It’s super easy to make authentic Japanese miso soup at home! As the daily elixir of the Japanese diet, homemade miso soup is not only delicious, it also brings many great health benefits. Learn how to make this nourishing soup at home with my recipe tutorial and cooking video.
Many of you probably have tried miso soup at least once if you have visited Japanese restaurants. In the US, it is usually served before the main meal with a salad. However, in Japan, miso soup is ALWAYS served at the same time when steamed rice is served.
I may be biased, but miso soup is probably one of the easiest soups you can make at home! At the end of this post, you should feel pretty confident to make yourself a bowl of authentic miso soup at home. And trust me, what you make will taste 10,000 times better than the restaurant or instant one.
Watch How To Make Homemade Miso Soup
It’s super easy to make authentic Japanese miso soup with savory homemade dashi. The Japanese drink miso soup almost every day with different ingredients.
What is Miso Soup?
Most Japanese meals are served with a bowl of steamed rice and a traditional Japanese soup called Miso Soup (味噌汁). Depending on the region, season, and personal preference, you can find many varieties of miso soup enjoyed in Japan. In addition to the classic tofu and wakame combination, we also use a lot of different ingredients to make the soup. That’s why we can never get bored with it.
Miso soup is simply made of 3 components: dashi, miso (soybean paste), and your choice of ingredients. We’ll go over how it all works together in details below:
Part 1: Dashi (Japanese Soup Stock)
Dashi (だし・出汁) is Japanese stock, and it is a fundamental ingredient in many Japanese dishes. If you’re looking to make authentic Japanese miso soup, you will have to use dashi as the soup broth and not any other types of broth. Miso soup is not miso soup without dashi.
While you may not be familiar with dashi, it is actually the easiest and quickest broth one can make at home. There are quite a few methods to make dashi. Japanese home cooks commonly use Awase Dashi (made with kombu kelp+ dried bonito flakes) and Iriko Dashi (made with anchovies) for their miso soup. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you can use Kombu Dashi (made with kombu kelp).
I make my homemade dashi because it is so much simpler and straight forward than making chicken or vegetable stock! You can find all the ingredients in Japanese and most Asian grocery stores. Click here for the video tutorial on how to make dashi from scratch.
I have a detailed post on How to Make Dashi (The Ultimate Guide). It’s worth reading if you are serious about making Japanese food at home.
Some recipes online use instant dashi powder or granules for miso soup. However, I don’t recommend this option as most dashi powder brands contain MSG and the flavor and fragrance do not last long.
Pro Tip! Japanese cooking requires dashi in many recipes. You can make a big batch of dashi and store in the refrigerator up to 3-5 days or in the freezer for 2 weeks and it’s always ready to go. Use dashi for different recipes throughout the week and if you have any leftover at the end of the week, make miso soup to finish up your weekly batch. With dashi on hand, you can make miso soup in under 10 minutes!
Part 2: Miso (Soybean Paste)
Miso (味噌), fermented soybean paste, is made from soybeans, grains (steamed rice or barley), salt, and koji culture (麹, a fermentation starter). There are many different brands and variety of miso paste in the market. For miso soup, I find yellow miso (known as awase miso) the most versatile. It has a more rounded flavor that goes well with any ingredients.
Each miso paste and brand varies in saltiness and flavors, so do adjust the amount of miso according to taste. You can also mix 2-3 types of miso together for more complex flavors. Otherwise, if you have good quality miso, enjoy its unique characters.
To learn more about miso on my blog, click here. If you are interested in making your own miso at home, read about it here.
A typical Japanese miso soup bowl holds about 200 ml of liquid. Aa general rule, we add 1 tablespoon (20 g) of miso per one miso soup bowl (200 ml dashi).
The most important tip to remember – NEVER boil miso soup once miso is added because it loses flavors and aromas.
Part 3: Your Choice of Ingredients
I assume most of you have tried tofu miso soup (how to cut tofu) at Japanese restaurants. Have you tried miso soup with other ingredients? In Japan, because we drink miso soup every day, we switch up the ingredients all the time.
Follow these quick tips when you use different vegetables or seafood for your soup:
- Cook ingredients in succession based on their density.
- Add root vegetables into dashi first before boiling.
- Let them simmer until they become tender.
- Add other quick-cooking ingredients.
- Add garnishes such as green onions/scallions and mitsuba (Japanese herbs) only right before serving.
Ingredients that are added BEFORE bringing dashi to a boil
- Carrot
- Clams
- Daikon radish
- Kabocha squash/pumpkin
- Manila clams
- Onion
- Potato
- Turnip
Ingredients that are added AFTER dashi is boiling
- Aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch)
- Bean sprouts
- Cabbage/napa cabbage
- Egg
- Eggplant
- Green onions/scallions
- Mushrooms such as enoki, maitake, nameko, shiitake, shimeji, etc
- Negi (long green onion/leeks)
- Okra
- Somen noodles
- Spinach
- Tofu (silken or medium firm)
- Wakame seaweed
- Yuba (soybean curd)
Health Benefits of Homemade Miso Soup
Japanese people drink miso soup daily as we believe this delicious, healing soup is a gateway to great health. Just like green tea, you can safely say miso soup is the elixir of the Japanese diet. Here are just some of the health benefits of miso soup:
1. Helps maintain a healthy digestive system
With its beneficial probiotics, drinking miso soup helps to improve your overall digestion and absorption of nutrients.
2. Good Source of Nutrients
Miso is rich in minerals as well as copper, manganese, protein, Vitamin K and zinc. Therefore, drinking a bowl of miso soup a day is like taking the natural supplement for your health.
3. Good for bones
Miso soup provides many bone-building minerals like calcium, magnesium, and manganese, which helps to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis.
4. Improve your heart
The natural chemical compounds in miso, such as Vitamin K2, linoleic acid and saponin, are known to reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol.
To enjoy the amazing health benefits of miso soup, you will want to make your own miso soup. The instant miso soup will not be as good since they tend to contain higher sodium and may include other preservatives. There are some good brands out there, so just be sure to read the label.
Now that you’ve learned how to make miso soup at home, I hope you enjoy this nourishing soup every day!
Other Variations of Miso Soup You May Enjoy:
- Homemade Instant Miso Soup
- Vegan Miso Soup (with tofu and wakame seaweed)
- Vegetarian Miso Soup (with easy seasonal vegetables)
- Tonjiru (Pork & Vegetable Miso Soup)
- Clam Soup (Asari Miso Soup)
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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It’s super easy to make authentic Japanese miso soup at home! As the daily elixir of the Japanese diet, homemade miso soup is not only delicious, it also brings many great health benefits. Learn how to make this nourishing soup at home with my recipe tutorial and cooking video.
- 4 cups water (960 ml)
- ⅓ oz kombu (dried kelp) (10 g or 4" x 4" or 10 cm x 10 cm)
- ⅓ oz katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (10 g or 1 cup; I used 3 cups in the video for strong dashi flavor)
- 2 cups dashi (click to learn more about this soup stock) (480 ml)
- Ingredients of your choice (Please see the post)
- 2-3 Tbsp miso
- 1 green onion/scallion (finely chopped)
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Clean kombu with a damp towel. Wipe off any unclean particles. NEVER wash kombu and do not remove the white substance -that’s umami! Soak the kombu in water for 30 minutes or overnight (preferred).
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After 30 minutes, kombu is rehydrated. This liquid is called cold brew Kombu Dashi.
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Pour kombu dashi into a saucepan and SLOWLY bring to boil on medium-low heat. You want to extract umami from kombu as much as possible. Right before boiling, discard the kombu (you can make Simmered Kombu or Homemade Furikake (Rice Seasoning)). If you leave kombu inside, it gets slimy and leaves a bitter taste; therefore, we always remove it. If you’re vegetarian/vegan, use this kombu dashi for your miso soup and proceed to Step 2. If you’re not, proceed to the following step.
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Add Katsuobushi and let it simmer for 30-60 seconds. Turn off the heat and let steep for 10 minutes.
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Strain over a fine-mesh sieve and the stock is ready to use! This is called Awase Dashi. You can keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days in the refrigerator and up to 2 weeks in the freezer. Repurpose used katsuobushi to make Homemade Furikake (Rice Seasoning).
