Noodle Journey Episode 89: Nissin Cup Noodles Breakfast

In this review I’m taking a look at Nissin’s Cup Noodles Breakfast variety, a limited‐edition gimmick that pairs ramen with maple syrup, pancakes, sausage and egg flavors. Nissin announced it in March 2023 and many people assumed it was an April Fool’s joke, but it’s real and I was able to buy it from Walmart for about $1.18 at the time of review. It’s a Walmart exclusive and scalpers were reselling it online, which is disappointing because creating artificial scarcity for food is a particularly lousy thing to do.

The cup is microwave‑only and contains a powdered maple syrup sauce along with chunks of freeze‑dried “mystery meat” sausage, egg yolk and other bits. The sodium clocks in around 1,020 mg and there are 10 grams of sugar thanks to a blend of maple syrup powder and sucralose, so anyone sensitive to artificial sweeteners should be aware. Garlic powder and other unspecified spices round out the seasoning. Despite the sweet branding, the mix of sausage and egg suggests a sweet-and-savory balance.

Noodles:
The noodles behave better than the typical Cup Noodles because there’s almost no broth – the sauce clings to them and they don’t get mushy. I usually rate Cup Noodles about a 5 but here the texture holds up nicely, so they get a little bump.
• 6/10

Spiciness:
There’s no heat in this cup. It might benefit from a dash of Tabasco or another hot sauce if you’re craving a kick, but on its own it has zero spiciness.
• 0/10

Overall:
I’m pleasantly surprised by how well the flavors work together. The maple note is present without being cloying, while garlic and onion add savory depth. The salty “mystery meat” sausage complements the sweetness and the bits of egg are really just for texture. Because the base sits between sweet and savory you can easily steer it by adding extra syrup or hot sauce. As odd as it sounds, this breakfast ramen is legitimately tasty. Fans of breakfast sandwiches like a sausage McGriddle will probably enjoy it, though anyone who dislikes maple flavor should skip it.
• 7.5/10

After filming I tried it with a splash of Hot Ones Classic Garlic hot sauce (one of my go-tos for breakfast hot sauce) and it worked well with the flavors.

Notes since filming:

The only one of Nissin’s gimmick noodles I’ve repurchased. You may balk at the idea of this one, but it actually works.