Easy Vegan Mushroom Miso Soup

This vegan miso soup with mushrooms, tofu, and (optional) noodles is quick, easy, and super cozy yet light enough to enjoy year-round, packed with gut and immune-boosting benefits for a flavorful 30-minute appetizer, side, or main!

I'll admit, most of the time, it's chilly evenings and feeling ill that has me craving cozy, comforting soups like this Easy Vegan Taco Soup and Vegetable Barley Soup. However, this vegan mushroom miso soup is the perfect year-round, everyday soup to soothe and nourish - even at breakfast time!

What is Miso Soup and What Does It Taste Like?

Miso soup is a popular Japanese soup traditionally made with three basic components: miso paste, dashi (a seaweed and dried fish-based soup stock), and add-ins (traditionally tofu, scallions, and often wakame seaweed).

In terms of flavor, it's savory, salty, sometimes a little sweet, and super umami-rich, depending on which miso paste you use.

Miso is a traditional Japanese ingredient made by fermenting soybeans with salt and koji rice starter (which contains the fungus Aspergillus Oryzae), barley, millet, or rye. It's fermented to white, yellow, or red miso and then used as a popular salty, umami-rich seasoning/flavor base.

It's such a popular Japanese staple that, these days, you can easily purchase pre-made miso soup and instant 'just add water' versions in most grocery stores. However, as many commercial versions aren't vegan-friendly, I've created a simple and delicious homemade version!

Why This Mushroom Miso Soup Recipe Works

• Flavorful: Even ditching the regular fish-based dashi, this vegan miso soup creates a rich and full-bodied flavor depth with the addition of mushrooms and seaweed for a savory, salty, rich, umami-rich soup.
• Nutritious & healthful: Miso supports gut health and brain health, boosts immunity, contains several vitamins and minerals, and may even reduce the risk of certain cancers - along with several other health benefits. When combined with protein-rich tofu and fiber-dense noodles, this is a healthy, satisfying soup that's still fairly low in calories and fat.
• Satisfying: This miso mushroom soup recipe is cozy and comforting (perfect for cold/flu season) but light enough to enjoy year-round as a satisfying breakfast, appetizer, side, or main.
• Quick: Unlike many soup recipes, this homemade miso soup is practically an 'instant soup.' When making this miso soup recipe with mushrooms, it'll be on your table in under 30 minutes. It's super easy to make, too!
• Easy to adapt: You can omit the noodles and/or tofu, add other veg, change the type of miso, use dried vs. fresh mushrooms, etc.

The Ingredients and Substitutes

• Sesame oil: The toasty, nutty flavor of toasted sesame oil will help add extra flavor depth to the vegan miso soup recipe.
• Aromatics: It's best to use fresh minced ginger and garlic, though garlic and ginger puree will work in a pinch.
• Mushrooms: When using mushrooms in miso soup, add depth with a combination of shiitake mushrooms and oyster mushrooms.

You could use other mushrooms (eringi, maitake, shimeji, enoki, etc.) or dried mushrooms (rehydrated in the vegetable broth).

• Vegetables: This simple vegetarian miso soup recipe doesn't require much. I used some carrot and baby bok choy this time. You could use chard or kale (thinly sliced) in place of the bok choy.
• Vegetable broth: Use a rich vegetable stock (reduced sodium if preferred), either homemade or store-bought.
• Noodles: (optional) To make a heartier miso tofu mushroom soup, I love to add noodles. Usually, I use soba noodles, though udon, ramen, or rice noodles will also work.
• Miso paste: I prefer white or yellow miso for homemade vegan miso soup, which have a milder flavor than red miso.
• Silken tofu: It's best to use silken tofu. It's still wonderfully tender but firm enough to dice and hold its shape within the miso soup.
• Green onions: (also called scallions), thinly sliced.
• Seaweed: I used nori sheets, as I always have them in my pantry. Alternatively, you could use reconstituted wakame seaweed or vegan kombu dashi powder (added to taste).

You can optionally use reconstituted wakame to flavor the dashi, but remove it before eating.

• Salt: Season the soup to taste (if needed). Use soy sauce for more umami.

To garnish the mushroom miso soup, I love using extra seaweed (nori) sheets, sliced green onion, red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds.

