It‘s super easy to make authentic and homemade Japanese Miso Soup! In this recipe, I show you how to make quick and easy soup stock (dashi) from scratch, then create classic miso soup with tofu and wakame seaweed. It‘s delicious and has many health benefits.

Japanese miso soup bowls containing tofu and wakame miso soup.

Miso soup is a staple in Japanese cuisine and is soup for the soul. We enjoy it almost every single day for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. As a Japanese home cook, I would also say that miso soup is probably one of the easiest soups you can make at home.

There are many paths to making miso soup, but once you grasp the basics, you can explore and customize. This post aims to equip you with all the essential knowledge to make yourself a bowl of authentic miso soup at home any time of the day. And trust me, what you make will taste 10,000 times better than the miso soup from Japanese restaurants or the instant varieties.

A Japanese yukihira nabe containing tofu and wakame miso soup.
Japanese miso soup bowls containing tofu and wakame miso soup.

Best Miso Soup Recipe

Most Japanese meals are served with a small bowl of steamed rice and a traditional Japanese soup called Miso Soup or Misoshiru (味噌汁). At its most basic, miso soup is simply made of three components:

  • Dashi (Japanese soup stock)
  • Miso (Japanese soybean paste)
  • Soup ingredients of your choice, such as tofu and wakame seaweed

Depending on the region, season, and personal preference, we can make many kinds of miso soup. In addition to the classic tofu and wakame combination I’ll show you today, we also use different savory ingredients such as root and leafy vegetables, meat, and seafood to enhance the soup. That’s why we can never get bored with it.

In this post, I will guide you through the most authentic miso soup recipe and explain how it all comes together in detail.

If you are already familiar with making miso soup, check out my Seasonal Miso Soup Recipe Collection.

A Japanese yukihira nabe containing tofu and wakame miso soup.

3 Simple Steps to Make Miso Soup

Making miso soup is simple, easy, and quick! Let’s master the basic miso soup with tofu and wakame seaweed. Here is the overview of the three steps:

  1. Make dashi (Japanese soup stock) [20 minutes]
  2. Add miso [2 minutes]
  3. Add tofu and wakame and serve [3 minutes]

Once you know how to make this classic Japanese miso soup, you can easily create endless variations by changing the ingredients.

Now let’s dive into each step.


What is Dashi?

5 different types of dashi in a jar and their ingredients.

Dashi (だし・出汁) is a Japanese soup stock and the base of many Japanese dishes. It is the easiest and quickest broth to make. To make authentic Japanese miso soup, you must use dashi as the soup broth and not chicken stock or vegetable stock. Remember, without dashi, it’s not miso soup.

The most common and basic dashi is Awase Dashi, which is made with kombu (kelp) + katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). Another popular dashi used for miso soup in Japan is Iriko Dashi, made with anchovies.

💡Pro Tip

If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you can use Kombu Dashi (made with kombu) or Vegan Dashi (made with kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms).

Also, did you know there are 6 different types of dashi that you can choose from? Check out The Ultimate Dashi Guide to learn more.


How to Make Dashi

Dashi 3 Ways

In general, there are three ways to make dashi.

  1. Homemade dashi — You can make a basic Awase Dashi from scratch by steeping kombu (edible kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) in water. If you’re vegetarian/vegan, use Kombu Dashi or make Vegan Dashi with kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms.
  2. Dashi packet — The dashi packet is the best shortcut method that I use often. Similar to making tea, you steep the dashi packet in water and cook for a couple of minutes. Despite its quick method, the flavor of dashi is pretty good.
  3. Dashi powder — Dashi powder (dashi granules) is my least favorite method due to its lack of flavor. The flavor and fragrance do not last long. But you can make a quick dashi with just dashi powder and hot water.

In this recipe, I’ll show you how to make both Kombu Dashi (vegan-friendly) and Awase Dashi from scratch!

💡Pro Tip

We use dashi in many Japanese recipes to incorporate umami. You can make a big batch of dashi and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days or in the freezer for two weeks. Use dashi for different recipes throughout the week. With dashi on hand, you can make the basic miso soup in under 5 minutes!


Best Miso Paste for Miso Soup

Types of Japanese Miso

Miso (味噌) or fermented soybean paste is made from soybeans, grains (steamed rice or barley), salt, and koji culture (麹, a fermentation starter).

