Miso Soup

A traditional Japanese soup with a savory umami flavor, soft tofu and tender seaweed. This quick and easy miso soup is a delicious starter or side dish ready in 10 minutes with simple and minimal ingredients! It rivals takeout saving money!

What is Miso Soup?

Japanese miso soup features yellow miso paste, soft tofu, and seaweed simmered in a dashi stock in Japanese cuisine. Many Japanese restaurants will typically serve this traditional soup before your main meal.

The first time I had a bowl of miso soup I remember the delicious savory broth with that salty flavor. It's one of my favorite Asian soups in Japanese cooking because it's such a simple dish that uses minimal ingredients to make!

I love eating miso soup before my meal or you can also simply serve this as a main dish with white rice because it contains protein and fiber.

Homemade miso soup is one the easiest Japanese dishes to make with simple ingredients and little time! I often make this during the colder months when I'm craving soup but you can also enjoy it all year round!

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements

• Low-Sodium Yellow Miso (aka Shinshu Miso): A fermented soybean paste. The paste is a yellow brownish color that is thick and pasty. It's found in the refrigerated section of most Asian markets.
  • Note: There are also different types of miso paste available, such as white miso paste and red miso paste and more. These are not the same as yellow miso. Each type of miso has a different taste and sodium level so be sure to get the yellow kind.
• Dried kelp (aka kombu): Do not wash the white salt content on the kelp. This salt offers flavor to the homemade dashi. You can find dried kelp in the dried section of most Asian grocers. Get the pre-cut kind that comes in rectangular shape, versus the larger sheets that you have to cut yourself to make it easier.
• Bonito Flakes (aka Smoked Skipjack Tuna): These are shavings of Skipjack Tuna for the homemade soup stock. They are pink-colored and come in two variations: finer shavings and larger shavings. Tip: buy the larger shavings instead the finer ones (as pictured below) so you can filter them out more easily.
• Dried Wakame Seaweed: A type of sea plant that is long and slender with a dark green color. This is the green stuff floating in the soup and it's not the same as dried kombo.
• Soft Tofu (aka Silken Tofu): This is usually found in the refrigerated section in most Asian and Western grocers. Or substitute with medium to firm tofu. I recommend buying the kind of soft tofu that comes in a block that you can easily remove from the packaging.
• Cold Water
• Green onions: optional garnish

Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry these ingredients.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make miso soup:

1. First carefully remove soft tofu from packaging and strain excess liquids (see blog post under "Expert Tips" to smoothly remove the soft tofu if guidance is needed). Then slice tofu into small cubes with a sharp knife, about 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm each. Tip: Do not cut the tofu into large cubes as this doesn't taste as great in the miso soup.

2. Next in a small pot, add cold water, dried kelp and bonito flakes. Then cover and bring to boil on medium-high heat, uncovered.

3. As soon as it boils, only remove kelp to prevent the broth from becoming bitter in taste.

4. Then over very low heat, cover and simmer the broth for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place a clean paper towel into a fine sieve and rest it over a large measuring cup or bowl. Uncover and strain out the broth through the paper towel and fine sieve. Do not strain the broth without a paper towel or a fine sieve or it won't catch all the flakes. Pour this homemade dashi broth back into the pot.

5. On medium heat, mix miso paste into the dashi broth until combined with a whisk to break down the paste more quickly.

6. Stir in dried wakame seaweed and allow it to expand. Then gently add diced tofu. Finally serve and garnish with green onions and enjoy!

Storage

• Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last up to 4-5 days. To reheat, add the soup to a small pot and bring it to a boil and serve hot.
• Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing leftover miso soup as the seaweed and tofu will become mushy.

Pairing Suggestions

Miso soup serves well with:

• starters like Japanese crab corn salad or salad with Japanese ginger salad dressing or Korokke
• seafood dishes like shrimp tempura, panko shrimp or ebi mayo
• protein dishes like ramen eggs, chicken katsu or tonkatsu, Karaage, Teriyaki Tofu, Teriyaki Chicken, or Ginger Miso Salmon.
• rice dishes like Oyakodon, Omurice, Shrimp Tempura Rice Ball, Onigiri, or Spicy Tuna Onigiri
• other noodle dishes like Yaki Udon, Creamy Mushroom Udon, or Udon Carbonara
• or Japanese egg salad sandwich

FAQ

Other recipes you may enjoy

• Egg Drop Soup
• Hot and Sour Soup
• Instant Pot Chinese Watercress Soup
• Wonton Noodle Soup