Last Updated on January 26, 2024

Vegan Dumpling Miso Soup is an easy-to-make Japanese comfort food that makes your body and soul warm and cozy! It’s a perfect soup for autumn and winter.

About Vegan Dumpling Miso Soup

Vegan dumpling miso soup is a home-style Japanese miso soup made with dumplings and veggies. The main ingredient of this miso soup is, of course, the dumpling.

When you think of Japanese dumplings, most of us picture them as gyoza or potstickers. Those are definitely more popular and widely known. But in this recipe, the dumplings are not gyoza nor potstickers.

This particular type of Japanese dumpling is called “suiton [すいとん]” and basically it’s just a ball of flour & water. Suiton is a soup ingredients that makes soup more filling, and also thickens it (depending on how much you use.) So, it’s a perfect “cold weather soup” that’s very comforting and satisfying.

I didn’t really cook dumpling soup until recently. My experience of dumpling soup wasn’t really memorable. I would see it on the elementary & middle school lunch menu and honestly, it wasn’t really an exciting item to eat.

But now I’m an adult living in outside of Japan, I often crave food with nostalgia. So, I started making my own dumpling soup as in miso soup, I fell in love with it!

How The Dumplings Are Made

It’s very simple and easy. There are only three ingredients to make this dumplings.

• All-purpose flour
• Water
• Toasted sesame oil (or regular sesame oil)

All you have to do is mix it in a bowl with a spoon. Once it comes together, scoop a small ball and drop it in the soup.

No kneading and resting required!

The Texture and Taste of Dumpling

The dumpling a has satisfying and very chewy texture. It’s not the light and fluffy kind. It’s rather doughy and substantial which makes it more satisfying as a meal.

Since it’s cooked in miso soup, it soaks up the flavor from the soup and that becomes the flavor of the dumpling. Use of toasted sesame oil (or regular sesame oil if you like) gives a nutty taste we all love in the background.

I like using toasted sesame oil instead of regular sesame oil for both taste and smell!

If you like having more dumplings in the soup, you can simply increase the amount of the dumpling ingredients (flour, water, and toasted sesame oil.) That will make the soup more hearty and filling.

Stock (Dashi) for Vegan Dumpling Miso Soup

Typically, non-vegan miso soups are made with bonito+kombu stock. That’s the base for any traditional miso soup.

Since I’m vegan, I make my stock (dashi or soup base) for miso soup using simmerd kombu dashi, cold brew kombu dashi or veggies. In this recipe, I use three different veggies:

• Onion
• Carrot
• Daikon Radish

Now, when I say stock, it sounds like extra steps are necessary just to make the soup base.  Not at all! All you have to do is cook those veggies starting in cold water, bring it to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to simmer until they’re tender.

What you end up with is a delicious and healthy stock!

Alternative Veggie Suggestions for Vegan Dumpling Miso Soup

Good news is that you don’t have to use the same three ingredients that I use. Although, I recommend using onion that gives a really good flavor to the stock, you can use other ingredients such as:

• Green cabbage
• Napa cabbage
• Bok choy
• Burdock root
• Celery
• Potatoes etc.

Choice of Miso

Good miso soup can’t be made without good miso.

Personally, my go-to miso is soybean based koji miso (fermented soy beans with malted rice.) I always have white miso and red miso in my fridge so I combine both to make more complex flavor.

My other recommendation is chickpea miso. The sweetness of chickpea miso goes very well on this vegan dumpling miso soup.

You want a recommendation? If you live in the U.S., I highly recommend Jorinji Miso from Portland, Oregon.

Ever since I discover them, I don’t buy miso from anyone else. They have a variety of organic miso as well as fresh rice koji and other house-made products. The owner is Yuri-san from Japan. She has extensive knowledge of miso and koji and the great customer service. Most importantly, the miso is beyond excellent!

You can order their miso and ship it to your house (availability may be seasonal and limited.)

