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Egg Drop Soup

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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:

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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.

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599 comments on “Egg Drop Soup”

  1. I had a terrible cold during the last trimester of my pregnancy and had a craving for egg drop soup;  the closest restaurant with good soup was a 30 minute drive. I found this recipe and it satisfied my craving and made me feel better instantly!  I added peas instead of corn, and some tofu and water chestnut. The sesame oil really helps this soup along.  Thank you! 

  2. I just tried this and thought it came out pretty bland, but it was great after adding a lot more salt, a tiny bit of soy sauce, and some more garlic and ginger.

  3. Nothing is bland with sesame oil. I wonder if commenter above “skipped” this ingredient? I added cream of corn. I am not familiar with corn in this soup dish but It was ok. I kinda liked the corn added.. with the egg drop, mushrooms, scallions, and a vegan bouillon.. fabulous!! Probably considered a different soup now, but with a great base soup recipe. Thank YOU! 

  4. Can chicken broth be used instead of chicken stock?

  5. Will chicken broth work instead of Chicken stock? 

  6. This recipe is amazing! I made it today for the second time, and I am seriously in love with it. (I even have it written on paper now and pinned by my stove!) I haven’t added anything to it – like corn, or anything else – but I intend to try the next time. My first time, I did discover that it is not a soup that reheats kindly. So, as I’m a one-person household, I cut the recipe in half (but kept the garlic at 100%). AMAZING! I had it for breakfast :)

    • Thanks Louisa! I’m so happy to hear that! And I’ve never thought of having it for breakfast, but it is an egg dish after all, so good thinking! ; )

  7. I was skeptical about the corn. I loved the sweet addition of corn. I  always end up making scrambled eggs out of my egg drop soup. I  was so excited,  it came out with beautiful threads.  My now go to recipe for egg drop soup! Thank you for the recipe!

  8. Just whipped this up after a lonnnnng shift. Wow it was delicious! Added in sugar snap peas, normal peas, sweetcorn & plenty of spring onions- Yum! All packed ready for more at work tomorrow. Thanks for such a fab recipe 

    x

  9. Hi! This looks wonderful!  I’m wondering id you’ve tried freezing it?  Would the eggs hold up well? I can’t wait to try it!!

    • Thanks, Gwen! I actually haven’t tried freezing it, but I am worried the eggs wouldn’t hold up well. You could always experiment, by freezing just a tiny bit of it though?

  10. I think I will try making this, but my favorite Chinese restaurant uses small chunks of tofu and peas and carrots as well as corn. And they always serve it with fried wontons, which are awesome by the way. Definitely will try this and save myself a long drive to the Mandarin House!

  11. Omg!! So awesome sauce! Did this for me and my brother and we both loved it! This is great when u need something fast and u rocked it!

  12. Great recipe! Cut in half for just my husband and I, perfect and delish! I was skeptical about the corn but it was an amazing addition, especially now when it’s so sweet and in season. Will definitely make this again! Thanks!

    • Mary Ann, you’re too kind! We’re so happy you and your husband loved this!

  13. PS This was actually BETTER than any restaurant!

  14. I’m vegetarian, can i use water instead of chicken stock?

    • You sure can, but we’d probably recommend vegetable stock before water (just so you still have more flavor.) We hope you enjoy!

  15. hi I made the soup and it tastes really good but my one concern is how can I get the colour the same as yours? Mine didn’t turn out as yellow 

    • Hey, Sarah! Hmmm, it probably has something to do with your eggs. Fresher eggs (preferably organic, free range, etc.) tend to have a brighter yellow yolk, so maybe that’s it?

  16. I added sautéed/caramelized leeks to mine instead of the scallions and it’s just as good and a little bit japanese ;)

  17. Thank you so much for this recipe! I can’t believe how delicious it is—especially since it’s so easy to make! 

  18. So easy, so tasty, kids loved it. It’s a winner in our household. 

    • That’s so great to hear, Shoni, thank you! We’re happy you and your family enjoyed it!

  19. I’m a vegetarian. Do you think this would work out well with vegetable broth, or do you think you would lose a lot in terms of taste? Thanks! 

  20. Wondering what everyone’s favorite chicken stock is other than homemade..

  21. I regularly make crab and sweetcorn soup, which needs one egg white near the end of cooking. In previous attempts the egg white tended to clump together, rather than produce thin strands, so I thought I wonder if I can use the whole egg — yolk and white? Well, today I did! The result was perfect! I got my strands of egg in the soup. no clumps, and it tasted absolutely great. So I won’t be using just the egg white any more. It’s going to be whole egg from now on for egg drop soup.

    • Crab and sweet corn soup sounds lovely! We’re glad the whole egg worked out for you, we hope you enjoy the egg drop soup! :D

  22. I just made this tonight. It’s so delicious! I’ve never had corn on my egg drop before, but it really was a great addition. I’ll never buy it at a restaurant again. Thank you for the recipe! 

  23. I put ground up organic chicken or small meatballs in it for more protein. I also have put in small pot stickers.  I always change soup recipes so there more protein. 
    Thanks for the pictures.
    Charice

    • Thanks for sharing Charice, we think that sounds so yummy — great ideas! We’ll totally have to give those a try sometime. :)

  24. This soup reminds me of some chinese restaurant in manhattan, NY

    will try it soon. Yours just look gorgeous in pictures and I believe it taste superb too

  25. I made this for lunch today, as written. I need to work on my egg ribbon-making technique. My soup didn’t look nearly as pretty as yours. Nonetheless, the soup was delicious. I will continue to make this soup on a regular basis. It’s that good. Thanks for posting.

  26. Another nope in a string of attempts to replicate restaurant style egg drop soup.  This recipe is closer than some, but just not close enough to forgoe driving to your local restaurant.

