Miso soup
味噌汁 misoshiru
Miso soup is a Japanese soup of dashi stock with fermented soybean paste stirred in, usually holding cubes of tofu, wakame seaweed and spring onion.
Allergens at a glance
- UsuallySoyMiso is fermented soybean paste; tofu and fried tofu are soy too.
- UsuallyFishDashi is usually made with bonito flakes or dried sardines.
- OftenGlutenBarley (mugi) miso and some blended misos; wheat-gluten fu in some bowls.
- SometimesMolluscsClam versions (asari or shijimi) are common set-meal soups.
- SometimesCrustaceansPrawn heads or crab in seafood versions, especially at seafood restaurants.
Usually in the standard recipe. Often in many versions. Sometimes in some kitchens, or a cross-contact risk.
Diets
- Rarely vegetarian: standard dashi is fish. Vegan miso soup uses kombu or shiitake dashi; ask specifically.
- Coeliacs (celiacs) need to ask which miso is used: barley miso contains gluten and rice miso may be blended.
- For halal diners: many commercial misos contain added alcohol as a preservative, and tonjiru is pork.
Recipes change from kitchen to kitchen. If you have an allergy, confirm every ingredient with the restaurant before you order.
What is miso soup?
Miso soup is dashi stock with miso paste dissolved into it, plus a few simple ingredients like tofu and seaweed. It's served with almost every Japanese set meal, at breakfast, lunch and dinner, often in a lacquered bowl with a lid. It's light and savoury, and it's rarely the main event.
What's in it
Two things make a miso soup: the dashi and the miso.
Dashi is usually made from kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (dried, smoked bonito), or from niboshi (dried sardines). Vegetarian dashi uses kombu and dried shiitake.
Miso is soybeans fermented with salt and koji, a mould grown on a grain. The grain sets the type:
- Kome miso: rice koji, the most common type.
- Mugi miso: barley koji, common in Kyushu and Shikoku.
- Mame miso: soybean only, like the dark hatchō miso of Aichi.
- Awase miso: a blend of types.
Common fillings are silken tofu, wakame seaweed, spring onion, aburaage (fried tofu), daikon, mushrooms, clams and potato. Tonjiru is a hearty pork and vegetable version.
Allergens and diets
Soy is certain: miso is fermented soybean, and the tofu and aburaage are soy too.
Fish is the default, even when you can't see any. Standard dashi is bonito or sardine, and many restaurants use instant dashi granules that also contain fish. Ask "is the dashi made with fish?" rather than "is it vegetarian?", because tofu soup sounds vegetarian to many staff.
Gluten depends on the miso. Barley miso contains gluten, and blended miso may include it. Rice and soybean miso are made without wheat or barley, but labels and kitchens vary, so ask. A few soups float small puffs of fu, which is wheat gluten.
Clam miso soups (asari or shijimi) bring molluscs, and seafood restaurants may serve a crab or prawn version (crustaceans), sometimes in place of the standard soup without warning.
On the menu
Miso soup is written 味噌汁 or みそ汁, and often isn't listed at all because it comes with a 定食 teishoku (set meal). Variants:
- あさりの味噌汁 asari no misoshiru: clam
- しじみ汁 shijimi-jiru: freshwater clam
- 豚汁 tonjiru or butajiru: pork
- 赤だし akadashi: dark soybean miso
- 白味噌 shiro miso: sweet white miso, often in Kyoto
How to eat it
Drink it straight from the bowl and use chopsticks for the solids. Stir it first, as the miso settles.
Last checked 1 November 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email support@inventum.com.au.