Top Ramen Is Teaming Up with Bachan on Noodle Bowls—and You’ll Only Find Them at One Store

Nissin Top Ramen may have gotten us all through college, but that doesn’t mean the brand is content to remain fodder for hungover, destitute 20-somethings. Top Ramen is teaming up with Bachan’s on something more sophisticated: ramen bowls spiked with everyone’s favorite Japanese-style barbeque sauce.

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Bachan’s sauces aren’t like other barbecue sauces. They’re much more drizzly than the thick, American-style barbecue sauces you’re probably used to, so they’re perfect for dipping (duh), but also for marinating grilled meats. They’re savory and sweet and they have a soy sauce base that makes them ultra umami, too.

What Bachan’s-Top Ramen flavors we lookin’ at here?

These savory-sweet noodle soup bowls are coming in three flavors inspired by Bachan’s lineup of sauces:

Top Ramen Beef featuring Bachan’s The Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce: Rich, savory flavor
Top Ramen Beef featuring Bachan’s Sweet & Spicy Japanese Barbecue Sauce: The perfect kick of sweet heat
Top Ramen Beef featuring Bachan’s Roasted Garlic Japanese Barbecue Sauce: Bold flavor for garlic lovers

Our taste-testing team’s favorite Bachan’s BBQ sauce, Yuzu Citrus, isn’t represented in the lineup (boooo), but I’m a garlic guy at heart, so I’ll be grabbing that one.

Is it just my imagination or are we seeing a lot more of Bachan’s lately?

No, you are not having hallucinations about BBQ sauce, so that’s good! In February, it was announced that Bachan’s—a family start-up that launched in 2013 in the Bay Area—was acquired by Marzetti, a brand known for salad dressings, Sister Schubert’s rolls (which we love), and New York Bakery garlic bread (also love). Anyway, the acquisition seems to have resulted in a profile boost and a bunch of new collabs. Just a few days ago, we learned that Bachan’s-flavored SPAM is coming down the pike.

Where and when can I get these saucy new noods?

The Top Ramen-Bachan’s collab is exclusive to Walmart stores, where the bowls should start arriving on shelves as soon as March 7. Sadly, this is Top Ramen’s first-ever “limited time only” product, which means you have to grab ‘em when you see before they’re gone for good.

About the Author

Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks. Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction. Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home. Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.