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You have roughly 4 cups dashi. The following Miso Soup recipe requires 2 cups dashi for 2 servings. Save the half for later, OR double the recipe and finish up all the dashi. Add the dashi into a saucepan.
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Are you in a hurry? Use Dashi Packet or Dashi Powder to make instant dashi.
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If your miso soup doesn't include hard ingredients or clams, go to next step. In a soup pot, add dashi and hard ingredients like root vegetables. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer until they become tender. If you're making Clam Miso Soup, add clams in pre-boiling kombu dashi. Once the shells are open, turn off the heat (do not overcook).
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If your miso soup doesn’t include these ingredients, bring dashi to a boil and go to next step. AFTER dashi starts boiling, add in soft vegetables like leafy greens, mushrooms, deep-fried tofu pouch because they require less cooking time. At this point, keep the soup at a simmer and make sure it stays warm (not OVERBOILING).
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Add a small amount of miso at a time (you can start with 2 Tbsp miso for 2 cups dashi). Put miso inside a ladle and slowly add dashi into the ladle to dissolve miso completely. You can buy a miso muddler or a fine-mesh miso strainer which helps you dissolve miso faster. If you accidentally added too much miso, dilute the miso soup with dashi (or water). NEVER OVERBOIL miso soup because it loses nutrients, flavors, and fragrance.
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Add tofu AFTER miso is completely dissolved because you might break the tofu when mixing in miso. If you add chilled tofu from the refrigerator, miso soup would get cooler. Reheat miso soup until it is just hot, but NOT OVERBOIL.
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Add rehydrated wakame (seaweed). I recommend re-hydrating dried wakame in a separate bowl of water to get rid of saltiness, instead of re-hydrating inside miso soup. Add ingredients that do not require cooking such as chopped green onions, mitsuba, yuzu, and blanched spinach right before serving to keep the fresh fragrance and color.
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Serve immediately. Place on the right side of the table setting (Read on Ichiju Sansai, or 1 soup 3 dishes; see the picture).
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In general, it's best to use up all the miso soup because the fragrance and taste will be lost as time passes by. Let your miso soup cool at room temperature (up to 4 hours - otherwise miso soup will be spoiled) and then refrigerate. You can keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. If you want to make a big batch, it's best to keep the soup BEFORE adding miso. Add the miso only for the portion you need. You can freeze miso soup for up to 2 weeks. If the miso soup contains potatoes or tofu, remove them before freezing as the textures subject to change.
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In a pot, bring miso soup to warm temperature, but CAREFUL not to overboil. Miso loses its nutrients at high temperature.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on Mar 3, 2011. The post has been updated with better pictures, a new video, and more detailed recipe (same recipe).
Looking For More Nourishing Soups & Stews?
Not sure how much it matters, but I can’t find Japanese branded tofu. I can only get tofu with Korean, Chinese, or all English on the package. Last time I chose the organic Korean soft tofu. I was wondering if Japanese tofu had a different taste? The one I used tonight was good, but had a kinda strong flavor. The texture didnt look like the one in your picture… It’s soft and not silken tofu? Thanks!
Hi Steven! I on the other hand never bought non-Japanese brand tofu, so it’s hard to say (plus there are many brands available for Korean and Chinese). I think Korean, Chinese and Japanese soft tofu are pretty similar. Or at least when I eat at the restaurant, the tofu seems “similar” if not “same”. Each brand also makes tofu very differently too, so if you think the one you tried had a strong flavor, you may want to try a different brand. For this recipe (particularly this photo shoot), I’m using Japanese brand tofu, and it’s very smooth and silken. You can put any kinds of tofu (there is no rule what kind of tofu to use for miso soup). Hope this helps. 🙂
This is a great nutritional value, vegetarian and delicious soup!! I love your recipes.
Hi Maria! Thank you so much for your kind comment. Yes, miso has a wonderful nutritious benefit (only thing we need to worry is the salt content – make sure you don’t put too much). I am glad you enjoy my recipes! Thanks for writing! 🙂
May I know at what age is it appropriate for a child to try miso soup?
Hi Anthea! Just like for all the foods, you should be careful to introduce a new food because your child might have an allergic reaction to certain foods. Please consult with your baby’s pediatrician first.
In general in Japan, we start feeding miso soup right before a baby turns 1 year old. Instead of giving “regular” (adult) miso soup, we dilute miso soup so that salt content is not too strong, maybe dilute about 4 times. You can scoop the top layer of miso soup (less salty) and dilute it.
Again, I recommend you to consult with your baby’s pediatrician first. 🙂 Hope that helps!
Thanks Nami for your reply. He is coming to 2yo in November and we will be heading to Tokyo for the big day 😉 Since we are going to Japan, thought of letting him try out all these common food first before going there. Here in Malaysia, I’ve asked his doctor before about some of those high allergen food, he said once he turned 1yo should be ok to try everything – except for half cook or raw food.
hello! my name is marcela and i am from brazil. I would like to thank you for posting this amazing recipes. I made almost everything and they taste like heaven. I can not explain my gratitude for this website. I thank you from heart for your recipes.
thank you
ps: soory for the poor english is not my native language
Hi Marcela! I understood your English perfectly. I do struggle writing and speaking in English too and I’m not 100% comfortable. 🙂
I’m really happy to hear you enjoy my recipes and thank you so much for your feedback. Let me know if my English explanation is not clear, etc. I’d be happy to help. Thanks again!
Hi Anthea! I see! That’s very good idea. You will be drinking miso soup if rice is served to the meal. 🙂 Hope you enjoy a trip to Japan! 🙂
I totally forgot about those little packets! My mom used them, thanks for the sweet memory
Hi June! No problem! Those packets are so easy for daily use. 🙂
Lovely blog! My son loves miso soup and I’m glad to find your recipe 🙂 I can add ramen too right?
Hi Jude! Thank you! I hope you enjoy my miso soup recipe. Well, just to note that adding ramen in miso soup won’t be like miso ramen…. Ramen is not a good noodle to put in miso soup, unless you really want to add… I’d recommend somen noodles or udon noodles. Ramen is a bit awkward, but it’s up to you! 🙂
Is that so? Thanks for telling me. I don’t know anything about Japanese food except for tempura, sushi and ramen haha! For this year, I want to enchant the dishes I cook for my family so I’ve been trying other Asian recipes. I’m so happy i chanced upon your blog . Excited to learn more….but I need to find a Japanese grocery near our place to buy my miso paste and dashi 🙂
Hi Jude! I mean, it’s up to your preference I guess. But you will not find ramen noodles in miso soup in Japan. Something that we don’t put in miso soup. 🙂 Miso should be pretty easy to find and some American stores like Whole Foods even carry it. For Dashi, you can buy an instant dashi (powder), but if you want to make it from scratch, you may need to visit Japanese or Korean or Asian markets to buy kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). Hope you give it a try! 🙂
Hello Nami,
Thank you for a very informative and well-produced blog. Regarding dashi, I have 2 questions/comments. I used to buy a 1 lb. box of Hondashi of a well-known brand but no more; reason, the first two ingredients are salt, glucose, etc! Regarding katsuo, the only flaked bonito easily available in most of the US hana katsuo, better for furikake than for dashi. The dark katsuo for dashi is not really found here. Niboshi or sardine/anchovies are found in Korean stores and their dashida can be prepared at a lower expense. While not katsuo-dashi, different dashi-s exist in Japan, do they not, in addition to vegetarian ones? Could you please teach us alternatives to the bonito dashis? Thank you very much.
Hi Gautam! Thank you so much for reading my blog!
Yes, I am also not a fan of Hondashi or similar brand and don’t use them. However, I have MSG-free powder dashi from Hikari Miso and this one is pretty decent (and I use it when I need a bit of dashi flavor, but never used in my blog).
Katsuobushi – I live very close to several Japanese supermarkets here in SF and I am not familiar with the rest of US, so thank you for your feedback. 🙂 I use Hana Katsuo or big flake katsuobushi for making dashi, instead of small katsuobushi.
I’m going to make Iriko Dashi post soon. This is much easier to make as you mentioned because Korean stores always carry anchovies.
Dashi in Japan include:
Awase Dashi (kombu + katsuo),
Kombu Dashi (vegetarian),
Katsuo Dashi
Iriko Dashi
and Shiitake Dashi – this is a bit unique one. We soak dried shiitake and keep the liquid for dashi.
