Gimme Some Oven

Egg Drop Soup

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This classic Egg Drop Soup recipe is quick and easy to make in just 15 minutes and always tastes so cozy and comforting.

Growing up, my family had a tradition of eating lunch at our local little Chinese restaurant every single Saturday. And every single Saturday — like, we’re talking nearly two decades of Saturdays here — I would order “the usual.”

Egg drop soup.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I absolutely adore a good bowl of egg drop soup. It was my favorite food in the whole entire world as a kid. And today, it’s still one of the most comforting, nostalgic, delicious soups I know.

It’s also one of the easiest soups I know. All you need to make this egg drop soup recipe is about 15 minutes (tops) in the kitchen, a handful of easy ingredients, and a quick tip for how to drizzle those beautiful egg ribbons. Then a delicious batch of egg drop soup can simmering on the stove and ready to be served in no time.

Let’s make some soup!

Egg Drop Soup Recipe | 1-Minute Video

So What Is Egg Drop Soup?

In case this recipe is new to you, egg drop soup is a staple at Chinese restaurants across the United States. It’s typically made with lightly-seasoned chicken or veggie broth, and filled with delicious egg “ribbons”, which are created by whisking raw eggs into the simmering broth.

Egg Drop Soup Ingredients:

To make this homemade egg drop soup recipe, you will need:

  • Good-quality chicken or vegetable stock: Either will do.
  • Cornstarch: To thicken the broth a bit.
  • Seasonings: Just a pinch of ground ginger, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
  • Eggs: Which we will whisk and then drizzle into the soup.
  • Sesame oil: Absolutely essential in this recipe, and also one of my favorite ingredients!
  • Green onions: Thinly sliced, to mix into the soup and also use as a garnish.

How To Make Egg Drop Soup:

To make egg drop soup, simply:

  1. Prepare your stock: Whisk the stock, cornstarch, ginger and garlic powder together until combined before turning on the heat.  It’s essential that the broth is room temperature or cooler, otherwise the cornstarch will clump up and not dissolve.
  2. Bring the stock to a simmer: Stirring occasionally. While this is heating, go ahead and whisk together your eggs in a separate measuring cup or bowl.
  3. Slowly stir in the eggs: Once your stock has come to a simmer, use a whisk or a fork to begin stirring the stock round and round to create a slow “whirlpool”. Then gradually drizzle in the eggs as you continue to stir the stock, and they will turn into those magical little ribbons. Remove pan from heat.
  4. Add remaining ingredients. Stir in the sesame oil and green onions until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
  5. Serve warm. Garnished with extra green onions, if you’d like.

What To Serve With Egg Drop Soup:

This soup would be delicious when served with:

More Favorite Soup Recipes:

If you love egg drop soup, feel free to check out these other faves:

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Egg Drop Soup

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 172 reviews
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6 cups of soup 1x

Description

This classic Egg Drop Soup recipe is quick and easy to make in just 15 minutes and always tastes so cozy and comforting.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 cups good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
  • thinly-sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Make the broth. Whisk together stock (chilled or room-temperature), cornstarch, ginger, garlic powder and white pepper in a medium sauce pan until smooth. Heat over high heat until the stock comes to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
  2. Whisk the eggs. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and egg whites in a small measuring cup or bowl. (I find the measuring cup easier for pouring.)
  3. Stir in the egg ribbons. Once the broth reaches a simmer, use a whisk or two chopsticks to stir the broth in a circular motion, creating a whirlpool. Then slowly pour the whisked eggs in a very thin stream into the soup as you continue stirring, in order to create egg ribbons.
  4. Season. Remove pan from heat. Stir in the sesame oil until combined. Season with salt and additional white pepper to taste, also adding a dash or two of extra sesame oil if needed. (Saltiness will depend on your brand of chicken stock, but I generally find this soup needs an extra ½ to 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt.) 
  5. Serve. Serve immediately, garnished with lots of green onions and a twist of black pepper.

Notes

Recipe edit: This recipe was edited in 2022 to include slightly increased amounts of ground ginger, garlic powder and white pepper. I also used to include 1/2 cup of whole kernel corn in the recipe, which is now noted as an optional addition.

Share this Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

599 comments on “Egg Drop Soup”

1 7 8 9
  1. This is my go to egg drop soup recipe…. So simple yet so good! I have made so many of your recipes, tried and true…. Thank you

  2. Disappointed. No flavor. I followed the recipe exactly.






  3. I love this recipe. I use this all the time. 💜






  4. I like the recipe and make it about once a week. Today when I was making it I thought the amount of ginger and garlic seemed higher but I made it as written. I did not enjoy it as much because it was really spicy, it tasted more like the base of Hot and Sour soup which I love when I’m in the mood for it. I think I will stay with the old recipe because it makes more of a comfort soup for me. I’m glad I checked the notes that stated the recipe had been updated because it made me doubt my memory.






