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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.
Loved it! There is a good bit left over with just two of us so I think I’ll add a bit more chili sauce and maybe some left over chicken and make a meal it of it tonight. Definitely going on permanent rotation. Thanks, I was really craving sweet and sour soup on this cold icy day. ?
Shauna T —
Made this two weeks ago, and last week and again today. So very simple and not expensive. My whole family loves it. Even the little ones. Taste delicious cold too 🤤
Wow. Just fantastic. I think this is better than any hot and sour soup that I’ve had in a restaurant. To my taste I added 50% more vinegar and twice the garlic sauce. We did use the bamboo shoots. Everyone loved it.
Amazing recipe! If using sriracha I’d recommend 2 tablespoons for a good kick. I used half umami stock and half veg stock. Quick, easy and proper delicious!
We have one restaurant here where I LOVE their Hot n’Soup soup. Everywhere else, theirs is always too sour and not enough heat. I used about 6 tbls. of rice vinegar and 3 tsp. of chili sauce to get the right level of sour and heat for our tastes. This recipe was very easy and definitely a keeper for this family. Will possibly be adding shrimp to the soup I made today, I know it is not traditional, but it sounds oh so good!
This turned out amazing!! Loved it! Added extra bamboo shoots and extra egg and a little extra rice vinegar because I didn’t have any tofu, I also used white pepper as directed, it’s incredible!!
This is my go to hot and sour soup recipe. I add extra vinegar (sometimes white if that’s all I have on hand) and chili paste to taste. Sometimes I omit the eggs for a large batch as it freezes well that way.
Amelia —
Good to know re: eggs and freezing the soup! Thanks
I don’t think my soup was hot enough when I poured in my egg, ended up just being a scrambled egg soup ? oops! Seems like way too many mushrooms too. Good recipe though I’ll try again some time.
This recipe sounds delicious! I want to try to make it but I am curious… would this hold up as a lunch meal prep idea? Would it reheat well? Freeze well? Please let me know if you are able to:) thanks so much!
Very good recipe using ingredients that are readily available. I added more rice vinegar and chili paste for more punch, and instead of salt, I added some dark soy to acheive that dark color we are used to when we eat this at a restaurant. I will definitely make again. Thank you for posting this!
Good basic recipe, I had to add a lot more rice vinegar and chili sauce (double the suggested amount) for it to have any flavor at all. I added pork and shredded cabbage and used grated fresh ginger instead of powdered because that’s what I had. Next time I think I’ll use half powdered and half fresh (fresh for the flavor and powdered for added heat.) The times for prep and cooking are way off. Five minutes prep? It takes almost five minutes to wash and slice the mushrooms. Granted I added a little time with extra ingredients, but give yourself at least 15 minutes for prep and about 1/2 hour cook time. Still an easy, flavorful, hearty soup that, with a side like cold sesame noodles, makes a quick, easy meal.
Found this recipe online yesterday and made it today. This is the easiest hot and sour soup I have ever made and it now have a permanent place in my recipe folder. Everyone loved it. I made enough for 16 servings for 9 people thinking it would be overkill, and went home with almost an empty pot. People were going back for seconds, thirds, etc. and I got rave reviews for this recipe. Of course, I told them about this amazing recipe ;-)
I did add extra chili garlic paste and rice vinegar to my double batch that I made – out of this world. Printed the recipe so that to always have it on hand :)
I love this soup and have discovered it freezes really well. The texture of the tofu changes a bit (possibly for the better). Just run hot water over your storage container briefly until you can pop out the frozen soup into a pot and gently heat.
Calories?
This soup is great! I made it leaving out the slurry for a thin broth, and instead of tofu put in 6 frozen pork potstickers from Trader Joe’s.
The flavor of this hot & sour soup recipe was sensational. I absolutely LOVE hot & sour soup, yet the taste varies from restaurant to restaurant, some really good & some not so good. With this recipe I may never have to go to a restaurant to get the best flavored soup. Super easy recipe & I enjoy having the option to make it more hot & more sour. I like the one comment about adding shrimp! Thanks for a keeper recipe!
This was sooooooo good and my husband and me loved it !! Definitely a keeper and I had to buy only one ingredient . I can’t believe how easy this was to make !! Thanks for sharing this !!
My family and I loved this. When people say “it was so easy to make” they are not kidding! Wow… From start to table in about 25 minutes.
