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This restaurant-style Hot and Sour Soup recipe is the best!! It’s quick and simple to make, easy to adapt to your personal taste preferences, and so delicious.
Can’t stop, won’t stop with the soup recipes this winter. ♡
And today’s recipe is one that I’ve been meaning to share with you on the blog for years, after literally dozens and dozens of you have requested it. (This usually comes up when I’m chatting about my favorite egg drop soup recipe — apparently many of you usually opt for the hot and sour soup at your favorite Chinese restaurants and have wanted to learn how to make it!)
Well, good news, friends! Traditional hot and sour soup is actually incredibly easy to make as well. And the bonus of making it at home is that it’s also incredibly easy to customize to your taste. Like it extra hot? Add in more chili garlic sauce. Like it extra sour? Add in more rice wine vinegar. Like it vegetarian? Make it with tofu. Like the meat version? Just add in some pork.
Trust me, this is one of those restaurant recipes that will taste just as good at home. And on chilly winter weeks like this one that we’re having here in Kansas City, it’s guaranteed to warm you up in the most delicious of ways.
Hot And Sour Soup Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Hot and Sour Soup Ingredients:
To make this hot and sour soup recipe, you will need:
Broth: Either chicken or veggie stock (or broth) will do.
Mushrooms: I highly recommend using shiitake mushrooms, but baby bella or even button mushrooms would also do.
Eggs: Which we will whisk, and the drizzle into the soup to make those lovely egg ribbons.
Firm tofu: Which we will cube and add to the soup.
Green onions: To stir into the soup and also sprinkle on top as a garnish.
Toasted sesame oil: An essential flavor in the soup, which we will drizzle at the very end.
Salt and pepper: Hot and sour soup is traditionally made with white pepper, which (heads up) has a different and much stronger flavor than black pepper. I recommend adding in a pinch, and then you can always add in more later. Or if you don’t have white pepper, black pepper will also do.
Optional: Many restaurant versions of hot and sour soup are also made with bamboo shoots. I’m personally not a fan of them, but you are welcome to add some in if you would like.
How To Make Hot and Sour Soup:
To make this hot and sour soup recipe, simply…
Make your cornstarch slurry. Whisk together 1/4 cup of the stock and cornstarch until combined. Set aside.
Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the remaining stock, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (if using), rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and chili garlic sauce to a large stock pot, and cook until the soup reaches a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and continue cooking for a minute or so, until the soup has thickened.
Drizzle in those beautiful egg ribbons! While stirring the soup in a circular motion with one hand, use your other hand to slowly drizzle the whisked eggs into the soup.
Season the soup. Stir in the tofu, half of the green onions, and sesame oil. Then season the soup with salt and black pepper (or white pepper) to taste.
Serve. Ladle up your servings while the soup is nice and hot, garnished with extra green onions.
What To Serve With Hot & Sour Soup:
Here are a few of my favorite dishes that pair well with hot and sour soup:
This classic Chinese hot and sour soup recipe is quick and easy to make, full of delicious flavor, easy to make vegetarian (with tofu!) or with pork, and it totally rivals any soup I’ve tried at a Chinese restaurant!
Set aside ¼ cup of the chicken or vegetable broth for later use.
Add the remaining 7 ¾ cups chicken or vegetable broth, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (if using), rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and chili garlic sauce to a large stock pot, and stir to combine. Heat over medium-high heat until the soup reaches a simmer.
While the soup is heating, whisk together the ¼ cup of broth (that you had set aside) and cornstarch in a small bowl until completely smooth. Once the soup has reached a simmer, stir in the cornstarch mixture and stir for 1 minute or so until the soup has thickened.
Continue stirring the soup in a circular motion, then drizzle in the eggs in a thin stream (while still stirring the soup) to create egg ribbons. Stir in the tofu, half of the green onions, and sesame oil. Then season the soup with salt and a pinch* of white pepper (or black pepper) to taste. If you’d like a more “sour” soup, feel free to add in another tablespoon or two of rice wine vinegar as well. Or if you’d like a spicier soup, add in more chili garlic sauce.
Serve immediately, garnished with the extra green onions.
Pork option: Or, you’re welcome to make this with pork instead of tofu. Just add in a half pound of cooked pork — ground pork, or you can thinly-slice pork chops or pork loin — in place of the tofu.
White pepper: I prefer using a pinch of white pepper in this soup instead of black pepper. But if you are new to cooking with white pepper, heads up that it has a much stronger (and slightly) different flavor than black pepper! I recommend starting with a small pinch, then you can always add more to taste.
