Vegan Miso Soup

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.

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