Learn how to make miso soup at home! Brimming with savory, umami flavor, this easy recipe is a delicious side dish, starter, or meal on its own.
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Raise your hand if you love miso soup! Same. The cloudy broth is warming, nourishing, and deeply flavorful. On a cold, gray winter day, there’s nothing I crave more. It clears my head and warms me up from the inside out.
For years, I only ate miso soup at Japanese restaurants. But after Jack and I traveled to Japan for the first time, we got curious about Japanese cooking at home. We cooked soba noodles, we made matcha, and we decided to try a miso soup recipe. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I certainly didn’t imagine the process to be so simple. We had steaming bowls of miso soup on the table in under 20 minutes!
Now, this miso soup recipe is a staple in our house. It has a rich, savory, umami flavor, and it’s brimming with chewy seaweed, crisp scallions, and soft tofu. Serve it as a starter or a side dish with your favorite Japanese food, or enjoy it as a meal on its own.
What is miso soup?
Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup. Its base is dashi, an umami stock that’s typically made with a mix of dried bonito flakes and dried kombu kelp. The soup is then flavored with miso, or fermented soybean paste.
Numerous varieties of miso soup are made throughout Japan. They might feature different types of miso paste, such as red miso, yellow miso, or the shiro miso I call for here, or include meat or vegetables like shiitake mushrooms or daikon radish. This recipe is a riff on the simple miso soup offered at many Japanese American restaurants.
Miso Soup Ingredients
The key ingredient in this recipe is miso paste.
Choosing miso paste for miso soup
I recommend making this recipe with white miso, also called shiro miso. It’s fermented for less time than darker types of miso, such as red miso, and has a milder, sweeter flavor that works well with this miso to dashi ratio. Find it in the refrigerated section of Asian markets and most grocery stores.
Here’s what else you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Kombu – For flavoring the dashi. In traditional miso soup, dried bonito flakes would also season the soup stock, but I skip them to keep my recipe vegetarian. The dashi is still plenty flavorful without them! Look for dried kombu in Asian markets, the Asian section of your grocery store, or online.
- Silken tofu – I like to use extra-firm tofu when I’m baking tofu, but in this miso soup recipe, silken tofu is a must. With its super-smooth texture, it practically melts into the savory soup.
- Wakame – Find this dried seaweed in an Asian market, the Asian section of your grocery store, or online. 3 tablespoons might not seem like much for a whole pot of soup, but don’t be deceived. Soak the dried wakame in a little warm water, and it’ll expand like crazy!
- Green onions – They add a nice crunch and sweet, oniony flavor to the soup.
- Tamari – For serving! Add a drop at a time until your soup has a well-balanced savory flavor.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Miso Soup
This miso soup recipe is super simple to make! Here’s what you need to do:
Step 1: Make the dashi.
Rinse the kombu, place it in a medium pot with the water, and gently simmer over low heat. Careful not to let it boil! If you do, the kombu flavor will become bitter. After 10 minutes, remove and discard the kombu.
Step 2: Rehydrate the wakame.
Place it in a medium bowl, and cover it with warm water. Set it aside for 5 minutes. You won’t believe how much it grows!
Step 3: Add the miso paste.
When the dashi is ready, you can add the miso paste.
The best way to do this is by making a miso slurry. Ladle some of the hot dashi into a small bowl, add the miso paste, and whisk until smooth.
Then, stir the miso mixture into the remaining dashi.
Why make the miso slurry?It loosens the miso paste so that it incorporates evenly with the dashi. Were you to add the paste straight to the pot, your soup would be lumpy.
Step 4: Add the tofu, green onions, and wakame.
Drain the wakame and add it to the soup, along with the green onions and tofu. Simmer the soup over very low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, just to warm it through.
When the soup is warm, enjoy! I like to serve it with tamari to taste.
Don’t bring the soup to a boil! Because miso is a fermented food, it’s teeming with probiotics. Boiling miso kills these beneficial bacteria, so you’ll miss out on some of its health benefits.