Note to self and others- do NOT mix up white pepper with ground ginger! Lol! I did and after it came to a simmer/slow boil I realized my mistake. Had to dump the pot as there was no saving it from putting that much white pepper into the soup. I will be trying this recipe again! (I bought white pepper because I like to sprinkle a dash into my own bowl when serving.)
I made this soup tonight and it was delicious!!! I added shredded chicken (because people in my household don’t eat pork) and the fresh Shiitaki mushrooms made it fantastic. I tweaked it a bit with more chili sauce and rice vinegar. Recipe definitely a keeper.
I’ve been making this soup at least once a month for over two years now. I substitute tofu with rice noodles and sometimes I try different mushrooms. It always turns out delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi, is there a trick for the egg ribbons? Turn off the soup? Other than that, delicious!
Dallas —
Sara, Not sure if this is the answer you are looking for or not. I crack the eggs in a four cup measuring cup then whisk until they are lemon colored. Next start stirring the soup and don’t stop as you slowly pour the mixed eggs in a small stream until done. Hope this helps.
This is the second time I’ve made this soup. It saves me from running 20 miles to a good Thai restaurant and is much better and can be adjusted to taste. Made my own chili garlic sauce to avoid all the sodium and ramped up the heat a little with extra chilis. Best I ever had was in Western Australia and this is close… enjoy!
This is the best recipe site I have ever been on. Wish I had a computer where I can save all these recipes along with the best pics and oh so detailed instructions. I am a very experienced family cook. I have been left in charge of feeding the whole family at reunions etc (80 ppl or more) have made over 100 dozen tamales in one week. And….even I learned a couple things to make my meals tastier. Love this site! Thank you!?
Just wanted to say I love this recipe! It’s so yummy, when my boyfriend’s family heard I knew how to make hot and sour soup they insisted I come make it for them sometime. Tomorrow I’m going to make it for them and I’ll be using you’re recipe :)
I just made it and OMG. It’s fantastic. I had some leftover dumplings I added them in at the last minute and warmed up. Did I say OMG. I will be making this again. Thanks
Made this for dinner tonight – wasn’t sure if my husband would like it – he loved it, can’t stop talking about it, said he would eat the whole pot if I would let him. Used fresh ginger, no bamboo shoots, it was fantastic!
Hubby LOVES Hot & Sour Soup. He actually found this recipe so he insisted on making it himself. I can count on one hand the things he cooks so he is not a seasoned cook. It was delicious. His only mistake was in adding the eggs. They were a bit thick. I have to be careful when he is cooking not to interfere. I made it the next week and will give you my tip. If have a food processor take out the round insert used for streaming oil & other liquid. Pour the eggs in that over the pot while constantly stirring & you will get beautiful egg ribbons. If you do not have a food processor use a measuring cup & hold it high over the pot while pouring & stirring.
This tastes exactly like the soup we used to buy from the Chinese restaurant all the time. It is so good. I bought bbq pork from the hot wok at the grocery store and still added the tofu. It was so so good. ?
My Asian husband really enjoyed this, and asked that I save the recipe to make again. High praise from a self-admitted food snob! Easy to make and really enjoyable, thanks for sharing!
I thought the soup came out great… I did need to up the vinegar and the chili garlic sauce… to be sour and hot enough for me.. but easy and better than any restaurant for sure.. I added chicken, and next time I will try with dried mushrooms as someone mentioned in a comment, that sounds like it could be good too…. thank you for a well balanced and tasty recipe!
I’ve made other website posted hot and sour soups, but they do not compare to this recipe. This soup is THE best and is my go-to soup. Sometimes I add a scant handful of shredded carrots and shredded cabbage to make the husband happy, but recommend making it as written before monkeying around with ingredients. Really and truly gooood.
My friends and I Love Love love this recipe!! I make it for them often and have never divulged how EASY it is to make!! I’m one of those cooks who always changes the recipe. However, all I did with this is add chopped fresh cilantro at the end. ??
Delicious, I have a friend that loves this and I will share with him. The vegetarian version is great, but I think sweet and sour pork slices in it would really add to the broth. I would eat it without because I love Tofu, but I know my friend would love the pork in it and i would like to taste it that way also
I love this recipe! I roast a pork loin with liquid smoke on it and put this in instead of tofu. This recipe is much better than any hot and sour I’ve had at a restaurant.
I did not use tofu, I wish I had added it as I was told it is so good in Hot and sour. I did use smoked turkey leg meat and this soup is wonderful! I will make again, next time I will use sodium free broth for half as I watch my sodium, I added extra chili sauce as I love it,this soup, it is wonderful, froze some and shared some, the best kind of meal. Thank you!
I have made this recipe a few times now and love it! I usually make enough for me to eat 2-3x for lunch during the week. This helped me understand how the “hot” and “sour” came about and I really appreciate that! I even bought white pepper just to make this. Thank you!
