My Favorite Chinese Comfort Food Takes Just 10 Minutes to Make

My grandmother was famous for her big pots of slow-cooked Chinese soups (like this oxtail soup) that were served at every dinner. I adored these broths that were full of meat and vegetables that had been simmering for hours, but sometimes she wanted to just make a few servings of soup quickly. On those nights, I would get extra excited. She was making egg drop soup, something we never ordered at restaurants since it was so easy to make at home.

With tender swirls of silky egg suspended in a simple broth, this became a staple in my college cooking repertoire when I needed comfort food on a budget. Sometimes egg drop soup would be my entire meal, but other times I would pair it with a side of stir-fried greens or frozen or homemade pot stickers. A hot, satisfying bowl of Chinese egg drop soup was something I could throw together in just 10 minutes, and here’s how you can do it, too.

Why You’ll Love It

• It’s comforting and quick to make. Made from almost all pantry ingredients and a few eggs, it cooks in just 10 minutes.

• It’s easy to customize. Feel free to add a handful of corn kernels or tomato, or even some diced tofu or cooked ground pork for an extra boost of protein.

Key Ingredients in Egg Drop Soup

• Broth: Reach for low-sodium chicken broth here.

• Eggs: Beaten eggs get swirled into the soup, giving it a silky texture.

• Cornstarch: Thickens the soup slightly. You only need 3 tablespoons, since you don’t want to end up with overly thickened, gloppy soup.

• Toasted sesame oil: Just a tiny pour adds some depth to the broth.

How to Make Egg Drop Soup

1. Make the slurry. Stir a little bit of broth with the cornstarch to make a slurry.

2. Heat and season the broth. Bring the rest of the broth to a boil, then season with toasted sesame oil, kosher salt, and white pepper.

3. Thicken the broth. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer until the broth is slightly thickened.

4. Swirl in the eggs. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. While stirring constantly, pour in the beaten eggs. Let sit for 1 minute off the heat for the eggs to finish setting. Cooking the eggs on very low heat means that they won’t overcook and turn rubbery.

Helpful Swaps and Add-Ins

• Although chicken broth is traditionally used in egg drop soup, you can use a low-sodium vegetable broth instead.

• If you’d like to flavor the soup with aromatics like garlic or ginger, simmer it in the broth, covered, for 5 minutes before moving on to Step 2.

• This is the simplest version of egg drop soup, but you add chopped tomato, diced tofu, corn kernels, or even crab meat if you want. You can also garnish the soup with fried wonton strips for crunch.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

Leftover soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat so that the eggs don’t overcook.

What to Serve With Egg Drop Soup

• Potsticker Stir-Fry

• Fried Rice

• Chow Mein

• Chinese Chicken Salad Spring Rolls

• Egg Roll Skillet

Egg Drop Soup Recipe

Watching the eggs cook is mesmerizing.

Prep time 2 minutes

Cook time 10 minutes

Makes 4 1/2 cups

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients

• 1 (32-ounce) carton low-sodium chicken broth (4 cups), divided

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

• 1 pinch ground white pepper, plus more as needed

• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

• Soy sauce or tamari (optional)

• 1 medium scallion, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

1. Pour 1/4 cup from 1 (32-ounce) carton low-sodium chicken broth into a liquid measuring cup. Stir in 3 tablespoons cornstarch until the cornstarch is suspended. Pour the remaining 3 3/4 cups chicken broth into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

2. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Add 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 pinch ground white pepper, and stir to combine. Give the cornstarch mixture another stir. While stirring the broth continuously, slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture. Simmer, stirring often, until thickened slightly, about 1 minute.

3. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. While stirring slowly and gently in the same direction, pour in 3 beaten large eggs. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Let sit for 1 minute for the eggs to finish setting. Taste and season with more kosher salt, white pepper, or a little soy sauce as needed. Garnish with 1 thinly sliced medium scallion if desired.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Leftover soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat.

Further Reading

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