Egg Drop Soup

Egg Drop Soup is a classic Chinese soup that consist of beaten eggs poured into a lightly seasoned chicken based clear soup, creating velvety silky egg ‘ribbons’.

This homemade egg drop soup recipe tastes just like the authentic ones you find in Chinese restaurants. There’s something so heartwarming about sitting down with a bowl of yummy egg drop soup on a chilly winter day.

Easy Homemade Egg Drop Soup

Egg Drop Soup is a staple in Chinese cuisine. I grew up eating this delicious light soup.

In my Chinese family, we almost always have some sort of soup served as part of our daily dinners, and egg drop soup was a frequent on the dinner table.

Because of my background, not surprisingly, we eat a lot of Chinese food for dinner at home, such as Kung Pao Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, Chow Mein…and egg drop soup makes a lovely accompaniment to these dishes.

There are two particular seasons that I find myself making egg drop soup a lot, 1) during cold winter months, and 2) when we are feeling under the weather. It’s so simple but flavorful, satisfying, and full of warm and comforting flavors.

When I say it’s easy, I mean it! It takes less than 15 minutes to make. Basically, ready to eat by the time you are done reading this post! 😉

Here’s what to expect when you make my Egg Drop Soup recipe:

• Very simple and straightforward recipe, ready under 15 minutes
• Light and healthy, yet warm, comforting and flavorful
• Authentic flavors! You will find similar versions of this egg drop soup in Chinese restaurants.

Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients that makes this flavorful egg drop soup:

• Garlic – garlic boosts the flavor of the broth. You’ll want to use fresh garlic cloves, and avoid garlic powder.
• Chicken broth – chicken broth or chicken bone broth is use as the soup base for egg drop soup. Use high quality chicken broth for best flavor.
• Cornstarch – this thickens the chicken broth so that the egg drop soup will have a velvety texture at the end.
• Ginger – adding ginger brings a unique flavor to the broth. You can use ground ginger instead.
• Soy sauce – this is a familiar Asian sauce that is made of fermented soybeans. A touch of soy sauce brings salty umami flavors to the broth.
• sesame oil – this is a popular oil used in Asian cooking. Sesame oil is made from sesame seeds and offers a well-balanced nutty flavor.
• Chicken bouillon powder – this is a flavor intensifier for your broth. Bouillon can come in a cube or powder form and lets you cook dishes in minutes. You can also use MSG instead of chicken bouillon powder.
• white pepper – ground white pepper is frequently used in Asian cooking. It is more mild in flavor compared to ground black pepper.
• egg – the namesake ingredient! Eggs are beaten then gently poured into the chicken broth.
• green onions – adding green onions boost the flavor of egg drop soup. I love adding this as toppings to a lot of my noodle and broth dishes. It has a distinct flavor and

Let’s Cook Some Egg Drop Soup!

You’re going to be shocked by just how easy it is to make egg drop soup! In less than 15 minutes from the moment you walk into the kitchen, you’ll have yummy, comforting soup ready at your dinner table.

Start by sauteing minced garlic in vegetable oil until fragrant. Do not burn garlic.

Add chicken broth, corn starch, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, white pepper, chicken bouillon powder, and sesame oil to it.

Boil for a few minutes so it hits a rolling boil and so that the flavors combine and come together.

Use a whisk to beat the eggs until well combined, and slowly pour the egg into the chicken broth WHILE stirring the chicken broth (I usually use chopsticks to stir the broth, you can use a knife, fork or whatever that’s skinny). Move fast! 🙂

Once the egg mixture is combined with the chicken broth, you’ll have this lovely soup with gentle ‘ribbons’ of egg.

And that, my friends, is how you make egg drop soup in less than 15 minutes.

Scrape off that jaw from the floor and go make it so you’ll be a believer of how easy and delicious egg drop soup is!

Tips and Tricks

A few things to note when making egg drop soup:

• Feel free to change up the garnish by adding fried wontons or any other topping of your choice.
• Only add the beaten eggs after broth is at a rolling boil to get the texture just right. You want to make sure the broth is super hot when you add the eggs.
• Remove ginger and garlic at the end to make sure there aren’t leftover pieces.
• Wait until the end to adjust flavors by adding more salt and/or chicken bouillon to taste. Both can really open up the flavors if egg drop soup doesn’t taste flavorful. Avoid adding too much to prevent saltiness.
• Add food coloring if you wish to have a more yellow hue to your broth. Yep, that’s where the yellow coloring comes from when you get egg drop soup from Chinese restaurants.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Other Soup Recipes

• Hot and Sour Soup
• Ravioli Tomato Beef Soup
• Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup
• Healthy Turkey Chili

Other Asian Inspired Recipes

• Baked Cream Cheese Wontons
• Easy Baked Orange Chicken
• Sweet and Sour Chicken
• Simple Thai Noodle Bowl
• Steak Fried Rice
• Shrimp Stir Fried Noodles
• Slow Cooker Asian Shredded Pork

This post was originally published in Oct 2019 and was updated with new photographs and improved instructions on January 2025.