Love this soup! I followed the recipe with a couple of changes/additions. I added squash, zucchini, spinach and onions when I added the mushrooms. I also pan seared the cubes of tofu before I added them for more texture. I am a total wimp when it comes to spice so I omitted the chili garlic sauce.
It came out a bit strong as I had to eyeball the 1/4 cup of rice vinegar and soy sauce, but I added a tsp of baking soda and it is perfect!
Thank you for sharing the recipe!!
This is considerably more flavorful than what I’ve had in the Chinese restaurants around here. But it’s EXCELLENT. I love it and it sure clears your sinuses! If you like the thicker consistency of most restaurants, you may want to increase the amount of corn starch mixture to 1/3 or 1/2 C. Other than that, this is perfect for a wintery day!
I’ve made or better yet tried to make hot and sour soup before and it always came out “eh”. Made this for dinner tonight and had two bowls…so good!!!! Will definitely make this again and again.
made this last night – it was delightful! so fun to drizzle the eggs in. thanks for an easy one to add to the weeknight dinner rotation!
I love this soup! I use half ground pork, half tofu. And I add dried black fungus – the added texture is nice. It is delicious!
ALMOST identical to the recipe I have been making for years … Yes so good..
I do add DRIED MUSHROOMS reconstituted with water in advance … increase the mushroom flavor
.
Note to self and others- do NOT mix up white pepper with ground ginger! Lol! I did and after it came to a simmer/slow boil I realized my mistake. Had to dump the pot as there was no saving it from putting that much white pepper into the soup. I will be trying this recipe again! (I bought white pepper because I like to sprinkle a dash into my own bowl when serving.)
Dayum Girl! You nailed this recipe. I used both pork and tofu because the hubby is a true carnivore. So good! Super duper keeper. Thank you!
WONDERFUL!!! As good as ANY restaurant’s.
I made this soup tonight and it was delicious!!! I added shredded chicken (because people in my household don’t eat pork) and the fresh Shiitaki mushrooms made it fantastic. I tweaked it a bit with more chili sauce and rice vinegar. Recipe definitely a keeper.
I’ve been making this soup at least once a month for over two years now. I substitute tofu with rice noodles and sometimes I try different mushrooms. It always turns out delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi, is there a trick for the egg ribbons? Turn off the soup? Other than that, delicious!
Sara, Not sure if this is the answer you are looking for or not. I crack the eggs in a four cup measuring cup then whisk until they are lemon colored. Next start stirring the soup and don’t stop as you slowly pour the mixed eggs in a small stream until done. Hope this helps.
Dallas
This is the second time I’ve made this soup. It saves me from running 20 miles to a good Thai restaurant and is much better and can be adjusted to taste. Made my own chili garlic sauce to avoid all the sodium and ramped up the heat a little with extra chilis. Best I ever had was in Western Australia and this is close… enjoy!
Excellent!
Great soup! I like spicy food and doubled up on Sriracha.
Never had Hot and Sour soup in a restaurant like this! ??
We made this tonight and it was good. We froze the leftovers for a later date. Yummy.
Fabulous
This is the best recipe site I have ever been on. Wish I had a computer where I can save all these recipes along with the best pics and oh so detailed instructions. I am a very experienced family cook. I have been left in charge of feeding the whole family at reunions etc (80 ppl or more) have made over 100 dozen tamales in one week. And….even I learned a couple things to make my meals tastier. Love this site! Thank you!?
The first time is a charm! Thank you for this simple and delicious recipe. The taste is authentic, though I didn’t have corn starch.
Just wanted to say I love this recipe! It’s so yummy, when my boyfriend’s family heard I knew how to make hot and sour soup they insisted I come make it for them sometime. Tomorrow I’m going to make it for them and I’ll be using you’re recipe :)
I just made it and OMG. It’s fantastic. I had some leftover dumplings I added them in at the last minute and warmed up. Did I say OMG. I will be making this again. Thanks
Made this for dinner tonight – wasn’t sure if my husband would like it – he loved it, can’t stop talking about it, said he would eat the whole pot if I would let him. Used fresh ginger, no bamboo shoots, it was fantastic!
Made this for dinner tonight and we couldn’t stop raving about it! I’ll share it from my corner of the web, too! Thank you!
Delish!!!! Very easy to make. My coworkers were very pleased b/c I gave them some of my leftovers. I will definitely make this again.
