This delicious Whole30-compatible simple egg drop soup can be made in about 5 minutes from start to finish! It’s perfect for any meal of the day!

A bowl of egg drop soup topped with Kalua Pig, chives, and peppers.

My favorite cold weather dish!

When sweater weather starts, I gravitate towards steaming bowls of soup rather than sickly-sweet pumpkin-y stuff. I know—I’m in the minority, but hear me out: I’m going to share a super easy egg drop soup recipe that you can make in a flash. Well, provided that you have some bone broth and eggs.

What is egg drop soup?

Egg drop soup is a popular takeout staple at Chinese restaurants made with wispy beaten eggs in chicken broth.  It’s normally seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper, thickened with a cornstarch slurry, and garnished with chopped green onions. Because the soup is filled with beautiful egg ribbons that resemble flowers, it’s also known as egg flower soup.

A simple and nourishing egg drop soup!

My healthier spin of this classic soup is packed with eggy goodness, gluten-free, and Whole30-compatible. Traditional egg drop soup usually features a larger proportion of broth to egg, but not mine: I stir in one egg for each single serving. Feel free to increase the amount of broth if you prefer it less egg-y. And if you’re cooking for more than one, just multiply the ingredient amounts by the number of desired servings, and use a bigger pot. Whatever floats your boat is good with me. I’m easy like that.

So grab your broth and eggs, and find out how to get a hearty bowl of soup in your belly in about 5 minutes (or however long it takes for your broth to boil).

The best bone broth

The soup will only taste as good as your soup base so make sure you have a tasty bone broth on hand.

No bone broth? Make a fast batch in your pressure cooker or dump some bones in your slow cooker and freeze the broth into icy pucks so you always have some when you need it.

Or buy some. I love Butcher’s Organic Chicken Bone Broth from Roli Roti and I stock up on it at San Francisco Bay Area Costco stores. It’s super gelatinous, unsalted, and less than $5 a bottle!

A side view of simple egg drop soup in a bowl with no garnishes.

Ingredients

  • Bone broth or chicken broth: I prefer to use chicken bone broth in place of regular chicken stock or broth because it adds extra protein and collagen.
  • Large egg
  • Red Boat fish sauce (optional, but I always use it to boost umami)
  • Umami Stir-Fry Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt: I love using my Umami Stir-Fry Powder because it adds so much more oomph (e.g. salt, dried shiitake mushrooms, garlic, onion, ginger, green onion, and white pepper) to the soup and makes it taste like my mom’s version!
  • Ground white pepper (optional): If you’re using my Umami Stir-Fry Powder, there’s no need to add it because it’s already in there!
  • Green onion, thinly sliced (optional)
  • Cilantro leaves (optional)
  • Hot chili peppers, thinly sliced (optional)
  • Leftover Kalua Pig: the easiest and tastiest way to make this soup into a hearty, protein-packed meal. I always crisp it up in the pan before topping the soup!

How to make egg drop soup

In a small saucepan, bring your bone broth to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Flavor it with fish sauce and/or Umami Stir-Fry Powder or salt to taste. Remember: it’s only as savory as you make it.

Boiling broth in a small saucepan over a gas stovetop.

Crack the egg in a small bowl and season with a few additional drops of fish sauce and a pinch of Umami Stir-Fry Powder or salt.

An overhead shot of a raw egg in a bowl with some fish sauce and salt.

Whisk well with a fork.

Beating a raw egg in a white bowl with a fork.

Remove the bone broth from the heat and stir the soup with a heat-proof spatula as you slowly pour in the whisked egg.

Pouring a raw whisked egg into a small saucepan with simmering broth.

The egg drizzle should cook on contact with the hot liquid even though you’ve removed the saucepan from the heat. The eggs should be soft and wispy rather than overcooked and chunky (ick!). Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If you’re going to add some ground white pepper do it now—a little goes a long way!

A closeup of egg drop soup in a saucepan.

Transfer or ladle the soup to a bowl. (I won’t tell anyone if you use the same bowl that you whisked your egg in.)

Pouring egg drop soup from a small saucepan into a blue bowl.

How to garnish egg drop soup

The soup tastes delicious as-is, but you can fancy it up with your favorite add-ins. My favorite garnishes include minced green onions or chives, cilantro leaves, and sliced spicy peppers (like red jalapeños!).

A bowl of egg drop soup topped with scallions, cilantro, and red peppers.

