Make the restaurant-style Chinese egg drop soup with the minimum ingredients, within 15 minutes, and without any fuss. {Gluten-Free}
Soup is an important element on a Chinese family’s dinner table. Back in Beijing when I was living with my parents, my mom would serve soup every day along with steamed rice, stir fried seasonal vegetables and a meat dish. Egg drop soup was always her first choice.
Cooking egg drop soup only takes 15 minutes, but you get a hearty soup that tastes way better than the one in Chinese restaurants.
You don’t need to add tons of spices like star anise and cloves because it overpowers the delicate egg flavor. I was astounded to see some egg drop soup recipes call for 6 to 7 spices. It’s unimaginable. We’re cooking a quick side dish here, not Vietnamese pho.
You only need some fresh green onions and ginger. That’s it. They bring out the sweetness of the egg without the taste being overwhelming.
Cooking notes
Fresh aromatics is the key
The key to make the soup more flavorful is to bring the soup to a boil and let it cook with the ginger and green onion for at least 10 minutes to release the flavor. That’s it. You don’t even need to chop the ginger. Just add a whole slice and you can fish it out and discard it before you serve the soup.
Thicken the soup before adding eggs
When you’re ready to add the rest of the ingredients, turn down the heat to let the broth simmer gently. Whisk in cornstarch slurry to lightly thicken the broth. By thickening the broth first, the eggs won’t think to the bottom when you add them, and form better egg ribbons.
How to create the perfect egg ribbons
Slowly add the beaten eggs by using a fork to slow the flow. DO NOT STIR! Let the eggs sits for a few seconds, then use a pair of chopsticks to break them apart to your liking. Stirring the soup too fast will break apart the eggs into tiny pieces and cloud the soup.
Final touch
Drizzle with a few drops of sesame oil. You will get the most comforting soup with a silky texture and delicious eggs bits.
That’s it.
There is no fuss about making a hearty egg drop soup that tastes even better than the one in a Chinese restaurant.
How to alter egg drop soup
There are a few things you can do to make your daily soup taste a bit different.
- Add 1 to 2 chopped tomatoes at the beginning. (One of my mom’s favorites – it makes the soup refreshing and changes the taste.)
- You can add a handful vegetables, such as bok choy, spinach, mushrooms, or cucumber (sounds weird, but it works). But remember that less is more.
- Add corn and peas to make it a corn soup (and you can add ground chicken to make it richer).
- Add a few soaked dried shrimp at the beginning, to infuse more umami flavor to the soup. My mom uses this method with some chicken bouillon when we don’t have chicken stock at home. If you use chicken stock and dried shrimp, the soup will taste even better.
More comforting Chinese soup recipes
- Hot and Sour Soup
- Winter Melon Soup with Meatball
- Wonton Soup
- Chinese Oxtail Soup
- Napa Cabbage Soup with Meatballs
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Chinese Egg Drop Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 green onions , chopped, white and green parts separated
- 1 slice ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (or to taste)
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder , for the yellow color (Optional)
- 4 large eggs , beaten (Footnote 1)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Instructions
- Combine the chicken broth, the white part of the green onion and ginger in a small pot. Cook over high heat until brought to a boil. Turn to a low heat and let the soup reduce to a simmer.
- Combine cornstarch, white pepper, turmeric, sea salt and 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Whisk until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Swirl into the soup and mix well with a spatula.
- To add eggs, hold a fork (or two chopsticks slightly apart) across the top of a small bowl, drizzle the egg mixture slowly through the gaps into the soup. Let the eggs set for a few seconds, then stir gently to break up the egg to the desired sized pieces.
- Drizzle sesame oil and sprinkle with the green part of the green onion.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- If you want the egg ribbons look even better, try to use 2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites. Adding more egg white will make the egg ribbons more consistent. If you have leftover egg whites from baking, now it's a good chance to use them!
Video
Nutrition
Thank you so very much for this recipe! I want some simple, authentic egg drop soup SOOOOO badly right now! I’ve been living in SoCal for over 5 years now and have yet to find any restaurant serving this version. Worse yet, for me at least, most put canned corn in the soup, which becomes the only flavor I can discern. All the rest add meat and mied vegetables so the price is higher because they cannot afford to sell “cheap” menu items. [Most also sell egg rolls in large batches.] The one place that made a version I enjoyed (cabbage was only addition) was forced out of business when the landlord doubled his rent. Great family, great restaurant. I am so sad for them.
It’s chilly out this week, so I will be whipping up a bowl in just a little while.
Hi Channon, I’m glad to hear you like this recipe! Hope your dish turned out well 🙂
I rarely order egg drop soup in a restaurant, because it’s so quick to cook at home. I guess I was spoiled with my mom’s cooking growing up!
We do have a corn soup, which is the next kin to egg drop soup, but we use frozen corn and ground meat, which makes the soup quite rich.
But yes, I love keeping my soup simple the most of the time, as a nice addition to the dinner 🙂
First time eating and making this dish. Absolutely wonderful. I added diced tomatoes and sliced mushrooms. Will try cabbage next time. One teaspoon of sesame oil is enough as two overpowered it. It’s a keeper.
