Types of Miso Paste Explained

Explore the various types of miso paste and discover which one is perfect for your cooking needs. From sweet white miso to robust red miso, learn about their flavors, uses, and tips for selecting the ideal miso!

If you’d like a quick overview of what miso is, you can start here: What Is Miso? A Simple Beginner’s Guide

With so many types of miso available, choosing the right one can be confusing. This article breaks down the differences between each type in a clear, easy-to-understand way (I hope!). Let’s dive in and find the perfect miso paste for you!

What is Miso Paste?

Miso paste is a traditional Japanese condiment made from fermented soybeans. To make miso, cooked soybeans are mixed with salt and koji and fermented for a few months to several years.

Miso has a thick, paste-like texture and comes in different colors. It has a rich umami taste, a savory flavor that makes many dishes more delicious.

Miso is made throughout Japan, resulting in over 1,000 varieties. These different types depend on local climate, ingredients, and taste preferences. An exciting aspect of miso is the long-standing tradition of making it at home, where each family’s recipe creates a unique flavor.

Koji

Koji is an essential ingredient for making miso, soy sauce, and Japanese sake. It creates different enzymes, including ones that break down proteins (proteases) and starches (amylases). These enzymes help ferment and age the miso to give it a delicious flavor.

“Koji” is produced by cultivating the mold known as koji-kin (Aspergillus oryzae) on grains like rice, barley, and soybeans. For example, if the mold is grown on rice, it’s called rice koji. In making miso, rice koji, barley koji, and bean koji are all utilized.

Types of Miso Paste

Here’s a simple chart showing how miso paste is categorized. It’s typically classified by the type of koji used, flavor profile, and color. We’ll start by exploring miso based on the type of koji, then move on to its taste and color.

1. By Koji

Miso is categorized based on the type of koji used: rice, barley, or beans. Rice Miso is made by adding rice koji to soybeans, while Barley Miso uses barley koji combined with soybeans. On the other hand, Bean Miso is made exclusively from soybeans as its main ingredient. See the table below for more details on miso paste types by koji.

Rice Miso, or Kome Miso (米味噌) in Japanese, is made from soybeans, rice koji, and salt. The most commonly used miso in Japan is rice miso, which makes up 80% of the country’s production. It’s made throughout Japan and comes in a wide range of flavors, from sweet to salty, and in colors ranging from white to red.
Barley Miso, or Mugi Miso (麦味噌) in Japanese, is made from soybeans, barley koji, and salt. It’s commonly produced in the Kyushu region of southern Japan. Compared to rice miso, barley miso has a shorter fermentation period of 2 to 6 months and is known for its distinct barley aroma.
Bean Miso, or Mame Miso (豆味噌) in Japanese, is made solely from soybean koji and salt. It ages for 1 to 3 years and is known for its low sweetness, full-bodied taste, and dark brown color. This type of miso is commonly produced in central Japan, and Hacho miso is the most famous variety.
Blend Miso (not listed in the table), or Awase Miso (合わせ味噌) in Japanese, is a mixture of two or more types of miso. Most blended miso varieties have a mild flavor and are versatile for various dishes.

2. By Color

The next type is color. The finished product of miso is divided into three colors: white, yellow, and red. Factors like soybean type, amount of koji, and fermentation conditions influence miso’s color.

White Miso, or Shiro miso (白味噌), has a sweet flavor and creamy texture. It’s made with a high amount of rice koji, which brings sweetness from the rice’s natural sugars. Using more koji increases the enzymes that break down nutrients, speeding up fermentation. The white miso’s aging period is relatively short, less than two weeks, or try this quick white miso paste recipe, ready in just one day.
Yellow Miso, or tanshoku miso (淡色味噌), falls between white and red in flavor and color. It is saltier than white miso and has a slightly darker hue.
Red Miso, or Aka miso (赤味噌), is known for its rich, robust flavor and dark color. It undergoes a long fermentation period, typically lasting from several months to a year, which enhances its deep umami taste.

Learn more here: Red Miso vs White Miso: What’s the Difference?

3. By Taste

In addition to the type of koji used and color, miso can also be categorized by taste, generally falling into three types: sweet, mild, and salty. The flavor can vary based on various factors, but it is primarily determined by the ratio of koji to salt content. More salt makes miso saltier, while more koji produces a sweeter flavor.

The table below shows different types of miso to help you understand their flavor profiles better. Rice miso is divided into six categories based on taste, so the following explanation will focus mainly on rice miso.

Sweet Miso is the sweetest miso paste, with a 5-7% salt content and a 12-30% koji ratio.
Mild Miso is typically yellow or red rice miso. Its salt content ranges from 7% to 13%, and the koji ratio is 8-15.
Salty miso is characterized by its strong salty and umami flavors and rich miso aroma. It has a salt content of 11-13% and a 5-10% koji ratio. Most of the rice miso varieties on the market fall under this category.

Koji Ratio

Koji ratio (koji buai in Japanese) refers to the amount of koji used in making miso paste. If the salt content is the same, a higher koji ratio produces a sweeter miso paste.

It is calculated by this: Koji Ratio = (Koji (rice or barley) / Soybeans) x 10. Here are some examples:

Sweet Miso	Mild Miso	Salty Miso
Rice koji 1 kg Soybeans 0.5 kg Koji ratio 20	Rice koji 1kg Soybeans 1 kg Koji ratio 10	Rice koji 0.5kg Soybeans 1 kg Koji ratio 5

Miso Paste Variety

Here are some real examples of miso paste from my kitchen. I’ve gathered six types and sorted them into categories in the table below.

As you can see from the comparison, even within red miso, there are variations in color, aging time, salt content, and aroma, offering plenty of choices for miso lovers! Also, each region in Japan has its own unique miso. Rice miso is produced nationwide, but there’s a wide range of types, like Sendai miso, known for its high salt content, and Shinshu miso, which is considered the standard across Japan.

Which Miso Paste to Choose?

With all this information, you might be wondering which miso to choose. Here are some quick tips for you:

3 different miso types in a food container.

When choosing by color, white miso is milder, while red miso is richer and more savory. Pick white miso if you prefer a gentle flavor, or red miso if you like something bolder.
If the label shows the salt level or the koji ratio, you can use it as a guide. For a lighter taste, look for low-salt miso.
Want to explore more? Barley miso and bean miso have unique, deeper flavors.
If you’d like full control over the taste, you can even make your own miso at home by adjusting the salt, koji, and fermentation time.