That’s it. Only 4 (or 5 if you include shiitake).
In case you haven’t read, here’s dashi post:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to/how-to-make-dashi-jiru/
Hope this helps. 🙂
I am am making miso soup tonight and I was trolling around the Web for recipes and I came upon your blog. It is very interesting and informative and since I want to try making some Japanese recipes, I think I will referring to it a lot! I had to go to Amazon to get dashi and awase miso. it’s hard to find here in Minnesota! So wish me luck on my miso!
Hi Lisa! Welcome to my blog. 🙂 So happy you found my blog! I hope you enjoy cooking Japanese foods. Once you get dashi, mirin, sake, soy sauce, miso, you’re pretty much all set to cook most of Japanese food. 🙂 Hope you enjoy homemade miso soup!
Thank you very much for this recipe! In our house, miso soup is curative. It’s the first thing we offer when someone is not feeling well because it is guaranteed to make us feel better. We’ve only ever used the packaged soup which is okay but not anywhere nearly as good as what we’ve eaten at Japanese restaurants. Just recently we found your site and this recipe. Thank you so much, especially for the instructions and illustration on how to cut soft tofu.
The soup we made this evening was delicious! The first time we try out a new recipe we always follow instructions and don’t make any changes, additions, or subtractions. Your directions are very clear and easy to understand and follow and we appreciated that a lot. For our next try we plan to add mushrooms and/or vegetables other than seaweed.
We also hope to locate an Asian grocer where we can find the ingredients to make dashi from scratch. We bought the powdered kind and it was great but we’d like to get away from the MSG.
Thank you again for your excellent instructions and informative comments.
Hi Annie! I’m so happy to hear you tried this recipe! These days there are MSG-free powdered dashi (but usually imported from Japan), so you might want to check that out too. Homemade dashi is very easy to make (much easier than making chicken/vegetable broth), and I hope you will make miso soup with homemade dashi. Very delicious! 🙂 Thank you again for your kind feedback!
It is very nice to find your recipe on this site. We just tried to make miso soup tonight before I read this. I didn’t cook the miso, instead, I put it in the bowl and pour the dashi soup base in, but it tasted sour 🙁 May I ask your advice?
Hi Rane! Thank you for finding my site, and welcome to Just One Cookbook! I’m not too sure why it was “sour”. There is no sourness in miso soup component…. How did you make dashi? Powdered dashi, made from scratch, or used something else? And what kind of miso paste did you use?
Hi! Nice I got your response. I think it is not the dashi matter. It is the miso itself? Because I tried to boil the water and put tofu and green onion in, also I put the same miso paste at the end. It still tasted sour. I bought the regular miso, it indicated aka miso on the label.
Thank you for your response!
Hi Rene! Assuming that you tried miso soup before (and know the taste), I think you’re probably not fond of aka miso. It has more distinct flavor (at least to me) and quite different from Shiro miso (white miso) or Awase miso (this is combination of shiro and aka). Each miso brand and type has different flavor so you may like other brand of aka miso too… Hope you don’t mind testing different brands and see which one you like. It took me several years and many different brands to see what brand I like. 🙂 (https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry/miso/)
I made it yesterday. It was too much salty, I don’t get why. I used kombu dashi and red miso. Maybe, I got the dosage wrong. Also, please, I got two questions: a part of red miso, something like bran, remain in the strainer, should I put it away or not? Do I have to use the whole scallion or only the white part or the green one?
Hi Fabio! Thank you so much for trying this recipe. Red miso is much saltier than Mixed (Awase miso) or White (Shiro miso), so I assume you just added a bit too much. When that happens, you can simply dilute with dashi (if you have extra – but most likely that doesn’t happen…) or water (hot water preferably). I usually guess the amount of miso, and once in a while I put too much. So I end up diluting to adjust. 🙂
Some miso includes parts of soy beans. They are edible too. It’s up to your preference. My mom usually removed it (as we use the special miso strainer (see step 4) that we can actually take it out), but I’m okay with out without it. So it’s up to you. 🙂
Scallion is also up to preference. I like to use both green and white part, and maybe put 1/2 Tbsp. for each bowl.
Hope this helps!
Hi! 🙂 – Thank you! I’ve just made and eaten it. I’ve added only three teaspoons of red miso. It’s good this time. – I make kombu dashi only to make miso soup till now. Kombu dashi recipe serves 3½ cups and miso soup recipe need 3 cups of it. How much kombu (grams) and water (ml) should I use to make only those 3 cups of dashi for this recipe?
Hi Fabio! Good part of miso soup is that ingredients are simple, and easily adjusted unlike some soup recipes that require pretty specific amount of certain ingredients. So, I recommend you to add just a bit of more miso for the the extra 1/2 cup. Since kombu dashi is more subtle flavor, you could also reduce water amount and make 3 cups instead. They don’t really affect much for the whole flavor. I know this is kind of “cheating” but it doesn’t have to be precise for dashi or miso soup recipe. Hope I’m not making this even more complicated. =P
I’m always careful to follow perfectly recipes, but, if you say that, it’s even better. 🙂 – Last one: I’ve found slices of dried lotus root. Do you think is it a good idea make dashi using it? Is there anything like “lotus dashi” in Japan?
Hi Fabio! Hmm slices of dried lotus root won’t probably make good dashi, and no, we don’t have lotus dashi. 😀 However, it’s a good ingredient for miso soup, too. 🙂 I make Pork & Veggie miso soup (https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/tonjiru/) with all kinds of root vegetables, including lotus root. 🙂
OK! – Thanks for your help and advice. 🙂
You’re very welcome! 🙂
Hi Nami
I need help choosing Miso paste. I purchased what’s called Hatcho Miso, which was very thick and had (by itself, right out of the package) a very strange taste, almost black color and the consistency of tar. It is unpasteurized and supposed to be a very traditional miso in Japan.
The little packets of miso I get with my instant miso soup mix are very different – much thinner consistency and a yellow color. make excellent soup.
What brand of miso do you use, and what is a good internet source in the USA?
Thanks!
Hi Bill! Hatcho miso is fermented for a long time and it’s salty and not sweet like other lighter color miso. This miso is used for miso soup in Nagoya area, but not a common miso soup miso.
Most of miso used in packages are shiro miso (white miso) or awase miso (mixed miso – red and white miso). They are more mild and you’re familiar with the taste of this miso.
I love Hikari Miso brand and have been using for close to 10 years.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry/miso/
I can find this brand at my local Japanese supermarket and an Asian grocery store.
Japanese grocery items can be purchased on line at the followings.
Amazon
http://www.marukaiestore.com/
http://store.mitsuwa.com/storefront.aspx
http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/
This looks wonderful. I only have firm tofu on hand. Could I use that?
Hi Kerry! Sure, it’s up to your preference. I like soft tofu for miso soup, but when I only have medium firm, I use it too. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
I love love love miso soup and I so want to make this. What is the best type of dashi packet or powder to buy?
Tracy
Hi Tracy! I use these brands shown in the post (toward the end of post).
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to/how-to-make-dashi-jiru/
I can get these from Japanese supermarkets around where I live. I’m not sure where you’re located, but you can try Amazon too.
Thank you so much for the recipe! I went to the Asian market down the street and got all the ingredients I need. I do have some questions however. Is it ok to make a big batch and save it in the fridge or does it have to be eaten that day? Also I do not have a miso strainer (or strainer small enough to fit in the pot) could I whisk in the miso or is the strainer imperative?
Hi Amber! Great to hear you found all the ingredients! Personally I won’t keep miso soup for more than 2 days. I make dashi and keep it for a week, but I always make fresh miso soup (it only takes a few minutes since I already have dashi ready to heat up). Miso soup is considered tasty when you make it fresh – but it may not be obvious if you don’t drink miso soup everyday. 🙂 So in that case, you can make a big pot, but try to finish it in 2-3 days with tofu in it (keep in the fridge and heat up). For the strainer, don’t worry! If you have a ladle, use a ladle instead. You basically don’t want to drop the miso directly into the pot as you can’t see if it has dissolved or not and you might add more miso… 🙂 Some people take out the dashi from the pot into a bowl and add miso to mix. But to me, it’s easier to use a ladle. Hope this helps! Enjoy!
