Name: Egg Drop Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 cups chicken broth (low sodium); 1 tsp soy sauce (low sodium); 1 tbsp cornstarch; 2 tbsp water; 4 eggs (beaten); 1 tsp sesame oil; 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste); 1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste); 1/4 cup chives (chopped)

This Egg Drop Soup is a lovely Chinese soup that is both simple and complex, delicious and rich but simultaneously light. Restaurant style Egg Drop Soup, ready in about 15 minutes and clocking in at 120 calories a bowl, this soup is much better than take-out and much better for you!

Egg Drop Soup

This soup is one of the classics offered in nearly any and every Chinese restaurant. Stirred lovingly and ladled up hot, this soup is both good for your soul and good for your waist line. I’ve sprinkled in some fresh chives, a few glugs of sesame oil, and some perfectly umami soy sauce to achieve this stick to your ribs comfort soup.

I love the fact that this soup only requires a handful of ingredients and 15 minutes of your time. This is one of those soups that anyone can make and as I always say homemade is always better. So next time you crave some egg drop soup, make it yourself. I know you can!

What Is Egg Drop Soup

The name is pretty literal! We’re going to whisk all 4 of our eggs together before dropping them into our soup, thus creating beautiful egg ribbons. But wait – there is just the slightest bit of technique needed today. And believe me, we’re going to master it together. Even so, as far as soup making this is about as easy as it can get and probably the easiest soup I have on the blog here.

This soup is a classic in Chinese cuisine and it is super simple to make! As simple as it is, it still is packed full of beautiful flavor and sumptuous texture. We use chicken broth as our base with whisked eggs beaten in so that they become cooked egg threads. Believe me – you’ve never had anything quite like this!

Ingredients In Egg Drop Soup

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Broth – Chicken broth, low sodium so as to control the sodium content of our dish.
Eggs – Whole eggs, cracked into a bowl and whisked to combine the egg white and yolks fully.
Slurry – We’re combining cornstarch and water together to form a slurry in order to thicken our soup properly.
Soy sauce – Low sodium please! We have a lot of salty elements going into this dish, so ensure we’re using low sodium ingredients.
Sesame oil – This ingredient is like a secret weapon flavor bomb for our soup today!
Seasoning – Salt and pepper, if you’re worried about the dish being too salty just use this seasoning to taste.
Herbs – Fresh chives chopped up finely. You can also use fresh green onions instead.

How To Make Egg Drop Soup

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Combine the soup stock: In a small saucepan, combine the chicken broth, soy sauce and sesame oil. Bring to a boil.
Add the cornstarch slurry: Stir together the cornstarch and water until the cornstarch dissolves; pour the slurry into the boiling broth.
Whisk the egg: With one hand whisking and the other pouring the egg in the broth, gently stir while you pour in the egg. Make sure to pour at a steady pace, while whisking continuously. You should start to see egg ribbons immediately.
Season and garnish: Season with salt and pepper before serving then garnish with chives.

Whisking Your Egg Properly

Now you can’t just pour the egg in all in one go! You have to pour in the eggs slowly but not too slowly to the boiling broth. At this time you must be whisking continuously to ensure that the eggs cook and shred into small threads/ribbons.

If you pour too slowly you’ll end up with tiny shreds, if you pour too fast you’ll end up with big ribbons, so find a medium so you end up with the perfect egg ribbons. You can use a fork if you don’t have a whisk on hand, either way be sure to stir constantly!

How Healthy Is Egg Drop Soup?

This soup is super light but still packed full of protein! 1 single cup of this soup will give you about 120 calories with 10g of protein. If you’re looking for a light and filling little meal, this soup is definitely for you!

How To Kick Egg Drop Soup Up A Notch

I like my soup a little more on the spicy side, it just really covers all those bases for what I’m looking for in a delicious soup! You can add some crushed red pepper flakes, sriracha sauce, chopped chilies, or pepper powder!

Storing Leftover Egg Drop Soup

This soup will keep if stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. You may want to add a bit of water to the soup before reheating in the microwave as the soup will just keep getting thicker as it sits. Unfortunately this egg won’t thaw properly after being frozen so I don’t recommend sticking it in the freezer.