Miso Soup Serving Suggestions
Serve this miso soup recipe as a starter, side dish, or meal on its own. When I’m eating it as a main dish, I serve it with cooked rice or soba noodles. If I want to make the soup even heartier, I add extra veggies. Japanese turnips, shiitake mushrooms, radishes, carrots, kabocha squash, and greens like spinach or bok choy all work well here. Add them to the dashi and simmer until tender before stirring in the miso slurry.
If I’m serving this miso soup as a starter or side dish, I pair it with other Japanese-inspired recipes like tamago kake gohan or okonomiyaki. Jack and I also love eating it with vegan sushi, shiitake maki, or avocado mango sushi.
More Favorite Miso Recipes
I hope you love this miso soup recipe! After you make it, try using miso in other ways in your kitchen. It adds savory, umami flavor to all of these dishes:
- Vegan Ramen
- Adzuki Bean Bowls
- Wild Rice Soup
- Oyster Mushroom Soup
- Cauliflower Soup
- Sesame Noodle Bowl
Miso Soup
Prep Time: 8 minutes mins
Cook Time: 12 minutes mins
Total Time: 20 minutes mins
Serves 4
Learn how to make miso soup at home! This traditional Japanese soup is nourishing, flavorful, and easy to make in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 (3-inch) piece of kombu
- 4 cups water
- 3 tablespoons wakame dried seaweed
- ¼ cup white miso paste
- ⅓ cup chopped green onion
- 6 ounces silken tofu, cubed
- Tamari, to taste
Instructions
Gently rinse the kombu piece. Place it in a medium pot with the water and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Don’t let it boil, or the kombu flavor will turn bitter.
Soak the wakame in a small bowl of warm water for at least 5 minutes to rehydrate.
Remove the kombu from the soup. In a small bowl, stir the miso paste together with some of the hot broth until the mixture is smooth, then stir it back into the soup.
Drain the wakame and add it to the soup pot along with the green onions and tofu. Simmer over very low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with tamari and serve.
FAQs
Miso soup is low calorie, low fat, and high in nutrient content, so it is safe to eat daily. However, it does have a high salt content. So, those on blood thinning medication or who have heart problems (including high blood pressure and heart disease) may want to limit their consumption of miso soup.
What does miso soup do to your body? ›
Miso soup contains several beneficial vitamins, minerals, and components that may improve your gut and heart health and may lower your risk of cancer. If you are on a low-salt diet, read the label on packaged miso soup to choose one that's low in sodium. What the heck is miso? Miso is a fermented soybean paste.
Why do I feel better after having miso soup? ›
Being made from soya beans, miso offers an array of vitamins, minerals and plant compounds, including isoflavones. The fermentation process used to produce miso may be especially helpful as it helps support digestion and may enhance immunity.
Why do Japanese love miso soup? ›
One of the foundations of Japanese food, miso soup can now be found all over the world. Made from traditional Japanese flavours, miso soup is both delicious and nutritious — it's high in protein while being low on calories.
How to jazz up miso soup? ›
Adding even more ingredients to your miso soup can make it into a stew. If you love a vibrant taste, use your miso soup as the foundation on which you build other great flavors. Add ingredients like mushrooms, red and green peppers, edamame, onions, leeks and other vegetables.
Why is miso soup good for you when sick? ›
Why it's Healthy. Miso supplies us with several B vitamins, as well as vitamin E, both of which necessary for a strong immune response to viruses and bacteria, including those that cause influenza. It's also rich in antioxidants that help protect cells against damage from free radicals, bolstering our immune system.
Is miso anti-inflammatory? ›
The consumption of miso has also been reported to exert health effects, such as fat suppression [9], anti-inflammation [10] and stroke prevention [11].
Why does miso soup make me sleepy? ›
Miso contains amino acids that can help boost the production of melatonin, a natural hormone that helpsmake you sleepy. Bananas: An excellent source of magnesium and potassium, which can help relax overstressed muscles. They also contain tryptophan, which convert to serotonin and melatonin.
