Make this delicious, detoxing vegan miso soup in minutes with just eight ingredients. The dashi stock adds authentic Japanese flavor, tofu adds healthy protein, and miso, turmeric and ginger heal the body from the inside out.
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When I'm looking to rid myself of some of the excesses of the holidays or eating on the road, I make myself a delicious turmeric ginger tea or this cleansing vegan miso soup. It's a light, one-bowl meal and it comes together easily and effortlessly.
This homemade miso soup made from scratch tastes way better than a store-bought instant miso soup, and it is especially cozy and comforting to scoop it up in hot spoonfuls on a cold day or when the sniffles hit. The recipe is very, very customizable to your taste and to whatever you have in the pantry. And, best of all, it is wonderful for your digestive and respiratory health.
I like using white miso or shiro miso, which has the mildest flavor among all miso pastes, in this soup. Miso is one of the healthiest ingredients you can eat. It is rich in protein and in nutrients, including manganese, copper, zinc and Vitamin K. Because it is a fermented food miso is probiotic and easily digestible, making it an ideal detoxing food for the gut. I find different ways to enjoy it in my vegan recipes, including as a substitute for cheese in vegan basil pesto and magic cheezy sauce.
This vegan miso soup recipe makes enough to serve four but I can guzzle down half the recipe at one sitting without feeling even a little guilty. After all, everything in here is great for you, and there's no added fat!
Why you will love this soup
- Savory and comforting. This miso soup has tons of flavor from the ginger, carrots and miso. It tastes smooth and rich and is very satisfying.
- Easy to make. Making vegan miso soup is easy, and this recipe is perhaps easier than most. You will still get a very authentic flavor and all of the wonderful health qualities.
- Healthy and healing. The soup is free of oil and it is loaded with vitamins and minerals from the miso, dashi, carrots, ginger and turmeric.
Ingredients
- Kombu. This is a seaweed used to make the dashi stock that forms the base of a miso soup. It is usually available in the form of sheets.
- White miso or shiro miso. You can find miso at most supermarkets these days and certainly at your local Asian market or health food stores like Whole Foods.
- Ginger. Ginger will help add a wonderful flavor to this soup, and it also helps heal the digestive and respiratory system.
- Turmeric: Like the miso and ginger, turmeric is great for digestion and it has amazing immune-boosting properties. It also adds a lovely golden hue to this soup.
- Carrots. Carrots add more flavor to this soup and they also boost its vitamin A and C content.
- Firm or extra-firm tofu. Tofu adds healthy protein to this recipe and makes it nourishing enough to eat as a light meal by itself. You can also use silken tofu, although I prefer extra-firm because it holds up better and adds more texture.
- Rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. This adds a welcome tang and complexity to the soup.
- Scallions. Scallions, also called spring onions or green onions, add a pop of freshness to the recipe.
- Fresh ground black pepper. This is good to use with the turmeric as it helps the absorption of curcumin, the active compound in turmeric.
Variations
- Add ribbony noodles like fettuccine to the pot to make this a miso noodle soup. Add an extra cup of liquid to the soup and let the noodles cook in the broth.
- Use another quick-cooking vegetable of your choice in the soup, including zucchini or a winter squash. Sweet peas would be nice here too. You can also add thinly sliced greens, including spinach or kale.
- Add mushrooms to the soup, either thinly sliced button mushrooms or reconstituted or fresh shiitake mushrooms.
- Add a dash of soy sauce to the soup for some extra umami.
How to make miso soup
1. Steep the kombu in water for 15 minutes. Then place the saucepan over medium heat. Turn off as soon as the water comes to a boil.
2. Let the kombu and water stand in the saucepan for 15 more minutes. Then carefully lift out the kombu from the saucepan using a pair of tongs. This is the dashi.
3. Mix the miso paste with ¾ cup of dashi. Set aside.
4. In a saucepan or Dutch oven, heat ¼ cup dashi with the carrots, ginger and turmeric.
5. Saute the carrots for a couple of minutes until there is no visible moisture in the pot.
6. Add the remaining dashi stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and let it simmer over low heat for five minutes.
7. Stir in the tofu and apple cider vinegar and bring back to a boil.
8. Turn off the heat. Add the scallions and the miso mixture to the pot and mix. Stir in some fresh ground black pepper, if you want a bit of a kick. Serve hot.