Be sure to check out the “Step-by-Step Instructions (w/ Photos)” after the Printable Recipe!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Vegan Dumpling Miso Soup

Vegan Dumpling Miso Soup is an easy-to-make Japanese comfort food that makes your body and soul warm and cozy! It's a perfect soup for autumn and winter.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Appetizers & Starters, Sides, Main

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings: 4

Author: Plant-Based Matters

Ingredients

• 4 cups 960 ml purified water
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
• 1/2 cup julienned daikon radish
• 1/4 cup julienned carrot
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup purified water plus more if necessary
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• Heaping 1/4 cup white miso & red miso (half & half) or your choice of miso, adjust to taste
• 1 scallion finely chopped
• Shichimi pepper (Japanese 7-blend chili pepper flakes) optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan, combine purified water, carrot, onion, and daikon radish. Cover and cook on high heat until a gentle boil. When it’s almost boiling, reduce the heat to medium low. Continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes or so until veggies are tender.
• Meanwhile, prepare the dumpling. Add all-purpose flour in a small prep bowl. Add water 2 tbsp at a time and mix with a spoon. Continue until the mixture forms a sticky dough but not runny. When the dough is coming together, add toasted sesame oil and continue to mix. Note: You may need more/less water to reach the desired consistency.
• Use a spoon to scoop a small amount of dough (about 1 tbsp) and drop it gently in the soup. Repeat the process. Note: Don’t make the dumplings too big which may cause the inside to be undercooked.
• Turn the heat up to medium high and bring it to a gentle boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium low and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes or so until the dumplings are fully cooked.
• Turn off the heat. Add miso to the soup. To do this, place the miso on a ladle then partially submerge the ladle in the soup. Use chopsticks to slowly incorporate the cooking water into the ladle so miso can dissolve.
• Turn the heat back on at medium high to reheat it (never boil!)
• Serve with scallions on top. Sprinkle some shichimi pepper for some aromatic heat (optional.)

Notes

Choice of Miso

• The taste profile of miso such as sweetness and complexity is completely different from one product to another. Find your favorite and adjust the amount to your preference.
• My go-to multipurpose miso is koji miso (soybean-based miso with a substantial amount of rice koji) of any kind. It has a nice balance of savory and natural sweetness from koji.
• Other miso such as chickpea miso and blended miso of a couple of different types of miso, e.g., white (yellow) and red miso blend, are also a good alternative.

 

Cooking Tips

• To extract the flavors of the carrot, onion, and daikon radish into the soup, start cooking in the cold water and cook slowly at medium heat.
• Never boil miso soup to retain the taste of miso at its best.
• If you like more dumplings, increase the amount the dumpling ingredients: flour, water, and toasted sesame oil. That will make the soup more filling.

 

How to Store

• Although, miso soup tastes the best when freshly made, you can store the leftover in a container with lid and keep in the fridge. Consume within 2-3 days.
• Leftover miso can become saltier. If so, before reheating, add a small amount of water to dilute to adjust the taste as necessary.
• Flour from the dumpling may thicken the leftover miso soup. You can add desired amount of water to thin it out or leave as is.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @plantbased_matters or tag #plantbased_matters!

Step-by-Step Instructions (w/ Photos)

Ingredients

1. In a medium saucepan, combine purified water, carrot, onion, and daikon radish.

Cover and cook on high heat until a gentle boil. When it’s almost boiling, reduce the heat to medium low. Continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes or so until veggies are tender.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the dumpling. Add all-purpose flour in a small prep bowl. Add water 2 tbsp at a time and mix with a spoon.

Continue until the mixture forms a sticky dough but not runny.

When the dough is coming together, add toasted sesame oil and continue to mix. Note: You may need more/less water to reach the desired consistency.

3. Use a spoon to scoop a small amount of dough (about 1 tbsp) and drop it gently in the soup. Repeat the process. Note: Don’t make the dumplings too big which may cause the inside to be undercooked.

4. Turn the heat up to medium high and bring it to a gentle boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium low and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes or so until the dumplings are fully cooked.

5. Turn off the heat. Add miso to the soup. To do this, place the miso on a ladle then partially submerge the ladle in the soup. Use chopsticks to slowly incorporate the cooking water into the ladle so miso can dissolve.

6. Turn the heat back on at medium high to reheat it (never boil!)

7. Serve with scallions on top. Sprinkle some shichimi pepper for some aromatic heat (optional.)

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