Homemade vegan miso soup is such a comforting dish, and it's surprisingly easy to make! It's also naturally gluten free and made with homemade vegan dashi broth.
Like all of our recipes, we've spent a lot of time perfecting this vegan miso soup in the last month or two! It took a few trials to nail that quintessential miso flavor with vegan ingredients, but we're so excited to share the final recipe with you.
I love, love, LOVE miso soup. There's just nothing quite like it. It's so simple and doesn't need many ingredients to shine, but it's absolutely packed with flavor.
It doesn't have to be limited to a precursor to sushi. Give it a try for a comforting, homemade vegan dinner!
Is miso soup vegan?
Unfortunately, traditionally-prepared miso soup is not vegan. While miso paste is vegan, the broth usually contains dried fish (bonito) flakes. If you're ordering at a restaurant, be sure to ask whether or not the broth is vegetarian.
How to make homemade vegan dashi broth
Dashi refers to a traditional Japanese stock that's used in a number of recipes, including miso soup. As mentioned above, it's typically made with fish products to add flavor.
The good news is, it's pretty easy to make an equally flavorful vegan dashi broth for your homemade miso soup!
You'll need three key ingredients:
- Dried kombu seaweed. Traditional Japanese dashi is always made with kombu, an edible kelp that adds deep umami flavor. You can find it at some grocery stores (like Whole Foods), Asian markets or online. We don't suggest substituting with another variety of seaweed – the flavor just won't be the same.
- Dried shiitake mushrooms. Mushrooms replace fish flakes in vegan dashi. Shiitake mushrooms, in particular, add an earthy, robust flavor and they're relatively easy to find at grocery stores. Why dry instead of fresh? Dried mushrooms have more intense, concentrated flavor, which is necessary for a deeply flavorful broth.
- Water. Okay, that's an easy one!
To make vegan dashi, simply add all 3 ingredients to a stock pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 30 minutes before straining.
That's it! With your broth made, it's time to make the miso soup.
Vegan Miso Soup ingredients
There are a few essential ingredients you'll need to make your miso soup, as well as a few optional add-ons.
- Vegan dashi makes up your brothy base.
- Miso paste: the most important ingredient! You can use any kind of miso for miso soup, including red, yellow or white miso. We used white miso, which is the most common and the lightest and sweetest miso variety. It's really up to you and what you can find at your grocery store!
- Soy sauce or tamari. Up to this point, we haven't added any salt to the recipe. Soy sauce (or tamari if you're gluten free) does just that, adding saltiness and deep flavor.
- Scallions. You can't have miso soup without thinly sliced scallions! Add as many or as few as you'd like.
Optional add-ins include:
- Tofu. I always add tofu – in my opinion, miso soup isn't complete without it! Medium firmness works well for miso soup, but you can also use firmer or even silken tofu.
- Mushrooms. Extra mushrooms bump up the umami and add heartiness. We simply simmer fresh shiitakes in the broth before serving. You could also use other varieties of wild mushrooms, including enoki, beech or oyster mushrooms.
- Bok Choy. To round out your meal, add some greens! Simmered boy choy is a great addition. You can also use spinach or another leafy green.
- Red pepper flakes are optional for a bit of spice.
- Rice noodles are a great way to add more heft to your vegan miso soup! They get soggy pretty quickly, so cook separately and add to broth when you serve.
More favorite vegan soup recipes
- Vegan Lemon Rice Soup
- Lentil Sweet Potato Curry Soup
- Vegan Chicken (Tofu) Noodle Soup
- Split Pea Soup with Fried Mushroom Bacon
- Carrot Apple Ginger Soup
- Homemade Vegan Ramen
If you make this vegan miso soup recipe, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.
PrintVegan Miso Soup
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Homemade vegan miso soup is such a comforting dish, and it's surprisingly easy to make! It's also naturally gluten free and made with homemade vegan dashi broth.
Ingredients
Vegan Dashi Broth:
- 5 2-inch pieces dried Kombu seaweed
- 1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
- 8 cups water
Miso Soup:
- 6 cups dashi
- ⅓ cup (5-6 tbsp) white or yellow miso paste
- ¼ cup low sodium tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten free)
- ½ cup thinly sliced scallions, divided
- 1 ½ cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 3 cups bok choy, sliced
- ¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 7 oz of medium to firm tofu, diced
Instructions
- Make dashi broth by combining kombu, dried mushrooms, and water in a stock pot. Heat water to a gentle simmer, then remove from heat, cover with a lid and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Drain broth into a separate pot, removing all kombu and mushroom sediment with a fine mesh sieve.
- In a small bowl or pot, whisk together miso paste and ½ cup of warmed dashi broth. Set aside.
- Add 5 ½ cups of dashi to pot over medium heat. Once the broth starts to simmer, reduce heat slightly and stir in tamari, green onion, mushrooms and bok choy and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove soup from heat and stir in miso/broth mixture and (optional) red pepper flakes.
- Add tofu to a soup bowl and ladle broth over top. Enjoy hot with more fresh scallions.
- Category: Soups
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: vegan miso soup
Kelly
The most amazing vegan miso soup ever!! I’ve made many miso soups and they just lack flavor and consistency and this is by far the best I have ever had. I have sent this recipe out to fellow miso lovers to try too! Love it!!!
★★★★★
Lexi
Thank you so much, Kelly! Means a lot! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Judith
ExcellAnt, I made it last night, very easy, good and only 149 calories!!!
Thanks for all of the great recipes
★★★★★
Lexi
So thrilled you enjoyed this soup, Judith! Thanks so much for your comment 🙂