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!
Definitely a few steps up from the homemade egg drop soup my mom and I used to make from a beginner cookbook. That one was good, but your version with the mushrooms and spinach is more flavorful and filling. We’ll be making THIS version from now on when we want egg drop soup.
I love this soup! Sometimes I add Gyozo and it makes such an easy meal!
Tried it😊
Love this soup. Can’t believe I used to buy at Chinese take-out.
But then, I love all your recipes.
Delicious, comforting and actually easy! I have executive dysfunction so trying new recipes makes me nervous, but this was quite easy to put together (especially since I used pre-sliced mushrooms) and incredibly satisfying, so it will definitely become a go-to.
Love this recipe! I needed something light but satisfying today and this soup hit the spot. Very much recommend the better than bouillion to bring the flavor, and I used bok choy instead of spinach, which worked out really well. Delish! =D
Would it be ok with veg broth instead of chicken?
It’d probably be okay, but I definitely prefer chicken for this one. It’s mostly going to be a matter of personal preference.
This is super tasty but no matter how many times I try I can not get ribbons of egg. I’m curious if I have it hot enough. Does it need to be at a roaring boil before being removed from the heat?
Hmm, what does your egg end up looking like? That might help me troubleshoot what the issue is.
It is just a bunch of small bits of egg, however, when I add the egg the soup doesn’t seem to be boiling. Maybe I’m a bad judge of what boiling looks like lol
Okay, that helps! Yes, you want to bring the soup to a boil, then turn off the heat and wait for it to stop boiling before adding the egg. Swirl the soup so it is moving a little, then pour in the egg. Then just let the egg sit in the soup for a few minutes before stirring. If you stir before the egg has had a chance to cook it will break up too much. So maybe let it sit in the hot soup a few more minutes than you were before. I hope that works! :)
I don’t know how Chinese restaurant egg drop soup is supposed to take, but this was really good.
This was scrumptious and so easy! I used baby bellas and 3 eggs. I added a bit of fish sauce and a pinch of crushed red pepper to add just a hint of heat. Served with fresh bread with honey butter, and poof!, just like that, the whole pot of soup was gone! Thank you for all the delish nutrish recipes!
This is super easy, lite and delicious. I added a little extra soy sauce and replaced water with extra stock to deepen the flavour. I will definately cook this again
Great recipe! Can I use kale instead of spinach? I am not the biggest fan of cooked spinach!
Personally, I don’t think I’d like kale in this soup because it seems like it would be too rough for the delicate nature of the soup, but I think it’s a personal call!
I only just discovered this website last week. I made the Egg Drop soup tonight. I could cry its so good lol Wonderful recipe. I made the Tofu Stir Fry too the other night. Absolutely fantastic. I am looking forward to trying more recipes. Thank you!! ❤️
Simple and delicious! Adding this to my favorites list. I didn’t have spinach, so I added some frozen shelled edamame instead. It was great! This was perfect for lunch; might add an extra egg next time.
I make this recipe all the time. I Love it. I use 6 cups of chicken broth. I love all your recipes.