Miso Soup
Home / Recipes / Soups / Miso Soup
Miso Soup
Miso soup is the warm, savory bowl served alongside almost every Japanese meal, and it takes just 20 minutes at home. You make a quick dashi broth, then whisk in miso paste off the heat so its flavor and probiotics stay intact. Soft tofu and wakame seaweed round it out, with green onions on top. The key is never to boil the soup once the miso is in.
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 (4-inch) piece kombu
- 1/2 cup bonito flakes
- 3 tablespoons white miso paste
- 6 ounces soft tofu, cubed
- 2 tablespoons dried wakame seaweed
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Directions
- Combine the water and kombu in a pot. Heat over medium until small bubbles form at the edges, then remove the kombu just before it boils.
- Add the bonito flakes and bring to a brief simmer. Turn off the heat and let it steep for 5 minutes, then strain out the flakes. This is your dashi.
- Soak the wakame in a small bowl of water for 5 minutes, then drain.
- Return the dashi to low heat. Add the tofu and wakame and warm gently for 2 minutes.
- Place the miso paste in a small bowl, add a ladle of warm dashi, and whisk until smooth. Stir the loosened miso back into the pot.
- Keep the heat low and do not let it boil. Add the green onions and serve right away.
Tips and variations
- Never boil the soup after adding miso. High heat dulls its flavor and kills its probiotics.
- For a quick version, use instant dashi powder in place of the kombu and bonito flakes.
- Whisk the miso in a ladle of broth first so it dissolves evenly instead of clumping.
- Eat with chopsticks for the tofu and seaweed, then sip the broth straight from the bowl as is traditional.
Save it to your Recipe Box
Copy this one onto a 4x6 card. Title across the top, the seven ingredients down the left, the six steps down the right, and Serves 4, Prep 5, Cook 15 along the header. File it behind the Soups divider. Built to outlast the screenshot.
Get the Recipe Box
Common questions
- What is dashi
- Dashi is the Japanese stock that forms the base of miso soup. It is made by steeping kombu seaweed and bonito flakes in hot water, giving a deep savory flavor.
- What kind of miso should I use
- White miso is mild and slightly sweet, the most common choice for everyday miso soup. Red miso is stronger and saltier, good when you want a bolder bowl.
- Why should I not boil miso soup
- Boiling drives off the aroma of the miso, makes it taste flat, and destroys the beneficial bacteria in the paste. Keep the heat low after the miso goes in.
- Can I make miso soup vegetarian
- Yes. Make a vegan dashi using kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms instead of bonito flakes. The rest of the soup is already plant-based.
More soup recipes
Keep the ones that work
When a recipe earns a repeat, it deserves a card. The Albino Monkey Recipe Box keeps your handwritten favorites on real wooden dividers, Soups through Favorites.
See the Recipe Box