12 Easy Miso Recipes That Will Explode Your Tastebuds (2024)

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These miso recipes feature all the best ways to use this flavor-packed paste! It makes kitchen magic in stir fries, ramen, and even…pesto.

12 Easy Miso Recipes That Will Explode Your Tastebuds (1)

Got miso paste and want to use it? Miso is a kitchen trick: it makes everything it touches irresistible. This Japanese fermented soybean paste is known for its intense savory flavor or umami: the fifth flavor. Here are all the best miso recipes for using this magical ingredient! It’s often used in Japanese-style recipes like miso salmon and miso ramen, but you can think outside the box too. There’s almost nothing that miso doesn’t make a little better.

And now…our top miso recipes to try!

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Miso Salmon

Here’s an impressive miso recipe that’s packed with umami and fantastically irresistible: miso salmon! Miso makes magic in the kitchen: it adds incredible savory flavor to everything it touches. Here it features in a miso glaze that’s so full of flavor, you’ll want to brush a glossy swipe onto just about everything. One of the ultimate ways to use it? On a tender fillet of salmon.

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Easy Miso Dressing

Here’s a dressing that’s packed with flavor and seriously simple to whisk up: this tastyMiso Dressing! This fermented soybean paste holds the key to savory, umami flavor in recipes of all kinds, fromsalmontovegan pesto. It’s absolutely perfect for an all-purpose dressing: combine it with soy sauce and orange juice and it’s out of this world good! It works wonders on salads, or drizzled on fish or bowl meals like this Simple Salmon Bowl.

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Miso Butter

Here's a fun way to use mis in recipes: miso butter! We came across this magical condiment at a restaurant: it was mixed with rice and our son gobbled it up immediately and asked for more. Here’s how to make miso butter at home: it’s just 2 ingredients and takes minutes to make! It adds a rich, savory umami flavor to everything it touches: from rice to pasta to fish.

Want a sauce that’s full of irresistible flavor? Try our go-toMiso Glaze! This umami-packed glaze is perfect for fish, meat, tofu or vegetables. It’s so packed with savory, tangy and salty flavor that it makes you immediately want to take another bite. We often use it on salmon, but it's also perfect on pan fried cod(also delicious). Even better: it takes just 5 minutes to whip up.

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Miso Ramen

Here’s a flavor-packed miso recipe you can make in no time: miso ramen! Authentic ramen from a Japanese restaurant is the absolutebest. But the next best thing? Making it homemade. Miso paste brings big flavor in a short cook time: just 30 minutes! The broth is so savory, also flavored with soy sauce, mirin, and a little coconut milk to make it creamy. Top with a soft boiled egg and you’ve got comfort food to the max.

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Cauliflower Stir Fry

Here’s another favorite miso recipe: miso is perfect in stir fries! Fry cauliflower until lightly charred and tender, then add bell peppers and a punchy stir fry sauce flavored with miso. It’s the best way to make eating your veggies irresistible! Try it as a healthy side dish or an easy plant based dinner (with the protein adders in the recipe).

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Quick Soba Noodles

Need a quick noodle fix? Try these simple soba noodles! Soba are a Japanese buckwheat noodle, and they’re perfect as a component for a fast and easy dinner. Done in about 15 minutes, they’re covered in a zingy sauce of miso, soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. Throw them in a bowl and top with an egg or sauteed shrimp, and you’ve got dinner!

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Go-To Stir Fry Sauce

Want to make a killer stir fry? Here’s your Go-To Stir Fry Sauce! This one has a fantastic blend of flavors that’s savory, tangy and sweet, and it has just the right silky texture when you add it to the pan. Of course it stars miso paste to give it lots of complexity and umami.All you need is 6 ingredients (plus water), so this sauce is ultra simple to whip up.

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Tofu Stir Fry

Want to fall in love with tofu? This healthy vegan protein is great for incorporating into your meal prep repertoire. Come taste this tofu stir fry. It’s got the most flavor-packed stir fry sauce with miso (above) that works with any veggie, and the tofu is crisped on the outside and perfectly seasoned.

