Homemade miso butter is a delicious savory condiment full of umami flavor. This easy, adaptable recipe can be made dairy-free, vegan, and even soy-free.
Rich miso butter is a delicious way to add an extra boost of flavor to your food during last-minute seasoning adjustments. It's most popularly used in Japanese cuisine but is a versatile condiment that works with a variety of dishes like lemon zucchini risotto.
What Is Miso?
Miso paste is a traditional Japanese seasoning that’s made by fermenting soy beans with sea salt and cultured grains (koji). This unique condiment has a thick, creamy texture with a salty, rich, and complex, umami flavor. Because miso is fermented, it needs to be refrigerated.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter - use room temperature butter so that it's easier to mix together. Use vegan butter to make it dairy free.
- Miso paste - you can use any type of miso, but for this easy miso butter recipe I used white miso paste.
Different Kinds Of Miso
White miso, also called Shiro miso is the most common kind due to its sweeter, more mellow flavor.
There are many types of miso with varying levels of flavor, saltiness, and intensity, as well as how they're used. You can find several varieties at Asian grocery stores in the refrigerated section as well as online. Here are the most common types and how to use them.
- White miso - mellow and slightly sweet, making it great for soups, sauces, marinades, and dressings.
- Yellow miso - more intensely flavored than white miso, yet still mild, which makes it great for soups and sauces.
- Red miso - the most concentrated, salty, fermented flavor, which makes it great for heartier foods like meat or tofu.
- Chickpea miso - another type of miso with a similar mellow flavor to white miso and is a great soy free option.
Important to note: although miso is typically cultured with white rice (and sometimes brown rice), it can also be cultured with barley. My favorite brands that are gluten-free are Miso Master Organic (which also has a soy-free option) and Cold Mountain Miso. Both of these brands clearly label their products.
How To Make It
Step 1. Allow butter to soften at room temperature.
Step 2. Place the softened butter in a small bowl with the miso paste. Mix together with a fork until well combined.
Step 3. Stir in any optional add-ins if using and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember recipes are just a starting point
How can you make this miso butter more tailored to you? Here are some ideas...
- Make the flavor more concentrated - swap out the white miso for yellow or red.
- Make it soy-free - use chickpea miso instead.
- Add-ins - roasted garlic, grated ginger, chili flakes, chili powder, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh herbs, toasted sesame seeds, etc.
Variations
- Miso compound butter - once you make the miso butter, stir in chopped fresh herbs or another add-in of your choice, then spoon the mixture into parchment paper or plastic wrap to form the butter into a log shape, twisting the ends.
- Whipped miso butter - add the plain butter and miso paste to the bowl of a food processor and blend together until you have a whipped texture. Alternatively, you can also use a hand mixer to incorporate more air for a light and fluffy texture.
How to Use Miso Butter
There are many uses, but here are a few ideas of some of the different ways to use miso butter.
Add to miso soup for an even more complex flavor, toss crispy smashed potatoes with melted miso butter once they come out of the oven, make miso butter salmon fillets, add a spoonful of miso butter on top of baked sweet potatoes, green beans, brussels sprouts, or over roasted vegetables.
Use for a grilled cheese sandwich, garlic bread, or brush onto homemade croutons. It would also be decadent in miso caramel.
How to Store
Store the miso butter in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month ( or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Homemade Condiments
Miso Butter
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter or vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons white miso or miso of choice
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Allow butter to soften at room temperature.
- Place the softened butter in a small bowl with the miso paste. Mix together with a fork until well combined.
- Stir in any optional add-ins if using and season with a pinch of salt.
Notes
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
- Make the flavor more concentrated - swap out the white miso for yellow or red.
- Make it soy-free - use chickpea miso instead. It's very similar in flavor to white miso.
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