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Cup Noodle releases cold-water instant ramen in Japan, but can it really be made with just cold water?

Oona McGee Jul 20, 2026
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New Hiyashi Cup Noodle cuts out the need for boiling water, so we put it to the test.

This year looks set to be a historic one for Japanese noodle-maker Nissin, as it doesn’t just mark the brand’s 55th anniversary, it also marks the release of its first-ever chilled Cup Noodle.

Unlike a regular Cup Noodle, which needs boiling hot water to rehydrate the noodles, the new “Hiyashi Cup Noodle” (“hiyashi” means “chilled”) requires only cold water, thanks to a newly patented manufacturing process called the Cold Rehydration Method.

For instant noodle fans used to boiling a kettle for their Cup Noodle, the cold-water-only method sounds like some sort of magic trick, but also a welcome development to help satisfy our ramen craving in the hot summer months. Luckily for us, we were able to try the new product before its official 20 July release to find out if it really works, and we’re happy to say it totally exceeded our expectations.

The first thing to note is that the noodles aren’t designed to be prepared with room-temperature water. Instead, Nissin recommends using well-chilled water straight from the refrigerator.

▼ The Hiyashi Cup Noodle comes in two flavours: Spicy Kimchi and Chicken Salt Lemon.

We could hardly contain our excitement at trying these new products, but we felt a slight sense of trepidation as well. Would they really soften using only cold water? Would they remain firm or undercooked? These were our biggest concerns as we poured chilled water into the cups.

After waiting for the recommended five minutes, slightly longer than the usual three minutes for a regular hot-water Cup Noodle, we pulled the lids back and took a good look at the contents.

At first glance, it was difficult to tell whether they were ready, but after giving the noodles a gentle stir with chopsticks, they loosened without any problems, looking supple and ready to eat.

▼ Slurping up a mouthful revealed… it tasted unmistakably like Cup Noodle!

The noodles weren’t hard or undercooked at all, retaining the same familiar smooth texture with a little extra bite, just the way we like them. Even Nissin’s famous “mystery meat” bits had fully softened, which was another thing we’d been concerned about.

All the toppings had the same texture as those in a hot-water Cup Noodle, which was an amazing feat in our eyes, and after taking a closer look at everything, we could see that it was only the appearance of the noodles that seemed slightly different. They were a tad more rounded and thinner, instead of being totally flat, which is likely part of the reason why they rehydrate so well using just cold water.

Both the Spicy Kimchi and Chicken Salt Lemon flavours have a refreshing taste to them that’s perfectly suited to cold noodle dishes, making them especially enjoyable during the hot summer months.

While cold noodles themselves have long been around in Japan, we’ve never seen an instant noodle that can be rehydrated with nothing but chilled water before. And while you can hack a regular Cup Noodle by adding boiling hot water and them dumping the water and adding ice or cold water to the mix, who’s got the time and energy for all that extra effort in summer?

That’s why, in our eyes, the new Hiyashi Cup Noodle is a revolutionary new product. Not only does it taste fantastic, with a great mouthfeel to boot, it’s also easy to make, as it doesn’t even require us to fill up a kettle anymore. That’s a definite win in our eyes, and a testament to the product development skills at Nissin. As the company that invented instant ramen in 1958, through tireless efforts and experiments by founder Momofuku Ando in his backyard shed, we can’t help but think Ando is smiling at the company once more, now that Nissin is giving the world its first-ever cold-water Cup Noodle.

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