If you are on the outlook for a light yet tasty meal that you can have in a hurry, then instant miso soup is the perfect thing for you. There is a huge variety of interesting flavors of instant miso soups out there. Let’s take a look at the top 10 best instant miso soup available in the market.

Instant miso soup not only has the great flavor of homemade miso soup, but it is also very easy to prepare. All you need to do is to put some hot water into the soup, and you can have all the fun in the world instantly. Instant miso soup is impressive, with tofu cubes and dried seaweed coming back to life as soon as you add water.

Now the million-dollar question is: Which instant miso soup is the best? With so many different flavors and brands of instant miso soup available on the market, it can get slightly tricky to choose one that would tantalize your taste buds and satisfy your hunger cravings.

Truthfully, it gets highly confusing when you see such a large number of instant miso soups available. There are several brands of instant miso soups. To make your buying procedure a bit simpler, we have reviewed the top 10 best instant miso soup you will find in 2020. It will help you figure out which is the product that fits you & your needs perfectly. Moreover, we have compiled a compact yet comprehensive buying guide so that you would know a bit more about instant miso soup before buying it. When you wrap up this article, you will have an idea about the sort of instant miso soups that would be the best for you.

So let’s read on!

You need not worry about picking the wrong product as long as we are here for you! It tends to get difficult while trying to find the perfect product, but not anymore!  We have put together this review of the top 10 best instant miso soups out there so that you would pick one of them and have the most fantastic eating experience!

Let’s get started!

1. Miyasaka Japanese Miso Soup

The first product on our list is the Miyasaka Japenese Miso soup. It is quick and easy to cook and tastes delicious. This product comes with fresh miso paste. What makes it truly attractive is the fact that it contains cholesterol, is saturated-fat-free. The soybeans in it are Non-GMO. You can enjoy all the health benefits of soy with this instant miso soup.

It has a rich taste and a pleasant aroma. If you want healthy and traditional Japanese food on-the-go, then this is the product for you. It has all the ingredients such as seaweed, garnish, and tofu in it. It has 8 packs broth and 8 packs of greens in it.

Pros
  • Quick and easy
  • Contains fresh miso paste
  • Non-GMO soybeans
  • No saturated fat
  • No cholesterol
Cons
  • Small portion size
  • High in sodium

2.  Miyasaka Freeze-Dried Authentic Miso Soup

The best thing about this product is that it is gluten-free. The packaging is of plastic, and it opens very quickly. There are 12 packets in a box. It takes minutes to cook this soup. All you need to do is to place the miso block in a bowl or a cup. Then you need to add 160 ml hot water into the bowl/cup. Stir it and enjoy the taste of bliss in your mouth. When you are handling hot water, you need to be careful. This product contains fish and soybean.

Pros
  • Authentic
  • Reduced sodium
  • Gourmet soup
Cons
  • Tofu has a spongy texture
  • Contains MSG

3.  Marukome taste 32

This instant miso soup contains fried tofu, green onion, tofu, and Wakame seaweed. There two packets, one contains the miso paste, and the other contains the dried ingredients.

Another thing that we like about this product is that it doesn’t have miso powder. Instead, it includes fresh miso paste. You need to add 2/3 cup of hot water to one packet of garnish and one packet of miso paste. There are 32 packets of miso paste in it. The garnish is in 4 different varieties, 8 packets of each type.

The best thing about this product is that it doesn’t contain added MSG. The broth of this miso soup has kombu in it, which is a type of seaweed. The dried kombu has a white crystalline substance present on it, which is naturally occurring MSG.

Pros
  • No Added MSG
  • Fresh Miso paste
  • Rich and flavorful
Cons
  • Not vegan
  • No instructions in English on the packet

4.  Sushi Chef White Miso Soup Mix

You usually get the type of product that you pay for. But when it comes to this product, you get even more than what it costs. It has a smooth and mellow taste, real miso flavor, and the coloring is burnished golden. It dissolves entirely in hot water, with enough bits of seaweed and tofu to provide flavor and richness to the soup.

The ingredients are freeze-dried. Once you reconstitute the ingredients in the form of hot soup, it tastes exquisite. The miso is white, and the subtle dashi flavor is there when you cook the soup. It contains two boxes, with 12 packets of miso mix in each.