Based on some comments about the ginger, I decided to use just 1 tsp of ground ginger, then grated some fresh ginger root (about 2 tsp) and I doubled the chili paste to 2 tsp. I didn’t have the garlic variety but the regular stuff is a staple in our household :)
It’s been so long since I’ve used fresh shitakes I forgot that it really does make a difference to remove the stems. Otherwise, the stems are kind of tough and chewy. Not terrible tasting at all… but not good texture.
For those who felt it didn’t thicken up enough… just make another small batch of cornstarch slurry to add until you reach the desired consistency. The original recipe does not produce that thick slimy stuff you get at the restaurant. If you like that, then add a little more cornstarch than the recipe calls for. Easy Peasy!
Overall – an excellent addition to our rotation. Loved it!
I had accidentally purchased silken tofu instead of extra firm and was looking for a recipe to use it in so it wouldn’t go to waste–this was perfect! I had all the other ingredients except mushrooms, so it was cheap to make and I’ll have leftovers for lunch at work every day this week!
Andrea —
I’ve made this twice now, the first time following it as written, the second time with some modifications just so I could use produce I had on hand (a carton of mixed mushrooms and some fresh mung bean sprouts.) First time I used vegetable broth, and second time I used chicken. Both are very good, but the veggie broth results in a darker broth, obviously, with more of the umami taste one expects from hot and sour soup. I served the mung bean sprouts fresh on top, a la pho style, which is untraditional but an excellent addition. This is such an easy, uncomplicated recipe with great flavors that can be easily modified to taste.
Gorgeous, we added bamboo shoots and sliced duck. I only had sweet chilli sauce so added this, a touch of cayenne pepper and a sliced garlic clove. I also added more soy and vinegar to taste, plenty of white pepper. Loved it, will make again!
When cooking it, the smell was a little off-putting at first. By the end it smelled good and tasted really good. I figured out it was the bamboo that gave it that smell. Definitely recommend!
My husband gave it an A plus. I tripled the chili sauce to 3 teaspoons and chopped up 2 green onions instead of 4 since he’s not an onion fan. I will end up adding some fresh green onions to my serving.
Thanks for sharing!
This soup was excellent. I personally have never had hot and sour soup before, and can’t go to Chinese restaurants due to my shellfish allergy (and the threat of cross-contact). This is my husband’s favorite soup from Chinese restaurants, so I made it for him for his birthday. He said it was delicious and tasted better (and fresher) than the soups he has had at Chinese restaurants! The only thing I changed about the recipe is I halved it, since we are currently a family of two. I kept the garlic chili sauce at 1 tsp because I like food to have a bite.
I love hot and sour soup but I can’t seem to find it made the way I like it at any of the local restaurants. This was exactly what I wanted and really easy to make! Loved it!!!
Im planning to make this as a part of a large dinner tomorrow. Can the soup sit finished for a while or is there a good place in the recipe to stop, ie. before the egg?
Used one extra egg, a smidge more cornstarch, one and a half times the amount of rice wine vinegar, and two tablespoons of sriracha. The original is a fantastic base but it wasn’t nearly hot enough (actually it wasn’t hot at all) but with a little tweaking, it turned out fantastically. (Obviously adjust for taste. We like it hot).
Perfection! At the end I added just a bit more chili garlic sauce and touch more of vinegar to suit my taste. This is going in my keeper file. So cheap & easy. Thank you!!
Loved it! There is a good bit left over with just two of us so I think I’ll add a bit more chili sauce and maybe some left over chicken and make a meal it of it tonight. Definitely going on permanent rotation. Thanks, I was really craving sweet and sour soup on this cold icy day. ?
Made this two weeks ago, and last week and again today. So very simple and not expensive. My whole family loves it. Even the little ones. Taste delicious cold too 🤤
Wow. Just fantastic. I think this is better than any hot and sour soup that I’ve had in a restaurant. To my taste I added 50% more vinegar and twice the garlic sauce. We did use the bamboo shoots. Everyone loved it.
This is a fabulous recipe! Thank you! It’s definitely going in our rotation. It was especially good with Trader Joe’s spring rolls!
Absolutely insane. My picky husband flipped out over the exquisite taste. Can’t wait to make it again!
This looks delicious! How much broth do I add? And how much of each ingredient (rice wine vinegar, soy sauce ec.) do I have to add?
