Easy Egg Drop Soup {15 Minute Recipe}

Name: Quick and Easy Egg Drop Soup
Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 3 large eggs, lightly beaten; 4 cups chicken stock, homemade preferred; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; Scant 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger; 1 tablespoon soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking gluten-free); 3 green onions, chopped; 1/4 teaspoon white pepper; 3/4 cup enoki mushrooms or sliced shiitake mushrooms

In college one of the dishes I relied on was my own version of egg drop soup. It was simple, tasty, comforting and (most importantly) budget friendly.

Bowl of egg drop soup with a spoon in the background — Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

An Inexpensive Crowd Pleaser

As I started to make it more and more I began to notice that friends started to drop by for dinner with increasing frequency.

This was fine as all I had to do was add a bit more chicken stock and soy sauce and toss in another beaten egg. I could feed my guests cheaply and enjoy their company.

A spoonful of Easy egg drop soup over a bowl — Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Just Like Restaurant Egg Drop Soup!

For years I ate what I thought had been faux egg drop soup cobbled together by a hungry student, however, it was only recently I discovered that my recipe was actually quite accurate.

With the addition of some cornstarch and the use of white pepper, this homemade soup is dead ringer for the soup at your favorite Chinese-American restaurant.

How to Make Egg Drop Soup

As mentioned above, making a quick batch of this soup couldn't be easier.

First, make a quick slurry of cornstarch and a little stock—this helps dissolve the cornstarch so that it doesn't clump up when you add it to the soup. Set this aside so that it's ready when you need it.
Second, combine the bring the broth to a boil with all the flavoring ingredients: ginger, soy sauce, green onions, white pepper, and mushrooms.
Third, whisk that cornstarch slurry into the broth.
Last but not least, add the beaten eggs while gently stirring the soup so they fan out in ribbons.

Stirring in beaten eggs in egg drop soup with chop sticks — Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Tips for Making Egg Drop Soup

The cornstarch is key to this endeavor. It not only thickens up the soup just enough to give it body, but it also helps keep the eggs silky and tender. Don't skip it! (FYI, you can add a little extra cornstarch if you'd like a thicker soup.)

Also important is to stir the pot slowly—not rapidly—as you add the eggs. You want enough movement to make ribbons, but not so much that the egg just dissolves into barely-there wisps.

An overhead of a Bowl of egg drop soup with mushrooms and spring onions — Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Eat Right Away!

Egg drop soup is a meal that is best served as soon as it's ready, so tell your guests to be at the table with spoons in their hands!

This is also not a soup that keeps or reheats very well, so make only what you will eat right away.

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A bowl of egg drop soup with a spoon lifting a mouthful — Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Quick and Easy Egg Drop Soup

Prep Time 7 mins

Cook Time 13 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Servings 4 servings

Homemade chicken stock is the best for this. Also, if you can't locate any of the mushroom types indicated in the recipe, crimini (aka: baby bellas) will do just fine. Or, you can just leave them out all together.

Ginger is what makes the soup hot and spicy. Dial it down to 1/4 teaspoon if you want a more mild soup.

4 cups chicken stock, homemade preferred, divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 cup enoki mushrooms or sliced shiitake mushrooms
3 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking gluten-free)
Scant 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Make the cornstarch slurry:

Measure out 1/2 cup of the stock and mix with the cornstarch until dissolved.
Bring the soup ingredients to a boil:

Place the remaining chicken stock, mushrooms, green onions (reserving a few for garnish), ginger, soy sauce, and white pepper in a pot and bring to a boil.

Stir in the cornstarch slurry and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Stir in the beaten eggs:

Slowly pour in the beaten eggs while stirring the soup slowly. The egg will spread out into ribbons.

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Serve:

Turn off the heat and garnish with a few more chopped green onions. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
159	Calories
7g	Fat
13g	Carbs
12g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	159
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g	8%
Saturated Fat 2g	10%
Cholesterol 147mg	49%
Sodium 619mg	27%
Total Carbohydrate 13g	5%
Dietary Fiber 1g	3%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 3mg	13%
Calcium 38mg	3%
Iron 2mg	9%
Potassium 397mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.