Nami, we’ve made your miso soup twice in the past three days:) First me and then my daughter… The taste was amazing and the soup was so easy to prepare. This will definitely be a recipe we’ll use again and again.
Hi Heather! So happy to hear you enjoyed the miso soup recipe! It’s easy enough that we drink everyday (with different ingredients) in Japan (when we serve Japanese food). Thank you so much for your kind feedback! 🙂
Happy Holidays! Quick question, is there a dashi product or base I can buy without MSG…..When I go to markets lots of Japanese products have MSG and I get bad reaction from it…I’m seriously into short cuts when available…:)
Yes there are many kinds in Japan already but outside of Japan it can be hard to find. Japanese supermarkets carry no MSG brand but I haven’t seen any Asian markets carry no MSG dashi yet (especially if Japanese products are limited in the store). Have you tried on Amazon? I listed some MSG free dashi package in my Pantry page, I think.
I use MSG free dashi packet – if you find those they are the best short cut method without compromising the flavor. 🙂
Thanks…going to LAX tomorrow- perhaps Dec 26 I can find Dashi with out MSG…I’ll let you know..
Hi Nami,
I am thinking of introducing you’re recipe on miso soup for my 8 month old baby (sadly, she doesn’t take milk very well). Is there a lighter version for babies? And is 8 month a good time to introduce this?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Ginnyito! Miso is salty, so what we usually do is to scoop out small portion of the soup before adding miso for the family and make a lighter version in another pot for the baby. Or a lot of moms scoop up the upper area of the soup to serve for baby as well. Make sure your baby doesn’t have any allergic to soybeans. Or introduce the amount slowly in the beginning, just like how you introduce new food to the baby. I’m not a specialist so please consult with your pediatrician as well. 🙂
I’ve tried making several miso recipes at home, and they always taste very bland and boring. Not the case with your recipe! It was amazing! I’m trying to cut carbs, especially in the morning, ad think I might start having a bowl of miso soup for breakfast. What better way to start a day?
Hi Madeline! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my miso soup recipe! Miso soup is definitely a good start! Thank you for the kind feedback! 🙂
I lived in Japan for almost 4.5 years from 1989 to 1994. During this time i had an opportunity to savor great taste of Japanese food and tastes. Most of the times i remember of Miso soup and sticky rice (Gohan) and specially i recall taste of Khare-Rice which was very famous during our school time.
Since 1994, i have been looking for opportunities to come to Japan again however, time and opportunity has not favored me. I am reminded of how i used to love Miso soup and Khare-Rice when i was there in Tokyo.
Thank you for your time for this recipe. I am not sure if we find Dashi here in Nepal but i surely want to make one and try it myself.
Arigato Gojaimas.
Hi Niranjan! It’s nice to know that you had a wonderful time in Japan. I hope you will be able to visit Japan once again. Meanwhile, I hope my recipes will bring Japan closer to you. Thank you so much for writing! 🙂
Hi Nami! I love your blog. I learned a lot of Japanese cooking from my Mom, but after a summer in Japan last year (my first visit back in 18 years!), I have been dying to learn new dishes and recreate some of the ones I enjoyed last year. I’m so happy I found your page; I have gotten great use out of it, so thank you! Anyway, I looked at your miso recipe because I was curious which miso paste you use (same as my mom and me). Have you ever tried adding kabocha to your miso soup? I actually like it very much! It adds a little extra flavor and texture to make it a hearty soup (I did it on a whim because I had kabocha I needed to use). Let me know if you try it!
Hi Mariko! Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m happy to hear you found my blog and I hope you enjoy my recipes.
My all time favorite miso paste is Hikari Miso.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/miso/
Unfortunately I haven’t uploaded the brand (type) of miso that I have been using for years in this page. I recently took renewed pictures of my pantry ingredients and I hope to update the page soon. The miso is imported from Japan, so I’m not sure about the English name…
Kabocha miso soup is a common miso soup in fall in Japan along with matsutake mushrooms and satsumaimo (sweet potatoes). 🙂 We have distinct seasons so we enjoy more seasonal ingredients. Oh have you tried kabocha miso soup cold? I make a little bit extra and keep in the fridge overnight. The next day I drink cold kabocha miso soup. SO delicious. I think it’s better than hot (IMHO). That applies to cabbage miso soup…. cold is better. 🙂 Thank you again for writing! xo
Hi Nami! Quick question:
I’ve been using the Marushima Dashinomoto (the only packets I could find that are MSG-free) to make our Misoshiru. The ingredients are glucose, salt, yeast extract, dried bonito powder, and soy sauce powder.
Is this equivalent to Iriko Dashi?
Would the taste of the soup be milder if I started using your kombu dashi homemade recipe instead?
Thanks so much for your help!
HI Leila! Is that all the ingredient?
If the package is this one: http://www.amazon.com/Marushima-elements-Katsuodashi-bags-boxed/dp/B0064ULVZS
The Japanese on the package says Kombu and Katsuo (bonito flakes) included.
The “dried bonito powder” means Katsuobushi. So what you have is actually Katsuo Dashi (if it doesn’t say Kombu).
If Katsuobushi and Kombu, then Awase Dashi.
And yes, you might taste less flavor if you were used to katsuobushi based dashi and just use kombu (more subtle).
Hope this helps!
I love miso soup, can’t wait to make this! I think you’re the first person I know who uses awase miso. I love it much better than white (because of the stronger flavour) and again, much better than red (because it has too much flavour; salty). Well, I can’t wait! I was just wondering, but have you ever added aburaage to the miso soup? I sometimes visit my friend who adds aburaage into the soup and I thought it tastes amazing! 🙂
Hi Megumi! I always use awase miso. Or if I don’t have it, I combine red and white by myself too. 🙂 Yes, aburaage + wakame + tofu is my favorite combination of miso soup. I will update this post with more information on what kind of ingredients we put in miso soup in January or so.
Sounds good! Thanks for putting out the recipe!
I’ve only found your site three days ago but have already made your kimchi chigae, oniguri, and this miso soup. So comforting, simple to make, and DELICIOUS! Thanks for all the future recipes I make too. ^.^
Aww thanks so much for trying my recipes already! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy them. 🙂
Hi! I just want to say I love your cookbook page! Today is obviously Valentine’s day and I’m so excited to make soba noodle soup for the first time! Wish me luck <3
Hi Joyce! Hope you enjoyed soba noodle soup. I’m happy to hear you enjoy my blog, and thanks so much for your kind feedback! 🙂
Is this soup ( miso) good as a base for…oh say fish and ,or shrimp? How about adding broccoli and other veg’s?
Hi Ric! We sometimes put seafood in miso soup and all kinds of vegetables! A lot of root vegetables such as turnips, daikon, carrot, potatoes, gobo (burdock root), lotus root, onion, etc and cabbage, eggplant, napa cabbage, spinach, etc… whatever you like! P.s. broccoli is not a common miso soup ingredient, but if you like, of course you can add. 🙂
I just made a bunch of your miso recipe (and some of the baked chicken katsu) for the first time, and I have to say: I’ve never been able to make a recipe taste just right the first time before. They both turned out great! I couldn’t find the awase dachi, so I used some benito dachi and mixed it with the konbu dachi and it turned out really nice. I also used the shiro miso paste because I’m not a fan of the taste of salt. The flavor is nice and light, which is exaactly what I was looking for.
I have a question about reheating the miso: I know you said it’s good for 2-3 days, but what method do you use to reheat it without ruining the miso flavor or breaking down the tofu?
I have another question about the wakane: I accidentally rehydrated too much. Is it ok to put it in the fridge and use it tomorrow?
Hi Cat! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed my recipes and thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂 Here are my answers:
1) Reheating miso – you can reheat over stove just like how you reheat other types of soup. But just be careful not to “boil” the soup. When it’s hot enough, turn off. Only stir when you serve the soup, so you won’t be breaking the tofu.
2) Wakame – yes, you can save the rehydrated wakame for several days in the fridge, maybe 3 days. You can use wakame for salads too. Here are wakame recipes:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/?s=wakame
Thanks!
Can I add shiitake mushroom and add shiitake dashi to my fish dashi for my miso soup?