If you want to make it even heartier, you can add some leftover Kalua Pig (or another cooked protein) and/or your favorite cooked veggies (e.g. mushrooms, broccoli, etc.). Here’s to a delicious and flu-free winter! (Or at least a manageable sniffle season.)

A bowl of egg drop soup topped with Kalua Pig, chives, and peppers.

How to save leftovers

You probably won’t have leftovers if you’re making one serving, but if you make a big batch you can store the leftover soup in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).


PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Simple Egg Drop Soup

4.77 from 26 votes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Servings 1 serving
This delicious Whole30-friendly simple egg drop soup can be made in about 5 minutes from start to finish! It’s perfect for any meal of the day!

Ingredients  

  • 1½  cups bone broth or chicken broth
  • 1 large egg
  • Red Boat fish sauce optional, but I always use it to boost umami
  • Umami Stir-Fry Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • ground white pepper optional (no need to add it if using Umami Stir-Fry Powder)
  • 1 scallion thinly sliced (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves optional
  • hot chili peppers thinly sliced (optional)
  • Instant Pot Kalua Pork (optional topping) crisp it up in a frying pan first!
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Instructions 

  • In a small saucepan, bring your bone broth to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Flavor it with fish sauce and/or Umami Stir Fry Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt to taste. Remember: it’s only as savory as you make it.
  • Crack the egg in a small bowl and season with a few additional drops of fish sauce and a pinch of Umami Stir-Fry Powder or salt. Whisk well with a fork.
  • Remove the bone broth from the heat and stir the soup with a heat-proof spatula as you slowly pour in the whisked egg. The egg should cook on contact with the hot liquid even though you’ve removed the saucepan from the heat. The eggs should be soft and wispy rather than overcooked and chunky (ick!).
  • Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If you're using ground white pepper, add it now—a little goes a long way. Transfer the soup to a bowl and garnish with your favorite add-ins!
  • The soup tastes delicious as-is, but you can fancy it up with your favorite add-ins. My favorite garnishes include sliced green onions or chives, cilantro leaves, and hot chili peppers. If you want to make it even heartier, you can add some leftover Kalua Pig (or another cooked protein) and/or your favorite cooked veggies (e.g. mushrooms, broccoli, etc.).

Video

Notes

  • I know there aren’t exact amounts for the seasoning in this soup but that’s because the amounts are dependent on how salty your soup base is and your personal taste. Season, taste, and adjust as needed!
  • You probably won’t have leftovers if you’re making one serving, but if you make a big batch you can store the leftover soup in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.

Nutrition

Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 4g | Fiber: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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Recipe Rating




6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is so easy, and it’s delicious. I made it on a rainy day and it hit the spot. Because I also love congee but didn’t want to wait for it, I “congee-fied” the soup by putting 1/2 cup of cooked rice in my bowl first, then poured my soup over it. MMMmmmm comfort in a bowl. Thanks, Michelle!

  2. 5 stars
    This is a quick, simple & tasty dish. My only change, because I prefer it thick & chunky, is to stir in a slurry of arrowroot powder and water prior to stirring the egg in.

  3. 5 stars
    I saw this recipe yesterday and knew it would be perfect for dinner this rainy cold evening. I had a pound of Nom Nom Kailua Pig in the freezer and all the other ingredients (with subs) in the fridge and pantry. I used the Stir Fry powder in addition to the Red Boat to taste, and we topped with fermented peppers and scallions with the broiled pork. It was absolutely delightful and the dinner taabel was unusually silent because it was more important to enjoy the comfort tastes then to talk. ( I will confess to using 2 cups bone broth and 2 eggs, well, because – and the texture was wonderfully velvety and smooth). I highly recommend – this is a recipe you can make your own and you will be sure to make it again and again!

  4. 5 stars
    I saw this recipe yesterday and knew it would be perfect for dinner this rainy cold evening. I had a pound of Nom Nom Kailua Pig in the freezer and all the other ingredients (with subs) in the fridge and pantry. I used the Stir Fry powder in addition to the Red Boat to taste, and we topped with fermented peppers and scallions along with the broiled pork. It was absolutely delightful and the dinner table was unusually silent because it was too tasty to talk. (I will confess to using 2 cups bone broth and 2 eggs, well, because – and the texture was wonderfully velvety and smooth). I highly recommend – this is a recipe you can make your own and you will make it again and again! (I would have topped with cilantro, but WFs was out!!) The video accompanying the recipe was helpful too.

  5. 5 stars
    I made this soup with organic vegetable broth since I had some left over from another recipe and needed to use it up. Worked very well – quick and easy to do.