Made in under 15 minutes, this egg drop soup comes together easily with simple to find ingredients. It will rival your favorite take-out restaurant with its silky egg ribbons and delicious broth.
I always order the egg drop soup when I spot it on a menu, but making it at home is beyond simple. This is such a low effort recipe that you will find yourself making it as a side dish every time you have an Asian-inspired dinner. I love quick comfort food and this is just that.
Why This Recipe Works
- Ready in under 15 minutes: It’s faster than ordering takeout.
- Simple ingredients: Made from just chicken broth, eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and cornstarch which are all easy to keep on hand.
- Silky egg ribbons: My great technique for whisking and adding the eggs creates the most beautiful egg ribbons.
- Easy to adjust: You can make the broth lighter or thicker (by adding more or less cornstarch), adjust the seasonings with more or less pepper, or double everything for a bigger batch.
Egg Drop Soup Ingredients
- Low Sodium Chicken Broth: Using low sodium chicken broth allows you to control the salt, especially since we’re adding soy sauce.
- Soy Sauce: In addition to salting the recipe, it adds a layer of flavor.
- Sesame Oil: It is such a simple ingredient, but it adds incredible flavor to recipes. I love it in my beef lo mein.
- Ground White Pepper: Read here about the difference between white pepper and black pepper. White pepper brings a different flavor that is perfect here, but you can substitute with black pepper in a pinch.
- Cornstarch: A little cornstarch helps thicken the soup and also helps keep the egg ribbons suspended in the broth.
- Eggs: They go into the soup raw and cook quickly, making the beautiful egg ribbons.
- Green Onions: These add both taste and texture and are the perfect garnish.
How to Make Perfect Egg Ribbons
- Whisk the eggs in a strainer over a bowl to break them up. This will create the smoothest egg mixture.
- Slowly pour in the beaten eggs, while very gently stirring the soup. Please note that the broth should just be bubbling rather than being at a roaring boil. This will help create those perfect ribbons.
Cornstarch in Egg Drop Soup
The cornstarch in this recipe does two things. First, it helps thicken the soup. Traditionally, egg drop soup has some body to the broth. The cornstarch is used to create that. We are using a smaller amount of cornstarch here than some other recipes because it lends to a lighter broth, which is amazing.
The second thing the cornstarch does in creating a thicker broth is help suspend the egg ribbons. This keeps them from breaking apart or sinking in the soup.
Egg Drop Soup Troubleshooting
Why did my eggs break apart? This can happen if the soup is at too high of a boil, the eggs are added too quickly, or you stir too aggressively when adding them.
Why did my eggs form big clumps? If you poured in the eggs too quickly or if you were stirring too slowly this can happen.
Why is restaurant egg drop soup so yellow? Restaurants often use turmeric or yellow food coloring to alter the color of the soup. That isn’t necessary for flavor or to make the recipe work, so it is omitted here.
Can I make egg drop soup without cornstarch? Yes, but it will be thinner and the egg ribbons will have a different texture.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Soup
This soup is best when it is eaten right after making it. As you store it the egg ribbons will begin to deteriorate. Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat only the portion you plan to eat in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat, stirring often.
Variations
- Corn: At the very end, add in 1/2 a cup to a 1 cup of frozen corn. The warmth of the soup will immediately thaw it.
- Mushrooms: Simmer the sliced mushrooms in the broth before you move on to making the cornstarch slurry and adding the eggs.
- Spinach: Toss in a few handfuls of spinach at the end, allowing it to wilt into the hot soup.
- Shredded cooked chicken: Add a cup or two of shredded chicken right before you add the eggs, giving it a moment or two to heat through.
What to Serve With Egg Drop Soup
For a takeout-style dinner, serve this egg drop soup as the appetizer with some crab rangoons. Then serve sesame chicken and shrimp fried rice as the main dishes. For a simpler dinner, pair it with stir fry noodles.
If you make this Egg Drop Soup, please leave a star rating—it helps other readers know the recipe works
Recipe Video
Egg Drop Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (907 grams or 946.4 ml)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce see note
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper see note
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 4 eggs beaten well, read my tip in the post
- green onions chopped for garnish
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat.4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- Once the mixture is boiling, turn the heat down to medium. Remove a few tablespoons of the boiling liquid and whisk in the cornstarch. The slurry should be smooth when you return it to the soup.2 teaspoons cornstarch
- While the soup bubbles, slowly pour in the beaten eggs while gently stirring the soup with a wooden spoon. Once the eggs are completely added, remove the soup from the heat.4 eggs
- Serve, topped with fresh green onions.green onions
Notes
Barbara Gilbert says
I love your recipes. I am gluten free an I adapt your recipes. They are delicious and fun. Thank you
I’m so glad to hear that!
Melissa says
I doubled the recipe and it was too peppery. Perhaps when doubling white pepper, I should have used less?🤷♀️. I’ll try it again sometime and see if it comes out better.
I’m so sorry that was a miss for you. Pepper is a tricky one because it brings so much flavor, but it can be really spicy individual to individual.
Laurel says
I made this recipe & doubled it & it was too peppery. I will make this again & just leave out the pepper. I made it to go with your Mongolian Beef recipe. That one was awesome, everyone loved it!
Thank you for letting me know! I just added a note to the recipe since you are the second person to have this problem when doubling it. I’m so glad you liked the Mongolian Beef! I’d love for you to leave a review on that recipe too! It’s so helpful to other people who want to make it.