Miso paste is salty and umami-packed. But it also has a slightly sweet fruity flavour with a touch of earthiness and that characteristic fermented tang. And by toning down the intense saltiness, increasing the sweetness and adding nuttiness, we can turn fermented soybean products (like doenjang or soy sauce) into a great miso paste substitute.
Servings3 tablespoons
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons doenjang , or another savoury fermented soybean paste, or soy sauce*
- 1 to 2 tablespoons tahini , or nut butter (optional)*
- 2 to 3 teaspoons mirin
- ¼ teaspoon salt , or to taste
Instructions
- If you're using a coarse fermented soybean paste (like doenjang), place it in a mortar and pestle and grind it into a smooth paste. If you're using a smooth soybean paste or soy sauce, add it to a small bowl.
- Then mix in 1 tablespoon of tahini if you want a red miso substitute or 2 tablespoons for a white miso substitute.
- Finally, stir in 2 teaspoons of mirin for a red miso substitute or 3 teaspoons for a white miso substitute – the mirin sweetens the paste. And then add the salt – or salt your final dish to taste.
- Refrigerate this miso substitute in a clean airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Korean doenjang is a fermented soybean paste. The texture is coarser than miso paste, and the flavour is intensely savoury. See homemade miso substitute for more ingredient details and alternative ideas.
- You can also use soy sauce in this recipe instead of soybean paste. It will make an excellent miso substitute flavour-wise, but the texture will be thinner.
- If you need a miso paste substitute for soups and stews, you can leave out the tahini. But it's best to add tahini or nut butter if you're making a miso paste for sauces and dressings to match the miso consistency.
- See the full blog post for the best miso substitutes to suit your pantry.