Use my versatile All-Purpose Miso Sauce to make glazes, marinades, dressings, and dipping sauces. This sweet and savory sauce is the secret to many of your favorite Japanese dishes. Add it to any protein or vegetable for a boost of authentic umami flavor. This vegan-friendly sauce is super easy to put together with just four ingredients.

A glass jar containing homemade all purpose miso sauce.

It’s always good to have homemade sauces around in your kitchen so you don’t end up with the store-bought stuff. Not only you have complete control over the ingredients, but a homemade sauce always tastes so much better. Today I’m sharing my secret magic sauce: the brilliant All-Purpose Miso Sauce.

Whether it is to add a little depth or complexity, this miso sauce never fails to jazz up a dish whenever something is amiss. Just like a reliable friend you can count on anytime!

The Best Miso Sauce

5 reasons to love this sauce:

  • It’s full of authentic Japanese flavor. The sauce is the guarded secret to many of your favorite Japanese dishes.
  • Super easy to put together & only 4 simple ingredients needed!
  • Long shelf life. Make once and store well in the fridge for up to 2 months.
  • Its ability to transform. You can get a whole variety of homemade sauce with varying flavors by using different miso. Mild, sweet or pungent – you decide.
  • Unlike bottled seasoning sauces, this homemade sauce is free of processed ingredients and MSG (monosodium glutamate).
Hikari Miso Organic Series
I enjoy using different organic miso from Hikari Miso.

3 Things to Know When Making All-Purpose Miso Sauce

1. Saltiness varies based on the miso brand/type

If you’re using a different brand or type of miso, keep in mind that the saltiness level may differ from my recipe. So adjust accordingly.

2. Different types of miso yield different flavors

Miso can be made of rice, barley, soybean, or koji, and each one has different strengths and depth. Just like saltiness, if you’re using a different type of miso, your homemade miso sauce may not taste exactly like mine. It also means you can literally make a variety of this sauce by using different types of miso.

3. Miso burns easily

Miso itself burns easily while cooking, but it gets even more susceptible when you include mirin and/or sugar. Be sure to keep a close eye of the pot. Stay around to scrape the bottom of the pot and keep stirring.

Miso chicken over steamed rice, garnished with sesame seeds and green onion.

Miso Chicken

Recipe Ideas with All-Purpose Miso Sauce

  • Marinade: Use different proteins including fish, chicken, pork, beef, and tofu. Cook in the foil, oven or pan fry.
  • Stir Fry: Add just a tablespoon or two of the miso sauce to the stir-fry dishes.
  • Simmered Dishes (Nimono): Simmer root vegetables and protein with miso sauce.
  • Dipping Sauce: for your steamed vegetables, hot pot, or simply, fresh cucumber.
  • Dressing: Coat with all kinds of vegetables and add them to the salad dressing base.

Sweet, savory, versatile, and full of umami, that’s what makes this All-Purpose Miso Sauce so brilliant. I know you’d have fun integrating the sauce into more of your cooking.

Recipe Ideas:

A glass jar containing homemade all purpose miso sauce.

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A glass jar containing homemade all purpose miso sauce.

All-Purpose Miso Sauce

4.73 from 107 votes
Use my versatile All-Purpose Miso Sauce to make glazes, marinades, dressings, and dipping sauces. This sweet and savory sauce is the secret to many of your favorite Japanese dishes. Add it to any protein or vegetable for a boost of authentic umami flavor. This vegan-friendly sauce is super easy to put together with just four ingredients.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 300 ml

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup miso (I used Hikari Miso® Organic Red Miso)
  • 1 cup mirin
  • ½ cup sake
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

Instructions
 

  • Gather all the ingredients.
    All-Purpose Miso Sauce Ingredients
  • Add 1 cup miso, 1 cup mirin, ½ cup sake, and 2 Tbsp sugar to a small saucepan. 
    All-Purpose Miso Sauce 1
  • Whisk it all together. Set the pot on the stove and bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat.
    All-Purpose Miso Sauce 2
  • Once bubbling, reduce the heat to low. Keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent the sauce from burning. Simmer for 20–30 minutes until thickened. Your miso sauce is now ready to use.
    All-Purpose Miso Sauce 3

To Serve

To Store

  • Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and let it cool completely. Close the lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
    All-Purpose Miso Sauce 4

