Miso soup also is known as “miso shiru” is a very simple yet very delicious and flavourful soup packed with umami. It’s an integral part of Japanese cuisine and a staple at nearly any Japanese restaurant. It’s also an easy thing to make yourself to bring a taste of Japan into your everyday cooking.
Enjoy it served simply with just green onions or add a variety of ingredients to make delicious flavour-packed combinations. Let’s learn the authentic miso soup formula with homemade miso paste!
What’s Miso Soup?
Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup made from base ingredients of miso paste and dashi. From there many other types of ingredients are added to create varieties of miso soup for different tastes, regions, seasons, and festivities. Green onions, seaweed (wakame), and silken tofu are some of the key ingredients as they pair well with the flavour of the miso creating a well-rounded soup.
There are many other ingredients you can choose to add flavour, texture, and colour. My personal favourites are purple sweet potato and somen noodle. Other options include mushrooms, onions, daikon (radish), and clams. You can add what you like, however, typical miso soup recipes do not contain too many additional ingredients. Japanese people generally will use seasonal ingredients to create miso soup that fit the current season and utilises vegetables that are at their peak.
How Is It Made?
- Prepare Dashi – You can either prepare dashi from instant dashi powder or from scratch. See the dashi making from Dashi granules and how to make various dashi on my post Dashi guide.
- Cook ingredients – Cook your chosen ingredients in the dashi.
- Add miso paste – When the ingredients are cooked, add miso paste into the soup and let it dissolve. Do not let the soup boil, as it will lose the miso flavour. Garnish with finely chopped scallions to serve.
What Goes Into The Soup?
Dashi
Dashi can be prepared from scratch or you can use instant dashi powder. If you are going to make it from scratch, read my Dashi Guide. There are many different types of dashi based on what ingredients are used to make it.
Essentially Japanese follow this culinary flavour combination. Use this as a guide when you decide which ingredients to use. If you keep this basic in mind and devise a combination of dashi and ingredients, your variations will expand dramatically.
The basic combination of dashi stock and ingredients is when the dashi stock is made from plant-based such as Kombu kelp and Shiitake mushrooms, with perfectly matched ingredients of animal products such as meat, egg or fish.
When the dashi is made from an animal product such as Bonito flake and Iriko dried anchovies, well-matched ingredients are vegetables, mushrooms, and tofu etc.
Awase dashi which is made from a combination of kombu kelp and bonito is compatible with both plant-based and any meat, egg and fish. Reference: Misoshiru Kihon
If you are going to use dashi powder, I would recommend using one with no additives. The package is marked as “無添加” like Awase Dashi Powder with No MSG (Bonito and Kelp Soup Stock).
Miso
There are mainly three types of miso paste: red, white, and mixed. Each type of miso has ingredients that are suited to each miso paste.
Red Miso: Red miso is often dry and has a rich umami taste. Ingredients that have a strong taste of their own are recommended such as meat and shellfish.
White Miso: Light and mild flavoured white miso goes well with not only ordinary ingredients but also sweet ingredients such as dumplings.
Awase Miso: Awase miso does not have a distinctive taste like red and white miso. So it does not dictate the ingredients. If you keep the ingredients simple, you can enjoy the deliciousness of this white miso flavour.
Garnishes: Suikuchi
Finish the miso soup with garnishes with “Suikuchi”. “Suikuchi” is a fragrant garnish which enhances the miso soup flavour. Green shallots are often and most commonly used but there are many others. For example, mitsuba, shiso (which is my favourite), mustard, shichini togarshi, sesame seeds, ginger, yuzu, and others. They all have a lovely fragrance and enhance the taste of the soup.
Where Do I Get Ingredients From?
The base ingredients of miso soup are dashi stock and miso paste. These are staple Japanese ingredients so both should be stocked at your local Japanese or Asian supermarket. If you don’t have a store nearby, you can purchase them online. Nowadays, miso has become more commonly used so you should actually sometimes find it from regular supermarkets in your country too.
If you live here in Australia, you can find miso paste at Woolies and Coles. If you live in the US, you can find it at Wholefoods and Trader Joe’s. Beyond dashi and miso paste, the ingredients you wish to add to the soup can fit best to whatever you have access to.
