According to World Instant Noodles Association, instant noodles in India are the third-largest consumer category followed by China/Hong Kong and Indonesia. This segment had total sales of USD 54.70 Billion in 2022 and the total Instant Noodles revenue is expected reach nearly USD 81.96 Billion By 2029.
The Indian instant noodles market is one of the fastest expanding. The Indian instant noodles market is expected to grow from $1.84 billion in 2023 to $3.49 billion by 2028, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.69 per cent, says Mordor Intelligence’s report*.
Now, the Indian instant noodles market is highly consolidated due to the presence of international and local players. The prominent players in teh market include Nestle, Unilever, ITC Limited, Nissin Foods, and Patanjali, among others.
Consumption of instant noodles in India has been increasing at a rate of 5-6 percent. A young population, convenience, on-the-go consumption, and a growing consumer acceptance across smaller towns have made it a lucrative category for its significant players. USD 54.70 Billion in 2022 and the total Instant Noodles revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.94% form 2023 to 2029, reaching nearly USD 81.96 Billion By 2029.
Best Noodles brands in India
Maggi Noodles
In India, Maggi has been synonymous with the whole category. Coming form the family of Nestle, Maggi instant noodles brand is a very common name and has became an emotion for a lot of people, especially in India, where its popularity and availability is so high that it is found and eaten even in the remotest areas of India where people often don’t even have stoves.
The Maggi family originally founded it in Switzerland in the 19th century, hence Maggi’s name. In 1947, after several ownership and corporate structure changes, Maggi’s holding company merged with the Nestlé company to form Nestlé-Alimentana S.A., currently known in its own francophone home base as Nestlé S.A.
Maggi instant noodles are popular in Bangladesh, South Africa, Pakistan, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and India and are synonymous with instant noodles in most of these countries.
Different variants of the Maggi Noodles in India are:
- Maggi 2-Minute Noodles
- Maggi Special Masala Noodles
- Maggi Vegetable Spinach Atta Noodles
- Maggi Desi Cheesy
- Maggi Chatpata Tomato
- Maggi Chicken Noodles
- Maggi 2-Minute Noodles – No Onion No Garlic
- Maggi Nutri-licious® Atta Masala Noodles
Sunfeast Yippee Noodles
ITC entered the instant noodles segment with the launching of Sunfeast Yippee! in 2010. The sourcing and blending expertise that has made Aashirvaad India’s No 1 branded Atta has been leveraged to create a delightful noodle block. The block being round in shape does not have to be broken while cooking, providing long and slurpy noodles. A distinctive scientific process ensures that the noodles do not lump even 30 minutes after cooking.
Yippee! instant noodles in India are available in four lip-smacking variants
- Magic Masala,
- Classic Masala,
- Power Up Masala and
- Mood Masala.
Magic Masala is a unique masala created by ITC with spices and contains five different dehydrated vegetables. Classic Masala is the Classical Indian Masala flavour with an ideal blend of spices. Power Up Masala is made from whole wheat atta and contains vegetable additions in every strand.
Mood Masala is a distinguished offering with 2 Masala Mix sachets that permits you to choose your taste each time, making it an ideal partner for all moods!
YiPPee! Quik Mealz is a satisfying bowl of noodles for that satisfying pause you need on a non-stop day. It is ready to be eaten in minutes by simply adding hot water, and it’s easy to mix bowl ensures that noodles and masala blend perfectly.
So you get much better taste in every slurp, every time! Quikmealz is available in Veggie Delight – with the goodness of veggies, Chicken Delight – with chicken bits for a wonderful chicken flavour, and Khow Suey – an exceptional flavour inspired by exotic Burmese cuisine.
Knorr Soupy Noodles
Knorr’s journey started in 1838 when Carl Heinrich Knorr opened a factory in Germany’s Heilbronn to provide chicory to the coffee industry.
Mr. Knorr started experimenting with vegetables and seasonings by drying them to preserve their flavour and nutritional value. This series of experiments led to Knorr’s first major breakthrough, which introduced them almost instantly into the market of dried soup in Europe in 1873 across all of Europe. This further contributed to its rise and technological advancement, which enabled it to make its presence felt outside of the continent also.
Today, Knorr’s products are available globally and have a fairly decent share of the market, with a stronghold in the game of instant noodles. Although its endeavor is not too old, it won’t be sensible to mention that Knorr’s presence is felt any lesser in this area. Its opponents are facing reasonably stiff competition from it, and I doubt that this heat is ever going to cool down.
Knorr Soupy Noodles offer an exciting range of Chinese noodles – Schezwan, and Hot and Spicy and Soupy noodles – a magical mix of masala noodles with the goodness of vegetables in a hearty soup.
Top Ramen
Nissin history starts in 1958 with the development of the world’s first instant noodles. Today, the brand continues to pursue original value for customers around the world. Top Ramen is one the best instant noodles brands in India.
The flat noodles, which now attempt to fare against all these major brands in the Indian market, have discovered a fairly loyal audience that enjoys the long strands of Ramen more than Maggi. This grew especially relevant after the Maggi ban, where the most instant choice became Top Ramen for most consumers because of how long it has been in the game with its essence pure as ever.
In 1991 Nission Jigani-Factory (Bangalore) was established, and introducing Top Ramen and Cup Noodles mainly for the Indian market.
