From health benefits to weight loss, miso paste has valuable nutrition and probiotics making it a gut healthy fermented food. Regardless of whether it includes grains or soybeans as the main ingredients, the best miso pastes are easy to cook and blend into different recipes.
There are numerous brands of miso in the market, which make it hard for one to decide the best to settle for, especially for new users.
What are the best miso brands? The two most popular brands of miso paste are the white Miko and Hikari miso. Their authentic ingredients are unquestionable and comes in different flavors, the both produce red miso as well.
For a stronger flavors, Maruman is the preferred, and Miso Master makes the best soy-allergic miso.
The following is a list of the top miso brands:
- HIKARI Japan Organic (white type): The best overall
- ROLAND Gluten-free (white type): Best in budget
- YUHO Organic Soybean: 100% organic
- MIKO Non-GMO Soybean
- TastepadThai Non-GMO: Best white type miso on the market
- MARUM Organic Japan: Best red miso
- EDEN FOODS Organic soybean: Best barley miso
- MARUKOME Organic: Non-alcoholic miso
- MISO MASTER Soy-free: Best non-soy miso
- MISO BOOM Organic & Rich flavor: Known for the best probiotic miso
- HONZOKOKURI Alcohol & Low Salt: The lowest amount of sodium
- RED SHELL: Best salad dressing miso
- MARUM Addictive Free: Best for making miso soup.
It can be a long and tedious process going through the details of every brand available in the market. Here is the good news! This article provides reviews of the best miso brands available. So, stay tuned.
How do l choose the right miso?
The ingredients are primary to consider when selecting a miso brand. Good miso will have all the essential ingredients, including rice, Koji grain, salt, soybeans, grains, starter, and other vegetables for flavors.
If possible, avoid miso paste flavored with additives such as sugar and MSG.
Brands that are manufactured in Japan are more authentic and should be given priority.
Some brands are pasteurized by the manufacturer during storage. Avoid such brands since they lack probiotics making them less healthy to consume, also having less flavor.
Furthermore, look for miso pastes that are naturally fermented with no added alcohol or flavor additives such as dashi or amino acids.
Which color miso is the best?
There are white, yellow, and red color miso, and the depth of color indicate the richness in flavor. Generally, the darker the color, the longer it has been fermented and the stronger it will taste.
White color is the best for low sodium diet as it is less salty compared to red miso. It typically has a higher rice content and is fermented for three months to make it great option for cooking soups, sauces, and dressings.
Red miso takes longer time fermenting, making it have more probiotics than yellow and white miso. It has more salt, and more so, it has a very assertive, spicy aroma, which make it suitable for heartier sauces, rich soups, glazes, marinades or braises.
Yellow miso is usually made from soybeans and barley, giving it a light brown color. This miso has a mild and earthy flavor that is better to use in basic condiments, soups, marinades, and glazes.
Unlike white miso processed from high rice percentage, red miso is made from a higher percentage of soybeans that give it rich protein and isoflavonoids, content associated with numerous health benefits.
Which type of miso is the healthiest?
It depends on the diet restriction and recipe.
For instance, if a person is avoiding a high intake of sodium in their body, the white type miso is the better choice to reduce salt intake since the red type is much saltier than white miso. In addition, white miso is the best if one is looking for sleep since it is associated with relaxation and good sleep.
However, if there is no need to avoid intake of sodium, then red miso has the most flavor and probiotic benefits because it undergoes a longer fermentation.
These micronutrients have numerous health benefits, including improved gut microbiome, digestion and cardiovascular health.
What is the best miso?
There are variety of miso paste brands and have a taste to determine which are the best ones, depending on personal interest. Different brands have been used for different reasons.
The following are the best miso brands currently available:
The miso works perfectly for miso soup because it provides the best balance among savory, umami and salty flavors. It blends in both types of colors white and red to form a slight flavor of white with a taste of red, amusing it useful for multipurpose flavoring.
This miso brand undergoes a longer fermentation process, giving it a distinct rich taste and flavor. There is no MSG added.
The flavor of miso paste has a mild salty taste that keeps sodium content to a minimum. The paste is 100% organic, free of gluten, and the paste is pasteurized to preserve its quality.
The paste is made with 100% rice and organic soybean, and it doesn't use any preservatives or gluten. It is used to make miso soup or any dish with meat. It's free from GMOs and MSG with no fragrance or added colors.
The miso paste is produced by fermenting soybean initially started with rice. The paste is thick, which makes it suitable for light sauces and salad dressing. It has a sweet taste with a whitish beige color.
It’s a red miso that is non-GMO, 100% organic and doesn't have any artificial preservatives. It's highly nutritious with essential vitamins B, E & K, and essential amino acids providing a rich umami flavor.
Best Miso Brands: Conclusion
There are such a wide variety of miso brands in the market, making it hard for many people to select the right choice among the many products. Worry less! The article has articulated details that can help you make the right decision.
However, selecting the best miso depends on personal needs and recipe requirements.
Cheaper brands are great to stay under the budget, while others may go for brands because of low sodium, nutritional value, non-GMOs and non-soy miso for weight loss and health purposes.
Even though it can be tedious, read the label and go through the ingredients list before settling on a decision.
Look for quality ingredients and natural fermentation process. Avoid alcohol and additives such as MSG added to the miso paste.
Most popular miso brands are Miko, Hikari, Maruman, and Miso Master. However, there are three different color of miso too choose from based on the preference and flavor.
Finding the right miso brand may seem difficult, but it really depends on whether a person knows what recipe they are making with the particular miso paste. Don’t get confused anymore, go through our details to make an informed decision about what miso paste will be best for you to try next.