immi Black Garlic Chicken Ramen has been showing up constantly in my targeted social media ads, so I decided it was finally time to see what all the hype is about. immi is a California-based ramen company founded in 2019 whose motto is “instant ramen reinvented.” They market themselves as a healthier alternative to other instant noodles: lower carb, higher protein, medium sodium, and both vegan and keto-friendly. That’s great on paper, but it comes with a steep price tag: $6 for a single 2.4-ounce pack.
Read more: Noodle Journey Episode 148: immi Black Garlic Chicken RamenI bought mine at Wegmans, though you can also find immi in stores like Sprouts, Whole Foods, and on their own website at the same price-per-pack in bulk. For $6, this has a steep hurdle to justify the price tag. Each pack has 310 calories, 14 grams of fat, 880 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbs (18 of which are fiber), 1 gram of sugar, and 22 grams of protein. Inside the pouch are noodles and a single soup base packet. The noodles are made from pumpkin seed protein and wheat, while the broth base contains yeast extract, soybeans, garlic, black garlic, onion powder, coconut milk, palm oil, and unspecified spices. immi notes that the palm oil is sustainably sourced.
The noodles take six to eight minutes to cook, which already makes this less convenient than most instant ramen. After cooking and stirring in the broth, the smell was garlicky with a slight bitterness that mostly disappeared once prepared.
Noodles:
The noodles are clumpy, rubbery, and unpleasant. Even cooked for the full eight minutes, they stay dense and chewy in a way that feels off, with a nutty and cardboard-like taste that clashes with the broth. I found them nearly inedible.
• 0/10
Spiciness:
No heat whatsoever.
• 0/10
Overall:
The broth is the only marginally redeeming element here. It’s garlicky, slightly oily, and reasonably well-balanced, though it doesn’t taste like chicken at all, more like a mix of yeast and soybeans. Even if the broth were great, the noodles drag the entire product down. There are no vegetable flakes, no garnish, and no attempt to justify the $6 price tag with extras. The serving is small, the texture is bad, and the awful aftertaste I got from the noodles just doesn’t work with the broth flavor. The company claims the noodles’ high protein and fiber make them filling despite the portion size; I tested that by eating this for lunch, and in fairness, it did keep me full.
immi’s message about being a daily healthy ramen doesn’t square with its pricing, especially when a single serving costs more than many imported premium products that include real meat and vegetables. For $6, this feels gimmicky – more of a nutrition-focused novelty than something that belongs in a regular rotation. If you’re on a strict diet and can afford it, it might serve a specific niche. For everyone else, the noodles are bad, the value is worse, and there are far better ways to make healthy ramen without spending this much money.
• 0/10
Notes since filming:
The first 0 score for both noodles and flavor in the channel’s history, and I can’t think of anything I’d rather eat less than this. I think it’s fair to say I’ve never hated a product more than I hate this one. Healthy food already gets a bad reputation, and immi isn’t helping with their absolutely terrible-tasting noodles (in my opinion). Don’t believe the “customer” reviews on Facebook, because I suspect they’re either shills, bots, or just people who don’t know what ramen is supposed to taste like.
Since filming this video, this variety and their Spicy “Beef” flavor have started to appear in Target stores at a $3.99 price point. At that price point, I am happy to increase my score to a 0.5/10 because, if you absolutely have to eat these noodles, it’s slightly less of a price gouge than $5.99 at Wegman’s.
