After a long day of university classes or work, nothing beats the ease of simply boiling instant ramen, mixing in your favorite spices and having a delicious meal in just a few minutes. People are always coming up with inventive new ways to elevate simple dishes though, and ramen is the main ingredient in the latest food trend on social media.
TikTok has developed a way to enjoy a quick snack with a creamy, cheesy interior using simply ramen, cheese and hot Cheetos. Buldak ramen hot Cheeto balls — a name that refers to the most popular ramen brand to use in the recipe for this snack — offer a spicy and easy-to-make spin on traditional Italian rice balls, or arancini.
If you have ever had arancini, you know the pleasure of biting into the crispy exterior and relishing in the creamy risotto. The Buldak ramen hot Cheetos balls are similar in texture with an added heat and many possibilities for customization.
How do you make Buldak ramen hot Cheetos balls?
Making Buldak ramen hot Cheetos balls starts with the simple step of just making instant ramen. You can choose any brand, type, and flavor of ramen that you would like, from chicken or pork to vegetable. Boil and prepare the ramen as instructed on your instant ramen packaging, adding in any spices or flavoring packets.
Once your ramen is ready, it is time to start preparing the ramen balls using plastic food wrap and any additional ingredients you would like to add in. Lay out a sheet of plastic food wrap and place a scoop of ramen in the center. While you can leave the ramen as the sole ingredient inside the balls, many recipes also incorporate shredded cheese for a wonderful cheese pull, diced meats to add more flavor, or vegetables for a fresh taste.
After placing your ramen and any additional ingredients in the plastic wrap, twist the plastic wrap around the ramen into a ball. The more ramen you include in each ball, the easier it will be to shape it into a proper sphere. You can make as many balls as you would like with individual sheets of plastic food wrap, or at least as much as a serving of instant ramen will allow.
Put all of your ramen balls in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until they are firm and the ingredients are sticking together — this ensures that the balls maintain their shape as you add coating.
While waiting on your balls to chill, you can prepare the spicy, red hot coating for the crispy exterior. For the coating, you will need three bowls — one with flour, one with beaten eggs, and one with crushed hot Cheetos. While the Buldak ramen hot Cheetos balls trend specifically involves hot Cheetos, you can use any Cheetos puff flavor you would like if you prefer a snack with a little less heat. To turn the Cheetos into dust for coating, you can blend them or put them in a sealable plastic bag and crush them by hand.
The exciting part comes after you have eagerly awaited for the ramen balls to chill and they are ready to come out of the freezer. Dip each ball individually and coat it in the bowl of flour, then into the bowl of eggs, and finally into the bowl of hot Cheetos dust. As you dip each ball, make sure you are rolling it around and rotating it within the bowl to ensure that it is fully covered in that layer of coating — it will help the next layer stick. For a thicker coating, after first dipping the balls into the hot Cheetos dust, you can dip them again into the eggs and then once again into the Cheetos dust.
Deep fry the ramen balls in oil for between four to five minutes, or until they are crispy. If the balls start losing that bold red color from the hot Cheetos, it may be time to take them out of the frying oil or they will become very crispy and lose the inner creaminess.
Wait a few minutes for the ramen balls to cool down after coming out of the frying oil — certainly the hardest part of any recipe — and then they are ready for your enjoyment!
What do people think about Buldak ramen hot Cheeto balls?
While Buldak ramen hot Cheeto balls have been celebrated on TikTok before in recent years, the revitalization of this food trend at the start of 2026 has seen renewed love for the spicy snack.
TikTok food influencer Irene Kim shared her love for the homemade snack, even trying it with different dippings like ranch and peanut butter. “The outside is super crunchy and the inside is super chewy from the noodles,” she said.
The cheese pull made possible by both shredded cheese inside the balls and the stringy ramen noodles has also been a hit, reminiscent of those famous cheese pulls with mozzarella sticks.
For some people though, the combined spice from the Buldak ramen flavoring packets and hot Cheetos can be overwhelming.
What makes this trend special is its versatility — you can incorporate any ramen flavor and any Cheetos, of varying spiciness, to make it the perfect crispy snack for your tastes.