This version of egg drop soup is incredibly simple, and has corn added to it for some high-fiber carbs, hearty bulk, and bright yellow color to complement the eggs. Speaking of the bright yellow color! I love using turmeric to color this egg drop soup naturally. Some restaurants use yellow food dye to make this happen – I prefer coloring foods naturally when I can (plus, the turmeric adds a nice subtle peppery note to the soup). The other thing I love about this recipe? You skip the step of sautéing ANYTHING. Just heat up some spices and ingredients directly in the broth, stir in the remaining ingredients, and enjoy! And it’s easy to adapt this egg drop soup to be vegetarian, or omit some of the ingredients if you don’t have them on hand. Let’s get to it!
Ingredients and Substitutions
EggsChicken broth – or vegetable broth.Green onionsFresh ginger – or powdered ginger, see more on how to mince fresh ginger below.Frozen corn – or fresh from 1-2 cobs, this is optional and can be omitted if you like.Corn starch – for thickening the soup. Another thickener like arrowroot powder can be used.Garlic powder – I find powder is best because you don’t sauté it first, which would make the flavor of fresh garlic more subtle, but feel free to try fresh minced garlic if you love fresh garlic!White pepper – optional, but gives it a nice subtle kick.Turmeric – optional, but gives it a beautiful yellow color naturally and a subtle peppery flavor.Toasted sesame oil – optional, but definitely recommended. Adds a deep nutty, toasty, and smoky flavor to the soup.
How to make Homemade Egg Drop Soup
First, bring the broth, frozen corn, minced fresh ginger, and light green and white parts of the green onions to a boil. While it’s heating, mix the cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, white pepper, and turmeric together in a bowl with a little water to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the soup and heat until it’s thickened. Beat the eggs, preferably in a measuring cup with a spout for easy pouring. Stir the eggs into the soup while slowly pouring the egg mixture and stirring the soup with a spoon – this will create “ribbons” of eggs. Finally, turn off the heat, add most of the dark green parts of the onions (save the rest to garnish each bowl) and a little toasted sesame oil. All done! Wasn’t that easy?
How to make Egg Drop Soup vegetarian
Just swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth and you’re good to go!
Can I make Egg Drop Soup vegan?
I’ve never tried it, but it seems you can use a vegan egg replacer in egg drop soup. Check out this recipe for vegan egg drop soup for more.
What’s the easiest way to mince fresh ginger?
I have the best trick for this! Peel it, freeze it, then use a microplane zester to grate the ginger. It’s easier to grate when it’s frozen (no annoying stringy parts to deal with) and the ginger will last for months!
How to make THICK Egg Drop Soup
This recipe is already pretty thick, but if you like REALLY thick egg drop soup, just add more cornstarch to the slurry. You can also make it as is, and then make an extra cornstarch slurry after it’s all heated up and thickened and stir it in until it’s thickened to your liking. Keep in mind; adding the eggs will also add thickness to the soup.
How to make Egg Drop Soup in your microwave
If you want a fast single or double serving of this egg drop soup, you don’t even need to get a pot dirty! This soup lends itself very well to microwave cooking, since there is no sautéing anything. Just whisk together 1 cup of chicken broth, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, the white parts of one green onion, a pinch of each of the spices – garlic powder, white pepper, salt, and turmeric – in a good-sized microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until very hot (about 2-3 minutes), then remove and stir in 1-2 beaten eggs. The eggs should cook on their own if the liquid is hot enough, but if they don’t, just stick it back in the microwave for 30 more seconds or so. Then, stir in a little bit of toasted sesame oil and some green onion parts, and you’re ready to go! I’m actually a bit in love with cooking eggs in the microwave – check out this easy microwave quiche in a mug!
How to make egg drop soup yellow naturally
As mentioned above, adding turmeric will add a natural yellow color and subtle peppery note to the soup. You can use more if you like for a more vibrant color. Ground saffron may also work to impart a nice yellow color, though it’s more expensive than turmeric and I don’t think the flavor would come through as well. I also almost always use eggs from pasture-raised chickens, which have a more vibrant bright yellow yolk. This can help with the overall color of the soup as well.
Other Chinese- inspired recipes
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