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. Can this be reheated later or frozen?

    • Krysti, I made this on Tuesday night and had it for lunch Wednesday and Thursday – reheated beautifully! I added chili crisp to it, too, for a little added depth and heat.






  2. I was thinking this morning of making egg drop soup and realized, I never gave this lady the credit she deserves by rating the recipe. I’ve been using this recipe for a long time now and I personally would argue that it’s the best on the web. One thing I do normally change is…I typically use more eggs (like 4 or 5 lol) since I regularly eat this after a long workout and I want that protein kick. It’s comforting, and filling. On days I’m really feeling like adding a little health kick, adding a scoop of powered bone broth goes a long way too. I don’t normally focus on healthy meals, to be honest. I eat food for taste and if it happens to be healthy, awesome. This is one of few meals I can shamelessly adore and still feel pretty good about afterwards. Also, how quick it is to make is ideal for a weeknight. Try the recipe! You’ll be glad you did.






  3. Amazing !!!!!!!!! So So So good! I would say, it only took like 5 minutes tho. Would eat this every meal!






    • A tasty late night snack.I did not have any cornstarch but Wondra flour worked perfectly and it tasted great

  4. Very good. I added mushrooms, which added some flavor. I will eliminate the corn starch.






  5. Well, that was a waste of good broth. Mine was just egg soup. No ribbons. Maybe I stirred too long. Not long enough? I suck. Didn’t work for me.

    • To ISUCK: Same thing happened to me. It did taste good but don’t give up. Keep trying. In my case I think the broth probably wasn’t hot enough. Hang in there!

    • Hi! I love this recipe and the trick to the egg ribbons is to slowly pour the eggs while also stirring slowly. Stir too fast and the eggs break up. All about the technique.






    • Me too!!! But I think my broth was too hot!!!

  6. White pepper. Trust me.

    • The first time I made this I used the chicken broth and it was excellent. Then, I made it again using vegetable broth because my granddaughter is vegetarian. Sooo good, with either chicken or vegetable broth and better than I have had in many Chinese restaurants. The toasted sesame oil is the magic ingredient in this recipe. It completely changes the flavor profile and adds depth to the dish. I will be making this again and again! Thanks for the great recipe!






  7. Easy, and tastes great!!! Thanks for always having amazing recipes.






  8. Idk this recipe didn’t work for me :,,(
    Mine came out discolored and a bit bland.. what did I do wrong?

  9. first time making egg drop soup and it came out perfect. served with homemade dumplings. plated with drops of dark mushroom soy sauce for a deeper umami kick and some hot chili oil in the center.
    skipped the corn but will add when not using dumplings. yum, really good.






  10. Wow. Not only was this the easiest dish to make, but it tastes fantastic…dare I say better than takeout!? I used fresh grated ginger and garlic because I didn’t have the powders and just let it simmer for longer so the flavors could blend. The sesame oil really brought the whole dish together. This is a new go-to!






  11. Great recipe, easy to make and follow, I was surprised by how well it worked and how easy it was to make.






  12. I just made this today for lunch . It was delicious and incredibly easy to make. I added fresh spinach along with the scallions. I also had some rice noodles already cooked and added them to our serving bowls. I will definitely make again! Thanks for such an awesome recipe!

  13. It was my first time making homemade egg drop soup and let me tell you this recipe does not disappoint. It was super quick and easy!






  14. This soup recipe was super delicious and easy to prepare. I added chicken breast & rice . I will have it with an egg roll .

  15. I have been searching for something yummy and satisfying that I can eat since I just had 3 wisdom teeth removed, and man, I am SO, SO happy I found this recipe! It is delicious! Even my very picky kids tore it up. The sesame oil was a perfect addition. I did add a little Better Than Buillion to it, and a dash of soy sauce instead of salt. I can’t wait to make it again for lunch tomorrow!!






  16. You said “eggs and egg whites” in measuring cup? So does that mean i need to separate egg whites and also have whole eggs? to pour in the broth? ? thank you for this recipe!??

  17. Perfect!!






  18. The egg turned out perfect in the soup, but the sesame oil almost ruined it! Next time I’ll put maybe a 1/4 of the amount of sesame oil in. Other than that, it was a delicious and easy recipe. I’ll be making it again in the future.






  19. So good! My new “go to”!






  20. This was really good! I doubled the recipe, but not the ginger and it was perfect for me. This ones a keeper.






  21. This recipe came out just ok, and there are quite a few things that I’d change. To begin with, you need a significant amount more of seasoning, especially with the garlic. The soup was still watery with the recommended amount of corn starch, and I nearly had to double the amount to create the desired silky texture. Also, I would add the green onions into the broth at the beginning so that they can cook and disperse their flavor into the soup (crunch onions were not too appealing with the first go around on this). When heating the soup up, bring it to a rolling boil (not a simmer) and then stir in the eggs. The eggs fell apart completely and did not form any type of ‘ribbon’ as it was not hot enough when I had it at a simmer.






  22. Oh my God Ali this drop egg soup is epic!!!! I’ve tried two of your soup recipe and they’re both sooo delicious! I’ll make sure to print all all your recipe! thankyou for sharing these recipe. – judy

  23. I am a huge fan of this recipe. I don’t like when other people change the recipe….but…..being a huge fan of fresh ground turmeric, I added some and it gives it color and a kick !






