What Is Miso? Types, Flavor, and How to Cook With It

Miso is a Japanese seasoning paste made by fermenting soybeans with salt and koji, a grain cultured with the mold Aspergillus oryzae.[1] It tastes salty, savory, and faintly sweet, and it is the base of miso soup. The three kinds you will find on shelves are white, red, and mixed. White is mild and sweet, red is deeper and saltier, and mixed blends the two. This guide covers what miso is made of, how the types differ, and five ways to use it beyond soup.

Mishima Foods USA has sold Japanese seasonings in the United States since 1988, as the American arm of a company founded in Japan in 1949. Instant miso soup in white, red, mixed, and spicy is part of that line, so miso is a daily ingredient here, not a trend.

Miso is soybeans, salt, and koji, fermented until the protein breaks down

Makers steam and mash soybeans, mix them with koji and salt, then let the mixture ferment and age.[2] Fermentation breaks soy protein into amino acids, and those amino acids are the source of miso's umami.[2] About half of finished miso is water.[2]

The grain in the koji sets the base type:

• Rice miso. The most common style. About 80% of the miso sold in Japan is rice-malt miso.[2]
• Barley miso. Earthier, and traditional in some regions.
• Soybean miso. Only soybeans, salt, and water.
• Compounded miso. A blend of two or three of the above.

Fermentation time and salt level then decide the color and strength. That is why one tub is pale and sweet and another is dark and sharp.

Three families cover most of what you will buy

White miso is made mostly from rice or barley with a small share of soybeans, and ferments much more briefly than red.[1] Red miso carries more soybeans, ferments longer, and tastes saltier.[1][2]

Preference follows geography. Around Tokyo in the Kanto region, the darker akamiso is popular, while the Kansai region around Osaka and Kyoto leans toward lighter miso.[1] For a full side-by-side, see our white miso vs red miso guide.

What miso tastes like

Salt arrives first, then savory depth, then a mild sweetness. Fermentation adds a rounded, slightly funky note that gets stronger as the color darkens. White miso reads as gentle and almost sweet. Red miso reads as bold enough to stand up to beef, mushrooms, and root vegetables.

Texture varies too. Paste is smooth or slightly grainy depending on how finely the soybeans were mashed.

Match the miso to the dish

Pick by what you are cooking, not by the label:

• Clear, gentle soup: white.
• Fish, chicken, or vegetable glaze: white, for sweetness that does not overpower.
• Braises, mushroom soups, and marinades for red meat: red, for salt and depth.
• Weeknight soup with no decisions: mixed.
• Salad dressing: white, stirred into something tangy or creamy.

You can swap types in most recipes. Red is saltier, so use less of it and taste as you go.

Miso comes as paste or as soup powder, and Mishima makes the powder

Most guides to miso describe paste sold in tubs. Mishima sells miso as instant soup: a sachet of miso powder you stir into 160 ml of hot water. Each box holds three servings (1.05 oz, 30 g) and costs $4.59.

• White Miso Soup: the mild, restaurant-style cup.
• Red Miso Soup: made with a longer-fermented red miso for a stronger flavor.
• Mixed Miso Soup: red and white miso with tofu, green onion, and wakame.

All three are listed as gluten free, non-GMO, with no cholesterol and no saturated fat. Browse the full miso soup collection.

All three come from a company with deep roots in Japanese seasonings. Mishima's parent was founded in 1949, with headquarters in Tokyo, production in Hiroshima, and a manufacturing facility in Dalian. The U.S. business began in Los Angeles in 1988 and is based in Torrance, California. Mishima is best known in America for furikake, and calls itself the #1 furikake in the USA. Read the what is furikake guide for the rice seasoning side of the line.

Five ways to use miso beyond a bowl of soup

Mishima's own recipes treat the miso powder as a seasoning. Each uses a teaspoon or two.

1. Vegetable miso soup. Stir a white miso packet into hot water with cabbage and shimeji mushrooms, as in Vegetable Miso Soup.
2. Fish glaze. White Miso Baked Salmon whisks 1½ teaspoons of powder with soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, and ginger, then bakes at 400°F for 17 to 18 minutes.
3. Chicken glaze. White Miso Teriyaki Chicken cooks a teaspoon of powder into the teriyaki sauce.
4. Cold noodle sauce. Zaru Soba with White Miso Mentsuyu builds the dipping sauce on a teaspoon of miso.
5. Vegetable glaze and dressing. Mishima's 5 ways to use miso suggests 2 parts miso and soy sauce to 1 part rice vinegar and sugar for vegetables.

In the recipes that start from the soup packet, sift the toppings out of the powder first.

Miso is salty, so season around it

Miso is relatively high in salt, which can matter for people who are sensitive to sodium.[1] Some studies suggest that miso lessens the effect of its salt on blood pressure, but the evidence is not settled.[1] Cook accordingly: taste before you add soy sauce, and reach for low-sodium soy sauce when a recipe pairs the two, as Mishima's glazes do.

Frequently asked questions

What is miso made of?

Miso is made from soybeans, salt, and koji, a grain such as rice or barley cultured with Aspergillus oryzae. The mixture ferments and ages until the soy protein breaks down into flavorful amino acids. Soybean miso skips the grain and uses only soybeans, salt, and water.

What does miso taste like?

Miso tastes salty and savory with a mild sweetness. White miso is the gentlest and sweetest. Red miso is saltier and more robust. Fermentation adds a rounded, slightly funky depth that becomes more pronounced in darker miso.

Is miso the same as miso soup?

No. Miso is the fermented paste. Miso soup is miso dissolved in hot water or stock, usually with toppings such as tofu, green onion, and wakame. Mishima's instant miso soups pack the seasoning and toppings into one sachet you stir into hot water.

What is the difference between white and red miso?

White miso ferments for a short time and tastes mild and sweet. Red miso ferments longer and tastes saltier and deeper. Mixed miso blends both. Use white for soup and dressings, and red for braises and marinades.

Is miso healthy?

Miso is a fermented soy food that is also high in salt. The sodium is the main caution for people who watch their intake. Mishima's miso soups are gluten free, non-GMO, and contain no cholesterol or saturated fat.

Ready to cook with it? Start with the miso soup collection, or pair a cup with a bowl of rice and a spoonful of furikake.