying oil is often palm oil.
140 to 160 °C for 1 to 2 minutes
Goes in -
Cool, pack and add flavor
Blocks are cooled, sealed in a pouch or cup with a packet of seasoning powder and oil, and counted.
Worth repeating
- Momofuku Ando's company Nissin launched the first instant noodles, Chikin Ramen, on 25 August 1958.
- Around 103 billion servings of instant noodles were eaten worldwide in 2018.
- Nissin introduced Cup Noodles, the first cup version, in 1971.
Back to the ground
Follow every input upstream and instant noodles starts as these 13 raw sources.
Everything it is made of See it on the map
Open the whole family tree
Keep walking
Sources
Cite this page: "How instant noodles are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/instant-noodles