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Egg Drop Soup

Restaurant-style egg drop soup in fifteen minutes: seasoned chicken broth lightly thickened with cornstarch, with beaten eggs poured in a thin stream for long, silky ribbons.

Prep
5 min
Cook
10 min
Makes
Serves 4
Jump to the recipe
A bowl of egg drop soup with a white porcelain spoon
Photo: Jahra Tasfia Reza / Pexels

Egg drop soup is about the shape of the egg. In a good bowl, the egg forms long, thin, silky ribbons that drift through the broth, which is why it is also called egg flower soup. In a disappointing one, the egg breaks into small curds that cloud the broth and sink. The difference is in how thick the broth is and how the egg goes in.

The broth is thickened slightly with cornstarch before any egg is added. Not much, just enough that it coats a spoon lightly. That body suspends the egg as it cooks, so the strands float instead of falling to the bottom, and it gives the soup the soft, almost velvety texture of the restaurant version. Mix the cornstarch with cold water first; added straight to hot broth, it forms lumps that will not dissolve.

Then the egg. Beat the eggs well, until no streaks of white remain; uneven eggs cook into separate white and yellow pieces. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer, not a boil, and start stirring it in one direction so it swirls. Pour the egg in a very thin stream from a little height, ideally down the tines of a fork held over the pot, while the broth moves. The current draws the egg out into long strands, and it sets almost instantly in the hot liquid.

Stir too hard, or pour the egg in too fast, and it breaks into small bits. If you want larger, softer ribbons, stop stirring as soon as the egg goes in and let it set for a few seconds before giving the pot one gentle stir. If you prefer fine, wispy threads, keep the broth swirling as you pour.

Since the soup is almost all broth, the broth itself needs to taste good. Use a good low-sodium chicken stock and season it: a little soy sauce for depth, a few slices of fresh ginger simmered and removed, a pinch of white pepper, which is earthier and more pungent than black and traditional here. A few drops of toasted sesame oil go in at the very end; they are fragrant but lose their flavor if boiled.

That signature golden color in takeout soup often comes from a drop of yellow food coloring or turmeric. A pinch of ground turmeric is a natural way to get it, but it is entirely optional.

Finish with sliced green onions and serve it right away while the ribbons are tender.

Egg drop soup is the classic opener for a takeout night at home: follow it with crockpot beef and broccoli or crock pot cashew chicken. Beef spring rolls make a fresh starter on the side, and egg roll in a bowl is the twenty-five-minute main.

Brown and white eggs in a carton
Photo: Peggychoucair / Pixabay

Egg drop soup, to print

Restaurant-style egg drop soup in fifteen minutes: seasoned chicken broth lightly thickened with cornstarch, with beaten eggs poured in a thin stream for long, silky ribbons.

A seasoned broth and three eggs

For the broth

  • 4 cups (950 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 thin slices fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ tsp ground white pepper
  • ½ tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
  • Pinch of ground turmeric (optional, for color)
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp cold water

For the eggs and finish

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Thicken, swirl, pour in a thin stream

  1. 1 Bring the broth and ginger to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer 5 minutes, then remove the ginger slices.
  2. 2 Stir in the soy sauce, white pepper, salt and turmeric, if using. Taste and adjust the salt.
  3. 3 Stir the cornstarch slurry again, then pour it into the simmering broth while stirring. Cook 1 minute, until the broth thickens slightly and turns glossy.
  4. 4 Beat the eggs in a measuring cup with a spout until completely smooth.
  5. 5 Lower the heat so the broth is at a gentle simmer. Stir the broth in a circle to make it swirl, then pour in the egg in a very thin stream, ideally over the tines of a fork, while the broth keeps moving.
  6. 6 Let the egg set for 10 seconds, then stir gently once. Take the pot off the heat.
  7. 7 Stir in the sesame oil, ladle into bowls and top with green onions.

Making it heartier, mushrooms and leftovers

  • Heartier: add ½ cup (70 g) frozen peas and corn, or a handful of diced silken tofu, before the cornstarch.
  • Mushrooms: simmer 4 oz (115 g) thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms in the broth with the ginger.
  • Vegetarian: use a good vegetable broth and add 1 tsp mushroom seasoning or a little extra soy sauce for depth.
  • Leftovers: egg drop soup is best fresh. Leftovers keep 2 days in the refrigerator but thin out as the cornstarch breaks down; reheat gently without boiling.

Ribbons, curds and cloudy broth

Thicken the broth slightly, keep it at a gentle simmer, swirl it, and pour the beaten egg in a thin, slow stream. Stir only once after the egg has set.

The broth was boiling hard, the egg went in too fast, or the soup was stirred too much afterward. Lower the heat and pour slowly.

The eggs were not beaten well enough, or the cornstarch went in after the eggs. Thicken first, then add fully beaten eggs.

It is not essential, but without it the soup is thin and the egg sinks. It gives the silky body of restaurant egg drop soup.