This comforting soba noodle soup is made with slurpable noodles, tender veggies, and pan-fried tofu in a savory, umami-packed miso broth. It’s super simple to make and comes together in under 30 minutes, yet it’s incredibly nourishing and flavorful.
I love a good bowl of vegan miso soup, and I've often tried and failed to make an entire meal of it. Failed, because I get hungry again in twenty minutes. Let's face it: as delicious as miso soup is, it's mostly broth. Not exactly stick-to-your-ribs food, and I really need that during these colder months of the year. With that in mind, I added tofu, veggies, and one of my favorite ingredients for bulking up a meal — noodles! If a soba noodle salad can make a satisfying meal, I figured a soba noodle soup could do the same.
Jump to:
I was right! This miso soba noodle soup will fill your belly and warm your heart. It's comforting, super satisfying, and best of all, it's EASY. Miso soup is one of the simplest soups to make, and this version only adds a couple extra steps: pan-frying tofu and boiling noodles. Combine it all with some super quick-cooking veggies and you've got not only a fantastic lazy dinner, but an amazingly comforting one as well.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Dried soba noodles. Most grocery stores will have these in the international aisle.
- Vegetable oil. Any high-heat neutral oil will do, such as canola, corn, or coconut oil.
- Garlic.
- Ginger.
- Scallions. Also known as green onions.
- Water.
- Tofu. I like using super-firm tofu, which has a nice texture and is super easy to work with. Extra-firm tofu can be used, but will need to be pressed first.
- Carrots.
- Miso paste. Look for this in the international aisle or refrigerated section of your grocery store. The recipe calls for white miso, but feel free to substitute a different variety like red or yellow miso if that's what you have on hand. The flavor will be a bit different.
- Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.
- Baby spinach.
- Toasted sesame oil. This is a finishing oil, used for adding flavor (not for cooking). Look for it in the international section of your grocery store.
- Toasted sesame seeds.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Cook the noodles. Boil them according to the package directions, then drain them into a colander and give them a quick rinse with cold water.
Steps 2 & 3: Prepare the broth. Heat some oil in a pot, then add minced garlic and freshly grated ginger. Sauté the aromatics for about a minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add some water, then raise the heat and bring it to a boil.
Step 4: Cook the tofu. While the broth heats up, coat a nonstick skillet with some oil and place it over medium-high heat. Add diced tofu and cook the pieces for a few minutes on each side, until they're browned. Move them to a plate when they're done.
Step 5: Cook the carrots. Add julienne-cut carrots to the pot, then boil them for just a couple of minutes. They'll cook quickly!
Step 6: Add spinach and miso. Stir in the spinach, then take the pot off of heat. Combine a bit of the hot water from the pot with the miso, then add the mixture to the pot. Stir in soy sauce.
Tip: Removing the pot from heat before adding the miso helps to preserve the beneficial probiotics in the miso, which are destroyed under boiling temperatures.
Step 7: Finish the soup. Stir your cooked noodles and tofu into the soup, along with toasted sesame oil.
Step 8: Serve. Ladle your soup into bowls, and top each one with sesame seeds and the green parts of your scallions. It's ready to enjoy!
Variations
- Protein swap. The tofu can be replaced with thawed, shelled edamame, pan-fried tempeh, or seitan.
- Add some heat. Season your soba noodle soup with some chili oil or your favorite hot sauce.
- Extra-crispy tofu. For really crispy tofu, use my fried tofu recipe.
- Veggie variations. You can replace the spinach and carrots with your favorite veggies, but keep in mind that the cook time will be different. Spinach and carrots both cook more quickly than most vegetables.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep! Use 100% buckwheat soba noodles, which are gluten-free, replace the soy sauce with gluten-free tamari, and make sure your miso paste is gluten-free.
Soba noodles cook very quickly and can become soft if overcooked. Follow the package directions closely and test them a little early if you're unsure. Rinsing the noodles under cool water after cooking also helps stop the cooking process, so don't skip that step!
Certainly! It won't be soba noodle soup, but that's fine! Rice noodles, udon noodles, and ramen noodles are all good choices.
If you anticipate having leftovers, add the noodles to each individual serving or your soba noodle soup, rather than to the pot. Store the noodles and soup in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. If you've already combined the noodles and soup, that's fine! The noodles will soak up broth and soften during storage, but the soup will still be delicious.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Soba Noodle Soup with Miso Broth & Crispy Tofu
Ingredients
- 4 ounces dried soba noodles
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 scallions, chopped, white and green parts separated
- 6 cups water
- 1 (16 ounce/454 gram) package super-firm tofu, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 2 medium carrots, julienned
- ¼ cup white miso paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, plus more to taste (I use 4 tablespoons)
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Toasted sesame seeds, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the soba noodles and cook them according to the package directions. Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse them under cool water.
