Fried tofu soup is a dinner I make often, and I’ve gotten a few requests for the recipe on my Instagram. It’s vegan, keto-friendly, and delicious, so what more could you want?
I’ve never followed a recipe when making this, but I decided to keep track of what amounts of ingredients I used. You do not have to follow this recipe exactly! Use the vegetables you have on hand, and feel free to add more. I sometimes add mushrooms, baby corn, and bean sprouts. You can also try a dash of rice vinegar and a sprinkle of monkfruit sweetener. Amounts vary depending on how sour or sweet you want your soup to be, but feel free to experiment according to your own tastes!
Is Miso Soup Keto Friendly?
Yes, miso soup can be keto friendly. Miso paste does contain some carbohydrates, but because a relatively small amount is diluted into an entire pot of soup, it can usually fit into a ketogenic diet. The exact carb count depends on how much miso you use and what else goes into the soup.
Miso itself is not a zero-carb food. One tablespoon of miso paste contains about 4 grams of total carbohydrates and roughly 3.4 grams of net carbs. That can add up if you use a large amount, but most soup recipes spread a few tablespoons across multiple servings.
For this recipe, I typically use one instant miso soup packet or 2–3 tablespoons of miso paste for two servings. The complete soup comes to about 10.7 grams of net carbs per serving, including the tofu, bok choy, spinach, cabbage, broth, miso, and other ingredients. If you want to reduce the carbs further, use less miso paste or choose a lower-carb instant miso packet.
The ingredients added to miso soup matter too. Plain broth with tofu, seaweed, mushrooms, and low-carb vegetables can work well for keto, while versions containing noodles, rice, or sweeter sauces obviously increase the carb count. Instant miso soup also varies by brand, so check the nutrition label rather than assuming every packet has the same macros.
Is Miso Soup Vegetarian?
Traditional miso soup is often made with dashi containing bonito, a dried fish. That’s perfectly fine for pescatarians, but vegans and vegetarians should use vegetable broth or a miso product specifically labeled vegan.
There are many miso soup recipes that use real miso online, but this recipe uses an instant miso soup packet. The brand Edward & Sons makes a vegan miso soup. If you are a pescatarian or an omnivore, you can use Kikkoman Instant Tofu Miso Soup, which contains bonito (fish) and is my brand of choice. If you are using miso paste, 2 tablespoons is a decent amount. Up to 4 will add more flavor if you are less concerned about the carbs. I like to use awase miso by Miko and add Emerald Cove’s wakame (dried seaweed), which you’ll need if you want seaweed and aren’t using an instant miso packet. You can omit the miso entirely if you’d like to lower the net carbs a bit.
Non-vegans can also add additional protein by frying an egg and topping the bowl of soup with it. Adding a drizzle of sriracha to your egg makes it extra tasty! To see all the iterations I’ve made of this soup, follow @pescatarian.keto on Instagram.
Nutrition information for this vegan keto tofu soup recipe was calculated using Cronometer.
Vegan Keto Fried Tofu Soup
Nutrition Facts
Ingredients
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 14 oz extra firm tofu
- 6 oz baby bok choy
- 3 oz spinach
- 8 oz cabbage, shredded or chopped
- 1 instant miso soup packet OR 2-3 tablespoons miso paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Garlic powder to taste
Instructions
- Add cabbage to broth and set on medium-low.
- In a nonstick pan, cook your shirataki mushrooms in olive oil.
- Steam bok choy in a separate pan. Season with garlic and salt.
- Cut cubes of tofu that are ¼ inch to ½ inch thick.
- Fry tofu in olive oil until cubes are golden brown on each side. Flip tofu using a spatula. Add additional olive oil as needed to prevent tofu from burning.
- Add tofu and all vegetables to broth along with the instant miso packet, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Add sriracha to the broth if you prefer spicy soup.
- Allow soup to simmer. Serve in bowls and enjoy your vegan keto tofu soup!
You don’t list the mushrooms in the ingredients. How many do you need for this recipe?
About a 1/2 cup of mushrooms would be a good amount, but it’s really up to you and the mushroom density you prefer! I typically use any vegetables I have on hand when I make soup, and I’ve never experienced the wrong ratio of mushrooms for my tastes.
However, I didn’t include mushrooms in the final recipe because they increased the carbs to an amount I thought some keto dieters may not like.
Feel free to experiment!