Wakame Miso Soup (Japanese Seaweed Soup Recipe)

5 from 3 votes

Make your own Wakame Miso Soup at home with this easy recipe! This classic Japanese seaweed soup is light, healthy, and savory—perfect for any meal.

Looking for miso soup recipes? Try my Tofu Miso Soup, Mushroom Miso Soup, or Daikon Miso Soup!

wakame seaweed miso soup in a soup bowl.

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

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This wakame miso soup is super easy to make and ready in under 10 minutes!
Wakame is the most common seaweed used in miso soup.
Learn how to make miso soup from scratch with this quick recipe!

Miso Soup

Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup made with dashi (a simple broth), miso paste, and additional ingredients like tofu, vegetables, and seaweed. Due to the fermentation of miso paste, miso soup is not only delicious but also rich in probiotics, which help maintain your gut health.

Recipe Ingredients

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

Ingredients for wakame seaweed miso soup.

Wakame is a type of seaweed and a popular ingredient for miso soup. It’s common to use dried wakame that is available all year round. When rehydrated, it will increase in size by ten times. It has a firm yet elastic texture with a subtle smell of the sea.
Tofu is a classic miso soup ingredient. 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 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.
Dashi, a traditional Japanese soup stock, is the key ingredient in infusing broth with savory richness. In this recipe, I use store-bought instant dashi powder. If you are looking for authentic homemade dashi, you can try awase dashi (bonito flakes), niboshi dashi (anchovy), and kombu dashi.

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 Wakame 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

Place dried wakame seaweed and tofu in a saucepan.

Step 2

Add dashi powder and water, then simmer.

Step 3

Turn off the heat and stir in the miso paste.

Step 4

Finish by adding chopped scallions.

Pour the soup into a bowl and enjoy the comforting, healthy wakame miso soup at home!

Recipe Tips

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

Storage

Transfer the soup to a glass jar and store it in the refrigerator. It will last for 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing it because freezing and thawing changes the texture of the tofu.

What To Serve With

You can serve your wakame miso soup with Japanese rice and other traditional dishes to give it a more authentic feel. Here are some recipes you might want to try: Umeboshi Onigiri (rice balls), Fried Daikon, Vegan Vegetable Gyoza (dumplings), or Okara Salad.

Dried Seaweed for Miso Soup

There is more seaweed you can add to your miso soup.

Tororo kombu is shredded kombu (kelp) after pickling in vinegar and used as a garnish in various Japanese dishes.
Aosa is flaky seaweed often used as a topping for yakisoba and takoyaki.
Nori is crispy and often used for onigiri rice balls and sushi.
Seaweed mix is a mixture of dried seaweed and is often used for seaweed salad.

Dive Deeper into Miso Soup!

To learn more about miso soup, you can explore these articles:

Your Questions Answered

What is miso soup usually made of?

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.

What seaweed is used in miso soup?

The most popular seaweed for miso soup is Wakame. You can also add Tororo kombu, Aosa, and Nori as a topping.

Does miso soup always have seaweed?

Not always. For your soup, you can choose vegetables, eggs, soy products, and many more (see the variation section).

Is the seaweed in miso soup good for you?

Yes, it is. It’s rich in minerals and dietary fiber.

How often do Japanese eat miso soup?

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.

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