Egg Drop Soup (蛋花湯)

Learn to make a restaurant-quality egg drop soup that's even faster than takeout!

flodesk gif
Prep Time
20 min
Total Time
10 min
Yields
4 servings
YouTube Tutorial

A Recipe by Daddy Lau

My dad's been cooking Chinese food for over 50 years - as a kid fending for himself in Guangzhou, as the head chef of his own restaurant, and as a loving father in our home.

Hopefully, by learning this recipe, you'll get to experience some of the delicious joy we felt growing up eating his food!

- Randy

Egg drop soup was one of the most popular dishes at my parents' old restaurant. Not only did our customers love it, but my sister and I did, too — in fact, we used to sneak bowls of it when our parents weren't looking!

This classic Chinese dish is quite easy to make at home and once you get a hang of the technique, you can use it in some of our other comforting soups, such as seaweed soup and chicken corn soup.

What is egg drop soup?

Egg drop soup gets its English name from the way its made. Beaten eggs are literally dropped into a pot of boiling soup. In Chinese, however, egg drop soup is actually called 蛋花湯, which translates to "egg flower soup," a reference to the way the eggs form beautiful flower-like swirls as they're incorporated.

An expert Chinese chef's tips for making restaurant-quality egg drop soup

Slow and steady is the key to a restaurant-quality egg drop soup that's both delicious and visually appealing! To form a clear, smooth soup, my dad likes to use potato starch as the thickener (more on that below) instead of cornstarch. He adds the potato starch slurry slowly with the heat turned off so it can incorporate thoroughly without getting thick and gloppy.

The same goes for the eggs. He adds a bit of water to the eggs to help make them smoother, then gradually pours the mixture into the soup while stirring all the way down to the bottom of the pot. That's how restaurants get pretty, flower-like swirls in their egg drop soup.

Check out a quick story summary of our recipe!

Ingredients

Weight: US
oz
g
Volume: US
cup
mL
Servings
4

Shrimp Marinade

  • 5 oz shrimp (

    26/30 size

    )
  • 0.25 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp cornstarch

Soup Ingredients

  • 3 oz carrot
  • 8 oz soft tofu
  • 4 large egg
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 can chicken broth (

    14.5 oz, natural or less sodium version

    )
  • 6 cup water (

    hot

    )
  • 0.75 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp white pepper
  • 0.50 tsp oil
  • 1 tsp sugar

Slurry Ingredients

  • 5 tbsp potato starch
  • 7 tbsp water

On potato starch

Most egg drop soup recipes use cornstarch as a thickener, but my dad prefers potato starch for a few reasons. First, potato starch thickens liquids while keeping it translucent so you get a clearer soup than with grain-based thickeners such as cornstarch. Second, it's more effective! You typically don't need to use as much potato starch. Finally, the soup won't get watery if it needs to sit out for a while.

On chicken broth

Using low-sodium chicken broth will allow for more flexibility when it comes to salting and seasoning. The great thing about making homemade egg drop soup is you get to control the salt levels.

Substitution Tip: If you don't have canned chicken broth, you can also use 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon powder mixed into 1 cup of water instead.

On shrimp

We use 26/30 shrimp in this recipe, but any size will work since they need to be chopped into smaller pieces.

Step 1: Prepare shrimp

Peel the shrimp (5 oz). To easily remove the shell off, first twist off the tail. Then, hook a finger under the remaining shell and pull it straight off. Make sure to remove the legs as well if they don’t come off when you pull the shell off.

Place a shrimp on the cutting board and, holding a sharp knife so the blade is parallel to the board, slice through it sideways. Put the cut shrimp in a bowl of clean, cold water and move them around by hand to wash out the veins.

Once they're clean, drain the shrimp and dry to remove any excess water. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces.

Next, marinate the shrimp. Combine the chopped pieces with white pepper (0.25 tsp) and cornstarch and mix thoroughly, then set aside.

Step 2: Prepare carrot

Peel the carrot (3 oz) and cut off a 3-inch section. Cut it into thin slices, then rotate the pieces 90 degrees so the shorter end is facing your knife and chop into small pieces.

Step 3: Prepare tofu & eggs

Remove the tofu (8 oz) from its packaging and drain. Cut the block of tofu in half, setting aside the other piece to use in another dish (like our West Lake Beef Soup!). Flip the tofu to its side and cut the block into quarters. Place the quarters on top of one another, then cut into thin strips. Finally, turn your knife to chop the strips into small cubes.

Crack the eggs (4 large) into a medium bowl and set aside.

Step 4: Start soup & create slurry

Add the chicken broth (1 can) to a large pot and place over high heat. Pour in the hot water (6 cup).

In a small bowl, combine the potato starch (5 tbsp) and water (7 tbsp). Mix thoroughly to combine and set aside.

Add tofu & beat eggs

As the water starts to boil, add the tofu and give the soup a stir.

For a smoother egg mixture, add water (1 tbsp) to the bowl before beating. Using a fork in an upward motion, beat the eggs to combine the yolks and whites until well combined.

Add slurry

When the soup reached boiling, turn off the heat. Give the slurry a quick mix and slowly pour it into the pot as you continuously stir the soup with a ladle. Add a bit at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Turn the heat back to high and bring back to a boil.

Chef's Tip: Don't pour the slurry in all at once or else it'll start to clump up.

