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Egg drop soup that comes together in only 15 minutes, has been saving this winter!!!
We have been having wind chills as low as -30 degrees, Fahrenheit the past few weeks.🥶 Having a quick and easy soup recipe to make, when all we want is a warm hug in a bowl for a meal has been a life saver!!! 😊
The best part is I pretty much always have all the ingredients needed to make egg drop soup on hand. So, without planning, I can have a hot bowl of homemade soup ready to enjoy. Which, let’s be honest, soup is what keeps us sane during these freezing days.
Not only is this recipe super quick and easy to make, it’s delicious.
Egg drop soup is often served in Chinese restaurants in America, as an appetizer, or a side to a meal.
It’s got a simple chicken broth base that’s thickened with cornstarch, and has thin ribbons of egg. And, it is topped with plenty of green onions. The flavor is savory, with that lovely umami taste, and plenty of silky streamers of eggs.
It’s simple, yet comforting and warming.
Only 10 ingredients needed for egg drop soup:
- avocado oil, or grapeseed oil – for sautéing some green onions and garlic, to flavor the broth.
- green onions – both to sauté, in the broth, and to garnish the soup at the end.
- garlic – for a quick sauté to flavor the broth.
- chicken broth – or you can use veggie broth.
- cornstarch – for thickening the soup.
- kosher salt – to bring out all the flavors
- white pepper – (or use black pepper) – to add a hint of mild warming spice.
- sesame oil – adds a nice nutty flavor to the broth.
- soy sauce – to add that umami salty flavor we love in Chinese food.
- eggs – well, it wouldn’t be egg drop soup without them, would it?!
That’s all you need to make a delicious egg drop soup. SO GOOD!
You can also add a little cubed, firm tofu at the very end to add protein. I did this once, I can confirm the silky texture of the tofu was welcome.
How to make egg drop soup:
- Sauté – Sauté the white parts of the green onion in a sauce pan. Then sauté the garlic. Add the broth.
- Make a slurry – Transfer some of the warm broth to a bowl with cornstarch. Whisk to combine and make a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the broth.
- Flavor the broth some more – stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil. Bring the broth to a simmer to thicken.
- Add the eggs – Whisk the eggs together. Reduce the broth to a simmer. Slowly stir the broth with one hand while slowly pouring the whisked eggs into the broth in a circle.
- Garnish – garnish with plenty of the green onion.
- Serve immediately – serve freshly hot. As an appetizer, or as an entrée.
So easy, right?!
What do I serve this soup with?
Most of us may think of egg drop soup as an appetizer to a Chinese meal. But, Paul and I enjoyed the entire pot of soup, between the two of us, as the entrée along with something else on the side. It certainty is a lighter meal, but it does fill you up for a few hours.
I think this soup is a great thing to make when you’re sick and don’t have a lot of energy. It uses chicken broth, which is the ideal thing to consume when run down, due to all the electrolytes and other nutrition. Along with the easy-to-digest protein from the eggs.
Plus, it only takes 15 minutes to make, giving you more time rest and heal.
That being said, below are some recipe ideas if you want to serve egg soup as an appetizer. (I will update as I publish more Chinese inspired dishes).
Some Chinese/Asian inspired dishes to serve egg drop soup with, as an appetizer:
Can I re-heat leftover egg drop soup?
Yes! I think it re-heat’s beautifully.
Leftovers do lose some of the thickness from the cornstarch slurry. But, all the lovely flavor, and silky egg ribbons, remain.
I hope you enjoy this soup recipe as much as we do. It’s simple, quick, uses common ingredients you likely have on hand, and it’s so satisfying and comforting.
Now, time for you to get your egg drop soup on!
More soup recipes for you to cozy up with:
- Thai carrot noodle soup with chicken
- Miso soup with mushrooms
- Thai curry soup with crispy tofu
- Dairy free zuppa toscana
- satisfying instant pot lentil soup
- the best chicken noodle soup
When you make this recipe, do me favor and leave a comment down below, along with a star rating. This really helps my blog out. Plus, I always enjoy hearing from you. Thanks friends. 🙂
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The Best Egg Drop Soup
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 to 4 1x
- Category: soup, entree, appetizer, one pot, easy, 10 ingredients or less
- Method: sauté, boil
- Cuisine: gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, nut free
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Egg drop soup is a simple, yet delicious soup. It has silky ribbons of eggs in a chicken broth. Only takes 15 minutes to make, and uses 10 simple ingredients. The perfect appetizer, or light meal.
Ingredients
For the broth
- 1 tablespoon avocado or grapeseed oil
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced, whites and light green parts separated from the dark green ends
- 4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth, or veggie broth
- 2.5 to 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (or sub black pepper)
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
For the eggs
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper (or sub black pepper)
Instructions
- Sauté onion and garlic: Heat a medium sized sauce pot, with a lid, over low heat. Add the avocado or grapeseed oil. Add the white and light green parts of the onion. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes stirring frequently, until tender. Add the garlic cloves, stirring frequently for 1 minute. Stir in the broth. Turn the heat up to high.
- Make the cornstarch slurry: Add the corn starch to a 2 cup liquid measuring cup with a spout, along with the salt and pepper. Once the broth liquid is warm, measure out 1/3 cup of the broth liquid and add it to the cornstarch. Whisk until there are no lumps. Slowly stream the cornstarch slurry into the broth, while stirring the broth with the other hand.
- Allow the broth to thicken: At this time add the sesame oil and soy sauce to the broth. Allow the broth to come up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Allow it to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the soup is thickened.
- Prepare the eggs: Rinse out the liquid measuring cup that the cornstarch slurry was in. Add the eggs along with the 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and the 1/8 teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper) – whisk until the eggs are well combined.
- Add the eggs to the broth: Turn the heat of the broth to a low simmer. With one hand slowly stir the broth, while slowly pouring the eggs in a circle with the other hand. Turn off the heat and place the lid on the sauce pot. Allow the soup to sit for 2 minutes.
- To serve: Give the soup a gentle stir to break up any larger pieces of egg. Ladle into serving bowls. Top with the dark green onion slices and serve immediately. I also like to drizzle a little extra sesame oil on top of mine.
Notes
Leftovers: This soup does re-heat nicely. Although, it isn’t always as thick as the first day but it still tastes really good.
Egg pouring method: Making egg drop soup is super easy. However, it does take a little practice to get the right feel for how to pour and stir the egg and broth just right so you get beautiful egg ribbons. If you don’t get it just right the first time, I encourage you to try again a Frew more times. Either way the soup will still be edible and delicious.
Serving size: This soup is normally served as an appetizer in restaurants. However, we enjoyed larger portions as a light meal with some other veggie as a side.
Tofu add in: If you want to add more protein you could add some firm tofu, that has been cubed in at the very end. It doesn’t add much flavor, but it’s a nice silky bites of texture.
Gluten free: To make this recipe gluten free be sure to use gluten free soy sauce, or coconut aminos.
Vegetarian: to keep this recipe vegetarian be sure to use veggie broth instead of chicken broth.
This was absolutely awful. I wish I could give it negative stars. I don’t understand why people post terrible tasting recipes like this on the internet.
Ana, I am sorry to hear that you didn’t like the soup.