This classic Egg Drop Soup recipe is quick and easy to make in just 15 minutes and always tastes so cozy and comforting.
Growing up, my family had a tradition of eating lunch at our local little Chinese restaurant every single Saturday. And every single Saturday — like, we’re talking nearly two decades of Saturdays here — I would order “the usual.”
Egg drop soup. ♡
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I absolutely adore a good bowl of egg drop soup. It was my favorite food in the whole entire world as a kid. And today, it’s still one of the most comforting, nostalgic, delicious soups I know.
It’s also one of the easiest soups I know. All you need to make this egg drop soup recipe is about 15 minutes (tops) in the kitchen, a handful of easy ingredients, and a quick tip for how to drizzle those beautiful egg ribbons. Then a delicious batch of egg drop soup can simmering on the stove and ready to be served in no time.
Let’s make some soup!
Egg Drop Soup Recipe | 1-Minute Video
So What Is Egg Drop Soup?
In case this recipe is new to you, egg drop soup is a staple at Chinese restaurants across the United States. It’s typically made with lightly-seasoned chicken or veggie broth, and filled with delicious egg “ribbons”, which are created by whisking raw eggs into the simmering broth.
Egg Drop Soup Ingredients:
To make this homemade egg drop soup recipe, you will need:
- Good-quality chicken or vegetable stock: Either will do.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the broth a bit.
- Seasonings: Just a pinch of ground ginger, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
- Eggs: Which we will whisk and then drizzle into the soup.
- Sesame oil: Absolutely essential in this recipe, and also one of my favorite ingredients!
- Green onions: Thinly sliced, to mix into the soup and also use as a garnish.
How To Make Egg Drop Soup:
To make egg drop soup, simply:
- Prepare your stock: Whisk the stock, cornstarch, ginger and garlic powder together until combined before turning on the heat. It’s essential that the broth is room temperature or cooler, otherwise the cornstarch will clump up and not dissolve.
- Bring the stock to a simmer: Stirring occasionally. While this is heating, go ahead and whisk together your eggs in a separate measuring cup or bowl.
- Slowly stir in the eggs: Once your stock has come to a simmer, use a whisk or a fork to begin stirring the stock round and round to create a slow “whirlpool”. Then gradually drizzle in the eggs as you continue to stir the stock, and they will turn into those magical little ribbons. Remove pan from heat.
- Add remaining ingredients. Stir in the sesame oil and green onions until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve warm. Garnished with extra green onions, if you’d like.
What To Serve With Egg Drop Soup:
This soup would be delicious when served with:
- My favorite Fried Rice (or Quinoa Fried Rice)
- 12-Minute Chicken & Broccoli
- 20-Minute Moo Shu Pork (or Chicken)
- Beef & Broccoli
- Thai Basil Chicken
- Sesame Noodles with Broccoli and Almonds
- Black Pepper Chicken
More Favorite Soup Recipes:
If you love egg drop soup, feel free to check out these other faves:
- Cabbage Egg Drop Soup (my other favorite version of this soup!)
- Hot and Sour Soup
- Miso Soup
- Tom Kha Gai
- Egg Roll Soup
- Everyday Green Curry
- Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup
Egg Drop Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
- thinly-sliced green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the broth. Whisk together stock (chilled or room-temperature), cornstarch, ginger, garlic powder and white pepper in a medium sauce pan until smooth. Heat over high heat until the stock comes to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Whisk the eggs. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and egg whites in a small measuring cup or bowl. (I find the measuring cup easier for pouring.)
- Stir in the egg ribbons. Once the broth reaches a simmer, use a whisk or two chopsticks to stir the broth in a circular motion, creating a whirlpool. Then slowly pour the whisked eggs in a very thin stream into the soup as you continue stirring, in order to create egg ribbons.
- Season. Remove pan from heat. Stir in the sesame oil until combined. Season with salt and additional white pepper to taste, also adding a dash or two of extra sesame oil if needed. (Saltiness will depend on your brand of chicken stock, but I generally find this soup needs an extra ½ to 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt.)
- Serve. Serve immediately, garnished with lots of green onions and a twist of black pepper.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Thank you for this lovely soup. Though you likely may cringe at my substitutions, I just made a FODMAP friendly version – no garlic, so I added a bit of mirin wine and powdered dashi, as well as freshly minced ginger. I am in love.
I would not of thought to make this again, had I not stumbled across this recipe in Pinterest – you have a new subscriber. I may not be able to eat all of your food, but I can live vicariously.
Thanks for making it Nikki! And I’m totally not cringing, I think those are cool substitutions — I love fresh ginger! Cheers! : )
It was 70 degrees today and we are supposed to get 2-3 inches of snow by Friday, so this is on the menu for tomorrow nite. I HAVE to get this at my favorite Chinese restaurant in town. They serve it with soy sauce, white pepper, and baked won-ton chips–soooo good! I’ve made egg drop soup before, but can’t wait to try this recipe since it sounds so wonderful. Thanks for sharing this!
Oh no, what a bummer — maybe the weather will turn! Either way, I hope you enjoy the soup! Cheers!
I am in LOVE with this recipe. I have made it several times since discovering it on Pinterest last month. Sometimes I measure the ingredients, sometimes I don’t and just eyeball it and it still turns out great. I’ve made variations with mushrooms, bok choy and shrimp and it’s delicious that way or just as it is without adding anything! My husband says I’m obsessed, and maybe I am…but I’m trying to adopt a low carb lifestyle and this soup fills me up without breaking the carb bank. I make double batches of it and divide it into Tupperware to take to work. I’ll have some for breakfast and some for lunch…so yeah, maybe obsessed is a good word =) Thanks for this wonderfully easy and tasty recipe!
Thanks so much Molly, I’m thrilled that you like it so much! It’s my favorite soup, so that makes me even happier. : )
I made this soup yesterday for lunch. It is delicious. I see why it’s hard to order it out at a restaurant. Thanks for posting the recipe.
Thanks Danielle, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hey Ali. I can’t wait to try making this. But quick question: by following this how many does it serve? I have a family of 3. Thanks!!!
Depends on the serving size, but I find it serves 4 people in smaller bowls.
Question… (awesome recipe btw!) Do you think there would be a difference in using chicken broth instead of chicken stock. I know some recipes interchange the 2 but I noticed you mentioned that part makes a big difference so I just wanted to be sure. Thanks for your help and recipe =)
I’m a big fan of chicken stock, as I believe it has more flavor. (And since it’s one of the main ingredients in this recipe, the flavor of the stock will greatly impact the flavor of the soup.) But either will work!
Wow!!! This was my first attempt at making Egg Drop Soup, and I’m so glad I found your website and this recipe.
Initially, when I smelled the broth while it was preparing to boil, I thought it had an odd smell. Somehow, after the eggs are added, in addition to the green onion and sesame oil, the soup completely transforms into a yummlicious soup.
I wasn’t able to accomplish the ribbon affect, but it certainly didn’t affect how delicious it tasted.
I will definitely make this again!!!
Thanks for the fantastic recipe.
Thanks Dee, I’m so happy you enjoyed it, and thanks for your sweet words!
Mmmm. So good. This is the first time I’ve tried making egg drop – and it came out awesome. Super fast and easy, as promised. I used napa cabbage as an add-in instead of corn. Thank you for sharing the recipie.
Thanks Melissa, I’m glad you enjoyed it, and great idea with the napa cabbage!
Awesome easy to make soup. I added some siriacha and it gave it a nice bite!
Any reason I couldn’t make this without corn starch?
You totally could; it just won’t be as thick. :)