- While the noodles cook, coat the bottom of a large pot with a tablespoon of the oil and place it over medium heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the garlic, ginger, and white parts of your scallions. Sauté the aromatics for about a minute, until very fragrant, stirring constantly.
- Add the water to the pot. Raise the heat and bring it to a boil.
- Cook the tofu while the water heats up. Coat the bottom of a medium nonstick skillet with the remaining tablespoon of oil and place it over medium-high heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the tofu. Cook the tofu for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping the pieces once or twice, until golden brown and crispy. Move them to a plate when done.
- Once the water in the pot boils, add the carrots and simmer them for about 2 minutes, until bright orange and just tender.
- Stir in the spinach, then remove the pot from heat. Ladle about ½ cup of water from the pot into a small heatproof cup and stir or whisk in the miso until fully dissolved. Pour the miso mixture into the pot. Stir until the miso is dissolved and the spinach is fully wilted. Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, plus more to taste.
- Stir in the noodles (Note 1), tofu, and sesame oil.
- Ladle the soba noodle soup into bowls and top with sesame seeds and the green parts of your scallions.
Notes
- If making ahead, or if you anticipate having leftovers, add the soba noodles to each individual bowl and store them separately from the broth so they don't soak up too much liquid.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Delichus!!!!!!
I lived in Japan for nearly 18 years and was recently nostalgic for a soba noodle soup with tofu. I started looking for recipes online and happily, I found your terrific recipe! Authentic flavor, filling, and easy to make. I also love it the next morning with some rice and nori. I've made it twice and everyone raves about it. Thank you!
My family loves this recipe! Anyone we make this for puts it into their regular meal rotation. I add a six minute egg to each bowl for the extra protein and the richness the yolk lends to the broth. We also do a full pack of soba noodles (8.8oz) as everyone loves them. I don’t fry the tofu to save time.
Do you know how much is a serving?
About 2 cups.
I made this for dinner tonight and it turned out delicious! Instead of carrots and spinach I used bok choy and shiitake mushrooms. It came together fast and the taste is on par with miso soup I've had a restaurants. Thank you very much for the recipe. :)
This was delicious. We didn’t have any spinach, but he had bokchoi and snow peas, it tasted amazing. My boyfriend is asking if I could make it again this week. So so good. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Loved this! I tweaked it a bit and instead of spinach, waited til the very end and topped it with some fresh watercress. I also added some mushrooms. This will definitely be a new go-to for me!
Sounds like a delicious meal! Glad you enjoyed it!
My family loves this soup, but my husband has been put on a low sodium diet. Any suggestions on how to adjust the sodium? Thanks!!
I'm glad it's a hit! Almost all of the sodium comes from the soy sauce and miso paste, so you can cut back on those and/or try low sodium soy sauce.
We really enjoyed this delicately flavored and wholesome soup. I served it with a salad dressed with miso-ginger vineaigrette, and it made a lovely meal. Next time I'll use less water in the broth, maybe five cups instead of six, because the flavor of the broth is so mild and because this made a lot of soup for two people.
That sounds like a wonderful meal! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Colleen!
I love miso! One of my favorite soup ingredients of all time. Adds such a great flavor and reminds me of some of my favorite dishes. Thanks for sharing, cannot wait to make this at home.
Me too! I hope you enjoy this!
THIS RECIPE IS EXCELLENT!!!!!! I subbed rice noodles, used 3 cups vegy broth & 3 cups water then added red pepper Wow!!!! This is a keeper!!!
Awesome!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Nan!
Excellent!!!!! I subbed rice noodles for soba but otherwise I followed exactly and it is so DELISH. Thanks!!
I'm glad you enjoyed it!!
This looks really good! For the spinach, would you recommend bunch, bagged, or baby spinach?
I generally prefer bunched, but you could really get away with any of the three. :)
ooohhhhh i'm totally drooling :P i've got the ingredients, but perhaps a little bit of spicy can work for me, is a perfect recipe for rainy days! :D :D thank you!
I'm always a big fan of spicy too! A little bit of srirach or chili paste would be awesome in here. Hope you enjoy it! :)
Would red miso paste work for this recipe?
It would, though the flavor would be a bit different. Red miso is more potent, so I'd suggest adding in increments and tasting. Thanks for your question and please let me know how it turns out if you do try it with red miso!
Oooo, this looks perfect and I have everything to make it. Perfect for a cold Canadian day :) Thanks for sharing! I LOVE your site name, by the way!
Nice! I hope you enjoy it if you do make it. Keep warm and thank you for the wonderful compliment on my blog name :)
This is the best soup! So comforting and warming. Pho used to be my favorite but this blows it out of the water! I love it!!! Thank you so much ❤️
Awesome!! I'm so glad you like it! Thanks Dorothy!