Amazing recipe! If using sriracha I’d recommend 2 tablespoons for a good kick. I used half umami stock and half veg stock. Quick, easy and proper delicious!
Overall a good recipe but next time I would omit the ginger. I felt like it threw off the taste.
This was my first attempt a making hot and sour soup and this recipe is sooo incredibly tasty! Thank you!!! My husband absolutely loved it!
Delicious! I used the minced ginger in a squeezy tube you can find in the produce section?
We have one restaurant here where I LOVE their Hot n’Soup soup. Everywhere else, theirs is always too sour and not enough heat. I used about 6 tbls. of rice vinegar and 3 tsp. of chili sauce to get the right level of sour and heat for our tastes. This recipe was very easy and definitely a keeper for this family. Will possibly be adding shrimp to the soup I made today, I know it is not traditional, but it sounds oh so good!
This was so tasty! I could just make the broth and drink it alone. My husband absolutely loved it! Making it again tonight!
This turned out amazing!! Loved it! Added extra bamboo shoots and extra egg and a little extra rice vinegar because I didn’t have any tofu, I also used white pepper as directed, it’s incredible!!
Great soup !! Thanks!! tastes even better than the soup ofrom the chinese restaurant (too sour)
Such an easy and DELICIOUS recipe! I highly recommend.
Great recipe! I love this soup! I also add some chicken pot stickers to the soup which makes it more of a meal. Thanks!
Love this sup
This is my go to hot and sour soup recipe. I add extra vinegar (sometimes white if that’s all I have on hand) and chili paste to taste. Sometimes I omit the eggs for a large batch as it freezes well that way.
Good to know re: eggs and freezing the soup! Thanks
I don’t think my soup was hot enough when I poured in my egg, ended up just being a scrambled egg soup ? oops! Seems like way too many mushrooms too. Good recipe though I’ll try again some time.
This recipe sounds delicious! I want to try to make it but I am curious… would this hold up as a lunch meal prep idea? Would it reheat well? Freeze well? Please let me know if you are able to:) thanks so much!
Very good recipe using ingredients that are readily available. I added more rice vinegar and chili paste for more punch, and instead of salt, I added some dark soy to acheive that dark color we are used to when we eat this at a restaurant. I will definitely make again. Thank you for posting this!
Good basic recipe, I had to add a lot more rice vinegar and chili sauce (double the suggested amount) for it to have any flavor at all. I added pork and shredded cabbage and used grated fresh ginger instead of powdered because that’s what I had. Next time I think I’ll use half powdered and half fresh (fresh for the flavor and powdered for added heat.) The times for prep and cooking are way off. Five minutes prep? It takes almost five minutes to wash and slice the mushrooms. Granted I added a little time with extra ingredients, but give yourself at least 15 minutes for prep and about 1/2 hour cook time. Still an easy, flavorful, hearty soup that, with a side like cold sesame noodles, makes a quick, easy meal.
Found this recipe online yesterday and made it today. This is the easiest hot and sour soup I have ever made and it now have a permanent place in my recipe folder. Everyone loved it. I made enough for 16 servings for 9 people thinking it would be overkill, and went home with almost an empty pot. People were going back for seconds, thirds, etc. and I got rave reviews for this recipe. Of course, I told them about this amazing recipe ;-)
This was delicious and incredibly easy!
I did add extra chili garlic paste and rice vinegar to my double batch that I made – out of this world. Printed the recipe so that to always have it on hand :)
I love this soup and have discovered it freezes really well. The texture of the tofu changes a bit (possibly for the better). Just run hot water over your storage container briefly until you can pop out the frozen soup into a pot and gently heat.
Yummy! Absolutely loved it!
Worst recipe I’ve ever come across! Fail from everything ??
This is an excellent recipe!! Friends say it’s better than restaurants they ordered from.
Calories?
This soup is great! I made it leaving out the slurry for a thin broth, and instead of tofu put in 6 frozen pork potstickers from Trader Joe’s.
The flavor of this hot & sour soup recipe was sensational. I absolutely LOVE hot & sour soup, yet the taste varies from restaurant to restaurant, some really good & some not so good. With this recipe I may never have to go to a restaurant to get the best flavored soup. Super easy recipe & I enjoy having the option to make it more hot & more sour. I like the one comment about adding shrimp! Thanks for a keeper recipe!
Excellent recipe. I made it as written except for double the chile sauce. And so easy. I make this often.
