5-Ingredient Egg Drop Soup — Ready in 15 Minutes
Silky, warm, and done in 15 minutes — no takeout required.
It's one of those nights where you want something warm and comforting but you have almost no energy and almost no ingredients. This egg drop soup is for that exact moment. It tastes like the stuff from your favorite Chinese takeout spot — ribbony egg wisps in a savory golden broth — but it comes together in a single pot in about 15 minutes. Expect a light, soothing soup that's genuinely satisfying without being heavy. It won't keep well, so plan to eat it right away, but that's fine because you'll finish it.
Ingredients
- 4 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth — one standard 32 oz carton works perfectly
- 3 unit large eggs — beaten well in a small bowl or cup
- 2 tbsp cornstarch — mixed with 3 tbsp cold water to make a slurry
- 1 tsp soy sauce — adds depth and a little color
- 0.5 tsp ground ginger — or 1 tsp fresh grated ginger if you have it
- 0.25 tsp white pepper — black pepper works if that's all you have
- 0.5 tsp sesame oil — optional but adds a lot — stir in at the end
- 2 unit green onions — thinly sliced, for serving
Method
- 1 In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 3 tbsp cold water until completely smooth. Set aside.
- 2 Beat the eggs well in a separate small bowl or measuring cup with a pour spout — this will make it easier to drizzle them in slowly.
- 3 Pour the broth into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- 4 Stir in the soy sauce, ground ginger, and white pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- 5 Give the cornstarch slurry a quick stir (it settles fast), then pour it into the boiling broth while stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium.
- 6 Stir the broth in a slow circle to create a gentle swirl, then slowly drizzle in the beaten eggs in a thin, steady stream. The eggs will cook immediately into wispy ribbons — the slower you pour, the silkier the result.
- 7 Stop stirring and let the soup sit for 30 seconds so the egg sets fully, then gently stir once.
- 8 Remove from heat, drizzle in sesame oil if using, ladle into bowls, and top with sliced green onions. Serve immediately.
Variations
- Fully Vegetarian / Vegan — Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, swap the eggs for a slurry of extra cornstarch to keep the soup thick, and add a handful of silken tofu cubes for protein. Technically no longer egg drop soup, but still a great bowl.
- Bulk It Up — Stir in a handful of frozen corn or frozen peas directly into the broth before adding the cornstarch slurry — they cook in about 2 minutes and make the soup more filling without adding cost or effort.
- No Sesame Oil — Skip it entirely — the soup is still good. A tiny drizzle of plain vegetable oil or even nothing at all is fine. Sesame oil is a finishing flavor, not structural.
Notes
The key to classic egg-ribbon texture is two things: a properly thickened broth (the cornstarch slurry) and a very slow, thin pour of the eggs. If you dump the eggs in all at once, you get scrambled eggs in broth — still tasty, but not the silky result you're after. Use a measuring cup or a fork to drizzle. If your broth is salted, skip or reduce the soy sauce and taste as you go. This soup does not reheat well — the egg texture gets rubbery — so make only what you'll eat.
Equipment that helps
- Medium saucepan — You need enough room for the broth to boil actively without splashing when you add the cornstarch slurry.
- Liquid measuring cup — The pour spout makes it easy to drizzle the beaten egg in a thin, controlled stream for the classic silky ribbon texture.
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