Weight Loss, Fasting & Miso Soup
Miso soup is a great food for those wanting to lose weight and maintain a healthy diet. Depending on the ingredients you choose, this soup can be low carb and low calorie while still being a satiating side dish.
If you are doing intermittent fasting, miso soup can be a good option for you. You can eat it to get you through a fasting day as it is a lower calorie soup option that can help you feel full. Just be mindful of the ingredients you choose to add to avoid breaking your fast.
It’s best to make your own miso soup because the pre-packaged instant versions can contain high levels of sodium and provide much less nutritional value. Making your own means you know what’s going in it and is much healthier. Overall this authentic Japanese soup is also a tasty way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet and is a great addition to a healthy meal plan.
Miso Soup & Gut Health
Miso soup is made from miso paste which contains a probiotic known as Koji. Probiotic rich foods, such as yoghurt, fermented foods, and miso promote healthy gut bacteria and good digestion and fight off bad bacteria that can upset your stomach.
However, sometimes when introducing a probiotic-rich food to your diet, your body may initially react badly causing you to feel sick and potentially have diarrhoea. This is not common but it can happen though it shouldn’t last long once your stomach has adjusted to the introduction of healthy bacteria.
The probiotics can eventually promote healthy digestion which should stop bloating and constipation. Miso soup is also made from soy, which in some people can cause diarrhea as well. I have never experienced any adverse effects from miso soup but I have grown up eating foods like this. So just be careful if it is your first time eating miso soup. Reference
Useful Gadget To Have
I have to give a special mention of the gadget I love. It is called the “Miso Muddler”! Stick one side into the miso paste and circle it. The larger side scoops out 2 tbsp equivalent of miso paste and the smaller side scoops out 1 tbsp equivalent. Then you can use it as a mixer! Whoever invented this gadget is a genius.
FAQ
A: No, miso soup is made from dashi which is usually made from seafood including bonito and anchovies. However, dashi can also be made from shiitake mushrooms which can make it vegan/vegetarian.
A: No, It cannot be frozen.
Related Miso Soup Recipes
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Japanese miso soup
Ingredients
- 400 ml Dashi stock *4
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 100 g tofu
- 2 tbsp wakame (dry)
- 2 tsp green shallots chopped
Instructions
- Reconstitute wakame seaweed by putting them into a small bowl of water.
- Dice the tofu and set aside.
- Bring Dashi stock to boil in a saucepan over medium heat *5
- Add the diced tofu into the dashi stock to cook.
- Drain and squeeze out excess water out of the wakame seaweed and add wakame to the saucepan to cook for a few minutes. *1
- Turn the heat off and add miso paste
- Using a sieve, dissolve the miso paste. *2
- Once all the miso has dissolved, turn the heat back on.
- Turn the heat off just before the miso soup reaches boiling point. *3
- Serve Miso soup and garnish with chopped green shallots
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Rosie says
Hi! Do you have any product recommendations for wheat-free/gluten-free Dashi? Thanks! I hope one exists so I can make this recipe because it looks amazing!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Rosie, if you make your own dashi, my understanding is homemade dashi is wheat and gluten free?
Stephen Doran says
Hi the link to Dashi Granules at the top of the page is broken.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you Stephen, I am trying to fix the technical issues in Chopstick Chronicles a at the moment. Thank you letting me know.
Ramone says
Very simple and easy to use recipe!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Ramone, Thank you so much 😀
Pablo says
Looks so delicious simple to make i will try making it soon
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you so much Pablo 😀 Let me know how your miso soup turned out.
Elzi says
Thank you for very authentic miso soup recipe. I think if you are going to make this soup at home, you may as well do it the right way ! It was easy to follow and had many layers of flovor
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you Elzi!!
Judi says
I love Miso soup, and your recipe is great (thank you).
What other recipes can you use Miso Soup in?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Judi, Thank you for your lovely comment. You can make different variations by changing ingredients to make miso soup. Miso paste can be used in many different recipes, for example, Miso glazed Salmon, Nasu Dengaku, Miso eggs, you can check this post for more ideas.
