Vegetarian Bok Choy Miso Soup (2024)

Published: Mar 25, 2021 / Modified: Mar 26, 2021 by Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN / This post may contain affiliate links / 17 Comments

This flavorful bok choy miso soup recipe is made with mushrooms and soba noodles and seasoned with white miso, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. It’s a delicious one pot meal that’s vegetarian and vegan and ready in 30 minutes.

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Even though the frigid winter weather is behind us, there’s still cold and rainy spring days ahead of us. Yesterday was one of those. It had that classic March dampness that chills you to your core.

Sure, I could harp on the cold, but I like to think of it as perfect soup weather instead! And isn’t it just great timing that I’m writing about a new bok choy miso soup recipe today?! I think so.

If you’re not familiar with bok choy, or miso for that matter, they are two ingredients commonly used in Asian cuisine. Bok choy is a type of Chinese cabbage also known as pak choi. It has crunchy white stalks and green leaves that have a mildly bitter taste. Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans and grains that contributes a salty, umami flavor to recipes.

In this bok choy miso soup, these ingredients shine alongside meaty mushrooms, soba noodles, and enough ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes to clear your sinuses. The whole dish is a wonderful marriage of flavors, and I know I’ll be making it on repeat. Enjoy!

See Also

Is a Shallot an Onion?Shallots vs. Onions: An Expert Explains the DifferenceRoasted Bok Choy Takes 8 Minutes in the OvenThe best vegetarian bok choy soup

How to Make Bok Choy Miso Soup

For the full recipe card, scroll down to the bottom of the post. In the meantime, here’s a preview of how easy it is to make this soup!

1. Warm sesame oil in a large pot. Cook the onion, mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
2. Pour in the broth and stir in the white miso paste. Bring to a boil.
3. Add the soba noodles, and cook until tender according to package instructions. About halfway through their cooking time, stir in the chopped bok choy.
4. Stir in some freshly squeezed lemon juice before serving. Taste, adjust seasonings as needed, and enjoy!

How do you cut bok choy for soup?

You can use large or baby bok choy for soups. Bok choy is more manageable to eat in soups when it’s roughly chopped.

To prepare bok choy in this way, trim a little bit off the root end. Wash the bok choy leaves under cold water to remove any dirt that got stuck in between them, and pat dry. If using baby bok choy, roughly chop the leaves across the stems. This is what I did for this bok choy miso soup. See How to Cut Bok Choy for more tips.

If using large bok choy, use a sharp knife to remove the stalks from the leaves. Dice the stems, then chop up the leaves. Some soup recipes may call for you to halve baby bok choy (keep the root intact) and add them to the soup instead of chopping it up (like my Spaghetti Squash “Ramen”).

Expert Tips

• You can find miso paste at most large grocery stores and Asian markets. I usually find it in the refrigerated condiment area in the produce section. It might be next to containers of tofu, other specialty ingredients that require refrigeration, and/or salad dressings, for example.
• Miso lasts a long time in the fridge, so I encourage you to try some other recipes that use it after making this bok choy miso soup! Check out my Roasted Japanese Turnips (with maple miso butter) and Roasted Golden Beets with Miso Maple Sauce.
• Soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) can be found in the international aisle of grocery stores. I really like these soba noodles. They are not gluten free, because they have wheat flour in addition to buckwheat, but they taste really good.
• Bok choy is available at most stores in the produce section. FYI – Trader Joe’s sells baby bok choy in pre-packaged bags labeled Shangai Bok Choy.
• This soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. The soba noodles will absorb the broth over time, so add more liquid as needed when reheating.

Similar Recipes

If you’re on a bok choy kick after making bok choy miso soup, you may enjoy the Sesame Ginger Roasted Bok Choy and the Vegan Bok Choy Stir Fry with Mango. For another recipe with soba noodles, see the Peanut Soba Noodles with Roasted Broccoli.

I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.

📖 Recipe

Enjoy this delicious new soup! – Lizzie