There are many different types of miso in the market. In the US, most miso available at mainstream grocery stores goes by colors, such as white miso (shiro miso), red miso (aka miso), and yellow miso (awase miso or mixed miso). If you want to learn more about miso, check out our detailed post.

Each miso paste and brand varies in saltiness and flavor. When it comes to miso soup, there is no “right” miso for your miso soup. Taste and adjust the miso amount. You can mix two to three miso brands/types for more complex flavors or enjoy its unique characters using just one type, especially if you have good-quality miso.

My favorite miso is this Kodawattemasu from Hikari Miso (organic slow-aged red koji miso). It has a more rounded character that goes well with any ingredients. If you want to make miso from scratch, check out How to Make Homemade Miso post.

💡Pro Tip

Dashi-included miso (だし入り味噌) may seem convenient as you don’t need to prepare dashi; however, you can’t expect to enjoy the same health benefits from it. To maintain quality and taste while preventing the container’s expansion, the manufacturer has to add additives and sterilize it by heating, which stops the action of yeasts. Therefore, I don’t recommend opting for dashi-included miso.


How Much Miso Paste to Add to the Soup?

Miso soup measurement

A general rule of thumb in Japan is to add one tablespoon (18 g) of miso paste per miso soup bowl, which holds 200 ml of dashi.

If you are using a US cup, use one tablespoon of miso per cup (240 ml) and add more after tasting it.

💡Pro Tip

When you are trying out a new miso, always start with less than the “one tablespoon per miso soup bowl” rule.


How to Dissolve Miso

Miso Soup

Make sure to turn off the stove’s heat so you don’t accidentally boil the miso soup. Always dissolve miso paste first in a ladle, a separate bowl, or a strainer, and never add miso paste directly to the soup! Otherwise, you may find miso clumps while drinking the soup!

You can get my favorite Miso Muddler (One side of the whisk measures 2 Tbsp and the other 1 Tbsp) and a fine-mesh strainer to help dissolve miso.

💡Pro Tip

Add miso paste to dashi right before serving. Why? It’s to savor miso’s best flavor and aroma! Miso will lose its flavor and aroma if you keep reheating the miso soup.

Before adding miso, make sure to bring dashi to a slow boil (205°F/96°C). This temperature is considered the most fragrant stage for miso soup. By the time you are ready to enjoy the soup, it is at an ideal temperature (167ºF or 75ºC) for drinking.


When to Add Tofu to the Soup

Miso Soup

How about the tofu? We always add tofu after dissolving miso. This way, you won’t accidentally break up the tofu while mixing in the miso paste. Besides tofu, dried wakame seaweed and green onions are also added at the same time.

Tofu warms up nicely with the remaining heat (unless you put a lot of it) as it doesn’t require “cooking” it. (Did you know it’s edible out of the package? Try Chilled Tofu and Tofu Salad recipes!) Be careful, when you overheat tofu, the water content inside the tofu will seep out, resulting in hardened tofu.

After adding tofu, wakame seaweed, and green onion, serve miso soup immediately while it’s warm. By the time you are ready to enjoy the soup, it is an ideal temperature (167ºF or 75ºC) for drinking.

Types of tofu: You may wonder what type of tofu works best for miso soup. There is a misconception that you have to use silken/soft tofu for miso soup, but that’s not true.

You can use silken or soft tofu (kinugoshi tofu 絹ごし豆腐) for a custardy texture and medium to medium-firm tofu (momen tofu 木綿豆腐) for a spongy texture. In Japan, silken tofu is a slightly more popular choice than medium tofu, but both types of tofu are equally used in miso soup.

💡Pro Tip

Did you know it is common to cut tofu on your palm in Japan? You might have seen it in Japanese dramas or animes. I recommend using a cutting board if you have never done this. The typical tofu size in miso soup is ½ inch (1.3 cm) cubes.


Reheating Miso Soup

Miso Soup-step by step-44

If your miso soup is no longer warm, reheat it until simmering (190°F/88°C) and NEVER boil it. Miso soup will lose its flavor and aroma (nothing to do with probiotics—see below).

If you are reheating the leftover miso soup, add about 1 tablespoon (18 g) of miso to the soup (you may need to add more dashi or water). This way, you can enjoy the warm aroma of freshly dissolved miso.

