Egg Drop Soup with Vegetables

Why Make This Recipe

This vegetable egg drop soup takes the traditional egg drop soup, a popular Chinese soup, and adds veggies to it! It has a thick broth with corn and mixed vegetables and ribbons of egg in a flavorful broth.

Egg drop soup, also known as egg flower soup, gets it name from an egg being “dropped” into the steaming soup. The hot broth cooks the eggs, creating egg ribbons, that sometimes look like a “flower”.

You’ll love how quick this vegetable egg drop soup is to make and how versatile it is! The chicken broth can easily be swapped for vegetable broth to make it vegetarian and the vegetables can be customized to what you like or have on hand!

Ingredient Notes

• Broth. Use a high quality chicken broth, or if you are vegetarian you can use vegetable broth.
• Corn. I like to use frozen corn, but you can use canned corn or fresh corn if you cut it off the cob.
• Peas and Carrots. I use frozen peas and corn. If you use fresh carrots you’ll want to sauté them in the pot for a little while before adding the other ingredients to help them soften.
• Garlic. I like to use fresh garlic or frozen garlic cubes, you can use garlic powder if you don’t have minced garlic.
• Ginger. Fresh ginger is best but ground ginger also works.
• Cornstarch. Cornstarch is used to thicken the soup. You’ll mix it with water to make a cornstarch slurry before adding it to the soup, this will keep it from clumping up in the soup. If you prefer a thicker egg drop soup you can use more cornstarch.
• Soy Sauce. Soy sauce adds a nice saltiness and umami flavor to the egg drop soup.
• Sesame Oil. Sesame oil adds a nice nutty flavor to the soup.
• Eggs. Eggs help thicken and flavor the soup and give it the signature “egg flower” look when streamed into the hot broth.
• Salt & Pepper. Salt and pepper to taste are added to the soup.
• Green Onions. Sliced green onions are traditional in to top off egg drop soup.

How to Make this Recipe

1. Bring ingredients to simmer. Heat broth, frozen vegetables, soy sauce, sesame oil, turmeric (if using), garlic, and ginger in a pot over medium-high heat until simmering.
2. Add slurry. Mix cornstarch and water to make a slurry, then add it to the simmering soup while stirring.

3. Add eggs. Reduce the heat so the soup is no longer bubbling and gently pour whisked eggs into the soup, stirring slowly. Let the eggs sit for a few second to set. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Garnish & Serve. Serve immediately, garnish with sliced green onions and optional toppings like chili oil, crushed red pepper, sesame seeds, and sliced garlic scapes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Expert Tips

• Add some extra protein. If you’d like to add extra protein to make the soup a little heartier, try adding chicken, tofu, or shrimp!
• Use whatever veggies you have on hand. I like to use corn, peas, and carrots in this egg drop soup with vegetables, but the possibilities are endless! Use whatever vegetables you have in your freezer or fridge. Other good vegetable options for this soup are spinach, bok choy, Napa cabbage, snow peas, mushrooms, or shallots.  
• Make your soup thicker. If you like an extra thick egg drop soup all you need to do is add more cornstarch to your slurry. You can even do this after the eggs are cooked if you decide you’d like it thicker at the end.
• Thick or Thin egg ribbons. I like my egg ribbons on the thicker side, for this it is best to add the eggs while the broth is hot, but not boiling, stirring slowly. If you like thinner egg ribbons you can add the eggs while the soup is simmering, while stirring quickly.

Substitutions and Variations

• Add more soy sauce. If you want it saltier, instead of adding salt, try adding a little more soy sauce.
• Swap the Broth. Chicken broth is the most common broth used in egg drop soup, however you can use vegetable broth if you want it to be vegetarian or that is what you have on hand.
• Use coconut or liquid aminos. Instead of soy sauce you can use coconut aminos or liquid aminos. These options have a similar flavor to soy sauce, though they are not as high in sodium so you may need to add more salt.
• Substitute cornstarch. You can replace the cornstarch with arrowroot powder straight across, no changes to the amount added are needed.

How to Store this Recipe

This soup is best served fresh. Any egg drop soup with vegetables leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and rewarmed in the microwave or on the stove. I do not recommend you freeze this soup.

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