Does miso taste like soy sauce?

They're cousins, both fermented soybeans, so there's overlap. Miso is thicker, sweeter, nuttier and less sharp; soy sauce is saltier and thinner.

What's the difference between white and red miso?

Mostly time. White miso ferments briefly and tastes mild and sweet. Red miso ferments longer, so it's saltier, darker and funkier.

What does miso taste like?

Miso tastes salty and deeply savory, with a gentle funk from fermentation and a nutty sweetness, a bit like a richer, rounder soy sauce in paste form.

Miso

salty, savory, quietly funky

Very light

Indulgent

Subtle

Big punch

Mellow

Zingy

Miso is a Japanese paste of soybeans fermented with salt and koji (a mold also used to make sake and soy sauce). That fermentation is where the flavor comes from: a deep savoriness that makes everything around it taste more like itself. White miso is young, mild and a little sweet. Red miso ferments longer and tastes saltier, darker and funkier, almost like aged cheese. In soup it's gentle and comforting; brushed on fish or eggplant and broiled, it caramelizes into something sticky and salty-sweet.

Where you’ll see it

In miso soup at nearly every Japanese restaurant, as miso-glazed black cod or eggplant, in ramen broth and salad dressings, and lately in desserts like miso caramel and miso chocolate chip cookies.

Order it if you like soy sauce, parmesan and anything salty-sweet off the grill.

Quick questions

Does miso taste like soy sauce?: They're cousins, both fermented soybeans, so there's overlap. Miso is thicker, sweeter, nuttier and less sharp; soy sauce is saltier and thinner.
What's the difference between white and red miso?: Mostly time. White miso ferments briefly and tastes mild and sweet. Red miso ferments longer, so it's saltier, darker and funkier.