There’s nothing quite like a hot soothing soup when you’re feeling under the weather. This fast and easy homemade egg drop soup comes together in just a few minutes and has a ginger infused broth that is extra comforting to an achy head and body. And because this soup is so incredibly simple, it lends itself well to several variations, allowing you to customize the soup based on what you have on hand. So skip the take out and make a giant pot of soup for what you’d probably spend on one serving of deliver. ;)
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How Do You Thicken Egg Drop Soup?
You may have noticed that classic egg drop soup has a slight thickness to it, and the broth isn’t as thin as a traditional chicken broth. The secret to this thickness is a cornstarch slurry and the reason for this thickness is to create beautiful, delicate threads of cooked egg throughout the soup. The viscosity of the broth helps prevent the egg from dissipating into tiny bits when it’s added to the hot soup.
Variations
I added mushrooms and spinach to my egg drop soup to try to sneak in some veggies, but if you just want a plain, brothy egg drop soup, you can leave them out. Or, if you want something a little heartier, you could even add some noodles. Want to make a vegetarian egg drop soup? Simply sub vegetable broth for the chicken broth and you’re good to go.
What to Serve with Egg Drop Soup
Make it a complete takeout fake-out meal by pairing this egg drop soup with Easy Lo Mein, Easy Orange Chicken, Vegetable Fried Rice, and Egg Rolls!
Easy Egg Drop Soup
Servings 6Ingredients
- 8 oz. mushrooms ($1.99)
- 3 green onions ($0.32)
- 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger ($0.10)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.02)
- 4 cups chicken broth* ($0.50)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.09)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.04)
- 2 large eggs ($0.48)
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, optional ($1.13)
Instructions
- Wash and slice the mushrooms. Thinly slice the green onions. Use a vegetable peeler or the side of a spoon to scrape the skin from the ginger, then use a cheese grater to grate about 1 Tbsp.
- Add the mushrooms, green onions, and ginger to a large soup pot along with 1 Tbsp cooking oil. Sauté the vegetables over medium heat or just until the mushrooms begin to soften.
- Add 4 cups chicken broth, 2 cups water, and 1 Tbsp soy sauce to the pot. In a small bowl stir together 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 1 Tbsp water until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the soup pot and stir to combine.
- Bring the soup up to a boil over medium-high heat. While waiting for the soup to boil, whisk two eggs in a bowl. Once the soup is boiling, turn the heat down to low and wait until the soup stops boiling. Use a large wooden spoon to stir the pot and make the broth swirl in one direction. While the soup is swirling, slowly pour the whisked eggs into the soup in a thin stream. Let the eggs sit in the hot liquid, undisturbed, for 1-2 minutes to fully set.
- Finally, add the fresh spinach to the pot and stir until it has wilted. Taste and adjust the salt by adding more soy sauce, if needed. Serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
Perfect for a cold rainy day!
How to Make Egg Drop Soup – Step By Step Photos
Begin by washing and slicing 8oz. mushrooms, slicing three green onions, and peeling and grating about 1 Tbsp fresh ginger. The original version of this recipe only used 4oz. mushrooms, so you can cut it in half if needed.
Add the mushrooms, green onions, and ginger to a large soup pot along with 1 Tbsp cooking oil. Sauté over medium heat for a few minutes, or just until the mushrooms begin to soften.
Add 4 cups chicken broth, 2 cups water, and 1 Tbsp soy sauce to the pot.
I use Better Than Bouillon to make my broth. It’s super convenient, takes very little storage, and you can mix up any amount needed (1 tsp BTB + 1 cup water = 1 cup broth).
In a small bowl, stir together 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 1 Tbsp water. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the soup pot. Bring the soup up to a boil. The small amount of cornstarch helps thicken the soup ever so slightly, giving it more body and helping the egg stay in nice threads rather than just mixing into the broth. It’s a very small, almost undetectable amount of thickening, but it’s important.