Hi Marie! Sure! 🙂
Thank you for your blog. I just discovered it and can’t wait to try your recipes! I hope I can find dashi packets in my supermarket, because I have a small kitchen and like really simple yet flavorful recipes, which is why I like your blog. From the ingredients, it looks like you’ve narrowed down recipes to be flavorful and easy. Thank you. A friend who is Japanese-American and a busy doctor may really like your blog, too.
Thank you for your kind comment, Alice! Hope you enjoy my recipes and if you have any question, feel free to leave a comment or email me. 🙂
I got all the ingredients better start cracking on these ones
Ah~ those red serving bowls look gorgeous!
I think you mentioned on another article that there’s also DASHI miso paste. That’s the one I use (HIKARI miso brand) as dried konbu is rather expensive in my country! I like red miso because it is just the right intensity for me 🙂 I love how the miso can bring out all the flavors together!
Hi Carrie! Thank you, I got them in Takayama when we were traveling last summer. That’s a great idea for those who can’t get dashi ingredients. I rarely have red miso in my fridge. Miso is really up to people’s preference. 🙂
Awase Dashi, Iriko Dashi, and Ise Shoyu Sauce are permanent items in my pantry. Because we use these ingredients day-in and day-out, I make a gallon at a time of each of these sauces. Having these essential ingredients in the pantry, I save time.
For the miso soup, I use Hatcho Miso (100% soy bean) imported from Japan. The thick, dark, and rich miso coupled with homemade dashi, makes the soup that much richer and flavorful. It is well worth that extra effort.
We also add wakame strips to the miso soup. The wakame make the soup richer and robust. I use wakame that was harvested in Hokkaido, Japan. The cold waters and ocean currents in Northen Japan, makes the seafood of the region very rich.
I like that you have “Kodawari” – you don’t compromise specific things you enjoy. I rarely use hatcho miso except for dengaku miso or Miso Katsu. Wow you enjoy hatcho miso soup! It’s very interesting how people prefer different types of miso. 🙂
Have you considered selling a printed version of your book JOC? I ask because I like to write notes on the margins of cookbooks; and I really hate having to use electronics (computer, ipad, etc.) when I cook because I’m really messy! Anyway, if you DO decide to sell a hard copy version, I’ll totally buy it!
Thank you for your interest in printed version of my ecookbook. At this time I don’t have the plan… Maybe one day I may be interested in writing a cookbook.
Hello! Thank you for the video! I know you said that dashi can last up to 1 week in the fridge, but is it possible to freeze dashi? Into blocks maybe, like with other soup stocks? Thanks!
Hi Riah! Yes, you can freeze dashi in ice cubes for 3-4 weeks too. It will start to lose some fragrance so no more than a month. 🙂
Hi Nami! Thank you so much!
Really great tutorial! Especially the dashi discussion. I use the packets — rarely make it from scratch. I really need to, don’t I? 🙂
hi just one cook book have you miso tradional japese fish soup recipes
Hi John, I think I responded to your question in FB, but my only fish soup recipe is Sanpeijiru (Salmon Miso Soup):
https://www.justonecookbook.com/sanpeijiru/
At a hotel in Tokyo, one topping they had for their miso soup were these dried curls. I think they were some type of gluten. When they got hot, they were almost like noodles. Do you know what these are?
Hi Patrick! Yes, it’s called Fu (麩). There are many shapes. I only have a picture of round ball one here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/fu-wheat-gluten/
Thank you!!!
One of my most favourite ingredients to miso soup are cherry tomatoes! Usually I use cabbage, or radish or mushrooms( shiitake/shimeji) sometimes I even use high percentage meat wiener or tofu. But cherry tomatoes are must! It tastes so refreshing and rich. It changes everything and turns your regular miso soup to extraordinary one! 🙂
Hi Angelika! That is the first time I hear to add tomatoes in miso soup, and now I’m VERY curious to give it a try! 🙂 I love cold miso soup, and tomatoes are in season during the summer (and they are sweet)…. I think it goes well with cold miso soup too…. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your lovely miso soup version!
Hey Nami,
let me know what do you think about it. 🙂 Perhaps, that´s just me who likes it and you will find it strange. Hope you´ll find it at least decent and worth a try.
Actually I´ve got inspired by anime. Don´t remember which one. From what I recalled main character was also shocked to see halved cherry tomatoes in it. I was like, okay, I have to try it, because tomatoes are my favourite veggies ever and I love how much their taste change after cooking.
Just came upon your recipe through the Yummly website. This meso soup looks delicious and I will definitely give it a try. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Lee! Thank you for visiting my site! I didn’t know any of my recipes appear on Yummly. Hope you enjoy making homemade miso soup! 🙂
I found the smoked flavor of the bonito flakes too overpowering.
Hi Chelsey! It depends on brands too, but overall you can reduce the amount of bonito flakes or simply omit to make kombu dashi for your miso soup.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-kombu-dashi-vegetarian-dashi/
Thanks so much for this lesson. This is not a recipe, but a lesson on Miso Soup. I have been watching a series about Japan and saw people drinking miso soup with all kinds of ingredients. I only knew the basic tofu one. Now I know how it’s made.
How do you make furikake from the leftovers from making dashi? That’s a very interesting idea.
Hi Leticia! So sorry for my late response. Here’s the recipe:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/homemade-furikake-rice-seasonings/
I remember visiting Japan and having clam miso soup. I’ve been craving it ever since! I really appreciate your website, really wonderful food! I would love to try out the other ingredients in miso you listed such as the various root vegetables. I was wondering if you could advise on which ingredients to put together (or list some common variations). Thank you!
Hi Nina! Happy to hear you enjoy clam miso soup! Hmm each family makes miso soup with combination… so there is no specific combination… how about starting one type of vegetable + tofu or deep fried tofu or wakame seaweed or mushrooms?
Hello Nami!
I’ve discovered your website and I’m amazed. I’ve always wanted to make japanese food, and with your detailed recipe I was finally able to. Here’s my first miso soup:
https://abload.de/img/20170819_160012l3b7g.jpg
It looked better than it tasted, I think this is because I used dashi powder. Next time I will try with selfmade dashi.
There’s one thing I’ve been wondering about though: Wakame is added to the miso soup while kombu makes for the stock. But our local asia market labels them both as seaweed. Then there’s a dozen different types of nori. This is just really confusing to a foreigner. Will you talk about the types of seaweed and their differences at some point?
Also, I will slowly but steadily introduce all of my family and friends to my miso soup and your blog.
Love, Elera
Hi Elera! It looks delicious! I see, I don’t really use dashi powder, but I can tell that it tastes maybe good for that moment but flavors don’t last long… I hope you will try homemade one or at least dashi packet if your local Japanese sells it (or Amazon sells it – I listed on my Shop page).
I agree about seaweed! It drives me crazy. It’s like calling all kinds of leafy vegetables “lettuce” etc. There are so many kinds of lettuce and not one kind! Same thing for seaweed… totally different texture and usage in cooking. One time some people used nori (seaweed) instead of wakame in miso soup. I mean you can, but it’s different…
Thanks for bringing it up. I’ll make a note for myself!
Thanks for introducing Japanese food to your family! xoxo
I would like to make Miso Soup but find it impossible to make unless I have recipe in front of me in the kitchen. Can you send me the recipe in my email – address below. I have terrible arthritis and have been told Miso Soup should help. Thank you.
Hi Sandy! You can print out by clicking the print button inside the recipe card. 🙂
Hope your arthritis will get better (I’m not familiar if Miso Soup helps arthritis).
How long will miso soup according to this recipe keep in the fridge without spoiling?
Hi Michele! Up to a year (or somethings even longer if you keep it nicely). 🙂
What grade of Miso do you personally prefer in a standard, lighter, day to day soup akin to that served in restaurants?
Hi M! I don’t particularly enjoy miso soup that is served in restaurants here (in the US). The miso I use for my day to day tastes much better… anyway, this is the brand I like.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/miso/ (2nd image)
Hi I have never made miso at home, I have a big intolerance to MSG and I am worried about making it. I have moved recently and have not able to locate a good Japanese grocery store just yet. After reading your post, I would be interested in using the the Dashi Packet (your choice #3). I am a little worried that I will not know how to use it. Can you please let me know how you would proceed with making the soup if one was to use the packet? Thanks so much!!
