Homemade Miso Soup

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Homemade Miso Soup

Homemade miso soup is filled with rich, complex, and savory flavors, but it’s not hard to make! Bursting with umami, this brothy soup is ready in minutes so that you can enjoy a satisfying meal any time of the day.

Mahalo to Foodland Hawai’i for sponsoring this post. As always, thoughts and opinions are my own.

Miso soup is a frequent dish at our house and a great example of easy Japanese cooking. I love how quick it is to make and there are so many ways you can change it up. We often eat it loaded with tofu and nori, but there’s much more you can add to it, so be sure to check out all my ideas below.

This easy miso soup is a favorite when the weather is cool and rainy, but it’s also a great pick for a light meal. Serve smaller bowls as a starter or take a thermos of this delicious soup to work for an easy and satisfying lunch.

What You Need To Make Japanese Miso Soup

(Full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post)

• Water – Water is the base of this soup but don’t worry, we’re going to pack it with flavor.
• Dashi powder – No need to make dashi from scratch. This is a great way to speed up the process. A little goes a long way! You can use your favorite brand.
• White miso paste – This is the core flavor in this soup, be sure to use a good brand that’s not too salty.
• Tofu – Regular tofu works great in this soup. Cube it into bite-sized pieces.
• Maika’i Original Roasted Seaweed – You can find this at your local Foodland in the Asian aisle. Slice these into strips.
• Green onion – Thinly sliced. Chopped green onions add a pop of freshness and color.

What Is Miso Paste?

Miso is a fermented soybean paste and has a salty, umami-rich flavor. It’s used in many different Japanese dishes, and it comes in various strengths. White or shiro miso paste is the mildest. Yellow or shinsu is mid range. Red miso is fermented the longest and has the strongest flavor.

How To Make Miso Soup Recipe

This is a quick and easy traditional miso soup that’s ready in no time, so make sure you have everything ready to go by the time the water is boiling.

1. Boil the water in a medium-sized soup pot.
2. Add the dashi and mix until dissolved. Lower the heat to a simmer.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the miso paste with a bit of water to thin it. Add this to the broth and whisk until combined. 
4. Add the cubed tofu and the Maika’i Original Roasted Seaweed. Simmer until heated through. 
5. Serve in a bowl topped with sliced green onions.

Variations

This is an easy soup to customize. Some of my favorites include:

• Add thinly sliced mushrooms. I love this soup with shiitake mushrooms in it.
• Leafy greens like fresh spinach, chard, and baby kale are a great additions.
• Noodles. Add soba noodles to add more body to the soup.
• Shrimp and seafood add even more protein to this miso soup with dashi.
• Use chicken, vegetable, or seafood broth in place of the water.

What To Serve Japanese Miso Soup With

I love a bowlful of this soup on its own or with a small bowl of sticky, white rice. It also goes well alongside shoyu ahi poke https://keepingitrelle.com/shoyu-ahi-poke-recipe/, edamame https://keepingitrelle.com/edamame-recipe/, air fryer teriyaki salmon https://keepingitrelle.com/air-fryer-teriyaki-salmon/, or air fryer steak bites https://keepingitrelle.com/air-fryer-steak-bites/ 

Tips To Make The Best Miso Soup

• If you add more veggies or other ingredients to the soup, add them raw to the hot broth without sauteing them, so you don’t end up with puddles of fat on the top of your soup.
• Thin the miso paste with some water first, so it dissolves easily in the soup. Skipping this step could result in lumps of undissolved miso paste in your soup. If this happens, use an immersion blender to try to get rid of the lumps.
• Miso is the primary flavoring in this soup so use a good quality brand of miso paste.
• Maika’i Original Roasted Seaweed is my favorite brand of nori or dried seaweed for this soup, slice it thinly, and it’ll add so much flavor.

How To Store Miso Soup

Keep any leftover soup in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. If you prefer your nori crispy, add it to the soup once it has been reheated. To reheat it, warm it in a saucepan on the stove or heat it in the microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other great recipes that use miso

• Miso glazed salmon
• Miso salmon burgers
• Miso vinaigrette

https://youtu.be/wQkZ_BjkZXA

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