20-Minute Vegan Miso Soup

This delicious Vegan Miso Soup is chock full of wholesome ingredients and can be on the dinner table in about 20-minutes flat!

If you love miso soup but have been afraid that it would be difficult to make, you’re in luck! This amazingly healthy vegan soup is made with a combination of mushrooms, tofu, miso, seaweed, and vegetables and takes only minutes to prepare.

You’ll love vegan miso soup because it’s…

• Bursting with savory miso flavor
• Full of veggies
• Has calcium-packed tofu
• Can be ready in minutes
• Delicious
• Healthy

What is miso paste?

Miso paste is a traditional Japanese food that can be found in the refrigerated section of many grocery stores as well as natural food stores and Asian markets. It is commonly called soybean paste and has a mellow, slightly sweet flavor.

Miso is delicious used in soups like this as well as some other recipes like salad dressings and sauces.

What is miso soup?

Miso soup is a Japanese soup made with miso paste and additional ingredients like mushrooms, tofu, and other vegetables.

Miso soup is such a warm and comforting dish. It has savory bites of tofu, seaweed, and broccoli in every scoop which makes it naturally vegan.

I completely understand why in Japan it’s even eaten for breakfast. It makes a lot of sense when we consider their historically low cancer and chronic disease rates. They are eating bowls of health to start the day, whereas in the United States we are serving up greasy breakfast sandwiches and sugar-coated cereals.

How to make vegan miso soup

The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.

Even reluctant cooks will have success with this recipe. If you have a pot and a few items from the grocery store, this savory soup can be in bowls in your kitchen in no time.

Begin by pouring the veggie broth (or this Easy Dashi Stock) into a large soup pot, and bringing it to a boil. Remove from heat, add the dried mushrooms, cover, and let stand 20 minutes or until mushrooms have softened. If using fresh mushrooms, you can skip this soaking part.

Remove the rehydrated mushrooms from broth with a slotted spoon. Cut off and discard the mushroom stems. Thinly slice the caps and set them aside.

If you make your own veggie stock, the stems would be perfect to add to your scrap bag in the freezer.

I also sometimes buy dried mushrooms that are already sliced thin, which makes this recipe (and others) come together even faster because there’s no need to slice and destem the mushrooms.

While the mushrooms are soaking is a perfect time to go ahead and prep all of the veggies and other ingredients that need to be chopped, sliced, and grated.

I like to slice the broccoli into small bite-sized florets and grate the carrots. However, if you want to just purchase a bag of julienne carrots already prepped, that would eliminate another step for this recipe.

You will also want to go ahead and grate the fresh ginger. If you only have dry ground ginger on hand, that can work in this recipe, but I really enjoy the flavor of fresh.

Two options for draining and pressing tofu

The tofu will need to be drained and pressed before using in this (or any other) recipe. Making sure the water is removed allows the tofu to have room to soak up the flavors and spices being used.

Traditional way 

Slit the package and drain excess water over a sink. Next, place the tofu block in a tofu press if you have one. Allow 15-30 minutes for pressing.

Homemade press way 

Place tofu on an absorbent surface such as layered paper towels or a dishtowel. Use another dish towel or paper towels to place on top of the block and top with a heavy plate or cast iron pan. Continue to drain under pressure for approximately 30 minutes.

Once the tofu is ready, slice it into 1/4″ cubes. Then, cut the nori sheet into 1″ squares using scissors.

Helpful hint: if your nori has become softened over time and needs to be crisped back up, simply hold the sheet over the heat of a stove eye or a toaster for about 30 seconds. It will become crunchy and crisp again.

Add the tofu, nori, and ginger to the broth in the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots. Cover and simmer for 1 minute, just until the broccoli turns bright green.

The miso broth

You’ll need to break the miso paste down into a broth before adding it to the soup. To do this, transfer 1 cup of the broth from the pot of veggies into a bowl.

Stir in the miso with a whisk or fork until it is completely dissolved. Pour the dissolved miso into the soup and stir until it is well incorporated. There is no need to cook the soup anymore.

Serve immediately while warm.

Tips & suggestions for this recipe

• Ginger- Dry ground ginger can be used in place of fresh ginger, but I think the freshly grated ginger adds so much flavor.
• Tofu- Be sure to drain and press the water from your tofu as described above. If the tofu is left full of the water it was packaged in, it won’t be able to soak up the miso and ginger as it should.
• Storage- This soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1-week.
• Sourcing ingredients- Nearly all of the ingredients needed for this Japanese Miso Soup Recipe can be found at your local Asian market, and for a much cheaper price than shopping at specialty stores.