Hi Anca! Have you thought of making dashi from scratch? It’s the best way to avoid MSG (don’t use dashi powder). 🙂
Dashi packet I recommend is this Kayanoya brand (https://amzn.to/2looF4P) that’s MSG-free. Japanese grocery stores sell this brand, but you cannot find it in “Asian” grocery stores.
The method is written in this post: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/how-to-make-dashi-jiru/
Hope this helps!
Your not kidding about the Kabocha… My wife and I love them; but I cringe every time she brings one home. We can only find the smaller ones that are rock hard in our neighborhood and it’s my job to deal with them. 🙂 I ended up quickly blanching them and have a cheap heavy cleaver and a rubber mallet for the purpose. Not letting my good knives go near those again. 😉
Hi NeilVN! Haha it’s cool you are the man to take care of kabocha! I wrote a post about how to cut kabocha here with tip.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/kabocha-squash/
Kabocha miso soup is so sweet and delicious. 🙂
Hello, nami
In the place where I live they sell two brands of miso: hikari and a Brazilian brand
I do not really know how to buy since the hikari brand has the ingredients: Water, Soybeans, Rice, Salt, Alcohol and Koji Culture. And the Brazilian brand has: Soy, Rice and Salt; I have heard that the less ingredients have miso pasta, the better, however I do not know if I choose the Japanese brand (with more ingredients) or the Brazilian brand (less ingredients), what do you recommend?
Hi Ruth! You can’t make miso without koji culture, so I’m not sure if this Brazilian brand is listing entire ingredients… I highly recommend Hikari Miso brand miso because that’s what I use here in the U.S. with limited miso brands and I found it the best among them. But please note that there are so many varieity of brands and types of miso and it comes down to your preference. Some people love red miso but it’s not my favorite – I always like Koji miso. 🙂
Thanks for answering. These days I found that they also sell the marukome brand, between this brand and Hikari. Where I live, I only get miso blanco and miso rojo, but I like both, although I would like to find more options. What do you recommend?
Marukome: http://www.hipermarfish.com/importados-condimentos-y-especias?lightbox=image_bwb
Hikari: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRA607DvIxq2gkBSSXe3gNMA1E5PwzGGYCU1Q_ijW5N_2Ck5EzfDw
Hi Ruth! I like Hikari miso brand (MSG free too!), but I prefer white miso over red miso. 🙂
Bonjour,
I have not visited your site for a long time and I regret it. I’m not Japanese but I love the food you cook and the way you cook it.
I translated this first recipe, but I just started all over again because this last recipe answers all the questions I asked myself. Thank you for all your good advice and thanks to google for the translation 🙂
Michèle
Thanks for answering. A few days ago I also discovered that I get the misu Marukome pasta. Between Hikari and Marukome, what do you recommend?
Hello,
Sorry but I still do not know how to taste the different miso. For now I try to practice the different techniques with the ingredients that I find in Belgium.
Have a good day
Michèle
Really enjoy your recipes. You keep it simple, really easy and delicious.
Thank you Ronda! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy my recipes. 🙂
Just wondering, can we give miso to a 7 month old baby? Thanks!
Hi Steph! I think it’s a bit too early. I just checked online and it said 9 months or older. 🙂 I recommend introducing small amount for baby and not the same as adult. It’s always better to introduce strong seasonings as baby/kid shouldn’t get used to strong taste. 🙂
What do you do with the kombu and the katsuobushi after you make the dashi, do you throw it away? or you make other preparations with it?
Hi Iñigo! I usually make Japanese rice seasoning called “Furikake”. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/homemade-furikake-rice-seasoning/
Thank you for sharing. I live in SF, and went to the Nijiya Market to pick up the suggested Dashi that you recommended. This will be my third time attempting to make miso soup. SO looking forward. Btw, your receipt is the best online I’ve stumbled across. Very well put together. Wish I had stumbled on your receipt for the very first time.
Hi Ruslan! Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement, and I’m glad to know you found your dashi too! Enjoy homemade miso soup with different ingredients. I have a couple of miso soup recipes here and hope you enjoy them. xo
Just wondering, how would this be cooked on a campout?
You mean at the camp ground? I think it is a great camping food. You will need one pot and gas stove (I would use portable gas stove like this one: https://amzn.to/2lV73un). Did I answer your question?
I love how well you break this down and include the variety of ingredients (and when to add) as well! I love miso soup and I have been looking for something to add to my breakfast routine. I have one question: does it keep well in the fridge and, if so, for how long? Are you able to freeze miso soup? I would like to be able to make a big batch ahead of time and reheat throughout the week as needed.
Hi Jen! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. It’s nice to wake up in the morning and enjoy hot miso soup… very comforting!
Miso soup in general is not recommended to keep for a long time. Miso’s flavor and fragrance won’t last long time. So here’s the solution.
If you want to make a lot and save, keep the soup with ingredients BEFORE adding miso. You can add miso after reheating the soup, right before serving.
You can save miso soup in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
You can freeze miso soup, but up to 2 weeks. But don’t freeze miso soup with potato or tofu as the texture will change. Again make sure not to let the miso soup boil.
Hope that helps!
Hi Nami,
This is my first time making dashi, and your instructions are super helpful.
Question: I only have the tuna shavings but no kombu on hand. Is it ok to make dashi using only the tuna shavings?
-Yuri
Hi Yuri! I’m glad to hear my recipe was helpful. 🙂
Yes, you can just use Katsuobushi (dried bonito flake). Your dashi is called Katsuo Dashi. 🙂
I just made miso soup with seaweed, green onion, potato, spinach, cabbage and bean sprouts alongside some baked Chicken Katsu. It was fantastic and tasted just like an authentic Japanese meal of the like I haven’t tasted since visiting Japan.
Hi Jordan! Your miso soup is so nutritious and I love it! Your meal sounds very homemade Japanese food. 🙂 Thank you for leaving your kind comment. So happy to hear you enjoyed your home cooked Japanese meal!
Hello Naomi-san,
I am appreciating your website as I live on a yacht in European waters. I and my husband cerebrate New Year with some Japanese food every year. Problems for me to make Japanese food is not to be able to get ingredients and cook complicated process on a small cooker. Your website is very detail and looks beautiful and delicious, it’s good for me to see when I want. Please keep working.
Hi Rika! Thank you so much for writing! You LIVE ON A YACHT!!!!!!!! Wow, what a fabulous life you are living! Sounds like a movie. 🙂 Very interesting, and thank you for sharing your story with us! I’ll do my best to make simple but authentic recipes…. 🙂
Thank you for such a quality website! I’ve always enjoyed Japanese food, but it’s really awesome to have such a quality single website and cookbook where I can depend on to make Japanese dishes!
Hi Nathan! Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m really happy to hear that you enjoy it. Have fun cooking Japanese food at home! 🙂
Do you have to remove the head and tummy for the dried fish miso? As I’m not sure where to rip the tummy part. I’m afraid I will rip it all into no more parts for the soup.
Hi Elsa! Do you mean the baby anchovies? Yes, we usually remove head and guts. Guts are the black thing inside the tummy area. You’ll know it when you open it up. 🙂
I just made miso soup with wakame, tofu and green onion, and it came out great! It smelled kind of weird at first, but when the miso went in, it started smelling great!
I’m super proud of myself because the only ingredient in this recipe I’m familiar with is water
Hi Dev! Haha, I’m so happy to hear that you gave this recipe a try, knowing that water was the only ingredient you knew of. THANK YOU for trusting this recipe! I’m so glad you made your homemade miso soup!!! Dashi is umami-rich broth/stock, and it’s the key ingredient for the “authentic” Japanese taste in many recipes. It can’t be replaced with chicken or vegetable stock when you make authentic Japanese recipes, such as miso soup. 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback, Dev!
Hi there, I noticed that the kombu dashi uses bonito flakes, however, my family is vegetarian so we don’t eat fish. Are there any vegetarian substitutes that you could suggest for bonito flakes?
Hi lo! Dashi has several variations and vegan/vegetarian-friendly dashi are kombu dashi and shiitake dashi. So you do not need to add katsuobushi. I just posted Vegan Miso Soup recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/vegan-miso-soup/ Hope you and your family enjoy!