Some of the variants of Top Ramen Noodles in India are:
- Top Ramen Curry Instant Noodles Vegetarian
- Top Ramen Masala Instant Noodles Vegetarian
- Top Ramen Fiery Chilli Instant Noodles Vegetarian
- Top Ramen Oat Masala Instant Noodles Vegetarian
Wai Wai Noodles
Starting in 1972 in Nepal, Wai Wai Noodles is now present in 32 countries around the world. It has gained considerable popularity in the southern states of India, and it is only a matter of time when it comes to the other half and begins to rule the heart of the whole of India.
Owned by Chaudhary Group, Wai Wai Noodles is also a reasonably new brand, at least in India. Its legacy in Nepal is respectable, and its parent company seems to be leaving no stone unturned when it comes to expanding.
Playing with our taste buds for many years now, Wai Wai Noodles is quite likely to succeed even more if a good marketing strategy or campaign is introduced for the product. With a proper presence in either print or media, it will be tough for the Chaudhary Group to shoot Wai Wai into the heavens and compete with the major players. They are already unwilling to leave their share of the consumer base.
Patanjali Noodles
Swami Ramdev promoted Patanjali Ayurved launched instant atta noodles in 2016. Patanjali noodles, found nationally, has been positioned on the tagline ‘jhatpat banao, befikar khao. Patanjali officials said the Patanjali Noodles had been developed by a ‘strong research team,’ adding that the noodles are made with rice bran oil using dehydrated vegetables.
The noodles are being sold through 5,000-plus chikitsalayas and arogya kendras besides Big Bazaar and Reliance Fresh.
Patanjali Ayurved has noodles manufacturing plants in the NCR, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
Nissin Scoopies
Nissin Scoobies is short, pre-coated with rich masala on the inside and outside, and spoonable. For the very first time, you can enjoy short noodles coated with yummy gravy in every spoon. Thus, every bite is full of mastee.
These noodles are very short so that you can eat them with gravy in one spoon. Scoopies noodles are very thin, measuring only 3 cm in length. Scoopies were created keeping in mind Indian eating habits, such as breaking up longer noodles into smaller pieces and eating them before. It can be eaten with a spoon.
Another new feature is that Scoopies’ masala is also kneaded inside and then pre-coated outside.
There is no need to add the tastemaker in the new brand, and it can be consumed with a spoon without using a fork. Since no other company offers short noodles in the market currently, they do not have any competition.
Ching’s Secret
Capital Foods, located in Mumbai, founded Ching’s Secret in 1996. The Ching’s Secret food product and ingredient range include noodles, soups, and sauces, as well as masalas and chutneys.
The brand caters to India’s growing demand for desi Chinese food with various food products manufactured using the most recent technology.
Ching’s Secret has a unique range of flavours and products unmatched by any other Indian food brand. Ching offers hakka noodles and sauces, sauces mixes, instant noodles, instant soups, and kettle-cook soups. Chutney, masalas, and frozen meals are also available. The brand is associated with desi Chinese across India and the rest of the world today.
Horlicks Foodles
GSKCH’s Horlicks was once famous for producing milk powders of varied flavors and dominated the market with much lesser players than this. But getting ahead of themselves, Horlicks introduced Foodles all over India in late 2010. It had a reasonably decent share of consumers to its name because it aims at the customers who can’t seem to bring themselves to trust Maggi.
Horlicks aims to eliminate the very fact that in India, ‘Maggi’ is the synonym of instant noodles. While it might or might not make its product ‘Foodles’ a synonym, it attempts to hit the health-conscious consumers wary of Nestle’s ingredients, especially after the ban. Foodles comes in 2 exciting flavors and provides you the goodness of wheat, rice, ragi, etc.
For many people, it was pretty unexpected to see Horlicks venturing into the instant noodles market. However, it landed so successfully here that there seems to be no other way Horlicks will go but forward. It has already become a conglomerate worth 1100-crore, and there are only better things waiting for it.
JoyMee Instant Noodles
JoyMee Noodles are probably the underdog in this game because the sales and consumer base do not touch too high considering the innovation it brought to the Indian market, which seems obsessed with veggies and spices. We basically can’t survive without them. And honestly, instant noodles become quite boring when they’re even a little less spicy.
Hence, JoyMee came up with the three distinct flavours complemented by onion toppings unique to the brand. It isn’t a very old brand. Therefore, it will take its own time to fan its wings and come up with more flavors that can make them grasp the essence of the hunger that is almost always present with Indians in instant noodles.
Saffola Oodles
FMCG major Marico Ltd is the most recent player entering the instant noodles segment with the launching of Saffola Oodles.
The development comes in line with the company’s focus on strengthening its foothold in the healthy, ready-to-cook snacking category and widening its demographic relevance, the company said in a statement.
Marico stated that Saffola Oodles doesn’t contain maida nor artificial preservatives. It is consistent with the company’s efforts to strengthen its position in the ready-to-cook snacking market and increase its relevance to the general public, it said.
Saffola Oodles is available on Amazon, BigBasket and Grofers, and Flipkart. Saffola Oodles comes in two SKUs — a single pack of 46 gram for Rs 20 and a multipack (pack of 4) of 184 grams.
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