I Tried Cup Noodles’ New Breakfast-Flavored Ramen — Here’s My Honest Review

I have many fond memories of Cup Noodles (which, as a child of the ’80s, I still call Cup O’ Noodles). When I was growing up, my mom would often raid our pantry for that signature foam cup to prepare as a quick lunch or a mid-afternoon snack. I loved peeling back the paper lid, pouring in the water, and waiting patiently for it to be ready. Back then, my go-to was the shrimp flavor with its oh-so-cute tiny shrimp and squiggly ramen noodles. 

While I never strayed from this flavor, I recently came across the brand’s new breakfast flavor at Walmart. The packaging promises notes of maple syrup, pancakes, sausage, and egg. I was immediately intrigued and picked up three containers — one for me, one for my husband, and one extra, in case I really liked it. 

Nissin Foods, the Japanese food company that owns Cup Noodles, touts this as “the full American breakfast experience in noodle form.” Unlike other Cup Noodles (which are brothier noodle soups), this version consists of ramen noodles in “a sweet and savory sauce that tastes like a warm stack of pancakes coated in melted butter and delicious maple syrup.” It even comes with pieces of dehydrated sausage and scrambled egg! 

To get the full experience of this new breakfast ramen, I — of course — ate it for breakfast. I made it by following the instructions on the cup (adding room temperature water to the fill line, microwaving it for four minutes, letting it stand for one minute, then giving it a stir before digging in). 

The first thing I noticed, even before taking a bite, was the aroma. It smelled distinctly of fake maple syrup. So much so, that I couldn’t smell much of anything else. But, how would it taste?

Despite the overly strong maple odor, there wasn’t any discernible flavor that really stood out. I found that the notes of maple syrup, pancakes, sausage, and scrambled egg coalesced into a slightly-too-sweet sauce that lightly coated the noodles. As for the bits of sausage and eggs, they had a squishy texture that didn’t add much to the mix. Per Nissin’s suggestion, I added a dash of hot sauce, which did liven up the flavor. All in all, I did eat the entire thing.

So the big question: Would I actually eat this for breakfast? Personally, I wouldn’t consider eating this for breakfast, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a shot. As for me, though, I’ll continue to stick with my beloved shrimp flavor. 

Cup Noodles Breakfast is currently available at select Walmart stores nationwide for $1.18 per cup, but if you don’t want to head to your closest store just to see that it’s sold out, it’s possible to find it online as well — just be warned that the price is going to be higher than expected.