Nutrition

Serving: 1 ml · Calories: 5 kcal · Carbohydrates: 1 g · Protein: 1 g · Fat: 1 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Sodium: 34 mg · Potassium: 2 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 1 g · Vitamin A: 1 IU · Calcium: 1 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Course: How to
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: miso, miso sauce
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4.73 from 107 votes (92 ratings without comment)
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Hi Nami, preparing to make this and noticed the quantities are off in the Print version. For example the header says 1ml (1.25 cup), the Ingredients list 0.01 cup for miso, Kirin, sake and then 0.01 tbsp for sugar. I am very used to ml as a European but still, should probably be fixed 🙂 ? Love your stuff!

Hi Con,
Thank you for trying this recipe!
We’re preparing to update the recipe plugin that incorporates metric measurement (so that we don’t have to manually calculate and add to the note next to the ingredient). We hope it will be better.
Thank you for writing to us!☺️

Are you supposed to keep it in the fridge for two months before use or can it stay in the fridge for two months?

What kind of sugar do you usually use ? It doesn’t seem like you are using white sugar from the picture above. Does it make a difference ? Just wonder since I would like to follow exactly . 😊 Thanks a lot.

Q: Could you mix in the Miso as the sauce cools?

Thank you for putting this information out here. I am new to Asian cooking, but I’m tired of unhealthy foods. I do have one question though, I use Miso for it’s living culture as much as for it’s taste. Could you mix in the Miso as the sauce cools? If not in this recipe do you have another that preserves the natural cultures?

Thank you

Evelyn Mitchell

Thank you

Hello, Nami!
Can I use the Korean soybean paste (easily available where I am [Philippines]) instead of the miso paste that is used in the recipe here?

Thanks so much for your response! I will check out one of these stores.

I wanted to make this sauce for the miso chicken but sadly I only had a third of the miso required. In a complete experiment I have substituted a 1/3 of the miso with gochujang, I know its not the same and will add a completely different flavour but I think it will be pretty good. Have only made the sauce so far and haven’t used it as a marinade yet but tasting it on its own it is quite nice and a little spicy so I am looking forward to it!

Hi Nami!
I cooked this sauce yesterday exactly as you instructed, yielded such a lovely smell throughout the house! Thank you for the recipe!

Apart from marinade and dipping sauce for your miso chicken recipe, I have just a few questions:

1) Can I use this sauce as stir fry sauce for veggies or meat? Would you point me to your recipes with uses for this sauce?

2) How do I use this sauce with salmon?

3) I did a taste after it was simmered. Umami and salty, must I dilute it with water before using it?

Thank you! Hope you don’t have to exert too much answering my questions, and get well soon! We missed you.5 stars

Hi Nami

Thanks for your yummy recipes. I have cooked your Japanese Hamburger twice and my family just love it so much!
For this All-purpose Miso Sauce, what can I replace with Sake? Thanks and wish you a speedy recovery from your recent shoulder issue.

I’m going to try and make miso sauce and miso chicken today.5 stars

Hi, I’m wondering what I can use to replace the sake? I’m testing a recipe for kids and I can’t cook with alcohol for a school district.

Thank you 🙂

I only have white miso. Would it still work?

This sounds delicious. I’m already pushing my allergy luck with miso, what do you suggest to substitute for sake? I’m allergic to alcohol, which I realize is also risky when using miso.

Absolutely at the top of our list for glaze/marinates. We use it in several different ways with meat, vegetables and rice. Tomokuteki & Oishi!!!!!!5 stars

Seems good so far. I made this recipe to make the miso chicken. I went for the full 30 min of simmering and I noticed by the end the sauce barely bubbled which I took to mean all the water was gone. I ended up with just under two cups of sauce. The taste seems okay but I’m waiting to see how it all comes together when I make the chicken. Would love to know how much sauce this recipe makes once you are done thickening. Also I loved the pictures as a guide in this recipe.5 stars

I can’t wait to try this recipe, it sounds so versatile and tasty. I’m curious about one thing though. I’ve read that miso shouldn’t be boiled and you should add miso at the end of a recipe. I’m not sure why, but am wondering how it effects the miso for this recipe where you need to boil it down to a thicker consistency with the other ingredients.

Hi Nami, so since it’s inevitable not to boil miso for this sauce, would this sauce won’t have that miso taste after we’re cooking it?