This was sooooooo good and my husband and me loved it !! Definitely a keeper and I had to buy only one ingredient . I can’t believe how easy this was to make !! Thanks for sharing this !!
New weekly lunch choice in our house! Love the simple recipe with great bold flavors!
Simple fast and delicious I luv it!!!!! Thnx
My family and I loved this. When people say “it was so easy to make” they are not kidding! Wow… From start to table in about 25 minutes.
Based on some comments about the ginger, I decided to use just 1 tsp of ground ginger, then grated some fresh ginger root (about 2 tsp) and I doubled the chili paste to 2 tsp. I didn’t have the garlic variety but the regular stuff is a staple in our household :)
It’s been so long since I’ve used fresh shitakes I forgot that it really does make a difference to remove the stems. Otherwise, the stems are kind of tough and chewy. Not terrible tasting at all… but not good texture.
For those who felt it didn’t thicken up enough… just make another small batch of cornstarch slurry to add until you reach the desired consistency. The original recipe does not produce that thick slimy stuff you get at the restaurant. If you like that, then add a little more cornstarch than the recipe calls for. Easy Peasy!
Overall – an excellent addition to our rotation. Loved it!
Recipe sounds great, but I wish you had included some basic nutrition facts (calories, protein, saturated fat, sodium, sugar, etc.).
I had accidentally purchased silken tofu instead of extra firm and was looking for a recipe to use it in so it wouldn’t go to waste–this was perfect! I had all the other ingredients except mushrooms, so it was cheap to make and I’ll have leftovers for lunch at work every day this week!
I’ve made this twice now, the first time following it as written, the second time with some modifications just so I could use produce I had on hand (a carton of mixed mushrooms and some fresh mung bean sprouts.) First time I used vegetable broth, and second time I used chicken. Both are very good, but the veggie broth results in a darker broth, obviously, with more of the umami taste one expects from hot and sour soup. I served the mung bean sprouts fresh on top, a la pho style, which is untraditional but an excellent addition. This is such an easy, uncomplicated recipe with great flavors that can be easily modified to taste.
Gorgeous, we added bamboo shoots and sliced duck. I only had sweet chilli sauce so added this, a touch of cayenne pepper and a sliced garlic clove. I also added more soy and vinegar to taste, plenty of white pepper. Loved it, will make again!
When cooking it, the smell was a little off-putting at first. By the end it smelled good and tasted really good. I figured out it was the bamboo that gave it that smell. Definitely recommend!
My husband gave it an A plus. I tripled the chili sauce to 3 teaspoons and chopped up 2 green onions instead of 4 since he’s not an onion fan. I will end up adding some fresh green onions to my serving.
Thanks for sharing!
This soup was excellent. I personally have never had hot and sour soup before, and can’t go to Chinese restaurants due to my shellfish allergy (and the threat of cross-contact). This is my husband’s favorite soup from Chinese restaurants, so I made it for him for his birthday. He said it was delicious and tasted better (and fresher) than the soups he has had at Chinese restaurants! The only thing I changed about the recipe is I halved it, since we are currently a family of two. I kept the garlic chili sauce at 1 tsp because I like food to have a bite.
Thank you! Would HIGHLY recommend!
Delicious! I didn’t have chili garlic sauce, so I used Siracha. Still came out delicious. Thanks!
I love hot and sour soup but I can’t seem to find it made the way I like it at any of the local restaurants. This was exactly what I wanted and really easy to make! Loved it!!!
rice vinegar? this needs chinese black vinegar, there are other major flaws in this recipe. do some research
This turned out wonderful. Thank you so much for recipe.
Im planning to make this as a part of a large dinner tomorrow. Can the soup sit finished for a while or is there a good place in the recipe to stop, ie. before the egg?
awesome recipe! Thank you!!!!
Used one extra egg, a smidge more cornstarch, one and a half times the amount of rice wine vinegar, and two tablespoons of sriracha. The original is a fantastic base but it wasn’t nearly hot enough (actually it wasn’t hot at all) but with a little tweaking, it turned out fantastically. (Obviously adjust for taste. We like it hot).
Delicious! Added more chili oil. Great for our -30 degrees tomorrow.
Perfection! At the end I added just a bit more chili garlic sauce and touch more of vinegar to suit my taste. This is going in my keeper file. So cheap & easy. Thank you!!
Do you have the nutritional values for this recipe?
Super easy and turned out amazing ! Thank you :)