Benihana Japanese Onion Soup — Price, Calories, Ingredients & Recipe (2026)

What Is Japanese Onion Soup?

Benihana’s Japanese Onion Soup is arguably more famous than any single entree: a crystal-clear, deeply savory broth built from slowly simmered onions, carrots, celery and chicken stock, strained until pristine and garnished with whisper-thin mushroom slices and scallions. It tastes like concentrated comfort — rich without a drop of heaviness.

Every hibachi dinner begins with this soup (alongside the salad), which is why generations of diners associate its aroma with celebration. At roughly 40 calories a bowl, it is the rare freebie you can feel great about — and the copycat recipe below is one of the most requested we publish.

Japanese Onion Soup Ingredients

• Yellow onions
• Carrots
• Celery
• Chicken stock
• Water
• Mushrooms
• Scallions
• Salt
• White pepper

Japanese Onion Soup Nutrition Facts

Nutrition values are estimates based on standard restaurant preparation and may vary by location. Ask your local Benihana for their current official nutrition guide.

Copycat Japanese Onion Soup Recipe (Make It at Home)

Love Japanese Onion Soup but can’t get to Benihana? This copycat recipe captures the signature flavor at home.

Ingredients

• 3 large yellow onions, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 4 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, sliced
• Salt and white pepper

Instructions

1. Simmer onions, carrots, celery, stock and water 60-90 minutes until vegetables collapse.
2. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing to extract every drop; discard solids.
3. Season with salt and white pepper; keep at a bare simmer.
4. Add mushroom slices to bowls, ladle over hot broth.
5. Garnish with scallions and serve immediately.Taste and adjust the salt — the broth should be deeply savory yet crystal clear.

Final Thoughts

Clear, savory and iconic, Benihana’s onion soup is the little bowl of happiness that starts every great hibachi night.