Miso Noodle Soup
This miso noodle soup recipe features tofu and vegetables. This meatless soup is comforting like chicken noodle soup, but much more flavorful!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on March 27, 2025
This miso noodle soup is fresh, light, and filling all at once. It’s the perfect soup if you’re craving a warm, bright meal or feeling under the weather. Most soups need at least 30 minutes on the stove to develop full flavor, but not this one. This soup is ready in half the time.
This recipe is not traditional Japanese miso soup, which typically features kombu (dried kelp), wakame seaweed and silken tofu. If you’re looking for the delicious miso soup you enjoy at Japanese restaurants, try this one at Just One Cookbook.
This recipe is an abstract option that includes miso and tofu (extra-firm) but not seaweed. It features spaghetti noodles and fresh vegetables, including bell pepper, snow peas and carrots. It’s generously seasoned with ginger, green onion, toasted sesame oil and soy sauce.
I created this recipe over twelve years ago for Better Homes and Gardens and revisited it recently. I added more miso, soy sauce for complex saltiness, and toasted sesame oil for its savory flavor and richness.
I also switched from recommending soba noodles to regular spaghetti. While I love soba noodles, they tend to get gummy and starchy if left in liquid for any excess time, which will inevitably happen if they’re cooked in soup. Spaghetti simply works better.
I hope the improvements to this recipe and updated photos entice you to try this soup. It’s just lovely. Consider serving it in early fall before the cravings for heartier soup set in or early spring when the temperatures drop. It’s also a terrific vegetarian and vegan alternative to chicken noodle soup. Enjoy!
Miso Noodle Soup Tips
You’ll find the full recipe below. Here are a few quick tips before you get started.
- Prepare your ingredients before you start cooking so they’re ready to add.
- Let the mixture return to a simmer each time before starting your timer. We’ll add the ingredients at intervals to ensure each one is cooked evenly.
Watch How to Make This Soup
Serving Suggestions
This soup could be a light meal on its own. It features an abundance of veggies, and the tofu offers a plant-based source of protein.
If you’d like to add a complimentary side dish, consider my Seaweed Salad or a simple green salad with Ginger Salad Dressing (you could incorporate any of the vegetables used in this soup).
More Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this recipe, check out my Veggie Sushi Bowls and Build-Your-Own Buddha Bowls. You might also appreciate the following soups and stews:
Please let me know how your miso soup turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Miso Noodle Soup
This miso soup recipe features noodles, vegetables and tofu. It’s fresh and restorative and a very abstract interpretation of Japanese restaurant-style miso soup. Recipe yields 6 bowls of soup.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 4 ounces spaghetti noodles, broken in half
- 1 (14-ounce) container extra-firm tofu, drained and sliced into small, bite-sized cubes
- 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced into bite-size strips (about 1 ½ cups)
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced green onions
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 cup fresh snow peas, halved crosswise
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and ribboned using a vegetable peeler
- ¼ cup white miso
- 1 to 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, to taste
- 1 to 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce, to taste
- For extra spice (optional): additional red pepper flakes and/or sriracha
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or soup pot, bring the broth and water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and let the mixture return to a hearty simmer. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the tofu, bell pepper, onions, ginger, and red pepper flakes (if using). Bring the mixture back to a hearty simmer, then set the timer for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the halved snow peas and carrot ribbons. Simmer for 1 minute more or until the peas are crisp-tender and the noodles are cooked through. Reduce the heat to low.
- Transfer about ½ cup of broth to a small bowl and stir in the miso. Once the mixture is smooth, stir it back into the soup. Stir in 1 tablespoon each of the sesame oil and tamari. Taste, and if it needs more saltiness or overall flavor, add another tablespoon of tamari. For more sesame flavor, stir in up to 1 more tablespoon of sesame oil.
- Remove the soup from the heat. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with additional red pepper flakes and/or a light drizzle of sriracha, if desired.
Notes
Recipe edits 2025: I revised this recipe significantly. I increased the amount of water, switched from soba to spaghetti noodles, reduced the ginger, quadrupled the miso, and added sesame oil and tamari.
Make it gluten-free: This requires a careful review of ingredient labels. Choose a sturdy gluten-free noodle, like a corn and quinoa blend. Verify that your miso and tamari are gluten-free.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
First, I must admit that I waited until the last minute to buy the Miso and our local store was out. Google suggested substituting Tahinni and extra soy sauce (tamari) so that’s what I did.
The result did not have much flavor to me, although I can tell there was plenty of sodium in the broth I used (store bought). I felt like the tofu needed to be seasoned and perhaps browned prior to adding to the soup. I did add more sesame oil and quite a bit of Siracha. I also added a generous scoop of Gochujang.
The soup was definately filling, however!
I’m going to hold the leftovers and try to find white Miso to add.
I do love many of your recipes, including your Southwest Black bean, Kale and Sweet Potato Skillet I made just last night!