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Grilled Bok Choy

This one wins easy side dish hit of the summer:grilled bok choy! This tasty veggie is a type of Chinese cabbage, with a satisfying crunch and a peppery kick. Tossed on the grill with a quick soy miso sauce, it comes out lightly smoky, sweet, and perfectly seasoned. In the winter, you can use a grill pan to make the same recipe. It’s easy and comes out impressive, the perfect side for grilledsalmonortofu.

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Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

Here's an unexpected miso recipe: shepherd's pie! This vegetarian shepherd’s pie absolutely worth the effort to end up with a cozy, creamy Parmesan mashed potato topping over the most savory and delicious lentils. The trick to the lentils? Miso! It adds a meaty, savory flavor and makes them seriously satisfying.

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Vegan Basil Pesto

Here's a fun trick: you can use light miso (white miso) is used to achieve a complexity of flavor in pesto that mimics the traditional Parmesan! Of course, miso is a Japanese ingredient, not an Italian one, but it works remarkably well. It makes for a classic basil pesto that's totally dairy free and vegan: and delicious.

Types of miso

Misois a Japanese fermented soybean paste that’s full of nutrients and savory flavor. You can find miso in the international foods aisle near the Japanese ingredients. There are many different types of miso, and they all taste different. In most of our recipes, we specify to use white or yellow miso: sometimes they’re labeled as “light miso.” Here are the major types of miso:

  • White miso(Shiro miso): This variety has a mild, more delicate flavor and less salt than darker miso.
  • Yellow miso:This type is fermented a little longer than white miso and has a mild, lightly sweet flavor.
  • Red or dark miso:This variety is fermented longer than white or yellow miso. It has a very strong flavor and can overwhelm the flavors in a dish, so we don’t recommend using it here.

More ways to use miso

Didn’t find what you were looking for in these miso recipes? Here are a few more ways you can use miso paste in your cooking:

  • Add it to peanut butter cookies
  • Swirl it into Korean ramen
  • Add a dollop into mashed potatoes
  • Whisk a bit into salad dressing
  • Add a smear to spicy mayo

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12 Easy Miso Recipes That Will Explode Your Tastebuds (14)

Miso Salmon (& More Miso Recipes!)

★★★★★5 from 1 review
  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Prepare to be amazed by this miso salmon! The savory glaze is the perfect accent for this broiled fish and makes an easy dinner.

Ingredients

Scale

  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds high quality skin-on salmon fillets, wild caught if possible
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons light or yellow miso
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos)
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar (or maple syrup)
  • ¼ teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
  • ¼ teaspoonkosher salt
  • Optional garnish: Sliced green onions, sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Let salmon rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, make the miso glaze: Whisk the miso, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, Sriracha andkosher salttogether in a small bowl until smooth (the miso may have a few lumps depending on its texture, which is okay).
  3. Preheat the broiler to high. Place a large sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and brush it with olive oil. Pat each piece of salmon dry and place it on the foil skin side down. Brush salmon liberally with the glaze (1 to 2 tablespoons).
  4. Broil about 4 to 5 minutes for very thin salmon or 7 to 10 minutes for 1-inch thick salmon, until just tender and pink at the center (the internal temperature should be between 125 to 130F in the center). Brush with more of the glaze and serve.
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Broiled
  • Cuisine: Asian inspired
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Keywords: Miso recipes

Published on / Last updated on

Categorized In:

  • Recipe Collections

Tagged with:

  • Miso
  • Roundup

About the authors

12 Easy Miso Recipes That Will Explode Your Tastebuds (15)

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you’ll want to make again and again.

About Us

12 Easy Miso Recipes That Will Explode Your Tastebuds (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you eat too much miso soup? ›

Excess sodium intake

If you buy packaged miso soup, compare and read labels to see how much sodium is in a single serving. Eating too much sodium can raise your risk of health problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

Which miso has the most umami? ›

Gozen miso

It is said to be a sweet red miso of Tokushima Prefecture, which contains a high ratio of koji-mold and has a rich umami.