  24. when I added the eggs, it all came together, and I was instantly brought back to previous years eating this delicious soup at our favorite Chinese restaurant. The texture is awesome! I used better than bouillon chicken stock base and it came out great.






  25. I just made this and followed the directions 100%. I cook daily and often make my own recipes and usually don’t measure things, lol. However, my egg drop soup came out cloudy. It doesn’t have that clear yellow broth. Could it be the cornstarch? I did use better than bouillon.






    • Yellow compared to what? Restaurants or home recipes? Because I can guarantee that they literally add yellow food coloring in most restaurants. YYuck!! Cloudy could also be the special technique of slowly stirring in the beaten eggs. First couple times the gas didn’t make any “sttings” just pretty much mixed in. I also use chicken bone broth which is very opaque and also “cloudy” compared to regular chicken broth.

    • If it was overly cloudy then it sounds like you mixed your egg into the broth. I don’t know why she says to simmer. I have to boil first then reduce to simmer before creating my whirlpool

  26. Very good – I added an extra egg






  27. Absolutely delicious!! I had to strengthen the chicken broth with some bullion, but flavor and egg texture and color are all fantastic!!






  28. My husband and I really enjoyed this soup. It was very flavorful and quick!






  29. Thank you love it!






  30. This had good flavor, not what I remember from being a kid, but enjoy as an adult. My kids also enjoyed it, but I don’t know that I’ll make it again. My egg ribbon game was not that strong and needs some help, but I don’t know that this alone would fix the unappetizing look of this recipe.






  31. I’m so happy I stumbled upon this recipe. I love making soups during the cooler months. One thing that is so paradoxical is we want soup mainly when we are sick but most soups require a lot of time, steps and ingredients. I can never muster the motivation or energy to make soup when I’m sick and this seriously solved my dilemma 💯 so grateful for this recipe as it’s healthy and high protein (love how we can add extra eggs).






    • Try freezing some containers of soup to heat up when you’re sick or just want soup. Then you don’t have the hassle while you’re sick but still get the treat.

  32. Made this for the first time today and it was amazing! Thank you!






  33. This egg drop soup is better than I have EVER had in ANY restaurant! It’s SO EASY & SO DELICIOUS! I will be making this on a regular basis.






  34. I noticed that some have not been to make the egg ribbons. I read somewhere to add some water to the eggs which makes it easier to get the right consistency to pour.






  35. Why does it say in the instructions to whisk together the eggs and egg whites, when there are only three eggs in the ingredients??? I also don’t understand why anyone in their right mind would put corn in egg drop soup……






  36. To us, the sesame seed oil was a little too much, so will tone that down next time, but otherwise was delish & like others have suggested, maybe an egg or so more!






  37. I just made this and it turned out very delicious, but I am not so good at getting the eggs and two ribbons! I added some hot sesame oil in addition to the regular toasted sesame oil, it is perfect! So yummy!

  38. Not impressive, it didn’t turn out and looks nothing like yours.😡






  39. Can you use olive oil or does it have to be sasame oil?

  40. Love this recipe. We prefer it without the corn, but it is good either way.






  41. I am not feeling well, but really wanted some Egg Drop Soup, so I turned to the internet. This was the first to pop when I searched. This is an easy recipe and I tend to think those who didn’t like it may not have quite followed directions. I did not have any green onions. First cup, I seasoned with white pepper and soy sauce (as others suggested). This was quite good, pepper added a kick. Second cup I did not season and honestly I loved this one best! Very comforting. I would serve to guests for sure. Thank you for a really lovely recipe!

  42. Can you use tricky bone broth?

  43. I made this tonight for the first time and it was excellent! I’ve never cooked egg drop soup from scratch and this was incredibly easy. I had everything except the sesame oil – so don’t panic if you don’t have any!






  44. First time ever trying egg drop soup and it was SO good!! I will for sure be making it again but with more corn. Had a few clumps of egg but I assume that happens til you get the knack of the stir. Great findl






  45. I just made this for breakfast. Got to say the corn really does do wonders changes the whole flavor. If you plan on adding the corn though only do 1Tbl of cornstarch. Goes well with wanton chips.

  46. Egg drop Sounds delicious & warm ESPECIALLY on a 7 degree Nebraska day. Thank you!

  47. Super easy, very tasty. Now that I know how simple (yet very tasty) it is to make this I’m making sure I have all ingredients on hand at all times. Thanks






  48. I used beef broth and plenty of ground ginger, and it was really good WITHOUT the sesame oil! Just my personal preference. I definitely recommend using a measuring cup with a spout to pour the eggs, and make sure the eggs are whisked really well. The smoother the better, otherwise you might get a clump of egg white or yolk instead of ribbons. Experiment with pour and stir rate until you get the ribbons just right too






  49. Did exactly according to the recipe (had to convert cups to dl though) and it turned out amazing! Also had fried rice with soy on the side for extra satiety. Super easy, tasty and filling! Will become a staple for me!

    Thank you!<3






  50. this tastes great but what about some tofu and small cut up carrots