Healthy Miso Soup Vegan Recipe (Basics for Beginners) | Purple Avocado (2024)

FAQs

How to make miso soup without killing the probiotics? ›

Adding it to boiling water will kill the probiotics in the miso, nixing the health benefits it typically offers, like better digestive health. Wait until the soup has been taken off the heat and then stir or whisk in miso to taste. The paste-like texture will melt into the soup thanks to the residual heat of the stock.

If the miso soup doesn't use chicken stock or contains fish-derived ingredients, there's a better chance it's vegan. In fact, some miso soup is made with kombu dashi, which is a stock derived from kelp, a type of seaweed ( 6 ). Still, some miso soup may contain other animal-derived ingredients.

Soybeans, used to make miso paste, are also rich in protein and other important nutrients that contribute to a healthy diet. Miso soup contains prebiotics and probiotics, which may contribute to improved gut health. Miso soup contains the prebiotic A. oryzae.

Tip. Don't bring the soup to a boil! Because miso is a fermented food, it's teeming with probiotics. Boiling miso kills these beneficial bacteria, so you'll miss out on some of its health benefits.

Miso soup is full of probiotics, which contribute to improved gut health and reduced inflammation. Miso is known for being rich in vitamins and minerals, good for bones, improving digestion, and heart function. It may also reduce the risk of cancer, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and diabetes.

At temperatures above 115 degrees Fahrenheit these delicate bacteria are destroyed. We recommend adding miso paste to soups just prior to serving.

Most miso stock is dashi, a Japanese broth made from dried fish, kelp, and shiitake mushrooms. Japanese versions of vegan miso stock use dashi that only contains mushrooms and kelp. Miso stock in the United States may use vegetable, chicken, or Western-style fish stock instead of dashi.

Soy Sauce/ Aminos

Soy sauce is the most common substitute for miso paste. Miso is thick and creamy, whereas soy sauce is thin like water, but if texture isn't a factor, they are both made of soy and chock full of salty and savory notes.

The base of any great miso soup is its liquid component. In lieu of dashi, a homemade vegetable broth can be used. Not only does this serve as a dashi substitute, but it also adds a layer of flavor complexity while keeping the dish plant-based and accessible to those on a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Hikari Miso, Organic Miso Mild Sodium Miso

This product is even healthier than others as it has less sodium. It is also the traditional Shinshu-style made from organic rice and soybeans, and has a yellow color. The high koji ratio creates a mild and sweet taste.

Can I eat miso soup every day? ›

Miso soup is low calorie, low fat, and high in nutrient content, so it is safe to eat daily. However, it does have a high salt content. So, those on blood thinning medication or who have heart problems (including high blood pressure and heart disease) may want to limit their consumption of miso soup.

Eating miso soup every day was associated with lower insulin resistance in a 2018 study carried out in Japan. Insulin resistance means that your cells respond less well to insulin, making blood sugar spikes more likely.

To preserve the probiotic qualities of miso, you must avoid boiling it; instead, whisk in the miso just before serving, while the soup is still warm. Eric Kim's delicious recipe for miso soup is easy to make vegan. You could use a simple kombu dashi for the base, of course, or tweak Eric's recipe a bit.

Similar to other fermented foods, miso is jam-packed with probiotics, which are a type of beneficial bacteria that live in your digestive tract. (However, heating miso is likely to kill these probiotics, according to a 2018 research review .)

Miso instant soup is a great source of protein and healthy fats. It also contains probiotics that aid in digestion, may reduce cholesterol levels, increase bone density, lower your risk for heart disease and decrease inflammation throughout the body.

As a general rule, when probiotic cultures are subjected to temperatures of 120 degrees F and above they start to die off [1]. It's the reason fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, and miso, marketed as containing “live” beneficial bacteria, can't be exposed to high heat during the cooking process.