Japanese Clear Soup
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Nov 17, 2025 Japanese Clear Soup Recipe: This classic Hibachi restaurant favorite is a light and healthy soup to soothe the soul.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
That Japanese soup…
No, not Miso Soup. The one they serve at Hibachi restaurants before the chef comes out. On most Hibachi restaurant menus in the United States, this elusive soup is called Clear Soup.
However, it is also known as Miyabi Soup, Japanese Onion Soup, and even Hibachi Soup.
Why We Love Japanese Clear Soup
We feel the very best homemade Japanese Onion Soup is made with 2 parts chicken broth, 1 part beef broth, and extra water to allow for evaporation.
Although the color is a bit darker than some restaurant clear soups, it can be made in about an hour and has an intense meaty flavor.
It should be mentioned that most restaurants make soups like this several days in advance, so the ingredients have a longer time to mix and mingle. That’s why they taste richer than homemade versions.
However, you too can make your soup several days in advance, and it will taste just like it does at your favorite Hibachi restaurant.
Clear Soup is a fun way to bring your favorite restaurant flavors home. This light lean soup is so robust and flavorful, that you’ll want to make it again and again. It might even give you the confidence to take on the onion volcano!
Clear Soup
This simple broth-based soup is primarily made of meat broths and vegetables simmered together over a long period to create a deep, rich flavor.
The vegetables are then removed so the soup is clear, and garnishes like scallions and thinly sliced mushrooms are added to the top.
However, Japanese Clear Soup can vary in color, clarity, and even ingredients. For instance, if you use all chicken broth your clear soup will have a lighter flavor and clearer appearance. Yet it will lack in-depth compared to versions that contain some beef broth.
Whereas, if you use beef broth, depending on the brand you buy, your clear soup may not seem very light and clear at all. Some versions even skip the chicken and beef broth altogether and use mushroom broth.
Ingredients You Need
- Sesame Oil – adds just a slight nutty flavor
- Chicken Broth & Beef Broth – a combo of both adds extra flavor
- Water – the rest of the liquid is just water
- Onion – sweet onion works best for a light flavor
- Garlic – for aroma
- Carrots – added veggies and flavor
- Ginger – this adds a lot of flavor that is essential to this clear soup!
- Scallions – or green onions, sliced thin for garnish
- Button Mushrooms – sliced thin
- Salt – to taste
How to Make Clear Soup
Place a large 8-quart stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and place the onion, garlic, carrots, and ginger in the pot. Sear the veggies on all sides to caramelize, making sure not to burn the garlic.
Pour in the chicken broth, beef broth, and water. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a low boil and simmer for at least one hour.
Use a skimmer to remove the vegetables from the broth. Taste, then salt as needed.
To serve: ladle hot broth into bowls and sprinkle with chopped scallion and sliced mushrooms over the top. Enjoy!
Get the Full (Printable) Japanese Clear Soup Recipe with Ingredient Proportions, Detailed Instructions, and a Video Turtorial Below!
Serving Suggestions
This Hibachi clear soup is very light, so I recommend serving it as an appetizer or starter before a larger meal. Serve your clear soup with some of my absolute favorites, like:
Or, simply serve on its own for when you need to warm up or you are feeling under the weather!
Frequently Asked Questions
While Japanese clear soup and miso soup are both light in color and flavor, the main difference is the addition of miso. Japanese clear soup does not have any miso in it, and gets its flavor from simmering broth with onions and veggies. Miso soup is also a broth, but has the addition of miso, which adds a cloudy look to it. They are both topped with mushrooms and scallions, and sometimes little chunks of tofu!
Yes! Clear soup is simple and doesn’t require many ingredients. It is low in fat, carbs, and calories!
Store any leftover clear soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a sauce pot! You can also freeze it in a zip bag for later!
Looking for More Healthy Asian Soup Recipes?
Japanese Clear Soup Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil (or peanut oil)
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups beef broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 large sweet onion, peeled and cut into wedges
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 large carrots, cut into chunks
- 2 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
- 4 whole scallions, chopped
- 10 button mushrooms, sliced thin
- salt
Instructions
- Place a large 8-quart stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and place the onion, garlic, carrots, and ginger in the pot. Sear the veggies on all sides to caramelize, making sure not to burn the garlic.
- Pour in the chicken broth, beef broth, and water. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a low boil and simmer for at least one hour.
- Use a skimmer to remove the vegetables from the broth. Taste, then salt as needed.
- To serve: ladle hot broth into bowls and sprinkle chopped scallion and sliced mushrooms over the top.
Notes
Nutrition
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Made this with veg broth and my goodness the carmelized onion flavor was amazingly delicious. Love, love, love this recipe. Thank you!
I’ve made this last week. Its amazing. First bowl i ended up basically just drinking with the green onion and mushrooms. Second bowl i tried it with the onion and mushrooms. Third bowl i added some frozen pork dumplings. All 3 bowls it was great. It also helped a lot with my cold. It also freezes well. I froze it in 1 bowl potion and it taste the same
Hi,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. In case one doesn’t have beef, is there a substitute broth and what would be the quantity/ vegetables required?
Such an easy and delicious recipe, even the kids liked it!
why do the soup serving size go over 1m {PS i love it}
Hi B,
Can you clarify the question? Would love to help. :)
Yummy soup. Very easy to make
Delicious. The subtle flavor of this soup is so comforting, I had to come back for another bowl. I made it exactly as written, using homemade stock. Bravo!
When you let it sit for a few days do you take the vegetables out first or leave them in until right before serving
Hi Melissa,
I would leave them in. :)
Delicious as written. Very versatile. Add ce.ery, soy, siracha, dashi no moto, as desired. After the broth is made try miso,bok choy, tofu.
I have made this recipe twice now. The only changes I made were to add a stalk of celery and bump up the amount of ginger. The instructions for the recipe are perfect, and it is very easy to make. It makes a wonderful savory clear soup, perfect for assisting with weight loss, for after surgery, and cold, damp evenings. We keep a container in the fridge and heat it up in a coffee cup. It is better after the first day, with all the flavors blended. You really want to let it sit – it’s worth the wait. Large carrots are important or the soup might get too sweet (from using baby carrots.) Also it changes the flavor depending on the type of onion used; vidalia vs yellow. You can easily tweak this recipe and make it just the way you like it.
I added coconut aminos, fish sauce, and a squirt of hot cock sauce aka sriracha. Not clear but sure is tasty.
I added soy sauce, and 2 cubes of chicken bullion, and it turned out perfect!!