What Is The Best Type of Miso for Miso Soup?

There are three main types of miso: red, white, and yellow, all of which make delicious miso soup. The type you choose is up to your desired flavor profile.

1. White miso: (Shiro miso) This is the sweetest of the three, with a mild and creamy flavor and only mildly salty.
2. Yellow miso: (Shinshu miso) This is also sweet but more acidic, with a deeper, slightly earthy flavor.
3. Red miso: (Aka miso) This is fermented for the longest time and has a more robust, slightly pungent, and saltier flavor.

Did you know you can also combine the different miso pastes to find your exact preferred flavor?!

What Else Could I Add to Vegan Miso Soup?

• Butternut squash, pumpkin, or other squash (finely diced & steamed)
• Potato (finely diced and steamed/cooked)
• Green beans (thinly sliced)
• Daikon radish (thinly sliced or shredded)
• Cabbage (shredded)
• Beansprouts (added at the end)
• Leek (thinly sliced and sauteed)
• Wakame (reconstituted and thinly sliced)
• Red chili flakes (or thinly sliced chili – to add spice)

How to Make Mushroom Miso Soup

• 1) First, peel and mince the ginger and garlic and slice the mushrooms (wipe them with a slightly damp paper towel to clean) and carrots. Also, trim the bottom of the bok choy, thinly slice the green onions, and dice the silken tofu into ½-inch pieces (or smaller/larger to preference).

• 2) Then, heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the ginger and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.

• 3) Add the mushrooms and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes, allowing the mushrooms to release excess liquid and the carrots to slightly soften.

• 4) Next, add the broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the soba noodles (if using), cover with a lid, and cook the noodles according to the package instructions.

• 5) Turn off the heat and remove about a cupful of the broth to a small bowl to dissolve the miso paste into – whisk well. Then stir it back into the pot.

Alternatively, use a fine-mesh whisk or large ladle in the soup pot.

• 6) Add the baby bok choy, silken tofu, green onions, and crushed/sliced nori sheets, and gently mix. Cover with a lid once more and allow it to steep undisturbed for 10 minutes.

To avoid breaking up the tofu you could place it in the bottom of your serving bowls and ladle the hot miso soup over it.

• 7) Finally, give it a taste and season with extra salt if preferred, then serve the mushroom miso soup optionally garnished with some green onions, red pepper flakes, more nori, and some (raw or toasted) sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Recipe Pro Tips

• Don't add the miso too early: Always add the miso paste AFTER turning off the heat. It will not only affect the flavor but also kill the beneficial bacteria.
• Be gentle with the tofu: It's fairly fragile, so you might prefer to place it in the bottom of your serving bowl and ladle the hot mushroom miso soup over it, so avoid crushing/mashing it.
• Use a variety of mushrooms: Using a couple (or more) types of mushrooms will add depth, umami, and texture to create a more full-bodied overall flavor.
• Fresh vs. dried mushrooms: The latter have more intense, concentrated flavor (for richer miso soup broth), though some find them rubbery. After reconstituting them, I like to remove the stem and slice the caps. In comparison, fresh mushrooms have a milder flavor and softer texture.
• For a basic vegan miso soup: Omit the aromatics, mushrooms, and vegetables. This version takes half the time to prepare, too!
• For a more robust flavor: Add a little more miso paste.

FAQs

Serving Suggestions

I love adding noodles to this shiitake miso soup to make it a meal. However, you can enjoy it (with or without the noodles) as an appetizer/side with:

• Steamed white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice
• Steamed edamame beans with sea salt
• Vegetable dumplings/gyoza
• Vegan summer rolls
• A simple Asian cucumber salad

Storage Instructions

Store: Once cooled, store the leftover mushroom miso soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheat: Either gently on the stovetop over low heat or in 30-second intervals in the microwave, stirring in between. Don't allow it to boil to keep the active cultures alive.

More Vegan Soup Recipes

• Mixed bean and vegetable stew
• Teriyaki tofu stir-fry
• Vegan hummus wraps
• Tuscan white bean pasta
• Buffalo chickpea wraps
• Southwest stuffed sweet potatoes

If you try this easy vegan mushroom miso soup recipe, I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments below. I'd also really appreciate a recipe card rating!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla