36 Delicious (And Sometimes Surprising!) Ways to Use Miso Paste

Miso (a fermented bean paste) is a staple in Japanese cuisine—but it’s also the perfect way to add a generous dose of salty umami to whatever you’re cooking or baking. It comes in a few different varieties, each with their own level of intensity, all ready to be the secret ingredient in your next recipe. You’ll often find miso in savory recipes like soups, dressing and sauce—but it lends itself to sweet treats, too. Just take these brownies, for example. Instead of granulated salt, we use white miso, which amps up the chocolate and brings a sharper contrast to the sweetness. The final flourish? A miso glaze, which takes the salty-sweet pairing to the next level.

The combination of miso and maple will make anything super tasty, even Brussels sprouts.

These classic cookies have a special miso twist.

This creamy, protein-packed dip gets deep umami flavor from miso, a fermented soybean paste. Miso comes in different varieties with slightly different flavor profiles, so choose the one that appeals to you most: white (sweeter and mild), yellow (rich and earthy) or red (nutty and hearty).

This dessert takes a favorite candy to a whole new level! White miso make the creamy filling extra delicious.

Incredibly moreish, this dish has bags of umami to tickle your taste buds.

If you're a fan of sweet and savory in one bite, you'll love these cookies! Layers of sweet caramel, dark chocolate and sprinkles pair well with savory miso paste, butter crackers and flaky salt.

You can achieve an incredibly flavorful broth for homemade miso soup in minutes, thanks to the Instant Pot! Our version uses instant dashi, a shortcut for making dashi, the classic Japanese stock and miso soup essential. It also features tender shiitakes, creamy tofu, fresh scallions and a touch of mirin. We opted for white miso because of its mild, sweet flavor, but feel free to swap in yellow miso for an earthier broth or red miso for more intensity.

One bite of this umami-packed snack will make you a savory granola fan for life. Serve it over plain yogurt or stir it into sticky rice.

This crowd-pleasing dish showcases delicious, braised lamb shakes sitting in a sauce pool of beefy, miso paste and mustard broth.

In this meatless take on a classic Roman pasta, extra egg yolks and olive oil help compensate for the lack of rich pork fat while lightly fried sundried tomatoes, garlic, miso and liquid smoke each add a savory layer of umami to the sauce. It may not taste exactly like the original but is satisfying in its own right.

These consist of a super easy, no-churn caramel ice cream sandwiched between nutty, salty peanut butter miso cookies. They’re small enough that you could eat them in two bites, so they don’t have time to melt or get overly messy.

Add a little salty flavor to your fresh greens with Geoffrey’s easy, 5-minute vinaigrette.

Ramen is a Japanese-style bowl of broth and noodles. In this version, miso is added to an already rich broth and spiced with chiles. Adding miso to ramen broth makes a unique version that is dense, flavorful and delicious. Make Ramen Eggs and Chasu Pork Belly in advance to top the ramen.

Did you know you can bake a cake on the grill? This version has chocolate, coconut whipped cream AND miso.

This chicken gets an extra dose of flavor with Sunny’s sweet-and-tangy sauce (which features our secret ingredient: miso!). Not only does it serve as a marinade but also doubles as a glaze that you brush onto the chicken while it’s cooking on the grill.

Katie opts for mellow white miso paste in her chocolate chip cookies for the perfect balance of sweet and salty.

Marinating salmon in a savory-sweet mix of miso, mirin and brown sugar helps build flavor before the fish goes under the broiler.

This easy vegetarian cabbage dish has a wonderfully contrasting texture of crunchy outer leaves and melty, soft inner layers. The cabbage is first seared to give it flavor and then roasted alongside garlic, ginger and onion plus a Fresno chile for some heat before being simmered with a mouthwatering salty, sweet umami sauce that gets lathered over the top at the end.

Jeff dolls up his fresh, news spin on the classic Caesar salad with a miso-and-mustard dressing.

If you're a lover of salty caramel, let us introduce you to your newest obsession: miso butterscotch.

This flavor-packed green bean recipe is not only super quick to whip up but also super easy to make.

This low-fat, dairy-free version of an American classic certainly has the right look, with its creamy orange sauce, thanks to pureed cauliflower, vegan Cheddar and turmeric. We used umami-packed miso paste and nutritional yeast to evoke the savory, nutty quality of cheese.

Sweet potatoes aren’t just on the menu for Thanksgiving! These salty and sweet miso ones will definitely make their way into your weekly dinner rotation.

Cod is a very mild and affordable fish that lends itself well to a variety of seasonings including the umami-rich, sweet-salty miso glaze in this recipe. To complete the meal, we steam sliced carrots in the same pot as the rice while it cooks for a complete one-pot side dish.

A feature of most Japanese meals, miso soup always contains miso and dashi, a stock made with kombu seaweed and bonito flakes. Though various ingredients can be added, this tofu and scallion version is quite common—and often served at Japanese restaurants in America.

Rachael turns red miso into a delicious steak sauce, using only a handful of other ingredients.

Upgrade your favorite childhood meal into something new. Seasoned mushrooms and miso butter sauce give an already delicious bowl of pasta a grown-up twist.

Roasted veggies can be boring and bland, but Katie makes them anything but by adding a little bit of miso paste.

This is inspired by the miso-marinated black cod made famous at the restaurant Nobu, but here, it is easier, more affordable and more accessible.

This versatile dressing makes excellent use of pantry staples—the miso delivers umami, while sesame oil lends nuttiness. Use it on green salads, noodles or even as a dip for fresh veggies.

This umami-packed burger brings savory flavor into every delicious bite.

What makes these cookies so unique? Let's start with the miso--a fermented bean paste common in Japanese cooking that lends a generous dose of salty umami. Here, the miso not only adds some savory depth to a sweet cookie, but also contributes to the cookie's cakey, chewy texture.

Stretch just a half-pound of salmon to feed four people with this satisfying miso-based soup.

A delicious way to eat your vegetables? Puree them in a food processor along with miso, maple syrup and cinnamon—for a mashed made in heaven!