Experience the authentic Japanese tofu miso soup at home – it's cozy, healthy, and so delicious! Learn how to make it with this easy recipe!

Making a homemade tofu miso soup is a breeze with this simple recipe using a dashi powder, requiring just four ingredients and is ready in under 10 minutes. Don't worry if you're not familiar with the ingredients – I'll walk you through the straightforward process. Give it a try and enjoy the taste of Japan in your home!
- This recipe is for you if:
- You love Japanese miso soup.
- You want to make tofu miso soup.
- You are looking for easy tofu miso soup recipe.
Let me show you how to make it. If you want to check the recipe immediately, please visit the link below. Let's get started!
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About This Recipe
- Easy miso soup recipe with instant dashi powder
- Only five ingredients and ready in under 10 minutes
- Japanese ingredients explained
- Easy to adapt for vegan/vegetarian
📋 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients (amounts are in the recipe card below).
- Tofu is a classic miso soup ingredient, which gives a soft texture to the soup. You can use both Momen (firm tofu) and Kinu (silken tofu) for miso soup. I use Momen in this recipe.
- Scallions or spring onions are also one of the classic miso soup ingredients.
- 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 (Learn more about what miso paste is).
- Dashi, a traditional Japanese soup stock, is the key ingredient in infusing broth with savory richness. I simplify the process by using store-bought kombu dashi powder (plant-based dashi) in this recipe. If you are looking for authentic homemade dashi, here are the recipes: awase dashi (bonito flakes), niboshi dashi (anchovy), and kombu dashi (find more in What is dashi).
Where to Buy Japanese Ingredients
If you live in the US, you can find Japanese ingredients in the list below.
- Japanese market: Mitsuwa Marketplace, Marukai
- Asian market
- Whole Foods Market
- Health food stores
- Online stores: Instacart, Walmart, Amazon
🔪Instructions
Let me show you how to make it.
- Chop scallion.
- Cut tofu into cubes.
- Put the scallions, tofu, and dashi powder in a medium saucepan.
- Add water.
- Bring to a boil on medium heat.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add miso using a miso measuring whisk (if you have it).
- Stir gently until it dissolves.
- You can also use a ladle to dissolve miso paste.
Serve
Pour the soup into a soup bowl (called Owan in Japanese) and savor the warmth and comfort of this delightful tofu miso soup at home!
Helpful Tips
- Always add miso paste after turning off the heat. If you boil the miso, you will lose the excellent flavor.
- When adding the miso to your soup, stir gently (try not to break the tofu).
- It's easy to add miso paste with a whisk (See below).
Miso Measuring Whisk
This Miso measuring whisk is a MUST tool for making miso soup. You can easily measure and scoop miso paste. All you need to do is put this whisk into the miso container and turn it around and put it into the soup directly to dissolve the miso. I love it so much! I highly recommend having this simple tool if you make miso soup often!
Storage
Fresh miso soup is the best, but if you have leftovers, let it cool and keep it in the fridge. Transfer the soup to a glass jar and store it in the fridge. It will be good for 2 to 3 days.
I don't recommend putting it in the freezer because freezing and thawing change the texture of the tofu.
Vegan Adaptable
Is miso soup vegan? No, because miso soup's essential ingredient is dashi, usually made from fish.
But it's easy to make it vegan using vegan dashi. You can use kombu dashi powder or make vegan dashi (Shiitake mushroom and kombu seaweed) from scratch. Just replace regular dashi with them, and you will have a vegan miso soup.
Miso Soup Ingredient Variations
Miso soup isn't just about tofu and scallions; it's a canvas of endless possibilities, keeping everyday meals exciting. Here are some other ingredients to add to your miso soup:
- Dried wakame seaweed
- Green onions, spring onions
- Bean sprouts
- Bean sprout
- Mushrooms
- Carrot
- Napa cabbage
- Bok choy
- Aburaage (fried tofu)
- and many more!
What To Serve With
You can serve your soup with onigiri rice balls and other traditional dishes to give it a more authentic feel. Here are some recipes you might want to try:
- Tofu miso soup
- Kombu onigiri
- Tuna and scallion tamagoyaki
- Wakame salad
- Nukazuke
Dive Deeper Into the World of Miso Soup!
To learn more about miso soup, you can explore these articles:
- What is Miso Soup? A Quick Guide to This Classic Japanese Dish
- How Long Does Miso Soup Last? Tips For Storing Miso Soup
- What Does Miso Taste Like? Exploring The Japanese Flavor
- 8 Easy Japanese Miso Soup Recipes You'll Love
FAQ
Miso soup is made from three basic components: Miso paste, dashi (soup stock), and Ingredients of your choice. The most common ingredients are tofu, scallions, and wakame seaweed.
The flavor is mild and gives a lovely, soft texture.
Because we usually use katsuobushi (bonito) dashi for miso soup. But you can easily make it vegan using kombu dashi.
No, you don't. You can add the tofu as it is.
Miso soup is a daily staple in Japan. It depends on the family, but I make it almost every day, and we eat it a couple of times a day.
You can find it at Japanese grocery stores: Mitsuwa marketplace, Marukai, Asian grocery stores, or online stores like Amazon.
Thanks For Stopping By!
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog♡ . If you've tried this recipe (or any other recipe on the blog), please give it a star rating below!
Also, feel free to leave comments if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!
Chef JA Cooks is a Japanese food blog that shares simple and healthy Japanese home cooking recipes, including vegan and vegetarian. From traditional Japanese recipes to modern recipes with step-by-step instructions.
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📖 Recipe
Tofu Miso Soup with Instant Dashi Powder
Print Pin SaveEquipment
- Medium saucepan 18cm/7 inches
Ingredients
- 1 Tofu, 200g, 7oz
- ½ Scallion, 50g, 1.7oz
- 1½ teaspoon Dashi powder, 5g
- 3 c Water, 720ml
- 2 tablespoon Miso paste, 36g, 1.3oz
Instructions
- Preparation: Chop scallion, cut tofu into cubes.
- Bring to a boil: Put the scallions, tofu, dashi powder, and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil on medium heat.
- Simmer: Lower the heat and simmer for one minute.
- Add miso paste: Turn off the heat, add miso (use a miso measuring whisk if you have it), and stir gently until it dissolves.
Video
Notes
- Storage: 3 days in the fridge.
- If the taste of the soup is light to you, feel free to add more miso paste.
- If you want to make dashi from scratch, here are the recipes: vegan dashi (shiitake mushroom and kombu), awase dashi (bonito and kombu), niboshi dashi (dried sardine)
- Always add miso paste after turning off the heat. If you boil the miso, you will lose the excellent flavor.
- When adding the miso to your soup, stir gently (try not to break the tofu).
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