Samantha says
This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
You are welcome 😀
Ethan says
I love Miso soup! Thanks for sharing this! Have you ever used a range hood while cooking? I think it makes all the difference.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Ethan, Thank you for the comment and rating. Yes I do use a range hood, but I have to use portable cooktop for photography purpose 😀
J. Martín Rodríguez says
How do you convert 400ml of Dashi? I used half of 1/4Tbsp of the Dashi and it came out great…..but, I would still like to know the conversion.
Saludos,
Martín
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Martin, if you use Dashi powder, you need to follow the packet direction. Because Each commercially made Dashi powder are different.
Glenda Macdonald says
Shihoko-san,
Is it possible to make miso soup the night before I serve it in the morning?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Glenda, yes you can. Sometime I make too much and I have left over in the morning. You just have to be careful not to lose the flavour when you reheat it in the morning. Turn the heat off just before it boils.
Cris says
Shihoko-san I just came across your website and tried out this recipe; it was wonderful! I am so happy~~ It’s also really fantastic that you add the nutritional information too – I haven’t seen this provided anywhere else, it is very much appreciated and something I have been looking for. I can’t wait to try out your other recipes!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
You are welcome Cris 😀 I am glad to know that you liked Miso soup. You know you can even make your own miso paste How to make miso paste 😀
Emma says
Very delicious and easy to make! Thank you
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
You are welcome 😀 Thank you for 5 star rating 😀
Alief Widho says
what kind of miso do you use ? white or red ?
and which one tastier ?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi I use my own home made which is between white and red. If you like mild right flavour of miso, try white. If you like strong rich falvour use red because the darker colour one is more matured.
Ava de Montagne says
Five stars and had to add your site to my bookmarks, I like it so much!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you Ava 😀
the-natemare-theorist.tumblr.com says
I put to leave a comment, man do I’ve a hard time writing
a blog. Im aiming to kick start one on my website and I must say
its not easy at all. I do admire people like yourself who
are
able to reveal anything with ease. Keep up the good work!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you for your kind words 😀
Thomas Smith says
Do you have any preferred types and brands of tofu for use with miso soup? I generally grab “silken” firm tofu but have been fairly willy-nilly in my tofu choices up ‘til now and would appreciate suggestions.
Nice, simple recipe with useful notes that can wreck the dish. Very nice and concise!
Thomas Smith says
Meant to say nice notes that help avoid pitfalls that can wreck the dish!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you Thomas 😀
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Thomas 😀 I buy tofu from a local Japanese grocery store and the brand is not global brand. Where do you live? The Morinaga brand’s long life tofu(kind of) on supermarket shelf is my second choice.
JMisoda says
What Miso paste do you use for your soup? I love Miso paste from Miyasaka. Their paste taste much richer than other brand. Do you have any preferences?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi JMisoda san 😀 I don’t have any preference and now I make my own at home. Rich miso taste is great for glaze and miso soup ingredients for meat, fish and root vegetables 😀
JMisoda says
Hi Sahoko san,
You make your own! That’s really good!!
Have you tried Miyasaka’s miso paste though? I tried Marukome and Hikari. But so far I like Miyasaka’s best (especially since I cannot make my own miso). My favorite one is not listed on their website. It’s bit weird. But you can find one at Asian market for sure.
JMisoda says
Sorry I meant Shihoko san. My apology.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you for your suggestion 😀 I have never heard of Miyasaka’s. I don’t think they are available in Australia. When I short on my own Miso, I buy Miso. I love making miso it is so fan even tough it is a long process ;D
pablo says
amazing and super healthy!
Chopstick Chronicles says
I’m glad you like it, thank you!
Danny says
Thanks for sharing Shihoko. My Japanese friend often cooks Miso soup for me but he doesn’t add mushroom. I will as him to try your recipe sometimes.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Danny 😀 Thank you for your comment. You can use what ever you like. Be creative and let me know if you found great combinations of ingredients. My favourite is Somen noodle and purple sweet potato 😀
Pablo Villagra says
This recipe looks very simple, I have to try it soon
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank You Pablo <3 Please try it soon and let me know how you went 😀
Fabiola says
Love it Shihoko! Thank you 😊
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
You are welcome Fabiola 😀