For most people, the ramen habit starts with cheap instant noodles in a dorm room and grows steadily into an appreciation of the good stuff--warm bowls of rich, porky broth; fresh, slippery noodles; perfectly soft-boiled eggs. Soon, ramen becomes not a meal but an addiction, a source of spirited debates and of pride--you can't be a real food lover unless you have strong opinions on ramen, right? Right.

Unless you're gluten free.

The soy sauce in ramen broth--not to mention the wheat in the noodles--has long prevented GF folks from hopping on the ramen train. But today, we give them their ticket. Here's a three-step guide to making gluten-free ramen that's just as addictive as the original.

Step 1: Select your noodle alternative

There are several gluten-free noodles out there, most of which can be found in Asian supermarkets, health food stores, or nicer grocery chains. Rice noodles or brown rice noodles are a good option, and they come in various thicknesses and widths. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat, so they also are usually gluten-free (check the label, though--some soba brands mix buckwheat with regular flour). Bean threads, also called glass or cellophane noodles, are made from GF mung bean starch, and tapioca noodles, made from tapicoa starch, are especially great for soups because they are chewy. For a crunchy option, use a vegetable peeler or spiralizer to turn zucchini into zucchini noodles.

Step 2: Construct your broth (without soy sauce)

A traditional ramen broth takes days to prepare and relies heavily on soy sauce to achieve its signature flavor. But for GF folks (and/or anybody who wants to make ramen quickly), there are some excellent shortcuts. You can doctor up a good store-bought chicken broth with instant dashi (available at Asian supermarkets), gluten-free soy sauce and/or tamari, which contains little to no wheat. For miso ramen, bring your stock to a boil, remove from heat and whisk in a tablespoon or two of miso paste. Add a tablespoon of GF chili paste, too, if you like things spicy.

Step 3: Garnish like a pro

Toppings and garnishes are arguably the best part of ramen, and the usual suspects are all gluten-free. So go crazy with the traditional sliced pork, thinly sliced scallions, drizzles of chili oil, soft-boiled eggs, bamboo shoots, and crumbled nori sheets. This is the stuff that'll make your GF ramen as addictive as the rest.