This restaurant-style Hot and Sour Soup recipe is the best!! It’s quick and simple to make, easy to adapt to your personal taste preferences, and so delicious.
Can’t stop, won’t stop with the soup recipes this winter. ♡
And today’s recipe is one that I’ve been meaning to share with you on the blog for years, after literally dozens and dozens of you have requested it. (This usually comes up when I’m chatting about my favorite egg drop soup recipe — apparently many of you usually opt for the hot and sour soup at your favorite Chinese restaurants and have wanted to learn how to make it!)
Well, good news, friends! Traditional hot and sour soup is actually incredibly easy to make as well. And the bonus of making it at home is that it’s also incredibly easy to customize to your taste. Like it extra hot? Add in more chili garlic sauce. Like it extra sour? Add in more rice wine vinegar. Like it vegetarian? Make it with tofu. Like the meat version? Just add in some pork.
Trust me, this is one of those restaurant recipes that will taste just as good at home. And on chilly winter weeks like this one that we’re having here in Kansas City, it’s guaranteed to warm you up in the most delicious of ways.
Hot And Sour Soup Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Hot and Sour Soup Ingredients:
To make this hot and sour soup recipe, you will need:
- Broth: Either chicken or veggie stock (or broth) will do.
- Mushrooms: I highly recommend using shiitake mushrooms, but baby bella or even button mushrooms would also do.
- Rice vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, ground ginger: To flavor the broth.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the broth.
- Eggs: Which we will whisk, and the drizzle into the soup to make those lovely egg ribbons.
- Firm tofu: Which we will cube and add to the soup.
- Green onions: To stir into the soup and also sprinkle on top as a garnish.
- Toasted sesame oil: An essential flavor in the soup, which we will drizzle at the very end.
- Salt and pepper: Hot and sour soup is traditionally made with white pepper, which (heads up) has a different and much stronger flavor than black pepper. I recommend adding in a pinch, and then you can always add in more later. Or if you don’t have white pepper, black pepper will also do.
- Optional: Many restaurant versions of hot and sour soup are also made with bamboo shoots. I’m personally not a fan of them, but you are welcome to add some in if you would like.
How To Make Hot and Sour Soup:
To make this hot and sour soup recipe, simply…
- Make your cornstarch slurry. Whisk together 1/4 cup of the stock and cornstarch until combined. Set aside.
- Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the remaining stock, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (if using), rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and chili garlic sauce to a large stock pot, and cook until the soup reaches a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and continue cooking for a minute or so, until the soup has thickened.
- Drizzle in those beautiful egg ribbons! While stirring the soup in a circular motion with one hand, use your other hand to slowly drizzle the whisked eggs into the soup.
- Season the soup. Stir in the tofu, half of the green onions, and sesame oil. Then season the soup with salt and black pepper (or white pepper) to taste.
- Serve. Ladle up your servings while the soup is nice and hot, garnished with extra green onions.
What To Serve With Hot & Sour Soup:
Here are a few of my favorite dishes that pair well with hot and sour soup:
- The BEST 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 favorite soup recipes:
Hot and Sour Soup
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms (or baby bella mushrooms), thinly-sliced with stems discarded
- 1 (8-ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained (optional)
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar, or more to taste
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 8 ounces firm tofu*, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Kosher salt and white pepper (or black pepper)
Instructions
- Set aside ¼ cup of the chicken or vegetable broth for later use.
- Add the remaining 7 ¾ cups chicken or vegetable broth, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (if using), rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and chili garlic sauce to a large stock pot, and stir to combine. Heat over medium-high heat until the soup reaches a simmer.
- While the soup is heating, whisk together the ¼ cup of broth (that you had set aside) and cornstarch in a small bowl until completely smooth. Once the soup has reached a simmer, stir in the cornstarch mixture and stir for 1 minute or so until the soup has thickened.
- Continue stirring the soup in a circular motion, then drizzle in the eggs in a thin stream (while still stirring the soup) to create egg ribbons. Stir in the tofu, half of the green onions, and sesame oil. Then season the soup with salt and a pinch* of white pepper (or black pepper) to taste. If you’d like a more “sour” soup, feel free to add in another tablespoon or two of rice wine vinegar as well. Or if you’d like a spicier soup, add in more chili garlic sauce.
- Serve immediately, garnished with the extra green onions.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!This post contains affiliate links.
Delicious! I didn’t have chili garlic sauce, so I used Siracha. Still came out delicious. Thanks!
This soup was excellent. I personally have never had hot and sour soup before, and can’t go to Chinese restaurants due to my shellfish allergy (and the threat of cross-contact). This is my husband’s favorite soup from Chinese restaurants, so I made it for him for his birthday. He said it was delicious and tasted better (and fresher) than the soups he has had at Chinese restaurants! The only thing I changed about the recipe is I halved it, since we are currently a family of two. I kept the garlic chili sauce at 1 tsp because I like food to have a bite.
Thank you! Would HIGHLY recommend!
My husband gave it an A plus. I tripled the chili sauce to 3 teaspoons and chopped up 2 green onions instead of 4 since he’s not an onion fan. I will end up adding some fresh green onions to my serving.
Thanks for sharing!
When cooking it, the smell was a little off-putting at first. By the end it smelled good and tasted really good. I figured out it was the bamboo that gave it that smell. Definitely recommend!
Gorgeous, we added bamboo shoots and sliced duck. I only had sweet chilli sauce so added this, a touch of cayenne pepper and a sliced garlic clove. I also added more soy and vinegar to taste, plenty of white pepper. Loved it, will make again!
I had accidentally purchased silken tofu instead of extra firm and was looking for a recipe to use it in so it wouldn’t go to waste–this was perfect! I had all the other ingredients except mushrooms, so it was cheap to make and I’ll have leftovers for lunch at work every day this week!
I’ve made this twice now, the first time following it as written, the second time with some modifications just so I could use produce I had on hand (a carton of mixed mushrooms and some fresh mung bean sprouts.) First time I used vegetable broth, and second time I used chicken. Both are very good, but the veggie broth results in a darker broth, obviously, with more of the umami taste one expects from hot and sour soup. I served the mung bean sprouts fresh on top, a la pho style, which is untraditional but an excellent addition. This is such an easy, uncomplicated recipe with great flavors that can be easily modified to taste.
Recipe sounds great, but I wish you had included some basic nutrition facts (calories, protein, saturated fat, sodium, sugar, etc.).
My family and I loved this. When people say “it was so easy to make” they are not kidding! Wow… From start to table in about 25 minutes.
Based on some comments about the ginger, I decided to use just 1 tsp of ground ginger, then grated some fresh ginger root (about 2 tsp) and I doubled the chili paste to 2 tsp. I didn’t have the garlic variety but the regular stuff is a staple in our household :)
It’s been so long since I’ve used fresh shitakes I forgot that it really does make a difference to remove the stems. Otherwise, the stems are kind of tough and chewy. Not terrible tasting at all… but not good texture.
For those who felt it didn’t thicken up enough… just make another small batch of cornstarch slurry to add until you reach the desired consistency. The original recipe does not produce that thick slimy stuff you get at the restaurant. If you like that, then add a little more cornstarch than the recipe calls for. Easy Peasy!
Overall – an excellent addition to our rotation. Loved it!
Simple fast and delicious I luv it!!!!! Thnx
New weekly lunch choice in our house! Love the simple recipe with great bold flavors!