Introducing spinach egg drop soup, a quick and simple soup that is satisfying to drink and full of nutrition. It is a great side dish to serve with your dinner, helping you add more green vegetables to your table. {Gluten-Free}
I often serve spinach egg drop soup for dinner, because it only uses a few simple ingredients and tastes great. The spinach is blanched until tender, then soaked in the chicken soup along with silky egg ribbons. It is a great way to eat a lot of spinach and get your daily intake of vitamin C. Not to mention, the soup itself is hearty to enjoy. The other great thing about this soup is that you can tweak the base with the ingredients you might have on hand, making it very versatile.
Spinach egg drop soup ingredients
Spinach egg drop soup uses just a few simple ingredients:
- Spinach
- Chicken broth
- Ginger
- Green onion
- Eggs
- Cornstarch
- Salt and pepper
- Sesame oil
How to make the soup with different broth
You can totally use different soup bases for spinach egg drop soup.
- Miso paste: You can use water and miso paste to make this dish vegetarian. Miso paste also has many health benefits and provides probiotics. Make sure you add it at the end after turning off the heat, because the high temperature will kill the culture in the miso.
- Dried shrimp: My mom’s favorite way to make daily soup is using dried shrimp. Simply use a few dried shrimp (or more for a stronger flavor) boiled in water, and the soup will be full of umami.
- Vegetable broth or mushroom powder: it’s another great way to make a delicious vegetarian soup.
Egg yolks vs. whites
You can use egg yolks, whites or whole eggs for spinach egg drop soup.
For fine and silky egg ribbons like the soup served in Chinese restaurants, you can use 1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites.
I also have Chinese friends who only use egg yolks in this soup, to create beautiful golden colored egg ribbons.
I used whole eggs in this recipe. But you can use any option you prefer.
How to make spinach egg drop soup
Making spinach egg drop soup is super simple:
- Blanch the spinach
- Boil the chicken broth with ginger
- Use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the soup
- Add the beaten eggs
- Gently stir to create egg ribbons
- Add back the blanched spinach along with some sesame oil
Why blanch the spinach
My mom told me to always blanch spinach and discard the blanching water, to reduce the nitrate content from the spinach.
Blanching spinach also gets rid of the astringent and bitter taste. It is especially obvious if you use bigger batches of spinach that have thicker stems and leaves. I also like to use some salt and oil while blanching the spinach, which results in a much nicer color.
Lastly, it’s nice to blanch spinach and add it back later, after you make the egg ribbons. This way, the beaten eggs won’t coat the spinach, so you’ll get a much better looking soup.
How to create nice looking egg ribbons
- Add the cornstarch slurry first
Use the cornstarch slurry to thicken the broth first, then add the eggs. This way, the eggs will mostly float in the broth and create better ribbons, instead of falling to the bottom of the pot and clumping into bigger pieces.
- Strain the beaten eggs
It’s totally optional. But if you strain the beaten eggs and discard the thick white parts, the egg ribbons will be smoother.
- Pour the eggs in a thin stream
It is very easy to pour the eggs in a thin stream using a cup with a spout. I love using my IKEA measuring cup for this step.
If you do not have such a bowl or container, you can hold a fork or a pair of chopsticks against the edge of the bowl while pouring the eggs. It helps to thin out the stream of eggs.
- When to stir the added eggs
If you want the egg ribbons to be very small and thin, stir the eggs immediately after you add them. So the eggs will form into small bits.
If you prefer larger pieces of egg, wait a few seconds to let some of the eggs set, before stirring the soup.
How to serve spinach egg drop soup
Spinach egg drop soup is a great soup that works with different types of dishes.
You can serve it alongside your chicken chow mein to make your meal more balanced and nutritious.
You can pair it with other main dishes and some steamed rice for a full dinner. It works well with sweet dishes like honey garlic pork chops, balances out a spicy dish like mapo tofu, and works well with seafood such as crispy salmon with ginger soy sauce.
It even works well with non-Chinese dishes, such as rotisserie chicken and pork chops.
More delicious soup recipes
- Napa Cabbage Tofu Soup (白菜豆腐汤)
- Chinese Corn Soup with Chicken (鸡蛋玉米羹)
- Winter Melon Soup with Meatballs (冬瓜丸子汤)
- Sister Song’s Soup (宋嫂鱼羹, Chinese Fish Soup)
- Lotus Root Soup With Pork Ribs (排骨莲藕汤)
Spinach Egg Drop Soup
Ingredients
- 1 batch (8 oz / 225 g) spinach , chopped into large bite-size pieces
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 slices ginger
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 3 large eggs , beaten (Footnote 1 and 2)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 green onion , sliced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a few drops of vegetable oil (Optional, for a better color). Add the spinach. Blanch for 1 minute or so, until the spinach turns al dente. Drain thoroughly. Quickly rinse the spinach with cold water to stop cooking. Drain again and set aside.
- Add the chicken broth and ginger into a medium-sized pot. Cook over medium-high heat until brought to a boil.
- While the broth is cooking, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir to mix well.
- When the broth is boiling, turn to medium-low heat and let the soup reduce to a simmer. Sprinkle with the white pepper. Stir to mix well. Stir the slurry again to dissolve the cornstarch. Swirl it into the soup and mix well with a spatula. The soup will thicken up quickly.
- To add the eggs, hold a fork (or two chopsticks slightly apart) across the edge of the egg bowl, and drizzle the egg mixture slowly into the soup. Let the eggs set for a few seconds, then stir gently to break up the egg into small pieces.
- Add back the cooked spinach. Drizzle sesame oil and add the green onion to garnish.
Notes
- For a better and smoother texture, you can run the beaten eggs through a sieve to filter out the thicker bits. This is optional.
- It’s much easier to pour the eggs if you put the mixture into a bowl or cup with a spout. But if you don’t have that, you can follow the instructions in the recipe to create the thin stream when adding the eggs.
