Miso Soba Noodle Soup

Name: Miso Soba Noodle Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons canola oil; 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root; 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth; 1 lb baby bok choy, leaves separated; 3 ounces dried soba noodles; 3 tablespoons white miso paste; 7 oz medium firm tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes; 1 carrots, ribbons or juilienned; cilantro, green onion, sesame seeds, sriracha

Nourish your gut with this 30 minute, probiotic and fiber filled miso soba noodle soup flavored with white miso paste and ginger and filled with bok choy, carrots, and mushrooms. Big bowls of this miso soup are the perfect way to warm up on cold days.

miso soba noodle soup garnished with sesame seeds in a white bowl.

This post was originally published January 2017; updated February 2023.

This miso soba noodle soup recipe comes together quickly in just one soup pot so it can easily become a weeknight staple. (These tofu power bowls are another favorite staple dinner in our house!) Make it your own by adding whatever veggies you have on hand; this version includes carrots, bok choy, and shiitake mushrooms.

Not only does this delicious soup warm you up from the inside out, but it will make your gut happy thanks to all the fiber from the veggies and the probiotics in the miso.

Looking for even more healthy vegan soup recipes developed by a plant-based dietitian? Be sure to check out my roundup of 15+ healthy vegan soup recipes!

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

A delicious one pot soup that can be adapted to use a variety of different veggies or noodles. Easy to throw together on a weeknight since prep and cooking time is less than 30 minutes!
The soba noodles and tofu cook in the pot with the rest of the soup – no extra dirty dishes!
This recipe is vegan, egg free, nut free, and dairy free. Use gluten free certified soba noodles and white miso to make this recipe gluten free as well.

What is Miso?

You may be wondering, what is miso? It’s a flavorful paste made from fermented soybeans which is commonly used in Japanese cuisine. You can usually find miso refrigerated in a plastic tub at the store near the tofu. It has the consistency of natural peanut butter. Miso has a salty and savory flavor and which works well in soups like this one.

Miso soup is traditionally made with a stock called dashi. Vegan and vegetarian versions of dashi are flavored with kombu (edible kelp). In this non-traditional miso soup recipe, we’re just using vegetable broth. If you are looking for an authentic miso soup recipe with dashi, check out this homemade miso soup from Just One Cookbook.

The other great benefit of miso is that it is a good source of beneficial bacteria to promote gut health. Recent nutrition research has become more centered on the interaction between the types of bacteria in the gut and chronic disease. Adding fermented foods (like miso!) and fiber-rich foods into your diet is a great way to start cultivating healthy gut bacteria.

Ingredients You’ll Need

soba noodle soup ingredients laid out on a white marble surface.

White Miso (shiro miso): Adds all the delicious salty and rich flavor to this soup. You can find miso in the refrigerator at the grocery store. Our local stores usually have it stocked near the tofu and vegan foods. You can use other varieties of miso if you’d like a little different flavor.
Tofu: I like to use medium firm tofu for this recipe, but extra firm tofu also works. Traditional miso soup calls for silken tofu so you can use that as well. I use half a package and cube it into small 1/2 inch cubes. I normally just toss it into the soup without pressing or cooking first since I like the soft texture in the soup. However, you can pan fry the tofu so it is crispy first and add to the soup at the end if you prefer.
Vegetable Broth: Miso is fairly salty, so use a low sodium vegetable broth for this recipe. Want to reduce the sodium even more? Just use 6 cups of water instead of vegetable stock.
Shitake Mushrooms: I love the texture and flavor of shiitake mushrooms in this soup. However, you can use other mushrooms instead like white button mushrooms.
Vegetables: I like to add bok choy and carrots to this soup recipe, but you could add any other veggies you might have on had like eggplant, spinach, leeks, thinly sliced zucchini, peppers, sweet potato, or cabbage. Traditional miso soup recipes are often served with wakame seaweed.
Soba Noodles: if you can’t find buckwheat soba noodles, you can also use ramen noodles.

Step by Step

dutch oven with cooked sliced shiitake mushrooms.

Step One: Add the oil and sliced mushrooms to a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat and sauté until mushrooms are softened. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 more minute.

dutch oven with broth and bok choy added with the uncooked soba noodles.

Step Two: Stir in the broth and bok choy. Bring to a simmer in the large pot and then add the soba noodles. Simmer until soba noodles are cooked, about 6-8 minutes.

dutch oven with cooked miso soup, soba noodles, and veggies.

Step Three: Spoon out about 1/2 cup of the hot soup broth and a bowl with a miso. Whisk together to dissolve the miso then add the miso mixture to the pot. Stir in the cubes of tofu and cook until tofu is warmed, about 2-3 minutes.

finished miso soba noodle soup garnished with sesame seeds and green onion in a white bowl.

Step Four: Divide soup between soup bowls. Garnish with carrots, sesame seeds, and sliced spring onions.

Expert Tips

Make this recipe gluten free by using soba noodles made from 100% buckwheat flour and miso. Make it low carb or keto by using zucchini noodles or shirataki noodles in place of the soba noodles.
Make sure to dissolve the miso in some hot broth before adding it to the rest of the soup for best results. You also want to add it at the end of cooking as it will lose a lot of its flavor and aroma while also killing the beneficial probiotics if it is allowed to boil in the soup.
If you have leftovers, note that the soba noodles do soften as they are stored in the soup broth in the refrigerator. I find that it is best to eat this soup within one, maybe 2 days of cooking.

What to Serve with Miso Soba Soup

To serve this soup, I like to add some shredded or julienned carrots for a pop of color. If you want, you could also add the carrots during cooking so they are softer. Garnish with fresh cilantro, sliced green onion, and sesame seeds. For some spice, add a bit of chili garlic sauce or a dash of chili flakes. Add a squeeze of lime juice when serving to brighten up the flavors.

miso soba noodle soup in a bowl garnished with sesame seeds and match stick carrots.

Recipe FAQs

Why don’t you put miso in boiling water?

Adding miso to boiling soup broth or water will cause it to lose some of its flavor and aroma. Miso is also full of probiotics since it is a fermented food. Boiling the miso would kill off some of those healthy probiotics so you want to avoid that by adding the miso to your soup at the end of cooking.

Does miso soup have noodles?

Miso soup can be served with a variety of different veggies and/or with noodles. In this recipe, we add soba noodles, but this miso soup can be served with other noodle varieties like: shirataki, udon, ramen, mung bean, or rice noodles.

What does miso soup taste like?

Miso soup has a umami-like flavor that is savory, salty, a little funky (since it is flavored with a fermented food after all), and has a hint of sweetness.

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