Add egg & shrimp

It's time for the eggs! Turn the heat to low and, while stirring the soup continuously with a ladle, start to slowly "drop" in the eggs.

Chef's Tip: Make sure to stir all the way to the bottom so the eggs don't sink.

Decrease the heat even more and add the shrimp to the pot.

Step 5: Add the seasonings, garnish, and plate

Add the salt (0.75 tsp) and white pepper (0.25 tsp). Taste the soup and see if it has enough flavor.

Next, add the oil (0.50 tsp) and sugar (1 tsp). Mix in a bit of the chopped carrots and pour into your large serving bowl. Sprinkle on the rest of the carrots for more color.

FAQ

What is egg drop soup made out of?

  • Egg drop soup ingredients are pretty straightforward! In addition to eggs, my dad adds shrimp, tofu, and carrots. Canned chicken broth is used to form the soup base and potato starch helps thicken it. It's seasoned with salt, white pepper, and a bit of sugar to harmonize the flavors.
  • You can easily customize egg drop soup and add or remove ingredients depending on your preferences. For example, if your family has shellfish allergies, you can swap the shrimp for another protein. Add mushrooms or other vegetables, top with scallions... the possibilities are endless!

Why is my egg drop soup clumpy?

  • If your egg drop soup is coming out clumpy, it means the slurry was added too quickly. According to my dad, it's important to lower or turn off the heat completely and stir in the slurry a bit at a time so it slowly incorporates. This will give you a nice smooth soup!

What can I serve with egg drop soup?

  • Egg drop soup is a wonderful appetizer or side dish. Since my dad's recipe also has shrimp and tofu, it can be a filling main course, too. Serve alongside other classic entrees like beef and broccoli, noodle dishes such as Cantonese chow mein, or fried rice.

Summary

Print Recipe
Made With Lau
madewithlau.com/recipes/egg-drop-soup
Egg Drop Soup (蛋花湯)
Learn to make a restaurant-quality egg drop soup that's even faster than takeout!
  • Prep Time: 20 min
  • Total Time: 10 min
  • Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

Shrimp Marinade

  • 5 oz shrimp (

    26/30 size

    )
  • 0.25 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp cornstarch

Soup Ingredients

  • 3 oz carrot
  • 8 oz soft tofu
  • 4 large egg
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 can chicken broth (

    14.5 oz, natural or less sodium version

    )
  • 6 cup water (

    hot

    )
  • 0.75 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp white pepper
  • 0.50 tsp oil
  • 1 tsp sugar

Slurry Ingredients

  • 5 tbsp potato starch
  • 7 tbsp water

Step 1 - Prepare shrimp

↑ Jump to details

Peel the shrimp (5 oz). Place a shrimp on the cutting board and slice through it sideways. Put them in a bowl of clean, cold water and move around with your hand to remove the veins.

Drain the shrimp and dry to remove any excess water. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces.

Marinate the shrimp by combining them in a bowl with the white pepper (0.25 tsp) and cornstarch. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Step 2 - Prepare carrot

↑ Jump to details

Peel the carrot (3 oz) and cut off a 3-inch section. Cut it into thin slices, then rotate and chop into small pieces.

Step 3 - Prepare tofu & eggs

↑ Jump to details

Remove the tofu (8 oz) from its packaging and drain. Cut into small cubes.

Crack the eggs (4 large) into a medium bowl and set aside.

Step 4 - Start soup & create slurry

↑ Jump to details

Add the chicken broth (1 can) to a large pot and place over high heat. Pour in the hot water (6 cup).

In a small bowl, combine the potato starch (5 tbsp) and water (7 tbsp). Mix thoroughly to combine.

Add tofu & beat eggs

As the water starts to boil, add the tofu and give the soup a stir.

For a smoother egg mixture, add water (1 tbsp) to the bowl before beating. Using a fork in an upward motion, beat the eggs to combine the yolks and whites until well combined.

Add slurry

When the soup reached boiling, turn off the heat. Give the slurry a quick mix and slowly pour it into the pot as you continuously stir the soup with a ladle. Add a bit at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Turn the heat back to high and bring back to a boil.

Add egg & shrimp

It's time for the eggs! Turn the heat to low and, while stirring the soup continuously with a ladle, start to slowly "drop" in the eggs.

Decrease the heat even more and add the shrimp to the pot.

Step 5 - Add the seasonings, garnish, and plate

↑ Jump to details

Add the salt (0.75 tsp) and white pepper (0.25 tsp). Taste the soup and see if it has enough flavor.

Next, add the oil (0.50 tsp) and sugar (1 tsp). Mix in a bit of the chopped carrots and pour into your large serving bowl. Sprinkle on the rest of the carrots for more color.

Step 6 - Take pictures
Whip out your camera (1). Begin taking photos (1,000,000). Pick your favorites!
Step 7 - Share and tag us on Instagram @madewithlau #madewithlau!
Did you have fun making this recipe? We'd love to see & hear about it. (Especially my dad. He would be THRILLED!)

Enjoy!

We have many, many happy memories of enjoying this dish growing up.

Now, hopefully, you can create your own memories with this dish with your loved ones.

Also, I cordially invite you to eat with us and learn more about the dish, Chinese culture, and my family.

Cheers, and thanks for cooking with us!

Feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the recipe.