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. ;)
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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!
One of my favorite soup recipes since I discovered it over a year ago. So easy and delicious, suits for both hot and cold weather, can make it richer or lighter.
Thank you so much!
Thanks Jul!
Is there anyway to make this soup thicker and more of a take-out-fake-out soup?
To make it thicker, try doubling the cornstarch/water slurry. :) I’m sure a lot of take out places use a LOT of cornstarch to thicken it up. :)
I waited until the soup was not boiling for a while to add the eggs, but I still ended up with “a million small pieces of egg” like the recipe mentioned. What is the ideal temperature to add them?
There’s not a specific temperature, just make sure the water is not simmering or moving. Drizzle in the egg, and then don’t stir for a bit so the egg ribbons have time to set. :)
Was craving soup because of the cold weather, and this was easy and great! I made some minor changes to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand. I might’ve added a little less water than the recipe suggested (tried to aim for half of my chicken broth box), but I didn’t need to add any extra soy sauce for the soup to be flavorful. Also used frozen spinach and pre-chopped ginger. Regardless, still turned out great! Thanks for the recipes Beth! Always look forward to new creations from you.
Delicious. used sesame oil to saute. Love your recipes.
Delicious! Added the hot chili sauce, like one of the comments suggested.
I’m not sure what happened because ususually the recipes I make from here are amazing, but this one? It was pretty bland, even with me adding some more soy sauce. Not a big fan
Is this something i could make today and serve tomorrow, or is it best in the moment?
Updating to add: i didnt make it a day ahead, but i made it a few hours before and just reheated. Worked great. I love soup and this tasty and easy one is definitely going to be a regular for me. I didnt have any spinach on hand so i just made it with the mushrooms- still so yummy. Next time i’ll try it with the spinach.
I’m sorry I was late getting to your question! I’m glad it turned out well! :)
I am inn love with this soup! What is the reddish sauce that you included in the original photos? It looks like a nice addition!
It is a hot Chili Sauce. If you’d like you can add chili peppers to make it a little spicy.
Made this for tonight! It was a hit my mom loved it so much! I can’t believe how easy it was, taste just like something out of a restaurant but better because it was in the comfort of my own home :) thank you so much!!!!
This soup turned out beautifully! I made a double batch. Any idea if it will freeze well? Budget Bytes is one of my favorite go to spots for recipes!
I know this is an old recipe but I’m planning it for dinner and wanted to take the time to thank you. The boyfriend and I are rather broke do to my unemployment situation and I just know we’ve saved so much money since I’ve started following your site.
I would love to see a list of your cheapest recipes one day.
Made this tonight with some homemade bone broth. I added a few shrimp to make it more substantial. It literally took about 25 minutes start to finish, and most of that time was just chopping and washing. It was sooooo easy. I loved it :) It is toddler approved too!
I made this tonight. I forgot to get cornstarch (D’oh) and used flour. It was a touch too thin. But I used Kale for the spinach and it was marvelous. Best part was putting it through my calorie counter.
Less than 100 calories per serving. Wewt.
Made this tonight. Was splendid. Thanks again for all you do. Without this site, I would be a lost soul!