More nourishing recipes
- Dandelion greens soup
- Vegan cauliflower soup
- The best lentil soup
- Vegan butternut squash soup
- Roasted eggplant soup
- Or browse more vegan detox recipes here
Recipe card
Miso Soup with Turmeric and Ginger
Ingredients
- 2 four-inch-square pieces kombu (approx)
- 4 cups water
- 4 tablespoons white miso (shiro miso)
- 1 teaspoon ginger (finely grated)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 medium carrot (grated)
- 14 oz firm tofu (cut into ¼th inch cubes)
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 4 scallions (white and green parts finely chopped)
Instructions
- Steep the kombu in water for 15 minutes. Then place the saucepan over medium heat. Turn off as soon as the water comes to a boil.
- Let the kombu and water stand in the saucepan for 15 more minutes. Then carefully lift out the kombu from the saucepan using a pair of tongs. This is the dashi.
- Mix the miso paste with ¾ cup of dashi. Set aside.
- In the same saucepan used to make the dash or in a Dutch oven, heat ¼ cup dashi with the carrots, ginger and turmeric.
- Saute the carrots for a couple of minutes until there is no visible moisture in the pot.
- Add the remaining dashi stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and let it simmer over low heat for five minutes.
- Stir in the tofu and apple cider vinegar and bring back to a boil.
- Turn off the heat. Add the scallions and the miso paste to the pot and mix. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
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My top tips
- Miso should always be added to cooked foods at the end of cooking, and after you've turned off the heat. This preserves the beneficial bacteria and enzymes in miso, giving you the greatest health benefits.
- When miso soup is left standing the miso will tend to collect at the bottom of the pan in a sludge. Make sure you stir the soup before serving.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: Store the miso soup in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- Freeze: Because of the tofu I don't recommend freezing miso soup. The texture of tofu changes considerably when it's frozen. You can freeze the rest of the soup, however, and add tofu after thawing and before reheating.
- Reheat: Reheating miso soup is not advisable because the beneficial bacteria in miso can die when exposed to too much heat. If you do reheat, do so gently over low heat until just warmed through.
Vegan miso soup FAQs
This miso soup is extremely healthy, with lots of protein, healthy fiber, and probiotic and respiratory health benefits. There is no added oil in this recipe and there are 11 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber in each serving, along with generous quantities of nutrients including vitamin A and calcium.
Dashi is the stock that forms the base of a Japanese miso soup. It is made by steeping and simmering one or more types of dried seaweed, including kombu and wakame seaweed, in water until the stock smells "like the sea". Some cooks also add dried bonito flakes, or fish flakes, to dashi. Our version here is simple and vegan, of course.
You can make this miso soup with vegetable stock or mushroom stock, if you don't have kombu on hand to make the dashi. Use four cups of the broth.
Donna says
Not sure how true to the recipe I was since I was winging it a bit and used dried locally sourced mushrooms instead of kombu and didn’t measure much but it turned out great! Realized 1/2 way through I should not have put the bits of dried mushroom in with the peppercorns since it was hard to get them back out and into the soup while discarding the peppercorn. Oh well…live and learn! Good recipe and oh…we added Ramen and dried soy curls also for added belly filling fun!
Vaishali says
Your tweaks sound delicious! So happy you loved the soup.
Anne says
Thank you for the wonderful magical uplifting boost to my repertoire of energizing inspiring recipes. The ginger detox tea is a gift. Appropo for the new spirit of 2021
Vaishali says
Hi Anne, thanks for the kind words, and a very happy 2021!
Mardy says
I’m not one for New Years resolutions but here I go; READ the entire recipe through before beginning. It was only after I added everything to the pot that I realized, it’s a two part process. Oh well, I’m happy to report it was delicious anyway. Thanks Vaishali!
Jenny says
I've been bingeing a little too hard lately during a bout of travel and this detox soup looked like just what I needed for dinner last night. It was easy to make and absolutely delicious. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Cat says
If you ever come to the other coast, you should see North Head Lighthouse in the southwest corner of Washington state. It's my favorite. Thanks for the soup recipe...it sounds just like what I'm craving right now.
Vaishali says
I googled up North Head lighthouse and it's a beauty. I will hope and look forward to visiting it one day! Thanks, Cat.
kailash says
Dear Vaishal,
Thank you for your receipt & the more beautiful way of Ur way to introduce the receipt, is as we are making a journey to gather & enjoining the trip, hope many people would be like you o learn like you, I enjoy making some of Ur recipe for my family & i enjoy to make & they enjoy eating,
Have a Good day,
BR from Barcelona,
Kailash.
Vaishali says
Thanks for your kind words, Kailash. I am so glad you've enjoyed the blog and the recipes. 🙂
Nafisah Ahmad says
Can i take green tea if im consuming curcumin,gingko capsules? Tq
Vaishali says
Hi, thanks for the question. I am not a doctor or nutritionist, so I can't advise you on any health concerns with taking supplements or spices. Please check with your doctor.