I tried Pot Noodle dupes – one copycat is just as good as the big brand and much cheaper

ONE of your five a day they are not, but there is no denying a Pot Noodle can fill a hole if you need a super quick snack.

They are so popular that sales rose by around 20 per cent last year, in spite of the cost of living crisis.

Now supermarkets and even some upmarket brands are trying to get in on the action with their own products.

But which are the tastiest? I tried them all and found a cheap copycat is just as good as the big brand.

Here’s what happened:

Pot Noodle Chicken and Mushroom (114g)

• £1.40

• £1.22 per 100g

Gary Stone

Pot Noodles make a tasty and easy lunch[/caption]

The king of instant noodles, these are just how I remembered them.

There is a good amount of veg inside and the chicken flavour is nice without being too overpowering.

The aroma is strong, and yet they are strangely more-ish.

They’re not the most expensive on offer as some more upmarket brands are producing similar products, but they’ll set you back £1.22 per 100g.

There’s no denying these are a super quick and tasty lunch.

• TASTE: 9/10

• VALUE: 8/10

• OVERALL SCORE: 9/10

Naked Chinese Style Firecracker Chicken Egg Noodles (78g)

• £1.20

• £1.53 per 100g

Gary Stone

Naked noodles were bland and disappointing[/caption]

Given the word ‘firecracker’ I was expecting these to be quite spicy and hot.

They weren’t.

I found them bland and I didn’t like the texture of the noodles.

I love the Naked brand but these were disappointing. Overpriced rubbish.

• TASTE: 4/10

• VALUE: 2/10

• OVERALL SCORE: 3/10

Hearty Food Co Chicken and Mushroom Flavour Noodles (70g)

• 51p

• 72p per 100g

Gary Stone

Hearty Food Co noodles were a quick and cheap snack.[/caption]

Sold exclusively at Tesco, this is nothing earth-shattering.

It tastes ok but has less vegetables than others – probably about one bit of mushroom.

However, it’s ready in four minutes, quite filling and for 51p it’s quite good value for a quick and cheap snack.

• TASTE: 6/10

• VALUE: 7/10

• OVERALL SCORE: 6/10

Asda Just Essentials Chicken and Mushroom Flavour Noodles (70g)

• 46p

• 65p per 100g

Gary Stone

Asda’s version was tasteless and bland[/caption]

When you peel open this pot, it’s only a third full of noodles and looks disappointing. 

Tasteless and bland, plus and it didn’t cooked very well in the allocated cooking time.

When I got to the bottom a lot of the powder flavouring was still congealed at the bottom.

I’m a big fan of Asda‘s Just Essentials range but I didn’t like this and had had to throw it away.

Not even worth the 46p.

• TASTE: 0/10

• VALUE: 0/10

• OVERALL SCORE: 0/10

Super Noodles Chicken Flavour (75g)

• £1

• £1.30 per 100g

Gary Stone

Super Noodles were pricey but tasty.[/caption]

I found these noodles a bit stodgy, but you could taste the peas and mushrooms and the chicken flavour was nice.

Expensive for what’s in the pot though – even pricier than the actual Pot Noodle.

• TASTE: 6/10

• VALUE: 5/10

• OVERALL SCORE: 6/10

Cup Noodles Soba Yakitori Chicken (89g)

• £1.70

• £1.91 per 100g

Gary Stone

These noodles taste good but are high in calories and salt[/caption]

Quicker than most to prepare, you could be scoffing these in just three minutes. 

They are quite filling but beware they are high in calories and high in salt, which is probably why they taste good.

I liked the chicken flavour and found them quite more-ish.

They could be a guilty pleasure going forward.

• TASTE: 9/10

• VALUE: 7/10

• OVERALL SCORE: 8/10

Kabuto Noodles Chicken Ramen (65g)

• £1.65

• £2.53 for 100g

Gary Stone

Kabuto was too expensive[/caption]

A nice upmarket looking pot, I thought I was in for a treat.

I liked the texture of the noodles and there was a mild chilli kick, which was good, but they are way too expensive and there’s hardly any in the pot.

I wouldn’t waste money on these again.

• TASTE: 5/10

• VALUE: 4/10

• OVERALL SCORE: 4/10

Itsu Rice Noodles Katsu (63g)

• £1.50

• £2.38 per 100g 

Gary Stone

Itsu noodles had lots of flavour[/caption]

Very tasty and easy to prepare, these were a hit.

Not too spicy but lots of flavour and they stood out from other which were mostly quite bland.

Pricey, but at least they taste good.

• TASTE: 10/10

• VALUE: 6/10

• OVERALL SCORE: 7/10

Aldi Chicken and Mushroom Flavour Snack Noodles (90g)

• 65p

• 72p per 100g

Gary Stone

Try Aldi’s dupe if you’re a Pot Noodle fan[/caption]

Almost identical to the original Pot Noodle, there was hardly any difference in taste at all.

They had that classic chicken flavour with bits of mushroom and sweetcorn throughout.

Aldi‘s version has the same sachet of soy sauce that you tip in after four minutes.

Quick and easy to prepare and incredibly cheap at just 72p per 100g- 50p less than the big brand.

If you’re a Pot Noodle fan, try these instead. You won’t be disappointed.

• TASTE: 10/10

• VALUE: 10/10

• OVERALL SCORE: 10/10