Yes, you can make traditional Miso Soup at home! A small bowl of delicious and healthy Miso soup can be on the table in 10 minutes. A great side soup that is easy to make. Comforting and delicious. Fast and easy. A simple dish made with pantry ingredients.
What is Miso Soup?
Miso Soup is a traditional Japanese soup flavored with miso paste. Savory and full of umami flavor, the hot broth is delicious, comforting, and full of health benefits. It can be served plain or with a few additions: tofu, seaweed, and green onion. At Japanese restaurants, it’s a side dish commonly served with sushi, teriyaki, and bento boxes.
Miso Soup is very easy to make at home. You only need a few ingredients to make this basic Japanese soup. The star ingredient is white miso paste, a Japanese cooking staple. Salty, savory, and rich — you only need a little!
At its simplest, Miso soup can be made with water and miso paste. To make it even more delicious and nourishing, add a few simple ingredients: dashi stock, tofu cubes, and seaweed. They add a depth of flavor and texture that makes this simple soup even better for you.
As a child, my Korean grandma often made Miso Soup when I felt sick or under the weather. Today, I do the same for my kids. Kid-friendly and toddler-approved, Miso Soup is an easy favorite every home cook can make. There’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of classic Miso Soup!
Ingredients:
- Miso paste. Mild and sweet Shiro Miso, also called White Miso is the main ingredient. Look for a Japanese miso paste, preferably organic, at Asian grocery stores. Tightly wrapped, it keeps a long time in the fridge. I don’t recommend low-sodium miso paste as it leaves a strange aftertaste.
- Dashi. Japanese stock or soup base that adds another layer of flavor and nutrition. Make your own dashi stock or use instant dashi powder. *I use Hondashi instant dashi powder for ease and convenience.
- Tofu. A plant-based protein that absorbs all that delicious miso flavor. The type of tofu depends on personal preference. I prefer medium to firm tofu because it is easy to cube and holds its shape. But others prefer soft tofu or silken soft tofu with its silky smooth texture.
- Wakame. Dried seaweed flakes adds more flavor and nutrition. Look for wakame seaweed which is thin and delicate.
For variety and nutrition, add:
- Shiitake mushrooms (adds texture and flavor)
- Enoki Mushrooms (different texture than shitake)
- Chili peppers (for a spicy version)
- Baby spinach (wilts nicely)
- Spring or green onions (adds flavor + texture)
Instructions:
- Heat water. In a medium pot, add cold water. Heat over medium heat until hot and steaming. Turn off the heat.
- Add miso paste. Add miso paste and gently whisk into the hot water. *If using, add instant dashi powder as well.
- Add tofu and wakame. To the hot broth, add cubed tofu and dried wakame flakes. Give it a good stir. Immediately cover and rest for 5 minutes. The residual heat will warm everything through.
- Serve. Ladle into small bowls and enjoy. Eat immediately, while it’s piping hot!
Watch How to Make it:
PRO Tips:
- DO NOT BOIL! Boiling miso results in the loss of nutrition and flavor. When adding the miso paste, make sure the heat is turned off. Or use low heat. Do not cook or reheat over high heat.
- Small dice tofu. For a more pleasing texture, I like to small dice the tofu. The tiny cubes are more pleasant to eat than large, chunky cubes.
- Make it vegan. To make vegan miso soup, do not add instant dashi powder. Leave it out or use vegan dashi stock instead. The miso paste, wakame, and tofu are all vegan.
- Add clams. To make it extra special, add a handful of small fresh clams. Heat gently until the clams have opened their shells. A simple way to elevate Miso soup.
What is Miso Paste?
Miso paste is Japanese fermented soybean paste. Miso paste contains soybeans, salt, water, and koji — which is a mold that comes from barley or rice. Thick and rich, it’s full of umami flavor. A common seasoning in Japanese food for soups, marinades, and dressings.
There are different kinds of miso paste. The flavor and color depend on how long it’s been fermented. Generally, the longer the fermentation process, the stronger the flavor and the darker the color.
White miso, also called Shiro Miso, is pale and light yellow. It’s been fermented for a short period. The flavor is salty, slightly sweet, and mild. Shiro Miso is commonly used for traditional Miso Soup.