Why shouldn't you boil miso? ›

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

What is the secret ingredient in miso paste? ›

Classified as a fungus, Koji takes the starch in rice and other grains and breaks it down into sugars that can then be utilized by other microbes. It's an essential ingredient in miso.

Is miso bad for high blood pressure? ›

Miso is often avoided by people with high blood pressure because of its high-sodium content, but actually, miso can lower the risk of cardiovascular issues!

Why does miso soup make me sleepy? ›

Miso contains amino acids that can help boost the production of melatonin, a natural hormone that helpsmake you sleepy. Bananas: An excellent source of magnesium and potassium, which can help relax overstressed muscles. They also contain tryptophan, which convert to serotonin and melatonin.

Which miso paste is healthiest? ›

In terms of health benefits, the darker and more strongly flavored miso varieties tend to be the most nutritious. Here are a few of the healthiest types of miso: Red Miso: Made with a higher percentage of soybeans and fermented for a longer period of time, red miso has a rich, complex flavor and a dark red-brown color.

What food has the purest umami flavor? ›

Tomatoes are one of the best plant-based sources of umami flavor. In fact, their sweet-yet-savory flavor comes from their high glutamic acid content. Regular tomatoes contain 150–250 mg of glutamic acid per 3.5 ounces (100 grams), while cherry tomatoes provide 170–280 mg in the same serving.

What is the strongest tasting miso? ›

From awase, it gets more intense, with red (aka) miso—dark brown miso with the saltiest, strongest flavors, often fermented for more than a year and made with soybean koji—and white (shiro) miso—usually cream to pale gold, with the mildest, sweetest flavors, fermented quickly, and using rice koji.

Who should avoid miso? ›

Because miso is made with soybeans, those who are allergic to soy should avoid miso and other soy-containing products. Miso may also be used as an ingredient in other packaged products, so it is best to read the ingredients list and label to ensure that what you're buying is free of soy.

Why does miso smell bad? ›

If you have too much alcohol in your miso (see above) the alcohol can react with acetic acid to form ethyl acetate – a compound that smells of nail varnish remover.

Is the salt in miso bad for you? ›

Observational studies have repeatedly found a link between high-salt diets and stomach cancer ( 11 , 12 ). However, despite its high salt content, miso doesn't appear to increase the risk of stomach cancer the way other high-salt foods do.

What is the fungus in miso paste? ›

Miso is a Japanese traditional paste produced by fermenting soybean with fungus Aspergillus oryzae and salt, and sometimes with rice, wheat, or oats.

How long does miso paste last once opened? ›

Sweet miso should be consumed within three weeks of opening, white miso within 3 months. Darker misos, such as barley, brown rice and red miso keep for at least 6 months, and soybean miso for 12 months. Beyond these periods the miso wont spoil, but the flavour and colour will change becoming less aromatic.

What does miso mean in Japanese? ›

So I filled her in, explaining that miso is a pungent, good-for-you paste made from fermented soybeans. The word miso literally means “fermented beans” in Japanese, and it's a staple of Japanese cooking.

Is it OK to eat miso soup everyday? ›

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.

Why do Japanese eat so much miso soup? ›

Miso soup and its origins

It became a 'daily meal' for the samurais during the Kamakura period (1185–1333), and, during the age of Japanese civil wars. The recipe for its 'instant paste' was developed for military commanders to eat — which made miso soup an easily-preparable and accessible meal.

Can you lose weight eating miso soup? ›

If you're looking to shed some pounds, you'll be glad to know that the nutritional profile of miso soup can support your weight loss goals. Not only is Miso soup great for digestive health but it is also low in calories, typically containing around 40-60 calories per serving.

How much miso soup can you drink? ›

Eating miso soup every day can be okay for many people, as miso is a nutritious and flavorful ingredient commonly used in Japanese cuisine. Miso is a fermented soybean paste that provides a good source of protein, vitamins, and minerals. It also contains beneficial probiotics that can support gut health.

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