Pros
  • Delicious
  • Comes at a reasonable price
  • Soup doesn’t cake up
Cons
  • Less seaweed
  • Can be a little salty

5.  Hikari Organic Instant Miso soup

Hikari Organic Instant Miso soup is a Japenese delicacy at its absolute best. The organic miso paste is manufactured using the finest quality ingredients. The specially selected koji, organic rice, organic soybeans and the natural sea salt add to the flavor of this instant miso soup.

It is very easy to make. Just add some hot water, and you can have healthy miso soup in under a minute. Store the soup in a cool place, away from direct sunlight. It is very good for health as it has there isn’t excessive salt present in it. We all know the health benefits of Koji, and with this instant soup, you have those benefits at your hands. At 25 calories per serving size, it is something you can use when on a diet and are craving for healthy, fulfilling food. You also get a pair of chopsticks with this instant miso soup.

Pros
  • Reduced Salt
  • Includes Koji
  • Super easy to prepare
  • Organic USDA certified
Cons
  • Salty
  • Packaging is flimsy

6.  Marukome Chef Morimoto Miso Soup

It has a high quality, satisfying texture with a rich taste. If you are vegetarian, or if you are looking for a healthy meal that takes minutes to prepare, then you should buy the Marukome Chef Morimoto Miso soup. It is a pack of 12 small sachets that contain powdered miso.

The onions, wakame, and tofu that are present in this instant miso soup hydrate well. The soup is tasty and slightly sweet. The miso is in powdered form. If you are looking for a snack while at work or something to warm you up in the morning, then this is the product for you.

Pros
  • Easy to cook
  • Rich taste
  • Vegetarian
Cons
  • Slightly expensive

7. Kikkoman Instant AKA Red Miso Soup

The next product on our list is the Kikkoman Instant Red Miso Soup. It has a savory flavor, which people prefer the taste of the white miso. It is high in sodium, so you should probably not consume more than one packet in a day. It is easy on the pocket and contains high-quality ingredients. It is quick and easy to make and can be used as a substitute for any meal of the day.

It takes less than a minute to prepare this instant miso soup. All you need to do is to mix one packet of the miso soup with 2/3 cup of hot water, and you can have a healthy, tasty meal instantly. It has 3 bags, which contain 3 bags each. Thus you get 9 servings of amazing instant miso soup.

Pros
  • Easy to cook
  • Red miso
  • Tastes good
Cons
  • Added MSG
  • Not vegetarian

8.  Marukome Instant Miso Soup Cup Tofu

If you don’t have time to prepare miso soup from scratch and are craving for a bowl full of healthy, tasty broth, don’t worry. With the help of Marukome’s instant soup cup, you can bring one of Japan’s most delicious culinary delicacy right to your homes. The packet contains eight sachets of instant miso soup. The sachets contain dashi soup stock rich in umami and savory miso paste. It is a single serving size.

Pros
  • No added MSG
  • Easy to prepare
  • Comes in a cup
Cons
  • Single serving only

9.  Vegan Instant Miso Soup

The second last product on our list is the vegan instant miso soup. It is packed with healthy veggies along with various other tasty and healthy ingredients. The best thing about this product is that it is gluten-free, has no added MSG. Moreover, no preservatives or artificial flavors are present in this instant soup mix.

All you need to do is to add 6 ounces of boiling water, and you will have an instant, healthy meal at your hands. The instant miso soup is loaded with cabbage, leafy spinach, green onions, and carrots. It is a tasty soup with flavor, fiber, and crunch all in one packet. This product has four servings in one pack.

Pros
  • Gluten-Free
  • No added MSG
  • Vegetarian
Cons
  • Costly
  • Small servings

10. Miyasaka Green Onion Miso Soup

The last product on our list in the Miyasaka Green Onion Miso Soup. It uses the blend of mild miso with a strong flavor of dashi. It contains soybeans. Thus you get all the health benefits of soy from this instant soup mix. The miso comes in the form of a fresh paste and is not powdered. All you need to do is to mix the miso paste with hot water and leave it for a few minutes.

Pros
  • Quick and easy
  • Contains fresh miso paste
  • Non-GMO soybeans
  • No saturated fat
  • No cholesterol
Cons
  • Contains MSG

Best Instant Miso Soup Buying Guide

Cooking miso soup is very simple. All you have to do is to make dashi, add ingredients of your choice like tofu, seaweed, etc. Then, you have to add miso, and you are all done. But what if you don’t have the time it takes to make dashi? What if you want to have miso soup at your office or school? That’s when instant miso soup comes in handy.

Instant Miso soup is the perfect solution for people who are too busy and yet want to have a healthy, tasty meal instantly. Here are a few things you need to look at before you buy instant miso soup.

