Sales of instant noodles are heating up as people add ingredients to make them fancier. Pot Noodles, which reached the height of their popularity in the 90s, have become an unlikely hit with youngsters on TikTok. Sales are up 10% year-on-year, according to online supermarket Ocado.
And instant ramen brands – noodles in a broth – with more gourmet packaging are also becoming fashionable. Across the board, instant noodle sales have soared by 50% year-on-year. It is thought social media videos on adding extras to liven them up may be behind the trend, with 22,000 posts on TikTok alone.
Searches for common ingredient ideas have risen, with chilli oil up 48%, crispy onions up 27% and seaweed by 20% this month, compared with 2023. Jason Holt, world foods buyer at Ocado, said packet noodles have been dismissed as “a bit studenty and not very gourmet”, but added: “I’m happy that’s starting to change”. He said the right toppings “can elevate even the humblest noodle bowl”.
Restaurant critic and food writer Jay Rayner has also embraced the trend, telling fans: “I found myself one night pelting a chicken and mushroom Pot Noodle which just happened to be lurking in the cupboard, with freshly sliced spring onions and batons of ginger, shiny black ribbons of finely chopped toasted nori and dollops of sriracha sauce and crispy chilli oil. The humble instant noodle has been elevated to the king of snacks.”.
