Make authentic miso soup at home in just 15 minutes! Learn the easy basic recipe and tips to customize it for a bowl of comforting, homemade goodness.
Miso soup is a staple in Japan, and learning to make it is essential if you want to cook Japanese food daily.
In this recipe, I’ll show you how to make a basic miso soup with tofu, mushrooms, and wakame, along with tips and tricks to make your miso soup routine easier and more enjoyable.
💡If you want to learn other essential recipes and techniques for Japanese cooking, check out this step-by-step guide!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple, Easy, and Practical: I make miso soup almost every day, so I wanted to keep this recipe as easy as possible while still tasting great. We’ll use a dashi packet to save time (but if you want to make your own, go for it!), and we’re keeping the ingredients super simple.
- Lots of Ingredients: I love miso soup that’s loaded with ingredients, so this version has more fillings than broth. But you can tweak the ratio however you like.
- Easy to Customize: I’ll share some easy ways to switch things up based on your diet, the season, or whatever you’re craving—so you can enjoy miso soup your way, every day!
Notes on Ingredients
See the recipe card for the full ingredients list.
- Dashi: We’ll use dashi powder (or a dashi packet) to keep things simple without losing flavor. My go-to is Kayanoya Dashi because it’s made with all-natural ingredients, but feel free to use whichever brand you prefer (check out the "How to Use Kayanoya Dashi" section below for more details). If you’d rather make your own, I’ve got a full guide on dashi with homemade recipes that might be helpful (coming soon)!
- Miso: For the best flavor, I recommend using separate miso and dashi, avoiding pre-mixed versions. I usually go for light-colored (tanshoku) miso, like Hikari Miso. For more details on the best miso for miso soup, check out the section below!
- Tofu: Choose silken (kinu) for a smooth texture or firm (momen) if you prefer more bite and tofu that holds its shape. Both work great—go with what you enjoy!
- Dried cut wakame: This is an easy way to add seaweed to your soup and boost its nutritional value. If you’re not into seaweed, feel free to skip it.
What is the Best Miso Paste for Miso Soup?
There are three main types of miso:
- Shiro (white): Mild and sweet, perfect if you want a lighter flavor.
- Aka (red): Saltier with a deeper flavor, ideal for richer soups and stews.
- Light-colored miso: A perfect balance of sweetness, saltiness, and depth. This is my go-to choice for miso soup!
There’s really no right or wrong—it’s all about what you like best! 😊If you want to dive deeper into miso, check out my full guide on miso.
How to Use Kayanoya Dashi
There are two main ways to use Kayanoya Dashi:
- Tear the bag and mix the dashi powder directly into water.
- Steep the bag by adding one dashi bag to about 2 cups (400 to 500ml) of water, bringing it to a boil over medium heat, and simmering for 2-3 minutes before removing the bag.
If you want a clear broth, go with the steeping method since dashi powder doesn’t fully dissolve in water. But honestly, I usually just tear the bag open and mix the powder in—it adds extra nutrients, and, well, I’m too lazy to steep it!
Substitutions and Variations
Miso soup is the perfect way to get creative!
- Add-in Ideas: Feel free to switch up vegetables and/or proteins based on your preferences and the seasons, such as bok choy, broccoli, carrots, chicken, shrimp, different types of mushrooms, egg, and yuzu.
- Gluten-Free Version: Use gluten-free miso.
- Vegan Version: Use vegan dashi such as kombu dashi and plant-based proteins like tofu or deep-fried tofu.
How to Make Miso Soup
Step 1: Cut the shimeji mushrooms, tofu, and any other add-ins
Step 2: Add dashi and shimeji mushrooms to a pot, cooking over medium heat until soft
Step 3: Turn off the heat, dissolve the miso with a ladle, and adjust with more miso or dashi if needed
Step 4: Add tofu and wakame, and let sit for 3–5 minutes. Serve once the wakame softens!
💡Add ingredients that take longer to cook, like root vegetables or chicken, in step 2.
Kurumi's Tips
- Don’t Overthink It: Miso soup is a daily meal, like rice, so don’t stress! Use whatever ingredients you have, taste it as you go, and adjust the miso or dashi to your liking. This way, you’ll get the hang of making it with seasonal ingredients without the pressure.
- Start with Ingredients That Take Longer to Cook: Hard veggies like root vegetables or proteins like chicken need more time to cook, so add them at the start.
- Add Tofu and Wakame Last: To keep the tofu’s shape and avoid overcooking the wakame, add them at the end.
- Add Miso After Turning off the Heat: Miso loses its flavor and good bacteria when boiled, so turn off the heat first. But don’t worry—if you accidentally boil it, it’ll still taste great and be healthy!
- How to Dissolve Miso: If you don’t want rice koji (the grains) floating around in your soup, you can use a strainer, like a fine-mesh strainer. Alternatively, you can simply use a regular ladle—scoop the miso into it, add a little dashi, and stir until it’s fully dissolved.
- Meal Prep Miso Soup: Make the soup base ahead of time, but skip the miso paste, and store it in the fridge. When you're ready to serve, add one serving of miso paste directly to your bowl, pour the reheated soup (without the miso) over it, and stir to dissolve. This way, you avoid reheating the miso multiple times. I do this often since I'm the only one who eats miso soup and can't finish a whole pot at once! 🙂
- Meal Prep Ingredients: To make miso soup even quicker, prep and store ingredients when you have time. I like to freeze shimeji mushrooms, green onions, deep-fried tofu, and cabbage, and store boiled spinach. You can also freeze or boil leftover veggies from other dishes and use them in your miso soup!
What to Serve with Miso Soup
Miso soup is a key part of Ichiju-Sansai, a traditional Japanese meal format made up of rice, soup, one main dish, and two side dishes.