While waiting for the soup to come up to a boil, whisk two eggs in a bowl.
Once the soup reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and wait for it to stop boiling. If you like your egg drop soup to have a million small pieces of egg, go ahead and add it while it’s boiling. If you like thin, pretty threads of egg, you must wait for it to stop boiling. Then, take a large spoon and start swirling the soup in one direction. As the soup swirls, slowly drizzle in the egg in a thin stream, then DON’T TOUCH IT for at least a minute, maybe two, to give the egg threads a moment to set.
And then you can stir the pot to bring the egg threads up to the surface and see their beauty. I was trying to take photos with one hand while pouring in the egg with the other, so some of my threads are a bit thick, but they’re pretty none the less.
Finally, add in a couple handfuls of fresh baby spinach and stir until they are wilted into the broth.
And that’s that! Seriously easy Egg Drop Soup! It’s always a good idea to taste and adjust the salt if needed. To keep with the flavor profile, I’d add soy sauce if you need more salt, rather than adding plain salt.
That ginger in the broth makes it SOOO soothing!
I told my flatmate he could try, and he left it out of the fridge all night, and by the morning it had gone bad.
I could have killed him.
It was one of the best soup I ever made…
Thanks for the recipe!
Just tried it. AMAZING!! Hands down the best egg drop soup I have ever had. I forgot the spinach so I will have to make it again and try it with it too.
I made this recipe sans ginger (husband and I aren’t ginger fans), and wow! Hot, filling, delicious. Thanks for posting it!
A splash of rice wine vinegar makes the flavor just perfect. Simple, healthy, yum!
My boyfriend and I have made this several times. Quick, easy, healthy, and delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!!
Holy Flaming Tastebuds Batman!!! This soup was off the chain delicious. I subbed Napa cabbage for spinach, tossed in some extra red bell pepper & celery that I had laying around as well as a couple cloves of garlic and it was wonderful. All of my roommates kept asking me to try it! Yes, I shared. :)
I made this tonight but I had to sub the scallion for regular onion and the spinach for raddichio and it was DELICIOUS! thank you so much for this recipe!
Amanda – it sounds like the ratio of chicken base to water was off. For a half recipe you’ll want the equivalent of 4 cups of chicken broth. Check the package for your chicken base to see how much you’ll need to make 4 cups of broth.
I tried this recipe, but halved it. It just tasted like water with eggs in it…not sure what I did wrong!
I just made this and my mouth is currently falling in love with it. I love egg drop soup. Like, LOVE egg drop soup. My mom and I used to have mommy-daughter dates at a Chinese restaurant with the yellowest, saltiest egg drop soup I’ve ever had, and since then, it’s always been a sentimental love. This is a perfect grown-up version that is absolutely delicious. I’ll be making this again (but only after I’ve eaten the other five servings I have!).
Excited to make this tonight for my under the weather boyfriend! I know he’ll love it! And when I heard he wasn’t feeling well, it was great to pull this right out of my file! THANK YOU! Regina/Marie Castaway
Anjail – Ginger powder would still work, although the flavor might not be as vibrant. Start with a half teaspoon and add more to your liking.
Would this be similarly successful using ginger powder? And if so, how much would be needed? Thanks so much–I just discovered your blog and have already bookmarked several recipes to try.
Would this be similarly successful using ginger powder? And if so, how much would be needed? Thanks so much–I just discovered this blog and have already bookmarked many of your recipes to try.
I am about to try this just about now, but it does smell amazing! Unfortunately I’ve never seen green onions or scallions here in Portugal, so I improvised and used chives… I know its not the same but I hope it will do. I also intend to eat this a bit cooler than you suggest, since its full blown summer and I’m getting sick of eating gaspacho every other day xD I thought maybe this being a brothy soup it might taste good even if not really hot (unlike the potato based or creamy soups I usually make in winter). Thanks for another great recipe =)