Thank you for the recipe! Everything is very well explained and this is the most delicious Misso soup I have ever tried! Greetings! Ekaterina
Hi Ekaterina! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the kind feedback. 🙂
Hi Nami! I made this today – it was my first time making miso soup. I only had spring onions, but even so, the finished soup looked and tasted so authentic that I was truly chuffed! (“chuffed” is a British slang expression that means “pleased”) : )
I used a dashi packet, making the process so straightforward that I wondered why it took me so long to get around to making this soup! Thank you so much for making this recipe so accessible and achievable for us ❤ : ) I in particular appreciated the tip about dissolving the miso in a ladle, as I’m sure I would otherwise have tipped it all right in, and then struggled to get it to dissolve…!
❤❤❤ Happy Valentine’s, Nami! ❤❤❤
Hi J2! Happy Valentine’s Day to you too! I’m so “chuffed” (hehe I used it too) to hear that you enjoyed making the miso soup using the dashi packet! I’m glad to hear my tip on dissolving miso in the ladle was helpful too! Thank you for your kind feedback! xo
Absolutely delicious. Thank you for making authentic Japanese cooking accessible to everyone, no dumbing down! This is going to be a go-to low carb, high-pleasure lunch for me. Many thanks for your website!
Hi LRG! Thank you so much for your kind words! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
I’ve been lurking for a bit now but this is my first comment. I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your site. Your posts are so informative (without being overwhelming due to your use of headings, bullet, points, etc… ) and I really appreciate all the photos you share. I’m glad to have finally learned (from a different post on your blog) how to make vegetarian dashi. I look forward to making it for miso soup. Thank you for all you share.
Hi Beth! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m glad to hear my blog posts have been helpful. Enjoy making homemade miso soup! 🙂
Hi Nami! Do you think it would taste okay with some pork meat balls?
Hi Nicole! If you like it, sure, miso soup can include any ingredients you like. If the smell bothers you, you can add a tiny bit of sake to see if it helps (when you add meatballs and before adding miso paste). 🙂
Hello!
I would like to make miso soup andI would like to add Konjac since I lived this in my miso soup in Japan.
Would you qualify this as potato and thus add it before boiling?
Hi peanut! I’d suggest removing the smell first by cooking it first (https://www.justonecookbook.com/konjac-konnyaku/). After draining then add to miso soup. Remember, you can’t boil miso soup (with miso in it) so if you want to cook the konnyaku in dashi (soup stock) a bit longer, make sure not to add miso yet. 🙂
After I make miso soup (which I’m excited to do after reading your recipe!) how long does it last for? ex: for meal planning
Hi Julia! I’d say 2-3 days… 4 days is a bit stretching it. Miso can’t be “boiling” so when you reheat be careful. The fragrance and flavor will disappear as you reheat. So it’s best to add in miso right before we eat. But I know it’s not meal-prep friendly. For meal prep, consider making this way: https://www.justonecookbook.com/homemade-instant-miso-soup/ Hope that helps!
Hi Julia! I apologize for my late response. You can keep the miso soup for up to 2 days (after miso is added). You can make the soup first prior to adding miso because miso loses its taste and fragrance when you keep for a longer time. Hope that helps!
Thank you for your recipe and your detailed explanations! I love this as well as your dashi from scratch. I’ve been using Hikari white miso.
Hi Natasha! How have you been? I’m so glad you like Hikari miso too! 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thank you so much for your inspiring and easy to follow recipes. We are lucky to have an Asian grocer nearby and have actually been shopping there for years to get vegetables, spices and curry pastes. Tonight is the third time I made your miso soup. Everyone in the family loves it. Your dashi recipe is simple yet so amazing. I have also used it to make ramen. Since nobody in our house is a fan of super fatty cuts of meat we do not use chashi pork as a topping. I make the karaage chicken instead. Amazing in ramen. Again, thank you for taking the time to educate us westerners.
Hi Kathrin! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m glad to hear you live near the Asian grocery store. And I like your ramen topping too! 🙂 Thank you for your kind words! xoxo
Hi!
I love your blog, but I’ve got to say that I find this recipe/blog post very confusing and overwhelming. Sorry, but I thought I should give you some feedback.
I happen to prefer a veg miso, which is just my own preference. I know many others would rather have a miso soup with meat or fish, which is fine. Perhaps separating them out into separate recipes on different individual pages would feel less intimidating; in other words, not all of them mentioned in one large blog with several links, but rather list them all at the top, along with a recipe for making your own miso, and or other components necessary for the dish?
Just a suggestion, and I’m sure the busyness/all inclusiveness of the post does not bother some….I just feel that for me it is too overwhelming, and makes me want to give up and ‘run away’ to a nearby Japanese restaurant and order miso soup from them instead of attempting to make it myself.
Hi Joyce,
Thank you for your email. I really appreciate you taking the time to bring this up to me.
I had a quick read on the post and I can understand what you mean by overwhelming. Sometimes I try to provide as much information as I can that I forget to simplify things. Japanese people have so many variations of miso soup that I struggle to see the best way to present the recipes too!
Please don’t run off to Japanese restaurant to have your miso soup! I would feel so bad because miso soup is really easy to make!
You mentioned you’re looking for classic miso soup with just vegetables, perhaps you can follow these recipes instead:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/vegan-miso-soup/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/vegetable-miso-soup/
I am currently reviewing the post right now and will make some amendments as per your feedback.
Thanks again for your email. Your input is really valuable. I hope you make your own homemade miso soup. 🙂
Hi, Nami:
Thanks so much for the repost of the vegetarian miso recipe! I will take a look, and give it a try.
Thanks for also taking my comments into consideration and trying to amend or streamline the article. Yes, I can completely understand how a recipe with so many variations could be difficult to write about, without it seeming confusing.
Thank you Joyce, and good luck making miso soup at home!
Thanks for the video. Unfortunately, for me (a beginner to miso), I found it a bit confusing. I’ll watch it again.
Hi Stephanie! Let me know which part is confusing and what ingredient you want to put in the miso soup. I’m happy to help!
This recipe is wonderful! I followed the directions exactly, and loved the result.
Hi DW! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hi Nami, I absolutely love miso soup and I can’t wait to attempt making this at home! I do have a question though: are you able to make miso soup in an instant pot? I’ve looked up other recipes where it’s made in an instant pot, but I feel that your recipe is the most authentic and delicious!
Hi Vivian! You can, it’s like a stove, if you need to stir fry first for your miso soup, you can use it. Or if you have to cook root vegetables for a long time, you can pressure cook. Otherwise, simple tofu miso soup, you basically use saute mode to heat up. No need to pressure cook. It’s like an electric burner. 🙂 So you can change the setting based on what’s in the miso soup.
I’ll share one Instant Pot miso soup recipe this winter. Thank you so much for your kind words! 🙂
Thank you so much for the reply Nami! I will attempt to make miso soup on the instant pot soon. I look forward to your instant pot miso soup recipe this winter!
Good luck to you! 🙂
love this entire website!!
Is there a way to make the dashi and miso soup all at once?
For example, leave the cold brew kombu dashi in the fridge, then make the soup with the katsuobushi in it at the same time instead of boiling twice (once to make dashi, then again to make the soup)? Can you leave the katsuobushi in and eat it?
Hi Andrew! Thank you for your kind words!
If you don’t mind the katsuobushi, sure! OR make Awase Dashi (kombu + katsuobushi) first, and keep it in the fridge for 5-7 days. That way, your dashi is all ready to go for your recipes or miso soup. 🙂
Thanks a lot for this nice and instructive video.
Hi Carl! You’re very welcome! Thank you for watching the video! 🙂
Konichiwa Nami,
Thank you so much for all these delicious recipes!
I have a Japanese friend coming over for dinner and because she is missing Japan, I thought of making her a Japanese dinner party. It’s a surprise. Not sure if its a good idea or not but am thinking of serving Miso soup with your Salmon Teriyaki recipe and rice. And then Nama Chocolate to end it off. Does that sound okay to you, or should I serve something else. Thinking of also making your Daifuku Mochi. Really love that you have all these awesome recipes and hope I can use them to make my friend less homesick. She comes from Tokyo.
I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. How fascinating to read about miso soup,
I’m eager to try it!
Hi Joyce! In case, you’re not sure, here’s the free email subscription signup: https://www.justonecookbook.com/subscribe/
Hope you enjoy homemade miso soup! 🙂
This is SO good! I’ve already made it three or four times in the last two weeks. Truly restaurant quality! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! My family loves it!