💡Pro Tip

There’s a misconception that boiling miso soup will kill probiotics. However, probiotics are destroyed when the temperature of miso soup is above 140°F (60°C). Rather, the warning for not boiling miso soup is to preserve its flavor and aroma. The Japanese don’t treat miso soup as merely a source of probiotics. To reap the probiotic benefits, use miso in salad dressing and dipping sauces. Miso soup is chock full of protein, fiber, and minerals unaffected by heat!


How to Store Miso Soup

In general, it‘s best to consume all the miso soup right away because it will lose its aroma and taste as time passes. If you like to keep the leftover, let your miso soup cool to room temperature (up to 4 hours; any longer and it will spoil) and then refrigerate. You can keep it for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze miso soup for up to 2 weeks. However, you have to remove the tofu before freezing as the texture will change.

To reheat, see the above section for reheating tips.

If you want to make a big batch to store for later, it‘s best to refrigerate the soup without adding the miso. When ready to use, add the miso paste only for the portion you need.

Japanese miso soup bowl containing tofu and wakame miso soup.

Key Points to Remember

  • You can make a big batch of dashi and keep it in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
  • Add miso right before serving. Not mealtime yet? Wait until you’re ready to serve.
  • Bring dashi to a slow boil (205°F/96°C), turn off the stove’s heat, and add miso. This temperature is the most fragrant stage for miso soup. By the time you enjoy the soup, it is an ideal temperature (167ºF or 75ºC) for drinking.
  • Use one tablespoon per cup or miso soup bowl (200ml) and adjust the taste. Dissolve miso first in a ladle, a separate bowl, or a miso strainer to avoid clumps in the soup.
  • Add tofu after dissolving miso (as well as wakame and green onion).
  • Never boil miso soup because it loses its flavor and aroma.
Japanese miso soup bowls containing tofu and wakame miso soup.

Advanced: Incorporating Other Ingredients in Miso Soup

This is a bit more advanced topic, but I’d like to give a quick introduction to it here.

If you’re using root vegetables, place them in cold dashi and cook until they become tender, approximately 10-15 minutes, depending on the vegetable’s density and cut.

For leafy vegetables and mushrooms, you can add them to already simmering dashi (with or without other cooked ingredients) and cook for a few minutes.

Besides tofu and wakame seaweed, you can add seasonal and year-round ingredients to your miso soup. Check out a collection of seasonal miso soup recipes on Just One Cookbook.

Health Benefits of Miso Soup

Japanese people drink miso soup daily, as we believe this delicious and healing soup is a gateway to excellent health. Much like green tea, you can say miso soup is the elixir of the Japanese diet. Here are just some of the health benefits of miso soup:

  • Good source of nutrients. Miso is rich in essential minerals such as copper, manganese, protein, Vitamin K, and zinc. Therefore, drinking a bowl of miso soup daily is like taking a natural supplement for your health.
  • Good for bones. Miso soup provides many bone-building minerals like calcium, magnesium, and manganese, which help to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis.
  • Improve heart health. The natural compounds in miso, including Vitamin K2, linoleic acid, and saponin, are known to reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol.

To fully enjoy the fantastic health benefits of miso soup, make your own miso soup. Instant miso soup may not be as beneficial, as it often contains higher sodium and additional preservatives. However, some reputable brands are available, so 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!

Kabocha Miso Soup served in a black bowl.
Japanese miso soup bowls containing tofu and wakame miso soup.

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Japanese miso soup bowls containing tofu and wakame miso soup.

Homemade Miso Soup with Tofu

4.85 from 577 votes
It‘s super easy to make authentic and homemade Japanese Miso Soup! In this recipe, I show you how to make quick and easy soup stock (dashi) from scratch, then make classic miso soup with tofu and wakame seaweed. It‘s delicious and has many health benefits.

Video

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
 
 

For the Dashi (makes a scant 4 cups)

For the Miso Soup

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

Instructions
 

  • Before we start… I make Awase Dashi with kombu and katsuobushi in this recipe. You can also make dashi with a dashi packet or powder. For vegan/vegetarian, make the Kombu Dashi I showed below or make Vegan Dashi with kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms.
    Dashi 3 Ways
  • Gather all the ingredients.
    Miso Soup Ingredients
  • Cut 1 green onion/scallion into thin rounds.
    Miso Soup 10

To Make the Dashi (can make in advance)

