The Lotus Foods Gluten Free Ramen at Costco looked like an interesting change from my regular noodle purchases so I decided to give them a try. The ramen is made from high protein, gluten free noodles made with millet and brown rice.
The Lotus Foods noodles are Organic, Vegan and Gluten Free.
It turns out that the ramen is also pretty tasty!
How to Cook the Gluten Free Ramen
The cooking instructions the gluten free ramen are:
- Bring three cups of water to a boil
- Add a ramen cake to the boiling water
- After one minute start breaking apart the noodles with a fork
- Reduce the heat to bring the water to a “slow boil”
- Cook the noodles for 3-5 more minutes until tender
- Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water
- Dress and serve the noodles as desired
These noodles do not come with a seasoning/sauce packet so adding flavors is up to you. One option to consider is using these noodles to make a Yakisoba Stir Fry.
Taste
I prepared a pack of noodles according to the package directions.
During the last few minutes of boiling I added a handful of string less sugar snap peas and a little lobster claw meat.
After the noodles were drained and rinsed, everything went into a bowl and got tossed with a tablespoon of teriyaki sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil.
I dug into the ramen not knowing what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by how “normal” the noodles were. The noodles were tender and had a mild flavor that paired nicely with the dressing. The noodles were warm, even after rinsing in cold water, and were a delight to eat.
Of course the flavor and texture of the gluten free noodles was different from regular ramen but not is a bad way, just different. I certainly did not feel like I sacrificing anything, or missing out on a tastier meal, just because the noodles were gluten free.
Lotus Foods Gluten Free Ramen with Lobster and Snow Peas
Ingredients
- 1 pack Gluten Free Ramen Noodles Lotus Foods
- 1/4 cup Stringless Snow Peas
- 1 ounce Lobster Claw Meat
- 1 tbsp Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce Primal Kitchen
- 1/2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
Instructions
- Bring three cups of water to a boil
- Add the pack of ramen and boil for one minute.
- Start separating the noodles with a fork, reduce heat to a a slow boil and cook for three more minutes.
- Add the snow peas and lobster to the noodles and simmer for one more minute or until the noodles are tender.
- Drain the noodle mix and rinse with cold water.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and dress with the teriyaki sauce and sesame oil.
Notes
Calories and Nutrition
A single serving of the ramen is 1/2 of a dried noodle cake and has the following calories and nutritional information:
- Calories: 120
- Fat: 1.5g (2% DV)
- Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV)
- Sodium: 0mg (0% DV)
- Carbohydrates: 23g (8% DV)
- Protein: 4g
Of course you need to double those numbers because everyone eats the whole noodle cake which would be two servings. When you double the numbers you end up with 8 grams of protein which is pretty high for noodles and is great for filling you up!
But, even when you double all of the nutritional numbers, these noodles are SO MUCH HEALTHIER than regular ramen noodles. The Lotus Foods noodles are low in calories, have minimal fat and absolutely no cholesterol or sodium.
You can eat a big bowl of this ramen with some veggies and protein to have a filling and incredibly healthy meal.
The ingredients for these noodles are pretty simple: Organic Brown Rice Flour + Organic Millet Flour. I am a big fan of minimal, simple ingredients that are easy to pronounce 🙂
Price
I bought the twelve pack of noodles at Costco for $9.49 which comes out to a cost of $0.79 per pack. You can buy a similar 12 pack of the noodles from Walmart for $20.99 which works out to a cost of $1.75 per pack.
So, you will save almost $1 per pack when you buy these noodles at Costco.
Yes, these noodles, even when purchased at Costco, are about twice as expensive as the regular cheap ramen you get at most grocery stores but given how tasty and healthy the gluten free noodles are I do not mind paying a premium.
Come on, tasty ramen that is also extremely healthy for under a buck a serving! You have to love that!
Who Is Lotus Foods?
I did a little research into the company that makes these noodles and was pleasantly surprised to find that they look like the good guys you want to support!
Lotus Foods, founded by Caryl Levine & Ken Lee, is actively pushing to make the world better through increased biodiversity and fair treatment for rice producers. I grabbed the snippet below from the Lotus Foods website.
“Since its founding in 1995, Lotus Foods has led the way in promoting organic rice farming practices, rice biodiversity and farmers’ resilience, and since 2008, creating incentives for growing methods that simultaneously mitigate climate change and empower women.”
So, we’ve got some gluten free noodles that are:
- Tasty
- Healthy
- Made by the Good Guys.
Go buy some noodles and smile while you fill your belly!
Other Interesting Noodle Options at Costco
If the Gluten Free ramen from Lotus Foods doesn’t look like your cup of tea, then there are two other interesting gluten free noodle options for your consideration at Costco.
The first gluten free noodle option are the Healthy Noodles from Kibun Foods. The Healthy Noodles, found in the refrigerated deli cases, are low in calories and carbohydrates and will soak up just about any flavor profile you can throw at them. The texture on the noodles is a bit strange and resemble rice noodles to an extent.
Costco sometimes carries Snapdragon’s Gluten Free Vietnamese Pho which I also greatly enjoy. The noodles are tasty and the seasoning packets are spot on!