Japanese Onion Soup (Clear Hibachi-Style Recipe)

Japanese onion soup is the light, savory appetizer served at many hibachi restaurants in the US. The clear broth has a mild onion taste with ginger, garlic, mushrooms and sliced green onions adding delicate flavors of their own.

This Japanese onion soup recipe recreates that familiar restaurant-style soup at home. Most of the vegetables are simmered in the broth and strained out, leaving a clear soup with tender mushroom slices and fresh green onions.

Although it’s commonly called Japanese clear onion soup, this version is associated mainly with Japanese-American steakhouse cooking. Traditional Japanese clear soup usually has a dashi base, while this hibachi-style recipe uses chicken stock and beef bouillon.

Why Make Japanese Onion Soup

• The broth has a savory mushroom and onion flavor with fresh ginger and garlic.
• It makes a light appetizer before fried rice, noodles, teriyaki or grilled meat.
• The recipe uses familiar vegetables and simple pantry ingredients.
• Several varieties of fresh mushrooms can be used.
• The strained broth can be prepared ahead and reheated later.

What is Japanese Onion Soup?

Many Japanese onion soup recipes recreate the clear broth served at hibachi restaurants and Japanese steakhouses in the US. You may also see it described as hibachi soup, Japanese clear soup, mushroom onion soup or Miyabi Japanese onion soup.

The broth is flavored with onion, celery, carrot, ginger, garlic and mushrooms. Most of those vegetables are removed after simmering. Thinly sliced mushrooms are cooked in the strained broth and green onions are added before serving.

Traditional Japanese clear soup is called osumashi or sumashijiru and usually uses dashi. This recipe is the Japanese-American steakhouse version commonly served before a hibachi meal.

Japanese Onion Soup Ingredients

• Yellow onion, celery and carrot flavor the broth before being strained out.
• Fresh ginger and garlic give the soup its distinctive aroma.
• Chicken stock and beef bouillon create the savory steakhouse-style broth.
• Shiitake mushrooms add a stronger earthy flavor to the broth.
• Baby bella mushrooms, also called chestnut mushrooms in the UK, are thinly sliced and left in the soup.
• Green onions (spring onions) provide the fresh garnish shown in the photos.

How to Make Miyabi Style Japanese Onion Soup

Learning how to make Japanese onion soup is straightforward. The vegetables are simmered to flavor the liquid, the broth is strained and the reserved mushrooms are cooked briefly before serving.

1. Put the onion, celery, carrot, ginger, garlic and about ¼ of the mushrooms in a large stockpot.
2. Add the chicken stock, beef bouillon granules and water, then bring the liquid to a boil.
3. Cover the pot, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
4. Put the remaining sliced mushrooms in a second large pot.
5. Set a fine-mesh strainer over the second pot and carefully pour the broth through it.
6. Discard the strained vegetables and simmer the broth with the sliced mushrooms for 3 minutes.
7. Ladle the soup into small bowls and add the sliced green onions.

Tips for Clear Japanese Onion Soup

• Cut the vegetables into large chunks so they are easy to strain from the broth.
• Reduce the heat once the liquid boils. A gentle simmer produces a clearer broth than a vigorous boil.
• I like to use a fine-mesh strainer to catch small pieces of vegetables, ginger and garlic.
• Slice the reserved mushrooms thinly so they cook during the final few minutes.
• Taste the soup before adding salt because stock and bouillon vary between brands.

Substitutions and Variations

• Different mushrooms: White button, cremini, baby bella or shiitake mushrooms can be used. Shiitake mushrooms have a stronger flavor, while white mushrooms are milder.
• Extra green onions: Add another sliced green onion for a stronger fresh onion flavor. The soup in the photos is garnished with green onions.
• Chives: Fresh chives can replace the green onions for a milder garnish.
• Crispy onions: Some hibachi restaurants add a small amount of crispy fried onion to each bowl. Add it immediately before serving.
• Vegetarian version: Replace the chicken stock and beef bouillon with vegetable stock and mushroom bouillon. The resulting broth will taste different from the steakhouse version.
• Stronger ginger flavor: Add a little more freshly grated ginger. Too much can overpower the mild onion and mushroom flavor, so I recommend you increase it gradually.

What to Serve with Japanese Onion Soup

Serve this soup as a starter before fried rice, teriyaki, noodles, tempura or grilled chicken, steak or shrimp. Small bowls are usually enough because the broth is intended to begin the meal.

It would pair nicely with egg fried rice without soy sauce. Follow it with these vegetable jeon pancakes or some teriyaki beef.

Make Ahead and Storage

• Make ahead: Prepare and strain the broth, then refrigerate it without the reserved mushrooms or green onions. Add both when reheating and serving.
• Refrigerator: Cool the soup promptly and store it in a covered container for up to 3 days.
• Freezer: Freeze the strained broth for up to 2 months. Add fresh mushroom slices after thawing for a better texture.
• Reheating: Warm the soup gently on the stovetop until steaming. Add the sliced mushrooms during the final few minutes and garnish with fresh green onions.

Japanese Onion Soup FAQs

Is this the same as Miyabi Japanese onion soup?

This is the same general type of clear onion soup served at Miyabi and other hibachi restaurants. It is a homemade steakhouse-style recipe and not an official Miyabi recipe.

Is Japanese onion soup an authentic Japanese recipe?

This particular mushroom and onion soup is associated mainly with Japanese-American steakhouses. Traditional Japanese clear soup usually has a dashi base.

Why are the vegetables strained out?

The vegetables flavor the broth as they simmer. Straining removes the softened pieces and gives the soup its clear appearance.

Can I leave the vegetables in the soup?

Yes, I like to but it’s optional. Cut the onion, celery and carrot into smaller pieces if you’re going to leave them in the broth and peel the carrot if you like. The result will have a chunkier texture and will no longer resemble restaurant-style Japanese clear onion soup.

Which mushrooms are best for Japanese onion soup?

Shiitake mushrooms provide the strongest earthy flavor. Baby bella, cremini and white button mushrooms are milder. A mixture of shiitake and baby bella mushrooms gives the soup a balanced mushroom flavor.

Are green onions used in Japanese onion soup?

Yes. Thinly sliced green onions are commonly used as a fresh garnish for hibachi-style onion soup. They add a mild onion flavor and a little freshness to the broth as well as the contrasting color.

Can I make this soup without beef bouillon?

Replace the beef bouillon with additional chicken bouillon or mushroom bouillon. The flavor will be lighter and will differ from the usual hibachi restaurant version.

Is Japanese onion soup gluten-free?

The vegetables and mushrooms are naturally gluten-free. Some brands of stock and bouillon contain wheat, so check the labels before using them.

How is Japanese onion soup different from French onion soup?

French onion soup contains caramelized onions and is usually topped with bread and melted cheese. Japanese steakhouse onion soup is a light, clear broth with mushrooms and green onions.

More Recipes to Try

If you’re an onion soup fan, you might also like to try authentic British onion soup with cider. You might also enjoy Thai vegetarian crackslaw or Chinese chicken salad which is one of my all-time favorites! Got leftover mushrooms? Try mushroom risotto with truffle oil or this creamy mushroom stroganoff.

This Japanese onion soup has the clear broth, sliced mushrooms and fresh green onions associated with a hibachi restaurant starter. Once the broth has been strained, the final cooking takes only a few minutes. It’s a great choice if you want something light with bold beef flavor and/or you have onions and mushrooms to use up.