Simple, classic, and incredibly satisfying miso soup is everyone’s favorite Japanese soup. If you’ve ever wondered how to make a traditional Japanese miso soup recipe at home, this dish is so easy to make with only five ingredients: dashi, white miso paste, tofu, wakame seaweed, and green onion.

This homemade tofu miso soup recipe can be ready in under 10 minutes! It’s the perfect, warm, comforting soup that pairs well with any Japanese-inspired meal.

Ingredients

You can find all the ingredients for this miso soup recipe at your local Asian or Korean grocery store. I have linked everything that I used in the recipe card below.

• Dashi Powder: the base of the miso soup. It has a rich, savory, umami flavor with oceanic notes.
• White Miso Paste: the mildest form of tofu with a mild, subtly sweet, savory, and delicate flavor. I use white miso for almost everything, from my miso salmon, miso ginger dressing, miso banana bread, to miso scalloped potatoes. It is an incredibly versatile ingredient.
• Silken Tofu: the softest form of tofu that melts in your mouth when added to soup.
• Wakame Seaweed: or dried seaweed. For a less salty soup, soak the wakame seaweed in hot water separately before adding it to the miso soup.
• Green Onion: for garnish and added aromatics

Substitutions and Additions

Substitutions

• Stock: kombu and dried shiitake stock, shiitake broth, low-sodium vegetable stock.
• Miso: yellow miso or red miso. You may need to adjust the dashi broth to miso ratio to taste.
• Tofu: soft or firm tofu.

Additions

• Vegetables: shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, daikon radish, napa cabbage, carrots, kabocha squash, onion, corn etc.
• Proteins: clams, salmon, pork, chicken, etc.
• Noodles: udon noodles, soba noodles, or ramen noodles.

How to Make Miso Soup

Here are the step-by-step instructions for how to make this miso soup recipe.

1. In a small pot, bring the water to a boil. Then mix the dashi powder until dissolved.

2. Lower the heat to medium low. Then, using a small fine mesh sieve, lower the miso paste into the broth and dissolve the miso through the strainer.

3. Add the diced tofu, wakame and green onion.

3. Serve and enjoy!

Storage Instructions

It is best to serve this miso soup immediately. If you have any leftovers, let the miso soup cool to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Reheat: Heat the soup in a pot over medium heat until warm. Be sure not to let the soup reach a boil. Miso loses its flavor and nutrients at high temperatures.

Freeze: If you’d like to freeze the soup, I recommend freezing the dashi broth separately for up to 3 months, then adding the miso when you’re ready to serve. Do not freeze the tofu; it will change its texture when reheated.

FAQ

What type of miso do I use?

For this miso soup recipe, I recommend using white miso for a slightly sweet, mild flavor. I use white miso in all my miso recipes, such as my baked miso sweet potato slices, browned butter miso chocolate chip cookies, and miso caramel sauce. For a deeper, bolder flavor, you can use red miso or yellow miso.

What is dashi?

Dashi is a classic Japanese soup stock used in many Japanese dishes, such as Japanese curry udon, and oyakodon (Japanese chicken and egg rice bowl). The most popular type of dashi is made with kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). However, Japanese grocery stores sell pre-made dashi packets and dashi powder for quick, easy cooking.

Is miso soup healthy?

Yes! Miso soup is low in calories and a good source of minerals and amino acids.

Miso Soup Recipe