  27. anyone make it without cornstarch?? watching carbs..but no really chinese food here…im struggling.

  28. Tonight is my second time making it because it was such a hit with my family the first time! That’s saying a lot, with two extremely picky toddlers, but I give them straws and they literally drank it up and asked for seconds and thirds! I love the ginger and sesame oil and corn. This time I’m adding some frozen wontans I had in my freezer. Thanks for the great recipe!

    • Yay, that’s so great to hear Candice! Thank you for sharing, we’re happy your kiddos loved it, and are smiling picturing them slurping it up with straws – so cute! :)

  29. Tried this a second time because I was bound and determined to get ribbons!  I did not remove it from heat once it started to boil.  I also brought it back to a boil after the eggs were added.  That seemed to work for me as I got beautiful ribbons this time around.  Delicious soup!

  30. Are there any nutritional facts (calories sodium etc.) Just curious if you guys posted and I missed it somewhere

    • Hi Cheyenne! We’re sorry but we are unsure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!

  31. Made this to go along with leftovers from our fav Chinese Rest.  However, after adding the egg (slowly, stirring w/whisk) the egg seemed to separate from the broth – didn’t look so hot – kind of like it had curdled, but tasted great.  Any thoughts?

    • Ah, your soup may not have been boiling enough. If it reaches a rolling boil, that will help shape the egg into nice long ribbons. Hope that helps!

  32. Is there something to substitute for the corn starch? Doing a whole 30 and corn/corn products are off the table, however everything else seems do-able. Help is appreciated! Thanks. 

    • Hi Val! Arrowroot starch/powder, coconut or almond flour and tapioca starch should all work well as thickeners. We’d vote for the arrowroot powder in this particular recipe though. We hope this helped!

  33. I would like to make this for a pot luck, could I make it the night before and heat it in a crock-pot?

  34. I want to try this, and add some water chestnuts, ham, and peas like I’ve had at other places. Seems like it would be good, something simple and easy to modify, can’t wait to try!

  35. This is so delicious! =) I’ve made it a few times now with fresh ginger (I throw in one or two chunks just to infuse the broth with that amazing flavor while it’s cooking, it makes a huge difference and is just as easy). 

    • Thanks Samantha, we’re happy you enjoy it – that fresh ginger sounds like an incredible addition that we will totally have to try next time! :D

  36. Looks so yummy!!   A favourite soup in my house!  Next time you make it,  try adding parmasean cheese into the egg and mix then add to the soup!!   Yummy!!  (That’s the secret Italian way I learned from my Mother in law) ?

    • Thanks Ashley, we hope you love it, and good call on the parmesan cheese, we bet that’s super yummy! :)

  37. My sons just vaccuumed their bowls of soup.  Thanks

  38. I’ve tried a few different egg drop soup recipes and they have all been blah and bland…BUT NOT THIS ONE! Definitely has a “restaurant quality” taste and I will for sure be placing this recipe in my go-to stash. Thanks for sharing!!

    • That’s such a sweet compliment Julie, thank you! We’re happy you enjoy the recipe! :)

  39. Thanks for the tasty recipe.  My 2 year old loves eggs but hated veggies so this soup (made with veggie broth) helped me sneak some veggie goodness into her diet!  Once my chickens start laying again we are making this every week.

    • You’re welcome Hannah, we’re so happy you and you little one enjoyed this! :)

  40. I tried adding a little bit of rice and found that tasty.

    • We think that sounds like a yummy addition Janet! We’re glad you enjoyed this. :)

  41. I made this tonight for my foodie husband and 7 year old twins. It was a huge hit with everyone!! One of my kids came home from school today with a tummy ache and did not eat all day. She tried a sip of the soup and asked for a bowl. Thank you for a great easy recipe that will now be in our regular rotation. 

  42. Thanks, girls, for this simple recipe. Egg drop soup is also my favorite and I’ve been looking for a recipe that’s easy to follow. I will try making this with vegetable broth and I’ll give you updtes!

    • You’re so welcome (this is actually Ali’s recipe and blog, I just help out with some things). :) But we’re so happy you’re trying this, we hope you enjoy!

  43. This was excellant best one I’ve found sooooooo tasty” the real deal “.     Love to see your Thai coconut milk shrimp soup simple recipe too
    Send it it me please
    She

  44. This was fantastic soup! Love the flavor! Now if I can get the ribbons right I will
    Be super happy!!!

  45. This was delicious. I turned heat back on high and kept stirring for a few more min to ensure eggs were cooked. Also only used 1 tbsp corn starch. The corn was wonderful in it as well. I served with toasted seaweed!! Yummmm. Thanks 

  46. AWSOME recipie. I just had oral surgery and had not been able to eat anything for two days. I finally got to where I can eat soup and got so tired of cambells canned soup. So I looked up your recipie and made it. Thanks.

  47. I just made this for lunch and my husband and I ate it all. Delicious!!  I added about a 1/2 tsp of turmeric to make it yellow like at the restaurants (doesn’t affect taste) and about 1/4 tsp of white pepper. So good!  Next time I may add a little more cornstarch to make it just a bit thicker. Thank for sharing!!

    • We’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed it Carrie! The turmeric and white pepper sound like awesome additions!

  48. Great recipe. It hit the spot on a sick day! It’s a keeper☺

    • Thanks Gabby, we’re glad to hear that! We hope you feel better soon!

  49. Total confession: I didn’t have chicken stock (gasp!!) so I used a bouillon cube and this recipe still worked great!! It was so easy and fast! I just didn’t feel great but wanted something homey to eat and this hit the spot!! I will definitely make this again!!!

  50. I have egg drop soup from the Chinese place across the street from where I work everyday. Definitely going to try this recipe!