Wild Mushroom Miso Soup

This deeply savory and satisfying Wild Mushroom Miso Soup will warm your soul and your tummy, and nourish you inside and out.

When it comes to soup, I’ll always be the first in line to cheer for the thick and hearty and creamy, carb-loaded soups that keep us fueled through whatever life throws our way.

But sometimes … sometimes … you just want something brothy. Something almost sippable, but still with some substance. Flavorful, umami-ful. A soup that feels light and nourishing.

That was my goal with this soup. It’s a mushroom lover’s soup, for sure, loaded with both fresh and dried, and a helping of homemade mushroom broth to boot.

Mix in a little fresh ginger, garlic, and leeks, and you have a soup that crave-able and warming, all in one bowl.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

Mushrooms — The main attraction with Wild Mushroom Miso Soup is, of course, the mushrooms. I wish that a wide assortment of mushrooms were available to me all year round, but I have to — and you might have to, too — go with what’s available. I lucked out this time around and got a nice variety:

• Crimini — The good ole dependable grocery store mushrooms. They’re nice and meaty, and if I had to make this soup with nothing but criminis, I would still be happy with the result.
• Shiitake (fresh) — I love shiitakes for both their flavor and texture. Be sure to remove the stems as they can get a little dried out and woody.
• Beech — I really lucked out with these, as I rarely see beech mushrooms around here. They’re not only great cooked into the soup, but they’re great as a cute garnish on top because they’re small and skinny and don’t add too much spongy, raw mushroom texture.
• Oyster — Oyster mushrooms are ever so lovely, and I’ve noticed lately that a small locally-owned grocery store near me has started carrying oyster mushrooms. I hope you’re similarly fortunate with your options.
• Porcini (dried) — Porcini mushrooms are wildly expensive and never available here. But dried are a perfectly fine substitute because we’re using dried mushrooms to infuse the vegetable broth with mushroom flavors, and just a little goes a long way. It’s hard not to resort to oenophilic hyperbole when describing their flavor: earthy, woodsy, full-bodied, nutty, salty, and ever-so-slightly sweet. If “umami” was forced to have a distinct flavor, I would vote for the porcini mushroom.
• Shiitake (dried) — Dried shiitakes are loaded with umami and, when paired with the porcinis, create a deeply flavored and nuanced broth.

Baby Bok Choy & Leeks — I didn’t want to load down this soup with a lot of vegetables, so I picked two of my light-soup go-tos, baby bok choy and leeks. They add subtle flavors and textures to the soup.

If you don’t want to use baby bok choy — I love the combo of tender leaves and crunchy stalks that hold up well in soup — you can substitute spinach or a handful of well-chopped kale.

Miso — Miso is an amazing ingredient in soup, adding some saltiness and loads of umami. The availability of decent miso has greatly improved over the years, and hopefully you’ll have good options. I use a white miso here, which is mild and sweeter than red. Back when I first made this soup, I had to shop at a speciality store in order to buy my preferred brand, South River Miso, but now even Kroger carries miso, and Amazon carries many, many brands of white miso.

Ginger & Garlic — This soup has light Asian leanings, and I’ll add fresh ginger and garlic whenever the flavors make sense. And they do here! I love the citrusy zest that ginger adds to this broth. Note that ginger paste and garlic paste are perfectly acceptable. I use the brand that’s available in the refrigerated produce section.

Vegetable Broth, Soy Sauce & Rice Vinegar — Although Wild Mushroom Miso Soup is vegetarian, it’s not intentionally so, so feel free to use your favorite stock, homemade or otherwise. I think vegetable stock goes particularly well, but so will chicken or mushroom.

Soy sauce and rice vinegar add a double-punch of umami (yes, more umami!) and acid to balance out the earthy notes of the mushrooms.

How to Make Wild Mushroom Miso Soup

Here’s the overview for making soup. Don’t forget to review the recipe card below for full instructions and ingredient amounts, to ensure you have everything prepped before beginning.

