Miso Nettle Soup Recipe (Easy, Healthy & Vegan)
Fresh, vibrant, and deeply nourishing, this Miso Nettle Soup is a celebration of simple ingredients coming together in the most comforting way. If you’ve never cooked with nettles before, this recipe is the perfect place to start—they transform from a prickly wild plant into a silky, spinach-like green packed with nutrients. When combined with Kuzu and miso, this soup is light yet satisfying, making it ideal for a quick lunch or a soothing dinner.
What makes this recipe especially appealing is how easy and adaptable it is. With just a handful of wholesome ingredients and minimal cooking time, you can create a bowl that feels both grounding and revitalising. Whether you’re exploring foraged foods, looking to add more plant-based meals to your routine, or simply craving something warm and healthy, this miso nettle soup delivers comfort with a fresh, seasonal twist.
Stinging Nettles:
Stinging nettles have tiny needles ( to protect themselves) that cause pain and inflammation; So always wear gloves when picking them.
You can find stinging nettles from early spring, flowering in July and then die off for the winter.
The best time to harvest stinging nettles for cooking is in early spring when the young leaves and tender stems are full of nutrients. If you want to get the best out of your stinging nettles harvest, using the biodynamic calendar, harvest in the morning of a leaf day.
Cut the tops of the stinging nettles wearing gloves! Wash them in cold water with rubber gloves, rinse them, and blanch them in simmering water or vegetable stock for a few minutes.
Wild garlic:
Wild garlic grows wild in some gardens and country parks. It grows from late March to May and has a fresh, grassy garlic taste. It can be used in many different ways, raw in pestos or salads or cooked in soup or sauces.
Kuzu:
Kuzu (or Kudzu) is a high-quality, gluten-free, organic starch derived from the root of the Pueraria lobataplant, widely used in Japanese cuisine as a superior thickener for soups, sauces, and desserts.
Miso:
Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning paste made by fermenting soybeans with salt.
Ingredients:
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 sprin onions
- 2 celery
- 40 grams of wild garlic
- 80 grams of fresh Stinging nettles
- olive oil
- 1 tbsp of Kuzu
- Miso
Gather all the ingredients you have from your garden or park. In my garden, I have nettles and wild garlic; in my vegetable garden, I have spring onions and celery growing.
Start by blanching the stinging nettles in 250 ml of boiling water or vegetable stock, simmer for 3-5 minutes. Leave them in a colander over the pot or bowl.(We will use the stock later for the soup)
Chop all the vegetables.
Blanch stinging nettles once cooked; they won’t sting any more, so you can chop them without gloves!
Sauté garlic and spring onions, then add celery, wild garlic and nettles.
Before adding the stock, I like to add a little bit of soy sauce.
Measure the vegetable broth from blanching, pour it into the sautéed vegetables, and add the remaining vegetable stock or water.
Cook for 5-10 minutes at medium heat.
Prepare the Kuzu:
Add the Kuzu to 4 tbsp of warm water and stir until dissolved.
Add the Kuzu to the soup and mix.
Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Serve with Miso and enjoy.
Notes:
If you prefer a smoother soup, you can use an immersion blender or a blender.
You can reheat the soup the next day if you have leftovers
Miso Nettle Soup Recipe (Easy, Healthy & Vegan)
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
- A few small bowls
- A small saucepan
- A medium saucepan for the soup
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 spring onions
- 2 celery
- 40 grams of wild garlic
- 80 grams of fresh Stinging nettles
- olive oil
- 1 tbsp of Kuzu
- Miso
Instructions
- Start by blanching the stinging nettles in 250 ml of boiling water or vegetable broth, simmer for 3-5 minutes. Leave them in a colander over the pot or bowl.(We will use the stock later for the soup)
- Chop all the vegetables.
- Blanch stinging nettles once cooked; they won’t sting any more, so you can chop them without gloves!
- Sauté garlic and spring onions, then add celery, wild garlic and nettles.
- Before adding the stock, I like to add a little bit of soy sauce.
- Measure the vegetable broth from blanching, pour it into the sautéed vegetables, and add the remaining vegetable stock or water.
- Cook for 5-10 minutes at medium heat.
- Prepare the Kuzu:
- Add the Kuzu to 4 tbsp of warm water and stir until dissolved.
- Add the Kuzu to the soup and mix.
- Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Serve with Miso and enjoy.