Hi Belinda! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
What is best brand of wakame? Looks like most come from China. Thanks.
Hi Sheridan! If there is no brand of wakame that came from Japan, I usually get one from Korea. 🙂
Hello,
I’m interested in using eggplant in the soup. Just wondering if the eggplant will be need to be baked/ fried separately before adding to the soup, or just boil it in the soup?
Many thanks.
Hi JJ! I make both way, and if you have time, I recommend making Yakinasu (grilled/roast eggplant) and add to the miso soup. That’s traditional way.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/japanese-grilled-eggplant-yaki-nasu/ (follow the method to cook the eggplant and peel off)
You can also boil the eggplant in dashi first, then add miso. This way, you can keep the skin on. 🙂
I love your videos and recipes. I was very fortunate to live in Togane Chi in Chiba prefecture many years ago and lived with a family while studying traditional sumie painting with a sensei. I have great love for traditional home style Japanese cooking! I am hoping you can recommend a good quality katsuobushi slicing box!
Thank you so much for your wonderful website!
Nancy Beranbaum
Hi Nancy! Wow you’re an artist for Sumie? That’s very rare and how wonderful you get to have the experience with a teacher in Japan!
I’ve worked with this company and I like the products they sell/carry on the site: https://anything-from-japan.com/katsuobushi-grater-box-1-whole-katsuobushi-block-for-free
Hope that helps!
Just made this tonight, AGAIN. As always it was delicious. I use your homemade dashi recipe with Bonito flakes and kombu. Tonight I added wakame, tofu and black fungus to the soup. I know, Chinese. Goes well in the soup anyway. Thank you for teaching me how to make amazing Japanese food at home. My family loves it.
Hi Kathrin! I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
I’m really enjoying your recipes. Thank you.
I have the ingredients to make Dashi from a Japanese food store here in Toronto. I have also come to love a spicy miso soup from a Hokkaido Ramen Santouka restaurant in the city.
What chillies would you suggest to use in a miso soup to try to replicate their addictive flavour and spiciness?
Thank you so much!
With best wishes,
Blake Heathcote
Hi Blake! Thank you for your kind words! I use Dobanjiang (spicy chili bean sauce: https://www.justonecookbook.com/doubanjiang-chili-bean-paste/) to make my ramen recipes I shared on the blog. If you’re making ramen, then I’d definitely suggest that.
But if you want to make “spicy” miso soup, usually we don’t use Dobanjiang as a condiment. We use yuzu kosho for spicy kick (yuzu kosho is basically a mixture of red or green pepper, salt, and yuzu). So good. I’ve shared the recipe here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/miso-soup-yuzu-kosho/
Hope you enjoy!
How many days can I Keep the kombu in water? -h
Hi Lee! You can let it steep on the kitchen counter for 2-3 hours in the summertime and 4-5 hours in the wintertime. You can also cold brew kombu dashi overnight in the refrigerator.
Hi Nami!
Would the dashi keep longer in the freezer (without the miso) for longer than 2 weeks?
Love your blog! I’m addicted to Kewpie Mayo, LOL!!
Hi Laurie! Yes, dashi can be in the freezer for 2 weeks. 🙂 I’m so happy you enjoy my blog (and kewpie mayo!!!). 😀
In love… Japanese food is wonderful.
I’ve “book-marked” your site to look at but, is there a “hard copy” of these recipes in book form?… I want to cook it -ALL!–
Hi Matthew! Thank you for your interest! Many people have requested one for years (I’m doing this for 9 years)… but I can’t abandon my website and youtube channel while writing a cookbook (which is like a full-time job)… so it’s the time and resource issue at this time. Maybe one day when my kids are off to college, I may have more time? 🙂
Hi Nami!
I love all your posts, thank you for the detail and easy to absorb content and directions! Questions- which miso from the Hikari Miso brand do you use for miso soup specifically?
Many thanks in advance!
Hi Hayley! Thank you for your kind words!
My favorite miso is Kodawattemasu (and this is the miso I’ve been using it for over 10 years). I started to work with them for several years now so I get to use their whole collection of miso. I still like Kodawattemasu best. There is no miso that I disliked (the Haccho Miso is one that I still need to get used to it – it’s the miso from Nagoya, very strong).
Kodawattemasu is Koji miso – I like koji in the miso because it has so much umami. The organic series (English labels) is a more simple taste than the Japanese imported ones.
(see the collection here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/miso/)
So if you can go to Japanese grocery stores or K-Mart (I think they carry), I recommend imported Japanese label ones.
Hope this helps!
Hi Nami! Question about kombu. Once the kombu is used for dashi or even pressure cooking beans, can it be reused for another batch of dashi/beans? If so, how would you store used kombu and how long can it stay before having to be reused?
Many thanks in advance!
Hi Hayley! I talked about Niban Dashi (the second dashi) in this post:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-dashi/ (See under Niban Dashi)
If you want to keep collecting used kombu – freeze them until you have enough to make use of it (or 2-3 weeks). I mentioned in the recipe inside that link above. 🙂
more about the types of miso?
Hi Tandy! I have more detailed info on miso in this pantry page: https://www.justonecookbook.com/miso/
Hope that is helpful. 🙂
Amazing recipe! I made the dashi yesterday as a big batch so I could have miso soup for lunches. Took me 10 minutes on my lunch break to reheat everything today. I added soft tofu and wakame seaweed to this recipe (that is how it used to be made for me when I was small). <3 I don’t know why I never thought about this as a homemade lunch option years ago! I took one bite and it was like a time machine taking me back to my childhood.
Hi Schortzie! Thank you so much for your kind feedback and for sharing your story. It made me very happy! Experiment with the ingredients you have and you will never get bored. I love thinking about what to cook in my miso soup every day based on the menu. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to write your comment!
I made the Tamago Roll and it turned out delicious.
Thanks..arigatogozaiimasu.
Hi Patricia! I’m glad to hear that you made Tamago Roll! Thank you for your kind words. 🙂
Hi! I was wondering what you think is wrong with MSG – I’ve personally never felt any uncomfortable reactions from it & I’ve read research online that suggests that perceived negative effects from MSG is more the result of xenophobia or is actually from other factors from the food containing MSG. I’m curious about your opinion on this, as I’ve seen quite a few recipes where you steer people away from options containing MSG.
e.g. this article: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-msg-got-a-bad-rap-flawed-science-and-xenophobia/
Hi Kaiwen! I grew up eating food that sprinkled with Ajinomoto was fine (when I was younger). These days my mom doesn’t use it and we learned we don’t need it to make our food delicious.
With many people are more health-conscious, we have more MSG-free products in Japan too. I personally don’t have any migraines or any effect which forces me to avoid MSG, but being a food blogger, I get to hear from many readers who experience it personally.
Whatever it is, my approach is to keep it healthy and not rely on artificial flavors… maybe I’m more Californian that way. I find a lot of Japanese products filled with unknown words (MSG and preservatives) and corn syrup etc that I wish they will change for the future generation. I’m not so crazy about convenience store foods etc too for the same reason. I limit the intake of those premade/MSG and preservative-filled products in our family’s diet. I do use Japanese mayonnaise (MSG included) occasionally and I think it’s delicious and makes the food delicious (Okonomiyaki, sandwiches, potato salad…). Sure, I can make homemade Mayo too but considering all the work, I don’t mind the use of mayo especially it’s not every day. That’s my approach when it comes to MSG. Another example is Japanese curry roux. I do make homemade roux too when I feel like it or when I have more time, but sometimes I love the convenience and nostalgic taste of Japanese curry roux.
Not sure if I answered your question, but that’s my own opinion.
I love your website!
Hi Nami, your recipes are easy to follow & the results tasty too! Like this simple & nutritious Miso Soup recipes.
Many more of your recipes to try, heehee :))
Take care & thank you very much.
I have not been able to find yellow miso where I live (in Denmark)
Could I possibly use a mix of red and white miso to get a similar result? Or what other kind of miso would you recommend in place of yellow miso? 🙂
This is my go-to website for all japanese recipes! Thus miso soup is soooo delicious and authentic-tasting, if you can get your hands on the right ingredients! I love this site so much!