Is miso soup keto?
If made to a traditional recipe then yes miso soup can be eaten if you’re following the keto diet. The base of any miso soup is dashi and miso paste. One cup of dashi only contains 0.6g of carbs which is quite low. Miso paste contains 3G of carbs per tablespoon. Most recipes add 2 tablespoons when making enough for 4 people so this would come out as 1.5g each.
Depending on your personal preference you can add seaweed, tofu, eggs, and green onions.
Most recipes for miso soup found online put the carbs per bowl at 7g. This is perfectly acceptable if you’re following a keto diet.
However, the keto diet has a large focus on eating high protein and medium amounts of fat. A bowl of miso contains 3g of protein and just 2g of fat. They are both completely outweighed by the carbs.
So, if you’re trying to follow keto to the letter the balance of macronutrients isn’t ideal and you may choose to spend your carb budget on something that will give you more bang for your buck.
If you love miso though then as long as you track your carbs carefully there is no reason why it cannot remain a part of your diet.
Also read: this is an easy keto stir-fry sauce to use in your Asian dishes
Is Miso Soup Gluten-Free?
Miso, the main ingredient in miso soup is made from grains. The type of grain used varies so some miso will be gluten-free and some will not. If you are gluten intolerant or coeliac you will need to check the ingredients of the soup before you eat it.
In a restaurant, you will have to rely on the chef to tell you whether gluten-free miso has been used. If you buy your miso in a store then you should be able to check the label.
In most western countries it is a legal requirement to list all allergens on the product label. The safest way to be sure is to make the soup yourself.
This is a fairly easy task as the miso paste is the only ingredient in miso soup that contains gluten. Check the label and look for a paste made from rice, buckwheat, quinoa, or chickpeas.
Please remember this may taste different to miso based on grains such as barley so some adjustments or new ingredients may be required.
With experimentation, it’s likely you will find a combination you like. Once you’ve found it then use dashi, tofu, seaweed wakame, and green onions to make the soup using your favorite recipe.
Also read: rice or noodles, which is healthier?