  • Add 4 cups water and 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) to a medium saucepan. If you have time, soak the kombu in water for 30 minutes. NEVER wash kombu and do not remove the white substance—that’s umami! These days, it‘s pretty clean, so just make sure there are no dirt particles.
    Miso Soup 1
  • SLOWLY bring it to a boil (about 10 minutes) on medium-low heat so you can extract as much umami from the kombu as possible. Right before the stock boils, remove the kombu and set it aside for another use. (If you leave the kombu, it gets slimy and yields a bitter taste.) Now, what you have is Kombu Dashi. If you’re vegetarian/vegan, use this kombu dashi for your miso soup.
    Miso Soup 2
  • If you‘re not vegetarian/vegan, add 1 cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) to the kombu dashi and bring it back to a boil again. Once the dashi is boiling, reduce the heat, simmer for just 30 seconds.
    Miso Soup 3
  • Turn off the heat and let the katsuobushi sink to the bottom, about 10 minutes. Then, strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
    Miso Soup 4
  • Now you have roughly 4 cups of Awase Dashi. You can store the dashi in the refrigerator for up to 3–5 days and in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Reserve the spent katsuobushi and repurpose it; see the suggested recipes that follow at the end of the instructions.
    Miso Soup 5

To Make the Miso Soup

  • Add the dashi to the saucepan. If you are using dashi from the refrigerator, bring it to a slow boil (205°F/96°C) over medium heat and turn off the heat.
    Miso Soup 6
  • Add 4 Tbsp miso. Put the miso in a ladle, slowly add the dashi into the ladle, and stir with chopsticks to dissolve completely. Here, I‘m using a miso muddler. If you accidentally add too much miso, dilute the miso soup with dashi (or water). 
    Miso Soup 7
  • Here, I‘m using a fine-mesh miso strainer, which helps you dissolve the miso faster. After dissolving the miso in the strainer, you may see rice koji (especially when it‘s koji miso). It‘s up to you if you want to include it in the miso soup or discard it (personal preference).
    Miso Soup 8
  • Cut 7 oz soft/silken tofu (kinugoshi dofu) into ½-inch (1.3 cm) cubes and add to the miso soup. Tip: Add the tofu after the miso is completely dissolved; otherwise, you might break the tofu when stirring in the miso. Note: It is very common to cut tofu on your palm in Japan. However, I recommend using a cutting board if you have never done this.
  • Add 1 Tbsp dried wakame seaweed and the chopped green onions to the pot right before serving to keep their fresh fragrance and color. Tip: If you worry about salt intake, I recommend rehydrating the dried wakame in a separate bowl of water to get rid of the saltiness, instead of rehydrating it in the soup itself. If reheating, warm up the miso soup until it is just hot. NEVER BOIL miso soup because it loses flavor and aroma.  
    Miso Soup 11

To Serve

To Store

  • In general, it‘s best to consume all the miso soup right away because it will lose its aroma and taste as time passes. Let your miso soup cool to room temperature (up to 4 hours; any longer and it will spoil) and then refrigerate. Keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. If you want to make a big batch to store for later, it‘s best to refrigerate the soup without adding the miso. When ready to use, add the miso only for the portion you need. You can freeze miso soup for up to 2 weeks. However, you have to remove the tofu before freezing as the texture will change.

To Reheat the Miso Soup

  • Heat the miso soup in a pot over medium heat, but do not boil. Miso loses its nutrients, flavor, and aroma at high temperatures.

What to do with the spent katsuobushi and kombu?

Nutrition

Calories: 57 kcal · Carbohydrates: 5 g · Protein: 4 g · Fat: 2 g · Saturated Fat: 0.3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4 g · Sodium: 532 mg · Potassium: 135 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 2 g · Vitamin A: 46 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 62 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: dashi, miso
©JustOneCookbook.com Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any website or social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Did you make this recipe?If you made this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #justonecookbook! We love to see your creations on Instagram @justonecookbook!

Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on Mar 3, 2011. The recipe was revised and updated on June 7, 2022. The post was updated with new images, a new video, and more helpful content on February 2, 2024.

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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.

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?

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

This looks wonderful. I only have firm tofu on hand. Could I use that?

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!

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! 🙂 – 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?

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?

OK! – Thanks for your help and advice. 🙂

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! 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!

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.

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!

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.

Lovely blog! My son loves miso soup and I’m glad to find your recipe 🙂 I can add ramen too right?

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 🙂

I totally forgot about those little packets! My mom used them, thanks for the sweet memory

May I know at what age is it appropriate for a child to try miso soup?

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

This is a great nutritional value, vegetarian and delicious soup!! I love your recipes.

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!

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