I tried the 'Chilled Cup Noodles Spicy Kimchi Flavor / Chicken Salt Lemon Flavor,' the first Cup Noodles ever made with cold water, perfect for the hot summer.
Nissin Foods' long-selling 'Cup Noodle' brand is releasing two new cup noodles that can be prepared with cold water for the first time: ' Chilled Cup Noodle Spicy Kimchi Flavor ' and ' Chilled Cup Noodle Chicken Salt Lemon Flavor ,' available from July 20th, 2026 (Monday). These cup noodles utilize a new 'cold rehydrate method' that allows them to be prepared simply by adding chilled water from the refrigerator and waiting 5 minutes. We received a sample of these cup noodles at our editorial office, so we tried them out ahead of time to see what they taste like.
Two types of chilled cup noodles (to be released on July 20) | News Release | Nissin Foods Group
The packaging for 'Chilled Cup Noodles Spicy Kimchi Flavor' (left) and 'Chilled Cup Noodles Chicken Salt Lemon Flavor' (right) looks like this.
It says 'Do not use with boiling water' and 'Use only with cold water chilled in the refrigerator (5°C to 10°C recommended).'
First, I'll try the 'Chilled Cup Noodles Spicy Kimchi Flavor.'
The ingredients include fried noodles, chicken seasoning, napa cabbage seasoning, miso seasoning, powdered soy sauce, garlic seasoning, fish sauce, and tomato powder. The toppings are minced pork, seasoned egg, napa cabbage kimchi, sesame seeds, and green onions.
The calorie count is 285kcal per serving.
Apparently, you don't need hot water to rehydrate chilled cup noodles; just add chilled water from the refrigerator. So, this time, I'll use chilled water from the refrigerator.
When I opened the lid, I found the dried ingredients and noodles inside. Since it doesn't use boiling water, there's less need to consider insulation, so the sides are made of thin plastic instead of styrofoam.
Pour cold water up to the inner line. It's a nice feature that you don't have to deal with the heat not only when eating, but also when boiling or pouring water.
We will wait for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, open the lid, stir well, and it's ready.
When I first tasted the soup, I was surprised by the strong kimchi spiciness, almost making me choke. But as I savored it, I could really taste the umami, and the sourness of the kimchi combined to create a refreshing aftertaste.
Next, although it says that it's fine to rehydrate with cold water, I slurped the noodles with a slight sense of apprehension. To my surprise, there was no hardness or undercooking at all, and the smooth noodles were well coated with the spicy soup. Perhaps to allow for rehydration with cold water, the noodles seemed slightly thinner than regular cup noodles, but this might actually make them easier to eat in the hot summer.
The minced pork in the toppings has a rich pork flavor, and the crunchy texture of the kimchi cabbage provides a nice accent.
Next, I'll try the 'Chilled Cup Noodles Chicken Salt Lemon Flavor.'
The ingredients are fried noodles, soy sauce, seafood seasoning, salt, chicken seasoning, spices, lemon juice powder, and garlic seasoning. The toppings are seasoned chicken, seasoned egg, green onions, and red bell pepper.
The calorie count is 278kcal per serving.
Open the lid, pour in cold water up to the inner line, and wait for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, open the lid, stir well, and it's ready.
The cold soup has a strong lemon tang and chicken umami flavor, making it a refreshing taste that you'll want to drink down like a soup.
The tartness of the lemon coats the smooth noodles perfectly, making it easy to slurp them down forever.
The chicken and seasoned egg in the toppings had a mild flavor, and the overall cup noodles had a refreshing finish that made it easy to eat even on days when you have no appetite due to summer fatigue.
The suggested retail price for both 'Chilled Cup Noodles Spicy Kimchi Flavor' and 'Chilled Cup Noodles Chicken Salt Lemon Flavor' is 285 yen (excluding tax), and they will be available nationwide from Monday, July 20, 2026. At the time of writing, Amazon.co.jp was accepting pre-orders for both flavors, with a 20-pack priced at 6,156 yen (including tax), which works out to about 308 yen per cup.
Amazon.co.jp: Cup Noodles Chilled Cup Noodles Spicy Kimchi Flavor 60g x 20 packs: Food, Beverages & Alcohol
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