Exactly what I was craving! Did not have the mushrooms or tofu but it was still delicious
Hubby LOVES Hot & Sour Soup. He actually found this recipe so he insisted on making it himself. I can count on one hand the things he cooks so he is not a seasoned cook. It was delicious. His only mistake was in adding the eggs. They were a bit thick. I have to be careful when he is cooking not to interfere. I made it the next week and will give you my tip. If have a food processor take out the round insert used for streaming oil & other liquid. Pour the eggs in that over the pot while constantly stirring & you will get beautiful egg ribbons. If you do not have a food processor use a measuring cup & hold it high over the pot while pouring & stirring.
Such a deliocious recipe! Coulda fooled me as take out! Thank you!
Wheres the Cloud Ears and Lilly Blossoms? Not very authentic is it with important ingredients missing.
This tastes exactly like the soup we used to buy from the Chinese restaurant all the time. It is so good. I bought bbq pork from the hot wok at the grocery store and still added the tofu. It was so so good. ?
Absolutely one of my favorite recipes! I’ve made this several times, and it’s so comforting and tasty. Highly recommend with homemade bone broth.
I really want to make this hot and sour soup, but I want something else than mushrooms, any suggestions for a great replacement?
My Asian husband really enjoyed this, and asked that I save the recipe to make again. High praise from a self-admitted food snob! Easy to make and really enjoyable, thanks for sharing!
I thought the soup came out great… I did need to up the vinegar and the chili garlic sauce… to be sour and hot enough for me.. but easy and better than any restaurant for sure.. I added chicken, and next time I will try with dried mushrooms as someone mentioned in a comment, that sounds like it could be good too…. thank you for a well balanced and tasty recipe!
I’ve made other website posted hot and sour soups, but they do not compare to this recipe. This soup is THE best and is my go-to soup. Sometimes I add a scant handful of shredded carrots and shredded cabbage to make the husband happy, but recommend making it as written before monkeying around with ingredients. Really and truly gooood.
My friends and I Love Love love this recipe!! I make it for them often and have never divulged how EASY it is to make!! I’m one of those cooks who always changes the recipe. However, all I did with this is add chopped fresh cilantro at the end. ??
This recipe is SO GOOD! Way better than what we get from delivery Chinese and probably way healthier too.
Made this soup tonight! Even my anti-chinese food husband liked it! Will definitely be adding to the meal rotation.
This soup is absolutely delicious! I made it several times.
Made this tonight perfect for a rainy night was delicious!!
This recipe is spot on! Absolutely delicious! I only have dried shiitake mushroom on hand so l used 16 of them and soaked them in water.
Delicious, I have a friend that loves this and I will share with him. The vegetarian version is great, but I think sweet and sour pork slices in it would really add to the broth. I would eat it without because I love Tofu, but I know my friend would love the pork in it and i would like to taste it that way also
This was really good! I like spicy, so I doubled the chili – will triple next time. Thanks for the recipe!
This soup is delicious. First time making Hot and Soup Soup. My husband and I loved it. I think it’s better than soups we’ve had in restaurants!
I love this recipe! I roast a pork loin with liquid smoke on it and put this in instead of tofu. This recipe is much better than any hot and sour I’ve had at a restaurant.
I did not use tofu, I wish I had added it as I was told it is so good in Hot and sour. I did use smoked turkey leg meat and this soup is wonderful! I will make again, next time I will use sodium free broth for half as I watch my sodium, I added extra chili sauce as I love it,this soup, it is wonderful, froze some and shared some, the best kind of meal. Thank you!
I have made this recipe a few times now and love it! I usually make enough for me to eat 2-3x for lunch during the week. This helped me understand how the “hot” and “sour” came about and I really appreciate that! I even bought white pepper just to make this. Thank you!
Love this soup! I followed the recipe with a couple of changes/additions. I added squash, zucchini, spinach and onions when I added the mushrooms. I also pan seared the cubes of tofu before I added them for more texture. I am a total wimp when it comes to spice so I omitted the chili garlic sauce.
It came out a bit strong as I had to eyeball the 1/4 cup of rice vinegar and soy sauce, but I added a tsp of baking soda and it is perfect!
Thank you for sharing the recipe!!
Absolutely delicious! I use the ingredients as a foundation and build from there. Thank you for sharing.
This is considerably more flavorful than what I’ve had in the Chinese restaurants around here. But it’s EXCELLENT. I love it and it sure clears your sinuses! If you like the thicker consistency of most restaurants, you may want to increase the amount of corn starch mixture to 1/3 or 1/2 C. Other than that, this is perfect for a wintery day!
Just wondering if this can be frozen after making. If not I would probably cut recipe in half to make just for me.
Made this tonight and it came out great. Highly recommend and will have it again!
So yummy. My kids even loved it.
I’ve made or better yet tried to make hot and sour soup before and it always came out “eh”. Made this for dinner tonight and had two bowls…so good!!!! Will definitely make this again and again.