Is miso soup a natural laxative? ›
Miso improves your digestion
Having a healthy gut flora is very important because it helps defend your body against toxins and harmful bacteria. It also improves digestion and reduces gas, constipation and antibiotic-related diarrhea or bloating ( 6 , 8 , 9 ).
Does miso make you gassy? ›
Eating fermented foods such as miso may improve digestion, reduce gas, bloating, constipation and diarrhea.
If you want to avoid sodium, your choice should be White. If you don't need to avoid sodium intake, then Red is the most nutritious. The site says that White Miso makes you relaxed and gives you a good night sleep.
Why is miso so addictive? ›
Umami is the savouriness that is slightly addictive because of its well-rounded flavour. The kombu stock and the sh*take mushrooms in my miso soup have the highest amount of glutamate (and therefore umami) in any food product…
What is the proper way to eat miso soup? ›
Traditionally, Japanese serve miso soup in a small bowl, but there is no soup spoon provided. It is expected that you drink from the bowl. The Japanese way to drink miso soup is to place a bowl in one hand, with four fingers supporting the base of the bowl, while the thumb rests comfortably on the side of the bowl.
Are you supposed to stir miso soup? ›
Wait until the soup has been taken off the heat and then stir or whisk in miso to taste. The paste-like texture will melt into the soup thanks to the residual heat of the stock. Slurp on.
Why can't you boil miso soup? ›
The aromatic qualities of miso – as well as some of the nutritional benefits – are damaged when boiled. This is why miso is traditionally stirred in at the final stage of cooking, either over a gentle simmer or heat with turned off.
Why does miso soup make my stomach feel better? ›
Improves digestion: Because miso is high in probiotics, it helps the body maintain healthy bacteria levels. This bacteria contributes to digestive health, reducing gas, diarrhea, bloating and constipation.
Can you add too much miso? ›
Every miso has a different level of salt, and the worst thing you want to do is to add too much miso to your soup. A general rule of thumb is to use about 1 tablespoon per cup (U.S. measure, 236.5ml) or 1/4 l (250ml) but if you have a very salty red miso for example, you may need less.
Does miso soup heal your gut? ›
"One reason fermented foods like miso benefit the gut because is because they contain probiotics," Ingraham says. "Probiotics are helpful live bacteria that are associated with a range of health benefits including reduced inflammation, healthy digestion, and supporting healthy immune system function," she says.
Can you eat miso raw? ›
Can you eat miso paste raw? Grab a spoon and dig in – you CAN eat your miso paste raw! I often recommend this to people when they are trying a new variety or are considering which variety to use in a recipe. It's a great way to discover the unique taste of miso and how each variety differs in flavor.
Does miso soup detox your body? ›
Because it is a fermented food miso is probiotic and easily digestible, making it an ideal detoxing food for the gut. Miso can also help guard against cancer, heart disease and diabetes and it can strengthen the immune system.
For greatest benefit miso should be used in small amounts on a regular basis. One to two tablespoons per day would be average use. When seasoning soup, begin by adding a small amount of miso — one to two teaspoons per cup of liquid — add- ing more if needed. Miso soup should taste neither too salty nor too bland.
Is miso too high in sodium? ›
The one big concern that some people have when it comes to miso soup is the high sodium content; with the average teaspoon of miso featuring between 200 and 300 milligrams of this blood-pressure-raising element, it can easily scare away those struggling with high sodium levels.
Is miso soup good for your skin? ›
Beauty Skin Effect Miso contains free linoleic acid, which prevents the synthesis of melanin that causes spots and freckles on the skin. Therefore, miso is said to have a skin beautifying effect. Anti-aging effect Miso soup contains vitamin E, soy saponin, and soy isoflavone, which have antioxidant effects.
Can I live off of miso soup? ›
As mentioned above, miso paste calories are just 56 calories for 28 grams. However, if a miso soup diet to you means consuming nothing but this soup all day for a couple of days, then this is not a good idea.
