MISO CARAMEL AND WASABI SPREAD SNACK PLATE

Do you love the combination of sweet, savory, and spicy? Are you looking for a new perfect snack plate to rock the worlds of your next dinner party guests? I have good news…you’ve come to the right place!

This Miso Caramel and Wasabi Spread Snack Plate is the perfect, unique combination of sweet, savory, and spicy. Made with a wasabi vegan cream cheese spread, topped with a miso soy caramel sauce and cucumber medley, and served with sesame rice crackers. This snack plate will make your taste buds dance and keep you coming back for more!

Jump to Recipe

MISO CARAMEL SAUCE

As mentioned above, this Miso Caramel and Wasabi Spread Snack Plate is sweet, savory, and spicy. The miso caramel sauce checks, both, the sweet and savory boxes.

I know the thought of making caramel sauce can be a little intimidating, but I promise the process for this particular caramel sauce is super simple and nothing you can’t handle! And trust me, it is totally worth it. The combination of sweet brown sugar, salty savory soy sauce, and umami packed miso paste is to die for!

HOW TO MAKE THE MISO CARAMEL SAUCE

To make the miso caramel sauce, you simply combine all of the ingredients for the sauce in a non-stick sauce pan (except the toasted sesame oil, that goes in after cooking).

Next, cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken. In about 10 minutes you will remove the reduced caramel from the heat, add in the toasted sesame oil, and BAM you have the perfect miso caramel sauce! Simple and oh so delicious!

HINT: This miso caramel sauce will thicken more as it cools.

Jump to Recipe

MISO PASTE

Miso paste is a paste made from fermented soy beans. It adds that salty, umami flavor to many Japanese dishes that we all know and love. It is, of course, a staple in Miso soup. But it is an excellent ingredient to add to sauces, dressings, and in this case caramel.

IS MISO PASTE GLUTEN FREE?

The short answer is maybe.

Miso paste is usually gluten free. However, it will depend on the type of miso you are using. Miso paste is typically made from fermented soy beans and rice, and yes that version will be gluten free.

Miso paste can sometimes be made from barley, wheat, rye, millet, and buckwheat, which are not gluten free! If gluten is an issue, be sure to check the label or ask the restaurant to double check the packaging.

GLUTEN FREE MISO PASTE BRANDS

• Marukome
• Smart Miso
• Yuho
• Roland
• HIkari
• Clearspring
• Miso Master

DOES MISO PASTE GO BAD

Due to its fermentation and high levels of salt, miso paste is a preservative food. Meaning, if kept in your refrigerator, miso itself does not go bad! Over time miso will slowly loose its flavor and freshness. If left long enough, miso paste will dry out, put it doesn’t actually go bad.

You can typically count on your miso paste having an abundance of flavor for up so a year.

Note: miso paste can spoil or mold if it has been cross contaminated with another ingredient.

CAN MISO PASTE BE FROZEN

YES! You can store miso paste in the fridge, in an air tight container for long periods of time. However, over time it will start to loose its color and flavor a bit. Freezing miso paste can prevent this! Store your miso paste in the freezer to preserve longer than if kept in the fridge.

For this recipe I used white miso paste, but any miso paste will do.

Don’t want to invest in miso paste? The end result of the caramel won’t be quite as complex, but if you would like to opt out of the miso, you can just add a touch more soy sauce to the caramel in its place.

Jump to Recipe

TOASTED SESAME OIL

Toasted sesame oil has a roasted, nutty flavor and is often responsible for adding that little extra magic that makes Asian dishes taste so delicious. A dab will do you when it comes to toasted sesame oil. With its strong flavor, you typically need less than a teaspoon to bring a dish up to flavor.

DO NOT OVERHEAT TOASTED SESAME OIL

For this miso caramel sauce, you cook down all of the ingredients, except the sesame oil. That is added after you remove the caramel from the heat. Why? Because toasted sesame oil is already toasted. If you continue to cook it the oil will burn, resulting in a burnt, bitter flavor.

ABOUT THE WASABI SPREAD

This wasabi spread recipe is simple, yet effective. It’s creamy, delicious, and has a nice punch of spice from the wasabi. With just 3 ingredients, vegan cream cheese, wasabi, and nori flakes, you can have this baby prepped and ready in under a minute! Simply combine all 3 ingredients and mix.

NORI FLAKES

Nori Flakes, also known as red seaweed, is an incredible ingredient when you are looking for a rich umami seafood taste. For this particular recipe, you will add nori flakes to the wasabi spread to help give it a more complex flavor that will remind you of sushi!

WHERE TO BUY NORI FLAKES

You can purchase nori flakes online or can sometimes find it in the Asian Isle of your local grocery store. I love having a bag of it in my cabinet to add to many Asian and vegan seafood dishes.

Don’t want to purchase nori flakes? No worries! The flavor of the spread won’t be as complex, but the simple combination of vegan cream cheese and wasabi will be delicious on its own.

WASABI

Wasabi, also known as Japanese horseradish, is responsible for adding the spicy aspect to this recipe. Wasabi is not spicy like a hot pepper. It’s a whole different kind of spice, similar to horseradish, that can really clear out your sinuses if you make the mistake of taking too big of a helping. But when used in moderation it is such a fun, unique flavor to bring to a dish. Just remember…a dab will do you!

IS WASABI GLUTEN FREE?

Short answer is maybe.

Real wasabi is gluten free. However, many versions of wasabi and wasabi paste have extra ingredients in it! Be sure to read the packaging.

VEGAN CREAM CHEESE

Gone are the days of funky tasting vegan cream cheese! Now there are many brands of delicious vegan cream cheese options on the store shelves. One of my favorite brands it Kite Hill. This cream cheese is creamy and had a fantastic flavor. My other favorite is Miyoko’s vegan cream cheese.

Jump to Recipe

ABOUT THE CUCUMBER MEDLEY

The other aspects of this dish are creamy, sweet and salty. So bringing in some fresh veg and herbs is the perfect way to balance out this snack plate and sneak in some extra nutrients.

To make the cucumber medley, simply combine diced Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced scallions, and sesame seeds.

USE PERSIAN CUCUMBERS

Persian Cucumbers, also known as mini seedless cucumbers are hands down always my cucumber of choice these days. Although I passed over them for years in the produce isle, once I tried them I never went back. Why? Because of their texture! Due to their smaller size, Persian cucumbers tend to have a much crisper bite than other cucumbers. Even when they are tossed in a dressing, these babies tend to keep their crunch for days.

Yes, you can substitute any cucumber for this recipe…but like I said above, Persian cucumbers are my fav.

RICE CRACKERS

This recipe would be excellent served with any cracker, sliced bread, or chip. But going with a rice cracker really drives home that Asian-inspired flavor. For this recipe I went with Asian Gourmet sesame rice crackers, but any rice cracker will do the trick!

PERFECT VEGAN APPETIZER FOR A PARTY

This Miso Caramel and Wasabi Spread Snack Plate is perfect as an appetizer for a dinner party or gathering. Plate it as shown, allowing you guests to scoop and dig into the spread as they desire, similar to a cheese spread. Or prepare each cracker individually, topping it with each element, making the perfect bite size snack.

EASY TO PREPARE AHEAD OF TIME

This is a perfect recipe to prepare ahead of time. You can prep and store each item separately and combine when you are ready to serve. Or you can plate the whole dish ahead of time, store it as a finished dish, and simply uncover it and serve when ready!