Step 1: Reconstitute the dried mushrooms

In a small bowl, pour one cup of boiling water over the dried mushrooms and let sit while you start the soup.

Step 2: Saute the aromatics

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, saute the fresh mushrooms and leeks in a bit of oil, until the mushrooms have released most of their moisture and both leeks and mushrooms are soft and golden.

Step 3: Add the seasonings

Scoot the mushroom mixture to one side of the pan. Pour a glug of vegetable broth into the cleared side, and spoon the ginger, garlic, and a big pinch of salt over the broth. Stir until fragrant (just a few seconds).

Add the remaining broth, plus the soy sauce and rice vinegar, and mix everything well with the mushroom mixture. Increase the heat to bring the soup to a gentle boil, and then reduce to medium-low, retaining a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.

Step 4: Add the dried mushrooms and miso

The dried mushrooms should be soft and flexible at this point. Remove them from the liquid (keep the liquid) and chop them into small pieces. Add the mushrooms and their liquid to the soup.

Spoon the miso into a small mixing bowl. Add a ladle of the hot soup broth to the bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour into the soup.

Step 5: Finish the soup

Add the sliced baby bok choy, and taste the soup, adding more salt as needed. Serve with your favorite garnishes, such as sliced green onions, sprouts, or beech mushrooms. I also really love chili crisp spooned over this soup.

I love this soup for lunch, with a side of sushi or a plate of fresh, crunchies veggies and guacamole.

Winter is still going strong, so let’s dig into this beautiful bowl, loaded with the healthy fermented goodness of miso. Although I can enjoy a simple broth with nothing but miso, adding an earthy mix of mushrooms and leeks, elevates this soup into something deeply savory and warmly satisfying.

More mushroom soups to love:

• Mushroom Barley Soup
• Hungarian Mushroom Soup
• Creamy Mushroom Tortellini Soup

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Detox Wild Mushroom Miso Soup

Deeply savory and satisfying, this mushroom miso soup will warm you from the inside out.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: mushroom miso soup

Servings: 4

Calories: 272kcal

Author: Karen Gibson

Ingredients

• 1/2 ounce dried mushrooms (recommend shiitake and porcini mix)
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as sunflower)
• 8 ounces fresh crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, sliced
• 4 ounces fresh oyster mushrooms, sliced
• 2 ounces fresh enoki or beech mushrooms (optional)
• 1 leek, light green and white parts, sliced
• 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sweet white miso
• 1 baby bok choy, sliced
• 1 scallion, sliced, for garnish (optional)
• kosher salt

Instructions

• In a small pot, bring a cup of water to a boil, remove from heat, and add the dried mushrooms. Let soak for 30 minutes.
• In a 4-5 quart Dutch oven or stock pot (with a lid), heat the oil over medium, until shimmering. Add the fresh mushrooms and leeks, give a quick stir, and cover, cooking until the mushrooms have softened and are mostly browned (about 10 minutes).
• Scootch the mushroom mixture to one side, and add a splash of vegetable broth to the cleared space. Add the ginger and garlic, and stir until fragrant (just 30 seconds or so). Add the remaining broth, plus the soy sauce, rice vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Increase heat and bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
• The dried mushrooms should be reconstituted at this point. Chop any large pieces and add all to the soup, including the mushroom liquid.
• Spoon the miso into a small mixing bowl and add about one cup of the soup broth. Whisk until smooth, then mix into the soup. Add the baby bok choy. Taste the soup, and add salt to taste. Serve garnished with scallions, sprouts, or extra enoki mushrooms.

Notes

To save from chopping the reconstituted mushrooms later, crumble them into the hot water. For thick pieces, use kitchen shears to cut them into small pieces.

Nutrition

Calories: 272kcal

Nutritional information, if shown, is provided as a courtesy only, and is not to be taken as medical information or advice. The nutritional values of your preparation of this recipe are impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, the ingredient brands you use, any substitutions or measurement changes you make, and measuring accuracy.