What is Miso?

The first thing that you need to know is what is miso. It is a paste, which is made by fermenting rice in a big wood-fired steamer. After the rice has been cooked, Aspergillus Oryzae, a powder, is sprinkled on the rice. This rice is then stored in wooden boxes overnight. The rice ferments overnight, and then soybean is added to the fermented rice. The fermentation process is then allowed to continue. The end result of this process is the miso paste, which is packed with nutrients.

What is Miso Soup?

After sushi and tempura, Miso soup is the most famous Japanese dish in the world. It is made from a combination of dashi (Japanese soup stock) and miso paste. It is accompanied with wakame seaweed and tofu.

Types of Miso

There are various types of Miso. Some of them are dark, some are yellow, while others are white as well. The most commonly made and available type of miso is the yellow one. The white miso is made from barley, rice, and soybean. This miso is aged only for a couple of weeks. The red miso gets its distinctive red color after being fermented for several years. Miso is a part of almost every nutritious Japanese meal. Miso can be added to nearly anything to create a wholesome, exotic meal.

a)   Red Miso (akamiso)

The red Miso is also known as akamiso. It is the saltiest of misos available. It is perfect for use in the marination of chicken and vegetables. It is made from soybeans, barley, and rice. The fermentation time for this miso is a few years. The protein content in red miso is very high.

b)   White Miso (shiromiso)

White miso is also known as shiromiso in Japanese. It is made from white rice and soybean, with a high ratio of white rice, which gives it its color. It has a sweet flavor and is mostly used in salad dressings, soups, etc.

c)   Mixed Miso (Awase Miso)

The third type of Miso is mixed miso, which is basically a mixture of white and red miso. It has a milder taste and is used in a variety of dishes and soups.

d)   Barley Miso

The fourth kind of miso is the barley miso. It is cheap and is most prevalent in southern Japan. It is made from barley and soybeans. It has a rich, salty taste. Mostly, it is used for seasoning.

Taste of Miso

Miso has different tastes. The taste of miso depends on the following factors:

  • The length of the fermentation process
  • Amount of salt
  • Fermenting vessel
  • The temperature

Popular brands of Instant Miso Soup

Instant miso soup is available in the market in the form of single-serving sachets or freeze-dried form. The most popular brands of Instant Miso soup are:

  • Hanamaruki
  • Marukome
  • Miko

Every brand tastes different. Make sure to experiment with a few before you choose one that is not very salty and tastes the way you are comfortable with.

MSG and preservatives

Most of the companies do not use MSG and are non-GMO. However, before buying the product, make sure that you are double checking the labels. If the instructions are not in English, use google translate to translate the instructions in a language you can read.

Container

If you are going to have instant miso soup in your office, you need a cup or a bowl in which you can make your soup. Some instant soup mixes come with a container or a cup alongside them, which is very helpful. Make sure you know whether you will have a bowl handy, or would you prefer to add hot water to the container in which the soup came in itself.

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

Q1. How much water do you need to add to the miso?

The amount of water you need to use depends on the product that you are using. Read the user instructions to know how much water you can add to the powdered or freeze-dried mix. As a general rule of thumb, the ratio is 1tbsp of miso to 200 ml of water.

Q2. What are the Benefits of Miso?

There are various health benefits of Miso. It is a healthy source of protein. Not only is it high in antioxidants, but it also helps with digestion. It contains vitamin B, boosts your immune system and helps with flu and cold.

Q3. What is Wakame?

Wakame is the seaweed present in the miso soups. It is usually sold in dried form. It is already present in most of the instant miso soup mixes. However, you can also buy it from your local store and add dried wakame to the instant soup mix for enhanced flavor.

Conclusion

With this, we end the review article for Best Instant Miso Soup. Once you know where to look and what to look for, you can pretty quickly buy the perfect instant miso soup. Feel free to pick the one you feel is the best one for you to use. Get the right one, and you will never need to stress over healthy, instant meals ever again. Hopefully, our reviews and buying guide will help you with making a perfect choice!

We have provided you with reviews of the best instant miso soup accessible in the market, all the while keeping your needs & requirements in mind.  So just go out, purchase the best instant miso soup & have a great time!

We trust that the above-given reviews will be valuable in helping you to find the best instant miso soup. We suggest that you buy any of the above-reviewed items since you would prefer not to get a soup mix that is made from cheap ingredients that would be bad for your health.

Happy Eating Folks!