Miso Soup From Scratch

This traditional miso soup brings restaurant-quality Japanese flavors to your kitchen with homemade dashi broth, silky tofu, and umami-rich miso paste. Perfect as a starter or light meal, this comforting soup delivers authentic taste in just 20 minutes.

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: Soup

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings:

Calories: 85kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

4 cups water
1 piece dashi kombu 4 inch
½ cup bonito flakes
3 tablespoons miso paste
6 oz silken tofu cut into ½-inch cubes
1 teaspoon dried wakame seaweed
2 green onions finely chopped

Instructions

Add water and kombu to a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.
Remove kombu and add bonito flakes. Simmer for 5 minutes, then strain to create dashi broth.
Return dashi to pot and reduce heat to low. Ladle ½ cup of warm broth into a small bowl.
Whisk miso paste into the bowl of warm broth until completely dissolved and smooth.
Pour miso mixture back into the pot and stir gently to combine.
Add tofu cubes and wakame seaweed to the soup. Heat for 2-3 minutes without boiling.
Remove from heat and garnish with chopped green onions before serving immediately.

Notes

Never boil miso soup after adding the miso paste as it will destroy the beneficial probiotics and create a grainy texture.

Substitute bonito flakes with shiitake mushrooms for a vegetarian dashi alternative.

White miso creates a milder, sweeter flavor while red miso provides a deeper, saltier taste.

Wakame seaweed will expand considerably when rehydrated, so use sparingly.

Fresh miso paste from the refrigerated section provides better flavor than shelf-stable versions.

Leftover soup can be refrigerated for 2 days but reheat gently without boiling.

Add other ingredients like mushrooms, corn, or spinach after the tofu for variety.

Nutrition