Is miso vegan?

Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning whose name translates to fermented bean paste. It is produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and a starter culture known as koji, which is cultivated on grains such as rice, barley, or soybeans using the beneficial fungus Aspergillus oryzae. The mixture is left to ferment for periods ranging from a few weeks to several years. Miso appears on ingredient labels as a standalone paste, as a flavoring in processed savory foods, and in packaged broths, marinades, salad dressings, glazes, and instant noodle products.

miso is vegan because it is composed entirely of plant, mineral, and microbial ingredients. Standard miso production requires only legumes, cereal grains, water, salt, and fungal cultures, involving no animal-derived inputs or animal-based processing aids. While prepared restaurant dishes like traditional miso soup frequently blend the paste with fish-based stocks such as bonito dashi, the ingredient miso itself is strictly of plant and microbial origin.