Miso Soup is one of the most well known traditional Japanese dishes. It is super easy to make and very healthy! I was told by my grandparents that if you have Miso Soup every day, you can live longer! I still trust their advice and I would like to share my Grandma’s Miso Soup recipe!
Miso Soup is a dish that is a source of Japanese pride. Many people probably know what Miso Soup is. Most people get Miso Soup when they go to Japanese restaurants as it usually comes before your main meal. In Japan, it is usually served along with the main dish.
What is Miso Soup? (Meaning)
I can comfortably say that most Japanese people have Miso Soup every single day. This is such an important dish in our life. Miso Soup is called “Miso-shiru(味噌汁)” in Japan. Depending on the season, household, and region, you can see a large variety of Miso Soup styles in Japan.
Today I will introduce classic Japanese Miso Soup!
Ingredients for Miso Soup
There are so many types of soup that use Miso! But, Miso Soup has 2 common ingredients in any version: Miso and Dashi.
1. Tofu Miso Soup
Tofu Miso Soup is extremely common. I think when you go to a Japanese restaurant, you usually get this type of Miso Soup. It’s very simple but it makes you warm inside and out!
Ingredients
- Tofu
- Miso
- Dashi
- Scallion
- Seaweed
2. Tonjiru
Tonjiru is the king of winter soups in Japan in my opinion. There are a lot of vegetables and it keeps you full and healthy.
Ingredients
- taro
- miso
- dashi
- onion
- carrot
- scallion
- burdock
- sesame oil
- green beans
- pepper powder
- boneless pork rib
- Japanese white radish
3. Asari Miso Soup
Asari Miso Soup is often served in spring and summer. It is very fresh and tasty.
Ingredients
- clam
- Miso
- Dashi
- Scallion
- Seaweed
Grandma’s Miso Soup Recipe (Traditional)
I will explain the details in the recipe below this article, but here are the quick steps!
- Make dashi
- Boil the dashi and add ingredients
- After the ingredients cook through, add miso
- Add tofu in the end
Q &A : Is Miso Soup Healthy?
Yes it is. My grandparents always said that if I have Miso Soup every single day, I will live longer. I have trusted that without knowing the truth, but here are the health effects of Miso Soup!
8 health benefits of Miso Soup
- Weight loss
- Anti-aging
- Female hormones
- Skin problems
- Stomach cancer / breast cancer
- Lifestyle disease
- Sleep problems
- Hangovers
Q &A : Where Can I Buy Miso?
There are 3 places to buy Miso.
- Local grocery stores
- Asian grocery stores
- Amazon
I can find Miso in the Asian section at my local grocery store. But, I recommend you buy it at an Asian grocery store if it’s possible. If you don’t have access to an Asian grocery store then Amazon also sells Miso!
Q &A : Is There a Quick and Easy Way to Make Miso Soup?
Yes there is! You can purchase individual instant Miso Soup packs. When I have no time or am tired of cooking, these are a great option.
Amazon sells some of my favorite instant Miso Soup!
Q &A : Miso Soup is for Breakfast?
It doesn’t need to be for breakfast. Some people love to have Miso Soup with every meal but some people have it just one time a day. I used to have Miso Soup at breakfast and dinner.
Q &A : Is Miso Soup Vegan?
No, Miso Soup is not usually vegan. Classic Miso Soup is made with a dashi base that is made from seafood including bonito and anchovies. To make a vegan Miso Soup you would have to use a different form of dashi that is made from mushrooms.
Similar Recipes to Miso Soup on Oishi Book
- Wonton Soup using Leftover Gyoza Wrappers
- Chanko Nabe (ちゃんこ鍋 – Japanese Hot pot）
- Creamy Potato Soup (ポテトのクリームポタージュ)
CHECK Stay in touch with me on Instagram and Pinterest to get the latest recipes! DM or comment me on Instagram if you have any questions or feedback!
Basic Miso Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cup dashi How to make Dashi is HERE
- 1/2 pack firm tofu
- 2 Tablespoon miso
ingredients option
- seaweed I use dry seaweed in this recipe
- scallion (green onion)
Instructions
Preparation
- Make dashi before cooking Miso Soup. How to make dashi is here.
Let's cooking!
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Cut the tofu into 1 inch squares.
- Add dashi into a pot and turn the heat to medium.
- Bring to a boil then add the seaweed.
- Turn the heat off and add miso into the pot while stirring until it melts.
- Turn the heat to low and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add the cut tofu and cook another 2 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and add scallions (green onion) to taste.
- Let's serve!
I made my first miso soup and it was delicious! Btw which miso do you use? I wasn’t sure which one I should have bought so I bought white color miso.
Easy and tasty recipe. Thanks.
Hi! Thank you for the comment. For this miso soup, I used “Marukome Miso Gluten Free Vegan” you can buy on Amazon! I really like this brand.
However, I like to use “dashi miso” for so many dishes that’s because dashi miso already contains dashi in miso so you don’t need to do extra work to make dashi haha
If you want to skip making dashi for making miso soup, you simply use dashi miso instead. I will add the information in this article soon! Thank you for the question:)
Thank you Taylor! I am glad you like it:)