Cabbage Miso Soup

This yummy cabbage miso soup is very quick and simple, yet impressive in flavor. Miso paste is the ultimate flavor booster ingredient here, which pairs so well with crunchy nutrient-dense cabbage. Great as an appetizer or main meal, especially if served with ramen noodles. 100% vegan and healthy recipe.

We are entering the month of July, but I still wanted to share this cozy Japanese-style cabbage miso soup recipe. Who said soups could not be enjoyed in the summer anyway?

So, why do I love this soup so much? It comes together in under 30 minutes and even though it is so quick to prepare with minimal hands-on prep, the flavor of the miso broth is simply amazing.

But if you already cook with miso then you probably know how amazing this ingredient is. Miso is loaded with a strong umami flavor and is also pretty salty, which gives a simple veggie broth a whole lot of complex flavor without much effort or lengthy simmering.

Also, the miso-cabbage combo pairs so well with each other. Using green cabbage allows you to keep a nice texture to the soup as it does not turn mushy easily. You can always add other veggies and I'll usually also serve with ramen noodles to turn this light vegetable soup into a more filling meal.

So, next time you feel like a healthy cozy bowl of soup, I hope you give this recipe a try! 💚

Highlights of this recipe

• Ridiculously easy and quick with uncomplicated steps, perfect for the beginner!
• Uses only a few simple ingredients.
• Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free and low-in-fat.
• Very flavorful broth that's super satisfying.
• Healthy recipe filled with nutrient dense cabbage.
• Loaded with probiotics (loving these gut-friendly bacteria!)
• Versatile and can take on a few more veggies

Ingredients you'll need and add-ons

This recipe requires only a handful of ingredients, but you can of course customize to your preference. Feel free to use the miso broth + cabbage as a base and add on more veggies!

• Vegetable broth: aim for a lower-in-sodium broth as you are going to add miso paste that's already very salty. I love the veggie broth from the brand 365 at whole foods, but choose your favorite one. Homemade vegetable broth would absolutely work great here.
• Miso paste: I used the mellow white miso paste from Miso Master Organic. You should be able to find miso paste in any grocery store.
• Cabbage: Most kinds of cabbage work, but I like using green cabbage.
• Garlic: It adds so much flavor, you will need to use a few cloves.
• Carrots: Optional, but I love how it adds a nice pop in color and extra nutrients too.

Here are a few more veggie ideas to include into the soup. You could roast them first into your pot before pouring the vegetable broth over depending on the veggie:

• Mushrooms, especially shiitake
• Red pepper
• White onion
• Broccoli
• Kale
• Spinach

How to make this cabbage miso soup

Start by prepping the veggies: peel and shred the carrots, thinly slice the garlic and slice/chop the cabbage.

Simmer the vegetables

Bring the veggie broth to a boil in a medium pot.

Then, add the cabbage, carrot and garlic. Simmer the veggies for about 10 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.

Add miso paste and serve

Remove the pot from the heat. Transfer the miso paste into a bowl. Then, using a ladle, take some of the warm broth from the pot and pour over the miso. Whisk until super smooth with no clumps visible anymore.

Pour the miso mixture into the soup and stir to combine.

Simply serve the soup warm as is or add some cooked noodles to your serving bowl first and then pour the soup over for a more filing meal. Top with garnishing ingredients if desired.

Watch how to make

Cooking tips

• I don't recommend simply adding the miso paste straight to the pot of soup as this would make it harder to dissolve the paste within the broth. Whisk it well in a small amount of broth or water first.
• Also, don't boil the miso paste or it could kill the healthy gut-friendly bacteria.
• Try not to overcook the cabbage and keep a nice crunch on the veggies for best texture. I usually won't simmer the cabbage for more than 10 minutes.
• To add even more flavor to the veggie broth, you can also add some wakame dried seaweeds to the broth when you are bringing it to a simmer. Follow the directions described in my easy ramen miso soup post for more info.

Type of miso paste

Miso paste is made by a fermentation process including soybeans, salt and a mold called koji. It often also includes a grain such as rice or barley. Miso paste is loaded with gut-friendly probiotics and carries a LOT of flavor that turns simple meals into a bomb of flavor.

There are 2 main kinds of miso paste to choose from in most grocery stores:

• White miso (shiromiso): light in color and milder in flavor.
• Red miso (akamiso): ferments for a longer period of time resulting in a miso that's darker in color and stronger in flavor.

You can also find a mix of both kinds of miso called awasemiso.

Any type of miso paste will work for this recipe, so choose your favorite and experiment by trying out more than one kind.

What kind of cabbage to use

As seen in the pictures and video, I used a classic green cabbage to make this soup. I also tested using napa cabbage, which worked out just as well. You can also use savoy cabbage or any kind of Chinese cabbage. You could also use purple cabbage, although the color will be lost in the broth.

A fun way to make this recipe would also be to mix and match different kinds of cabbage. Try green + purple cabbages or even napa cabbage + kale.

Serving suggestions

You can serve this soup without the extra noodles as a tasty appetizer. It would work well paired with an Asian oriented meal including vegan egg rolls, turmeric fried rice, sweet potato sushi or spicy garlic noodles.

If serving as a full meal, then I recommend adding noodles to it so it is more filling. Asian style noodles would be a great fit such as ramen, soba or udon. I love the Asian noodles from the brand Lotus and I used their purple sweet potato noodles as seen in the pictures.

When serving, add some fun toppings for added flavor and texture. A few ideas include:

• Sriracha sauce for a little heat
• Green onion or very finely sliced white onion
• Sesame seeds
• Soy sauce
• Chopped cilantro
• Cubed silken tofu (raw)
• Finely sliced red chili pepper

Storage tips

This recipe makes for great leftovers! You can make it ahead and store in the fridge for about 3-4 days in an air-tight container. If serving with noodles, keep them apart from the broth so they don't turn mushy.

To warm up, reheat in a pot on the stove on low-heat preventing large bubbles (so you don't kill the healthy probiotics from the miso). Remove from the heat when warm enough. You could also warm up the soup using the microwave if in a pinch.

FAQ's

More miso recipes you might like

• Baked miso potatoes
• Kimchi ramen soup
• Basic wakame miso ramen soup
• Miso baked tempeh
• Miso glazed aubergine
• Easy vegan onion gravy
• Eggplant miso soup
• Gochujang vegetable soup
• Creamy miso udon

I hope you like this cabbage miso soup as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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