Hi Richard, so glad to hear the dish worked out for you! Noted about the sesame oil too!
Happy holiday 🙂
I felt like this recipe was really hard to follow. I found myself trying to figure out if I whisk the eggs or if I should turn the heat up on the pot. I’m a pretty decent chef and can follow any recipe I try. I followed the directions and it just didn’t work out. 🙁 so sad.
Had this wonderful soup for breakfast just this AM. Lite but filling with an English muffin.
I’m getting hooked on all your recipes.
Thanks for the hard work,
Stuart
I would like to make soup can I make it if I triple the ingredients? I volunteer at American legion and think this would really go over thanks.
Hi Dale, yes you can triple or multiple the ingredients any way you like. It’s quite a forgiven recipe so I’m sure it will work out well in bulk. It’s one of those dishes we enjoyed the most in college cafeteria 🙂
Made the basic recipe (except turned out I didn’t have any tumeric or white pepper, oh well there on my shopping list) had to adjust the measurements because I’m only cooking for one (me). It turned out great.
Thank you, I can’t wait to try more of these, next up wonton soup….oh yeah…
I’m glad to hear you made my recipe and enjoyed it Michael! It is totally OK to skip the turmeric. It is only for the color and does not really add flavors.
Happy cooking and hope your wonton soup turns out delicious too 🙂
I was looking for an Asian side dish to go with some chilled peel and eat shrimp. I know not necessarily traditional but figured Asian would go well. This soup turned out to be a great idea. I used a bit more ginger, added a few peas (frozen), carrots and spinach (fresh). We loved it! Simple and fresh. The sesome oil really ads to the taste. We also added some spicy La-yu chili oil. Yum
Hi Lucas, I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the dish! Adding some veggies and more ginger sounds delicious and I LOVE the additional chili oil! Sometimes I’d like to spice up my dish too 🙂
Have a great week ahead!
like you say….simple & so tasty! Easy & quick to make. I doubled the recipe, used my own homemade stock, and substituted ginger paste for fresh ginger slices. Definitely will make again.
Hi Shelby, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this soup! My mom used to make it a few times a week, because it’s quick to make!
Thanks for leaving a comment, and have a great week ahead 🙂
So excited to find your website!! I am American born Chinese Singaporean and always thought Chinese food was very challenging to make (so much chopping and very precise technique). Hard to find a blog in English that is authentic Chinese. I love egg drop soup and can’t wait to be able to make it at home! Thank you!
I love this recipe. It taste like from the Chinese restaurant
Thanks so for leaving a comment and I’m glad to hear you like the recipe Madelyn 🙂
This is a great recipe. I could not get my egg to swirl . It did more of a bubble explode. How can I correct this for next time?
What type of sesame oil did you use? Regular, refined, toasted?
Thats a very interesting question
Could you make this in a Crock pot? I love EDS snd Id like to take it as a side to my friend’s Chinese New Year , dumpling party.
Im also thinking about the okra.
It is just perfect!! We all loved it. Such a strong flavour with so simple ingredients. I will place it on our weekly menu. We live in Europe, but we love to explore new flavours….so from now on -> I’m following you… Tnx for sharing ??
LOVE CHINESE FOOD, AND ESPECIALLY THIS SOUP, AND DO YOU HAVE A GOOD RECEIPE FOR HOT AND SPICY SOUP? HOW ABOUT SHRIMP LO MEIN? THANKS AND I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED.
Yes I do have both! Here are the links:
http://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/authentic-hot-and-sour-soup
http://omnivorescookbook.com/shrimp-chow-mein/
Happy cooking and can’t wait to hear your feedback! 🙂
Yes Maggie does! Look at her website! 🙂
Yum! The first egg drop recipe I actually love! I used two cups of chicken stock so I did an additional two cups of water and a chicken boullion ! Also added mushrooms cucumber and celery. Very good. Thank you!
Wondering if anyone has had success using ground ginger vs. fresh ginger in this recipe?
My Dad wants to make this for my mom but he wants to use ginger powder (he’s 83 and doesn’t want to buy ginger root). How much ginger powder can he use that would be equivalent to a slice of ginger?
Chinese cuisine doesn’t use ground ginger. It would taste very different.
Hi,
Your recipe for egg drop soup is great. I would add one note: if you prefer the egg to not be small strands and instead some larger pieces, use two chopsticks to prepare the raw eggs. Put the eggs into a bowl and gently stir with the chopsticks, making sure not to mix too much. You should be able to still see some clear egg whites. Slowly pour this egg mixture from the bowl in the boiling soup while stirring the soup with the chop sticks. If the egg pieces are to large, then break them up gently with the chop sticks. The non-uniform egg in the soup makes for interesting textures.
The ingredients call for white pepper powder, sea salt, and turmeric, but the instructions do not tell when to add those ingredients. Can you expand on the instructions to tell when to add them?
Hi Gordy, sorry about that! I just updated the recipe.
Oh yum! This is the BEST egg drop soup I’ve EVER had, thank you for sharing it! Adding my eggs was a little awkward, but that will get better with practice.