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!
I think I will try making this, but my favorite Chinese restaurant uses small chunks of tofu and peas and carrots as well as corn. And they always serve it with fried wontons, which are awesome by the way. Definitely will try this and save myself a long drive to the Mandarin House!
Thanks, Vickie! : )
Hi! This looks wonderful! I’m wondering id you’ve tried freezing it? Would the eggs hold up well? I can’t wait to try it!!
Thanks, Gwen! I actually haven’t tried freezing it, but I am worried the eggs wouldn’t hold up well. You could always experiment, by freezing just a tiny bit of it though?
Just whipped this up after a lonnnnng shift. Wow it was delicious! Added in sugar snap peas, normal peas, sweetcorn & plenty of spring onions- Yum! All packed ready for more at work tomorrow. Thanks for such a fab recipe
x
Awesome! Those additions sound tasty!!
I was skeptical about the corn. I loved the sweet addition of corn. I always end up making scrambled eggs out of my egg drop soup. I was so excited, it came out with beautiful threads. My now go to recipe for egg drop soup! Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks Nichole, I hope you enjoy it!
This recipe is amazing! I made it today for the second time, and I am seriously in love with it. (I even have it written on paper now and pinned by my stove!) I haven’t added anything to it – like corn, or anything else – but I intend to try the next time. My first time, I did discover that it is not a soup that reheats kindly. So, as I’m a one-person household, I cut the recipe in half (but kept the garlic at 100%). AMAZING! I had it for breakfast :)
Thanks Louisa! I’m so happy to hear that! And I’ve never thought of having it for breakfast, but it is an egg dish after all, so good thinking! ; )
Will chicken broth work instead of Chicken stock?
Yes, that will work just fine!
Can chicken broth be used instead of chicken stock?
Nothing is bland with sesame oil. I wonder if commenter above “skipped” this ingredient? I added cream of corn. I am not familiar with corn in this soup dish but It was ok. I kinda liked the corn added.. with the egg drop, mushrooms, scallions, and a vegan bouillon.. fabulous!! Probably considered a different soup now, but with a great base soup recipe. Thank YOU!
Thanks Lisa, and I bet it was insane with cream of corn! Yum!
I just tried this and thought it came out pretty bland, but it was great after adding a lot more salt, a tiny bit of soy sauce, and some more garlic and ginger.
I had a terrible cold during the last trimester of my pregnancy and had a craving for egg drop soup; the closest restaurant with good soup was a 30 minute drive. I found this recipe and it satisfied my craving and made me feel better instantly! I added peas instead of corn, and some tofu and water chestnut. The sesame oil really helps this soup along. Thank you!
Oh Colee that makes me so happy! Thanks for sharing!