Easy Egg Drop Soup Recipe

Egg Drop Soup, sometimes referred to as Egg Flower Soup, is often served as a starter course at Chinese restaurants.

Making your own egg drop soup at home is easier than you think with my delicious egg drop soup recipe. It uses flavorful yet simple ingredients like homemade chicken stock, fresh ginger, soy sauce, shitake mushrooms and more.

Best of all, you can make this Chinese egg drop soup recipe as either a starter or a light meal in itself. This recipe makes enough for four standard sized soup bowls, or eight smaller bowls, so it’s enough for the entire family.

Ingredients for Chinese Egg Drop Soup

• Homemade chicken stock
• Cornstarch
• Fresh ginger
• Gluten free soy sauce (tamari sauce)
• Green onions
• White pepper
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Fresh eggs
• Sea salt

By the Numbers: How to Make Egg Drop Soup

Follow these simple steps to see how egg drop soup is made.

Step 1: Make Cornstarch Slurry

Whisk ½ cup of chicken stock and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch together in a small bowl until it’s mixed well. It works best if you use hot broth. Once combined, set aside.

Step 2: Boil Soup Ingredients.

In a medium saucepan on your stove, add the rest of the chicken broth, ½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger, 3 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce, 4 sliced green onions, ¾ cup of sliced shiitake mushrooms and ¼ teaspoon white pepper, then bring to a rolling boil.

Step 3: Add Cornstarch Slurry.

As soon as the soup comes to a boil, whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Turn the heat down to low and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes to infuse the flavors.

Step 4: Beat Eggs with Cornstarch.

In a small measuring cup or mixing bowl, beat the remaining 1 teaspoon of cornstarch into 4 eggs. This helps create a silky texture for the eggs.

I find the best way is to use a small measuring cup as it makes it easier to pour into the pan.

Step 5: Create Egg Ribbons in Hot Soup.

Slowly pour in the egg mixture while constantly stirring the soup with the tines of a fork. The beaten eggs will spindle out and beautiful egg ribbons will take shape.

Step 6: Garnish and Serve Egg Drop Soup.

Turn off the heat and garnish with a few more chopped green onions. Serve yourself and your family a good bowl of egg drop soup immediately. Add additional soy sauce or sea salt to taste.

Tips for Making Authentic Egg Drop Soup

Answers to all of your questions about making egg drop soup at home that will rival your favorite Chinese restaurant.

1. How to make vegetarian egg drop soup?

To turn this into a vegetarian egg drop soup recipe, all you have to do is substitute vegetable broth for the chicken stock. Then you have a simple and delicious vegetarian version.

2. Substitutes for white pepper?

A lot of people don’t have white pepper in their spice cabinets. If you want to add some to yours, Starwest Botanicals is a great place to pick it up along with all of your other spices and seasonings.

White pepper has a much milder flavor than black pepper, so if you substitute black pepper for white pepper, just use a small pinch. You can also leave it out or add in an equal amount of ground ginger for extra flavor.

3. Can coconut aminos be used?

If you don’t have gluten free soy sauce, you can use coconut aminos instead. You’ll likely need to add some salt to the recipe to balance the sweetness of the coconut aminos.

4. Where to buy shitake mushrooms?

If you can’t find them at one of your local grocery stores, there are lots of places to buy shitake mushrooms online. Imperfect Foods often has fresh shitake mushrooms available to add to my weekly order or I can buy dried ones from Mountain Rose Herbs that are great quality.

5. How to rehydrate dry shitake mushrooms?

The best way to rehydrate dried shitake mushrooms is to place them in a bowl of cool filtered water (I use water from my Berkey water filter). Place the bowl in your refrigerator and allow it to sit for 24 hours so the mushrooms can rehydrate.

If you didn’t plan ahead, you can pour boiling water over the shitake mushrooms in a heat safe container and allow them to sit for 20-30 minutes. This isn’t the best method as they don’t retain the same flavor and texture, but it works in a pinch.

6. Best broth to use?

I like to use my homemade chicken stock, but if you don’t want to make your own, my favorite brand is Kettle & Fire. They have amazing chicken bone broth and so many unique flavors that can really amp up the flavors in your cooking.

7. Do you add toppings to egg drop soup?

One of the best things about this easy soup is that it uses only minimal ingredients. Some great additions you can make are toppings like more fresh green onions, bean sprouts, extra soy sauce, wonton strips, sesame seeds and even chicken to make it a heartier meal.

8. Can this recipe be made in a slow cooker or pressure cooker?

To make egg drop soup in your slow cooker, add all of the ingredients except for the egg and cornstarch mixture to your crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Turn it up to high, then pour in the egg and cornstarch mixture as outlined in the directions above.

To make egg drop soup in your pressure cooker, add all of the ingredients except for the egg and cornstarch mixture to your pressure cooker and cook on high for 6 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release for 15 minutes, then open and pour in the egg and cornstarch mixture as detailed in the recipe card.

9. How to store leftovers?

Egg Drop Soup really isn’t the best leftover, which is why this soup is made in much smaller portions than most of my soup recipes.

If you do happen to have leftovers, be sure to store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 2-3 days. It’s best to gently reheat the leftovers on low so you don’t change the texture of the egg too much.

10. What to serve it with comforting egg drop soup?

The savory broth of this simple soup pairs well with so many dishes. Some of my family’s favorite main dishes and sides to make for Chinese food night are:

• Instant Pot Mongolian Beef & Broccoli
• Oven Roasted Baby Bok Choy
• Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
• Chinese Chicken Salad
• Instant Pot Jasmine Rice

11. More Chinese soup recipes.

While I tend to reach for a bowl of comforting egg drop soup (because it’s seriously one of the easiest soups to make), here are some other Chinese soups you can try rotating in your meal plan.

• Gluten Free Wonton Soup
• Gluten Free Hot and Sour Soup

12. Make new foods fun for the kids.

If you have picky eaters, I find one of the best ways to get them to try new foods is to not only have them help you prepare the meal, but to find a fun activity they can do to connect with the food in a new way.

One fun craft to make with your kids to go along with Chinese food night is this fun Chinese Fan Craft. If they make it before they eat their Egg Drop Soup, it might just encourage them to try something new.

More Delicious Gluten Free Soup Recipes