Generally, miso paste is gluten-free (look at the label to make sure) and vegan. It contains immense health benefits, including numerous antioxidants and cancer-fighting properties.
More recipes with miso paste: Miso Chicken Skewers, Miso Glazed Salmon, and Miso Roasted Cauliflower.
What is Dashi?
Dashi is Japanese soup stock. It is the flavor base of many Asian soup recipes.
The flavor base comes from seafood — dried shrimp, kombu (dried seaweed), and bonito flakes (dried skipjack tuna). But Dashi can be easily veganized or customized to your liking.
Like homemade chicken broth, Dashi broth can also be made at home. But for ease and convenience, use instant dashi powder. Similar to chicken bouillon, it is shelf stable and dissolves easily in water.
Although optional, Dashi adds a delicious layer of flavor plus a boost of added nutrition.
How do I make Dashi?
A key component of Miso Soup, there are several ways to make Dashi at home:
- Instant Dashi Granules. The fastest and easiest way. A spoonful of dried granules, stirred into hot water, does the trick. Ex. Hondashi (primary ingredient: Bonito, which is a type of tuna).
- Kombu + Bonito flakes + Dried Shitake Mushrooms. The classic way to make Dashi. You’ll need to buy each element separately and boil it in cold water for 20 minutes. After 20 additional minutes of steeping, strain with a fine-mesh strainer for a clear, homemade dashi stock. Can be made in advance.
- Dashi Packs. A modern, convenient way to make Dashi. Instead of buying each element separately, you only need to buy a dashi pack — a ready-made satchel with all the elements (kombu, bonito flakes, dried mushrooms, dried shrimp, etc.) bundled up into single servings. Toss the packets into a pot with cold water and simmer for 20 minutes, then steep for another 20 minutes. Remove the packets and enjoy your homemade dashi stock.
*FYI: you can still make delicious homemade Miso Soup without Dashi. Just use water instead.
FAQ
Yes, Miso Soup is good for you. Miso Soup is packed with probiotic nutrition. The healthy bacteria in Miso paste (a fermented food item) aids the digestive process and contributes to overall gut health. It also helps the body absorb nutrients better while boosting immunity.
Some people think the high sodium level of Miso paste makes it unhealthy. Enjoy in moderation if you have high blood pressure.
Leftover can be stored in an airtight container and transferred to the fridge. It will keep for 2-3 days. When reheating, make sure not to boil the soup. Boiling will lose the nutritional value of the probiotic miso paste.
More Asian soups:
- Dak Gomtang (Korean Chicken Soup)
- Doenjang Jjigae (Soybean Paste Stew)
- Khori Gomtang (Oxtail Soup)
- Instant Pot Ginger Chicken Soup
Easy Homemade Miso Soup
Equipment
- medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 cups Dashi (or water)
- 2 Tbsp Shiro Miso Paste (not the low-sodium kind)
- 1 Tbsp dried seaweed (wakame)
- 1/2 block tofu, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (firm to extra firm is easier to handle but silken also works)
Dashi Stock with instant granules:
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp Hondashi (or other instant dashi granules)
Dashi Stock with packets:
- 4 cups water
- 2 dashi packets (usually 1 dashi packet is used for 2 cups of water)
Instructions
Dashi Stock (optional):
- For instant Dashi: Bring 4 cups of cold water to boil. Add Hondashi and stir until dissolved, about 1 minute.
- For Dashi packets: Bring 4 cups of cold water to boil. Add 2 dashi packs and simmer (covered) for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 more minutes. Remove dashi packs.
Miso Soup:
- Bring dashi stock or water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Turn off the heat and whisk in miso paste. Make sure no big chunks remain.
- Add cubed tofu and wakame. Cover and let the residual heat gently warm the tofu and rehydrate the wakame, about 5 minutes. If you need, gently reheat soup until steaming. MAKE SURE THE SOUP DOES NOT BOIL!!
- Serve steaming hot, in bowls. Enjoy!
Wow wow wow! The flavors really come together in this delicious and easy soup. I added garlic chili garlic sauce and the spice level was perfect.
Ooh that sounds so good!!! Never thought to do that but now I will have to try. Thanks for sharing 😊