For those concerned about the salt in miso, this short 3-minute video Is Miso Healthy from Dr. Michael Greger with Nutritionfacts.org should help relieve concerns.

Recipe from The Cancer Survivors Guide by Dr. Neal Barnard.

*Originally published July 2016.

Other great vegan soup recipes

• Vegan French Onion Soup
• Chef AJ’s Black Bean Soup
• Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Hearty Barley Vegetable Soup
• Best Instant Pot Vegetable Soup

For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!

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If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!

4.75 from 20 votes

Vegan Miso Soup in 20-Minutes

This delicious vegan miso soup is chock full of wholesome ingredients and can be on the dinner table in about 20-minutes flat!

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 20 minutes mins

Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!

Servings: 5 servings

1x2x3x

Ingredients 

US Customary - Metric

• ▢ 5 cup vegetable broth
• ▢ 1 cup shiitake mushrooms (fresh or rehydrated from dry)
• ▢ 1 pkg silken firm tofu
• ▢ 1 sheet nori
• ▢ 2-3 teaspoons ginger peeled and grated
• ▢ 2 cups small broccoli florets
• ▢ 1 cup carrots julienned or grated
• ▢ 3-4 tablespoons white miso
• ▢ salt to taste if needed

Instructions

• Pour the veggie broth into a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add the dried mushrooms, cover, and let stand 20 minutes, or until mushrooms have softened. If using fresh mushrooms, you can skip this soaking part.
• Remove the rehydrated mushrooms from broth with a slotted spoon. Cut off and discard the mushroom stems. Thinly slice the caps and set aside. If you make your own veggie stock, the stems would be perfect to add to your scrap bag in the freezer.
• I also sometimes buy dried mushrooms that are already sliced thin, which makes this recipe (and others) come together even faster because there’s no need to slice the mushrooms.
• I like to slice the broccoli into small bite-sized florets and grate carrots. However, if you want to just purchase a bag of julienne carrots already prepped, that would eliminate another step for this recipe.
• You will also want to go ahead and grate the fresh ginger. If you only have dry ground ginger on hand, that can work in this recipe, but I really enjoy the flavor of fresh.
• The tofu will need to be drained and pressed before using in this (or any other) recipe. Making sure the water is removed allows the tofu to have room to soak up the flavors and spices being used. I describe two options for draining and pressing tofu in the article above.
• Once the tofu is ready, slice it into 1/4″ cubes. Then, cut the nori sheet into 1″ squares using scissors.. Helpful hint: if your nori has become softened over time and needs to be crisped back up, simply hold the sheet over the heat of a stove eye or a toaster for about 30 seconds. It will become crunch and crisp again.
• Add tofu, nori, and ginger to the broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add the mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots. Cover and simmer for 1 minute, just until the broccoli turns bright green.
• You’ll need to need to break the miso paste down into a broth before adding it to the soup. To do this, transfer 1 cup of the broth from the pot of veggies into a bowl. Stir in the miso with a whisk or fork until it is completely dissolved. Pour the dissolved miso into the soup and stir until it is well incorporated. There is no need to cook the soup anymore.
• Serve immediately.
• Stored in a covered container in the refrigerator, it will keep up to 1 week.

Equipment

Dried Sliced Mushroom Dried Shiitake Mushroom Slices, 170g

ONE ORGANIC Sushi Nori Premium Roasted Organic Seaweed (50 Full Sheets)

Video

Notes

Detailed instructions, in-process photos, and my personal helpful tips can be found in the article above.

Tips & suggestions for this recipe

• Ginger- Dry ground ginger can be used in place of fresh ginger, but I think the freshly grated ginger adds so much flavor.
• Tofu- Be sure to drain and press the water from your tofu as described above. If the tofu is left full of the water it was packaged in, it won’t be able to soak up the miso and ginger as it should.
• Storage- This soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1-week.
• Sourcing ingredients- Nearly all of the ingredients needed for this Japanese Miso Soup Recipe can be found at your local Asian market, and for a much cheaper price than shopping at specialty stores.

Nutrition

Calories: 92kcal | Protein: 2.8g | Fat: 2.8g | Fiber: 5.4g

Disclaimer

To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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About Terri Edwards

Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy.  I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…