Egg Drop Soup

This simple yet tasty protein packed soup is better and more natural than most Chinese restaurants at a fraction of the cost.

Course Soup

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword egg drop soup recipe, how to make egg drop soup, what is egg drop soup, what is in egg drop soup

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Servings servings

Calories 106kcal

Author Beth Pierce

In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and 1 cup chicken broth; set it aside.
Heat sesame oil in a dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add the white parts of the green onion; cooking and stirring for 1 minute. Add the ginger, turmeric, and white pepper; cooking and stirring for about 45 seconds. Pour in the remaining 5 cups of chicken broth and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture that you set aside. Bring the pot to a low simmer and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
Pour the beaten eggs into a pastry bag or zipper lock storage bag and snip the corner creating just a very small hole. Move the bag over the pot gently pushing the eggs out of the bag while very slowly stirring the pot with a spoon using your other hand. The key here is very slowly.
Finally spoon the soup into bowls and garnish with the green parts of the scallions.

For best results use low sodium chicken broth so the taste of salt does not overwhelm your recipe.
Sometimes I use fresh grated ginger if it is available. Or I sometimes purchase ginger paste in the refrigerator section of my local grocery store. Both are equally delicious and add a little more flavor dimension to the soup.
The cornstarch thickens the soup a bit and aids in the proper cooking and forming of the egg ribbons.
Turmeric is added because of its nice all natural yellow color and its earthy pepper flavor. It is not an absolute must but I highly recommend it.
I like to use white pepper because it looks nice in a broth soup like this but you could use black pepper as well.
Though it is not traditional you can add mushrooms, peas, carrots, corn, or even finely chopped broccoli.
To make it gluten free simply substitute gluten free soy sauce or tamari for the low sodium soy sauce.
The eggs are not tricky to do at all if you use a bag and snip just a very small amount off the tip. It should be just barely enough for the eggs to come through then simply move the bag around over the simmering pot. I usually stir the pot very very slowly with a large wooden spoon using my other hand to create those beautiful thin egg ribbons.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.