Miso soup pairs well with most Japanese dishes, but I’d recommend avoiding it with dishes that already use miso, like salmon with miso butter.
Here’s a sample menu that follows the Ichiju-Sansai format:
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- To store: Once cooled, store leftovers in a pot or airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Alternatively, transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks.
- To reheat: To defrost frozen miso soup, move it to the fridge a few hours before reheating. Then, heat it in a pot over medium heat, avoiding boiling to preserve the flavors and aromas.
💡Tip: Some add-ins, such as potatoes and tofu, don’t freeze well, so remove them before freezing.
FAQs
Miso soup is made with miso paste, dashi, and veggies or proteins like tofu—perfect for adding more veggies to your meal!
Miso’s history goes back to the Kamakura period (1185–1333), when Chinese monks introduced a mortar to grind miso paste, making it easier to dissolve. This led to the creation of miso soup and the establishment of the Ichiju-Issai meal structure (rice, soup, a side dish, and a pickle).
Miso is used to make miso soup, which offers health benefits.
Miso is fermented and contains probiotics that can lower the risk of stomach cancer, heart disease, and more. It has properties that help fight inflammation, improve digestion, and boost your immune system. Plus, it may help manage blood sugar and blood pressure (source).
1 cup of dashi + ¾ to 1 tablespoon of miso
This is my golden ratio! However, it can vary depending on the type of miso you use, so always taste and adjust to balance the saltiness.
Absolutely! You can cook the vegetables with dashi beforehand and store them in the fridge. When you're ready to eat, simply reheat the soup and add miso, tofu, and wakame.
Alternatively, you can prepare the ingredients ahead of time and freeze them, which is what I often do. I cut and freeze shimeji mushrooms, deep-fried tofu, and scallions so I can make miso soup quickly.
In Japan, people usually don’t use a spoon for miso soup.
Instead, they hold the bowl with one hand and chopsticks with the other. You bring the bowl to your mouth and sip the soup directly. Use your chopsticks to pick up the solid bits. Just a heads-up—try not to slurp, as it’s considered impolite!
Clear soup (called osumashi or sumashi jiru in Japanese) doesn’t use miso. It’s typically seasoned with soy sauce and dashi, making it a completely different dish.
No, I recommend you store it in the fridge.
More Recipes with Miso
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
💌 If you created this recipe and liked it, please let me know by leaving a comment below or tagging me on Instagram (@giveme.umami). I'd love to see your creation!
📖Recipe
Simple Miso Soup with Tofu, Mushrooms, and Wakame Seaweed
Ingredients
- 2 ounces shimeji mushrooms 60g, or other types of mushrooms
- 3.5 ounces silken or firm tofu
- 2 cups water or 2 cups of dashi (see Note 1)
- 2 teaspoons dashi powder omit this if you use dashi instead of water (see Note 2)
- 1.5 tablespoons miso any kind of miso (see Note 3)
- 1 tablespoon dried cut wakame
- minced green onions optional
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients: Cut the stem of 2 ounces shimeji mushrooms and separate them into small clusters by hand. Cut 3.5 ounces silken or firm tofu into ½-inch pieces.
- Cook the vegetables and dashi: In a small to medium pot, add 2 cups water, 2 teaspoons dashi powder, and the shimeji mushrooms. Cover and heat over medium. If you're using ingredients that take longer to cook, like root veggies or chicken, add them at this stage. Once it comes to a boil, let it cook for another 1-2 minutes or until everything is done. For me, this step took about 12 minutes in total.
- Dissolve the miso: Turn off the heat, and slowly add 1.5 tablespoons miso, stirring with a ladle or fine-mesh strainer (see Note 4). Taste and adjust with more miso or dashi if needed.
- Add tofu and wakame: Toss in the tofu cubes and 1 tablespoon dried cut wakame. Cover with a lid and let it sit for 3-5 minutes to soften.
- Serve: Once the wakame softens, pour the soup into bowls, top with minced green onions if you like, and enjoy!
Notes
- (Note 1) Make dashi from scratch: If you'd like to make dashi from scratch, check out my post on how to make dashi from scratch (coming soon).
- (Note 2) Choosing dashi powder: Use natural dashi powder without chemicals or additives. My favorite is Kayanoya Dashi (check out the How to Use Kayanoya Dashi section for more details).
- (Note 3) Choosing miso: There are many types of miso, such as shiro (white), aka (red), and light-colored miso. Use whichever type you like, but avoid miso premixed with dashi—it doesn’t taste as good as using separate dashi and miso.
- (Note 4) Dissolving miso:Use a ladle or miso muddler to dissolve the miso into the soup, or use a fine-mesh strainer if you want to prevent the rice koji from floating in the soup.
- Start with Ingredients That Take Longer to Cook: Hard veggies like root vegetables or proteins like chicken need more time, so add them at the start to give them enough time to cook.
- Add-in Ideas: Feel free to switch up vegetables and/or proteins based on your preferences and the seasons, such as bok choy, broccoli, carrots, chicken, shrimp, different types of mushrooms, egg, and yuzu.
- Serving Suggestions: Miso soup pairs well with most Japanese dishes, but I’d avoid serving it with dishes that already use miso, like salmon with miso butter.
- To store: Once cooled, store leftovers in a pot or airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Alternatively, transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks.
- To reheat: To defrost frozen miso soup, move it to the fridge a few hours before reheating. Then, heat it in a pot over medium heat, avoiding boiling to preserve the flavors and aromas.
- 💡Tip: Some add-ins, such as potatoes and tofu, don’t freeze well, so remove them before freezing.
Kurumi says
I recently started having miso soup and natto for breakfast, and my gut has never been happier! It’s comforting and gives me a moment to pause. I usually make a quick miso soup in a bowl, but the one made in a pot tastes so much better!