6 Japanese breakfast soup recipes

  • 2 minute read
Illustration of a young person with short brown hair and a dark shirt, standing in front of a house with trees and blue sky in the background.
Paul
  • 19 April 2025
Table of Contents Hide
  1. 🍵 1. Classic Miso Soup
  2. 🥚 2. Tamago Kake Soup (Egg Drop Style)
  3. 🍄 3. Shiitake & Rice Soup (Okayu style)
  4. 🥬 4. Napa Cabbage & Tofu Soup
  5. 🐟 5. Salmon Head Miso Soup (Sake no Ara Jiru)
  6. 🌿 6. Spinach & Sesame Soup

There’s something quietly beautiful about a Japanese breakfast — gentle flavors, nourishing ingredients, and a sense of calm to start the day.

Soups are often part of this ritual. Light and warming, they awaken the body without overwhelming it.

Here are 6 soothing Japanese breakfast soups that are easy to make and deeply grounding 🍲🌅

🍵 1. Classic Miso Soup

A peaceful staple

This is the soul of a Japanese breakfast. It’s light, salty-sweet, and probiotic-rich.

A black bowl of miso soup with green onions sits on a wooden tray next to a white spoon. The background features the text "japanwhisper.com".

You’ll need:

  • Dashi (or water + kombu)
  • Miso paste (white miso is gentle)
  • Silken tofu, cubed
  • Wakame seaweed
  • Chopped scallions

How to make it:

  1. Heat dashi gently.
  2. Add tofu and wakame.
  3. Turn off heat and stir in miso paste.
  4. Top with scallions.

Comforting, fast, and perfect alongside rice and pickles.

🥚 2. Tamago Kake Soup (Egg Drop Style)

Soft ribbons of egg, warming and protein-rich

A bowl of clear soup with tofu cubes, a raw egg yolk, seaweed pieces, and sliced green onions, with a small flag labeled "japanwhisper.com.

You’ll need:

  • Dashi or veggie broth
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Soy sauce or a pinch of salt
  • Optional: spinach, scallions

How to make it:

  1. Heat broth gently.
  2. Stir the soup in one direction and pour in the egg slowly.
  3. Add seasoning and greens.

Light but satisfying, especially with a bowl of rice.

🍄 3. Shiitake & Rice Soup (Okayu style)

Healing and gentle on the stomach

A bowl of rice soup with sliced mushrooms, seaweed, and chopped green onions on top, placed on a wooden trivet on a table.

You’ll need:

  • Leftover rice
  • Water or mushroom broth
  • A few slices of shiitake
  • Soy sauce or miso (optional)

How to make it:

  1. Simmer rice with shiitake until soft.
  2. Add a bit of soy sauce.
  3. Serve with pickled vegetables or sesame seeds.

This soft porridge-like soup is ideal on slow mornings or recovery days.

🥬 4. Napa Cabbage & Tofu Soup

Simple, mineral-rich, and calming

You’ll need:

  • Water or light broth
  • Chopped napa cabbage
  • Soft tofu
  • A few drops of soy sauce or sesame oil

How to make it:

  1. Simmer cabbage until tender.
  2. Add tofu cubes.
  3. Season gently.

This one pairs beautifully with green tea and rice.

🐟 5. Salmon Head Miso Soup (Sake no Ara Jiru)

Traditional and deeply nourishing

A Japanese meal featuring grilled salmon in broth, a bowl of white rice, pickles, and another piece of grilled salmon on a separate plate.

You’ll need:

  • Salmon head or bones
  • Daikon and carrot
  • Water
  • Miso paste

How to make it:

  1. Clean and simmer the salmon parts with veggies.
  2. Skim off any foam.
  3. When tender, turn off the heat and stir in miso paste.

Common in Hokkaido, this soup is rich in omega-3s and warmth.

🌿 6. Spinach & Sesame Soup

Light and energizing

A bowl of soup topped with sesame seeds, a small dish of soy sauce, and chopsticks are arranged on a wooden tray on a tatami mat.

You’ll need:

  • Dashi or water
  • Fresh spinach
  • Soy sauce or salt
  • Toasted sesame seeds

How to make it:

  1. Blanch spinach and add to hot broth.
  2. Season lightly.
  3. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

It’s a lovely green start to the day — mild and invigorating.

In Japanese mornings, soup isn’t just food — it’s a slow welcome to the day.

A way to warm the body, center the mind, and move gently into what’s next.

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