Single servings of the product are packaged in foam, plastic, or paper cups and are prepared by adding boiling water.

Instant noodles were invented in 1958 by Momofuku Ando, the Taiwan-born founder of the Japanese food company Nissin.

[2] Nissin recognized that the bowls traditionally used to package instant noodles in Asia were not common in the US, so the paper cup was designed by Ron R. Matteson.

[4] In 1998, Cup Noodles Hot Sauce Varieties were introduced (Beef, Chicken, Pork and Shrimp).

Different flavors are available in other parts of the world, such as tom yum in Thailand, curry in Japan, crab in Hong Kong, and churrasco in Brazil.

[9] Cup Noodles are often seen in the 2012 video game Binary Domain, which is set in a futuristic version of Tokyo.

Cup Noodles were also prominently featured as product placement in the 2016 video game Final Fantasy XV.