15 Favorite Japanese Hot Pots, Soups & Stews

Enjoy healthy and comforting Japanese hot pots, soups, and stews at home with these popular cold-weather recipes. They are easy to put together and perfect for weeknight dinners. 

The second the weather shifts and the nights are full of cooler temperatures, all I can think about are warm and nourishing Japanese hot pots, soups, and stews. I look forward not only to the pleasures of eating them but also to the joy of preparing them for my family.

From a vegetarian hot tofu dish to a party-favorite shabu shabu, to a mildly spiced pressure cooker curry, here are 15 of my favorite cold-weather recipes to get you started.

15 Favorite Japanese Hot Pots, Soups & Stews

1. Shabu Shabu

Shabu Shabu is one of Japan’s most popular hot pot dishes. All you need to do is to prepare the vegetables ahead of time and have everyone cook the dinner together in a donabe or clay pot over a portable stove. It’s a quick and delicious way to enjoy lots of vegetables during wintertime!

2. Nabeyaki Udon

Slippery udon noodles, chicken, fish cake, mushrooms, and vegetables cooked in a donabe (Japanese earthenware pot) with a flavorful soup broth—Nabeyaki Udon is the ultimate noodle soup to cure the winter blues. Top it off with an egg and crispy shrimp tempura if you like.

3. Instant Pot Tonjiru (Pork and Vegetable Miso Soup)

Tonjiru (sometimes called Butajiru) is a hearty pork and vegetable miso soup. With just 1 min in the Instant Pot, it will be the ultimate, comfy soup for fall and winter months!

4. Sukiyaki

If you enjoy communal-style hot pot dishes, sukiyaki is perfect for a get-together with family and friends. Cover your dining table with plates of leafy vegetables, tofu, mushrooms, and beautifully marbled beef. As the ingredients cook in the boiling pot over a portable stove, guests take turns searching for their favorites and carefully lifting them out with their chopsticks onto their plates to enjoy. As the ingredients quickly get gobbled up, keep tossing in more to cook.

5. Homemade Instant Miso Soup

When the temperature drops, the idea of having a quick, healthy soup by your side cannot be more appealing. That’s why you need this Homemade Instant Miso Soup. Prepare it ahead of time and take it to your office or school. It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare, and you can enjoy miso soup anywhere you go.

6. Kimchi Nabe

This steamy pot of Japanese Kimchi Nabe is made with anchovy broth, kimchi, pork belly, and vegetables. It’s hot and sour with a good kick of spice that will warm you right up!

7. Soy Milk Hot Pot

Soy milk is used as the main flavoring in the dashi broth for this creamy and savory hot pot. Serve it with napa cabbage, leafy green vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, and thinly sliced pork—it’s a hot pot you can enjoy at home any time of the year. The delicate flavor of the broth will make you want to drink it up!

8. Pressure Cooker Japanese Curry

When you are pressed for time to cook a meal for the family, this Pressure Cooker Japanese Curry will relieve the pressure! Simply add the ingredients to the Instant Pot, set the timer, and you’re good to go. Once you’ve taken care of your other urgent tasks, a wonderful stew-like curry will await you when you return to the kitchen.

9. Chanko Nabe (Sumo Stew)

Chanko Nabe, or Sumo Stew, is a robust hot pot filled with various vegetables and plenty of protein in a rich dashi and chicken broth. This well-balanced meal is traditionally eaten by sumo wrestlers but is also enjoyed at home and in some restaurants.

10. Tonjiru

One of my favorite miso soups, Tonjiru, uses flavorful pork belly and in-season root vegetables like daikon and carrots in a dashi-based soup stock. It’s absolutely umami-packed and makes a nourishing stand-alone dish with rice.

11. Rice Porridge (Okayu)

Japanese Rice Porridge (Okayu) is a simple dish made from just rice and water. It’s the best comfort food if you’re feeling under the weather. You can add some protein or vegetables to the rice porridge or keep it plain, with simple toppings like nori, sesame seeds, or scallions on the side.

12. Oden (Japanese Fish Cake Stew)

A classic winter comfort dish in Japan, Oden is a one-pot dish with an assortment of fish balls, fish cakes, deep-fried tofu, hard-boiled eggs, konnyaku, and vegetables simmered in soy sauce-based dashi broth.

13. Mille-Feuille Nabe

A satisfying Japanese hot pot cooked in a savory dashi broth you can enjoy at home. In French, “mille-feuille” means a thousand layers, so this Mille-Feuille Nabe simply refers to the layers of napa cabbage and pork belly slices in the hot pot.

14. Hot Tofu (Yudofu)

For a light and healthy vegetarian dish, this Hot Tofu (Yudofu) is a great choice among all the hearty foods we tend to indulge in during the cold-weather months. You can enjoy it as an appetizer, side dish, or simply as a meal on its own.

15. Kimchi Gyoza Nabe (Hot Pot)

Filled with succulent Japanese dumplings, spicy kimchi, tender vegetables, and hearty mushrooms, this Korean-inspired hot pot is a simmering bowl of savory deliciousness! I also love serving this hot pot when we have guests over for dinner.

More Popular Japanese Hot Pots to Make at Home

• Yosenabe
• Sesame Miso Nabe
• Tsukune Hot Pot (Japanese Meatballs Hot Pot)
• Mizure Nabe (Hot Pot with Grated Daikon)
• A Guide to Japanese Hot Pot

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Nov 8, 2016, and it’s been updated in December 2019.