    • I did the same thing last night! I ended up taking half the seasoned broth out and adding back in some plain broth to dilute it. My kids don’t love it that spicy and all I could taste was ginger.

      And then I saw the note. I went back and looked at my printed off original recipe which calls for 1 tsp ground ginger and only 1/4 tsp garlic powder. I prefer the original ratios and I like the addition of corn as well.

      This is still a great recipe but the increased ginger really changes the profile of the soup. Ali, might I suggest putting the note in a more prominent place or an asterisk by the ginger in the ingredients list?

  5. So good. I can’t believe this is the first time I have made it! I did only use a teaspoon of ginger since I am not a big fan. But I will definitely make again and again!






    • Delicious! I love the extra spices but I’m also someone who over spices things, I love flavor! Thanks for the amazing recipe! I did add some turmeric though for color.






  6. Wow, sold. This recipe is the best I’ve tried.






    • I like this and will do it again. I just have one question… The instructions at the very end mentioned egg whites, but I couldn’t find in the ingredient list, or any other part of the instructions, how much or what to do different from the 3 large eggs. Anybody know?

      Ps. I added celery and chopped, yellow onion to the simmering pot. Delish!






  7. Excellent, easy and delicious recipe. Instead of adding salt, I added a few dashes of soy which counters the ginger and adds that salty tang. So yummy!






  8. This is a super yummy recipe. Thank you for posting!






  9. So dilicious and I mad eit my self as a 11 and I still love it.

  10. Is it supposed to be thick

  11. very good






  12. Loved this soup to the moon! I mix in at the end some Asian Chili Garlic Sauce for some heat.






  13. Thanks for the recipe! It was good:) I’m surprised my ribbons looked so good on the first try. I was really proud! I think the key was using chopsticks and pouring slowly with a measuring cup. I will probably halve the ginger next time and be sure to use better quality stock. My stock wasn’t the best. But I still enjoyed it! I added drop dumplings that I made at the same time but they aren’t needed, I was just hungry lol.






  14. This recipe will produce very bland soup that mostly just tastes like scrambled eggs. It’s powdery and just not very good.






  15. Easy and delicious.






  16. Can’t find egg white in the ingredients list…how many?

  17. You’ve changed my cooking life! Not only did this introduce me to other soups and bases, it allowed me to perfect my helping of soup, so much my dad begs me to make it for him every two weeks or so! Amazing skill and thank you so much for sharing it






  18. SO GOOD! We love adding some chili crisp on top too.






  19. Brought this to an event tonight and it was a hit! Thank you for sharing this recipe!






  20. I’m pregnant with crazy “morning” sickness- and this soup is what I am living off of right now. Thank you so much for an easy-to-follow, delicious recipe.






  21. Can I use fresh ginger and garlic?

  22. Love the flavor i put a couple dashes of hot sauce. I will be making this again and soon.






  23. It was so good I just ate the whole pot ok now I’m full so good

  24. I followed the recipe exactly. It has the correct consistency and look. But it tastes like straight up water.






  25. Love this re cipe! I kinda altered though, didn’t use the eggs, added, sautéed onions,carrots and celery, 1 tbs of better than bullion chicken base, and 1/2 bag egg noodles!
    I love how the soup hugs your soul!
    Thank you! Lori






  26. What did I do wrong that caused my egg drop soup to look like vanilla pudding? No ribbons!! Are eggs suppose to be at room temperature? The recipe doesn’t say so.

    • Oh no! Likely your broth wasn’t hot enough. It needs to reach a full simmer (starting to bubble) for the ribbons to form.

  27. Easy and delicious! Perfect texture. Sesame oil is a must!
    Thank you!

  28. I love egg drop soup. I like eating the soup.
    Now all I need is to make it and have it anytime I wish.
    Will comment on how it comes out.
    Thank you for sharing.

  29. Thank you Ali! I’ve made this more 2 dozen times (at least!) I like to add sautéed mushrooms 😋

  30. I’ve never made egg drop soup at home before. (Or any soup for that matter.) The recipe was simple and easy to follow. Most of the ingredients were items I always have around the house. After following the instructions, the soup came out just right! There were plenty of leftovers that will last me a few days. Excellent!