Name: Hearty Kabocha Miso Soup for Chilly Days
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: ⅛ Kabocha (180g); 1 cup Komatsuna ( or any leafy green vegetable); ½ Tofu (150g); 1½ tsp Dashi Powder; 3 cups Water (720ml); 2 Tbsp Miso Paste

5 from 3 votes

JUMP TO RECIPE & VIDEO RATE RECIPE

What’s better than a cozy bowl of Kabocha Miso Soup? This comforting soup is hearty, flavorful, and easy to make in under 15 minutes!

Looking for simple kabocha dishes? Try these 16 easy kabocha recipes!

I’ll walk you through the ingredients and step-by-step instructions. I hope you enjoy it!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This warm and comforting kabocha miso soup is perfect for chilly days.
The kabocha brings a gentle, natural sweetness that pairs beautifully with the rich miso.
Enjoy the authentic taste of Japan right from your kitchen.

Kabocha

Kabocha, also known as Japanese pumpkin, is a winter squash commonly used in Japanese cooking. It has a dark green outer skin and bright orange flesh that’s sweet and starchy. It’s a delicious vegetable for making creamy soups, roasting, and frying.

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Kabocha Miso Soup:

Kabocha is harvested in summer, but it reaches its peak flavor in the fall after drying and aging, becoming richer and sweeter. Choose one with bright orange flesh, full of pulp and seeds. If you’re unsure how to cut it, check out this recipe: “How to Cut a Kabocha Squash.”
Tofu is a classic ingredient in miso soup. You can use either Momen (firm tofu) or Kinu (silken tofu). I used Momen tofu for this recipe.
Komatsuna is a common green leafy vegetable in Japan, similar to spinach. It can easily be substituted for other leafy green vegetables.
Dashi, a traditional Japanese soup stock, is the key ingredient in infusing broth with savory richness. In this recipe, I use store-bought kombu dashi powder (plant-based instant dashi). If you are looking for authentic homemade dashi, you can try awase dashi (bonito flakes), niboshi dashi (anchovy), and kombu dashi.
Miso paste is flavorful, savory, and salty fermented food (soybean paste), an essential seasoning for Japanese cuisine. The darker miso ages longer and tastes less sweet than light-colored miso. White miso paste (shiro miso) is the way to go for a sweet and mild taste.

For Vegans:

Traditionally, miso soup is not plant-based because dashi is made from fish. However, you can easily make it vegan by replacing fish dashi with vegan options like kombu dashi powder or homemade vegan dashi.

How To Make Kabocha Miso Soup: STEP BY STEP

Here are some quick visual instructions! For the video and all the detailed ingredients and instructions, go to the printable recipe card below.

Step 1

Cut kabocha, komatsuna, and tofu into bite-size pieces.

Step 2

Put the cut ingredients (except leaves of komatsuna), dashi powder, and water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Simmer until kabocha gets tender.

Step 3

Add komatsuna leaves and simmer.

Step 4

Turn off the heat and stir in the miso paste until well combined.

Your hearty Kabocha miso soup is ready! The kabocha melts into the soup, adding its natural sweetness—so delicious!

Recipe Tips

If you find the soup too light, feel free to add more miso paste to enhance the flavor.
Always add the miso paste after turning off the heat. Boiling the miso can diminish its delicate flavor.
When incorporating the miso, stir gently to avoid breaking the tofu.

Variations

The ingredients for miso soup are endless, so you’ll never get bored of enjoying it every day. Here are some other ingredients you can add to Kabocha miso soup:

Daikon
Onion
Bean sprout
Mushrooms
Scallion
Aburaage (Deep-fried Tofu)

What To Serve With

To give your kabocha miso soup a more authentic feel, I recommend serving it with Japanese Steamed Rice, Vegan Vegetable Gyoza (dumplings), Cucumber Salad with Shiokombu, and Eggplant Teriyaki.

Dive Deeper into Cooking Kabocha!

To learn more about kabocha, you can explore these articles:

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More Kabocha Recipes You Will Love

Leave a Rating!

I hope you enjoy this Kabocha Miso Soup! If you try it, don’t forget to leave a rating to share your thoughts—I love hearing from you!

Hearty Kabocha Miso Soup for Chilly Days

5 from 3 votes

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Prep: 5

Cook: 10

Total: 15

Servings: 4

Author: Juri Austin

What's better than a cozy bowl of Kabocha Miso Soup? This comforting soup is hearty, flavorful, and easy to make in under 15 minutes!

Equipment

Saucepan 16cm (6 inches)
Miso Muddler

Ingredients

Instructions

Preparation: Cut kabocha and tofu into bite-size pieces. Cut komatsuna into bite-size pieces and separate the leaf part and root part.
Bring to a Boil: Put the kabocha, tofu, komatsuna root, dashi powder, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil on medium heat.
Simmer: Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until kabocha gets tender.
Add the Leaves: Add the leaves of komatsuna and simmer for another minute.
Add Miso Paste: Turn off the heat, add miso (use a miso muddler if you have it), and stir gently until it dissolves.

Video

Notes

Storage: 3 days in the fridge.
If you find the soup too light, feel free to add more miso paste to enhance the flavor.
Always add the miso paste after turning off the heat. Boiling the miso can diminish its delicate flavor.
When incorporating the miso, stir gently to avoid breaking the tofu.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 61kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 5.1g

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: kabocha miso soup

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