Egg drop soup

Name: Egg drop soup
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 11 min
Ingredients: 1000 ml chicken stock; 5 g fresh ginger, sliced (optional); ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp white pepper; 1½ tbsp cornstarch; 3 eggs, beaten; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 2 spring onions, thinly sliced

Non-vegetarian

蛋花湯 · dàn huā tāng

A light, gently thickened chicken broth with silky ribbons of egg, seasoned with white pepper and sesame oil — ready in ten minutes.

Egg drop soup is a Chinese soup from China, ready in about 11 minutes and made with chicken stock and egg. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

A close-up shot of egg drop soup with a white spoon in a white bowl. — Photo: Jahra Tasfia Reza / Pexels · Pexels License

Prep: 3 min
Cook: 8 min
Total: 11 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 168

Ingredients

4 servings

1000 ml Chicken stock (opens in a new tab)Swap: Vegetable stock
5 g Fresh ginger (opens in a new tab), sliced (optional)
½ tsp (3 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)Adjust to your stock.
¼ tsp (0.5 g) White pepper (opens in a new tab)
1½ tbsp (12 g) Cornstarch (opens in a new tab)Mixed with 3 tbsp cold water.
3 (150 g) Eggs (opens in a new tab), beatenContains eggs
1 tsp (4.5 g) Toasted sesame oil (opens in a new tab)Contains sesame
2 (30 g) Spring onions (opens in a new tab), thinly sliced

Equipment

Saucepan (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Bring the stock to a simmer with the ginger, salt and white pepper (opens in a new tab).
- 4 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Stir in the cornstarch (opens in a new tab) mixture and simmer for a minute until lightly thickened.
- 1 min
- medium heat
3
Step 3
Stir the soup in one direction to make a whirlpool and slowly pour in the egg (opens in a new tab) in a thin stream. Leave for 10 seconds, then stir gently to separate the ribbons.
- 1 min
- low heat
A thinner stream gives finer, more delicate egg flowers.
4
Step 4
Take the pan off the stove, drizzle with sesame oil (opens in a new tab) and scatter with spring onion (opens in a new tab). Serve while the egg (opens in a new tab) ribbons are still soft.
- 1 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: China · Well documentedAlso popular in United StatesMore food from China
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Soups
Cooking method: Simmered, Poached
Taste: mild, savoury, peppery
Diet: No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
With the listed swaps: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, PescatarianWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Budget-friendly · Everyday · One-pot · Child-friendly
Cook more with: Chicken stock · Egg · White pepper · Cornstarch · Toasted sesame oil · Spring onion
Techniques: Simmering · Poaching

Allergens

Contains: Eggsfrom egg
Contains: Sesamefrom toasted sesame oil
May contain: Celeryfrom chicken stock

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

168 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 300 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 27%
Carbohydrate 30%
Fat 42%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	168 kcal	56 kcal
Protein	11.2 g	3.7 g
Carbohydrate	12.5 g	4.2 g
Net carbohydrate	12.2 g	4.1 g
Sugars	4.3 g	1.4 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	0.3 g	0.1 g
Fat	7.7 g	2.6 g
Saturated fat	2.1 g	0.7 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	147 mg	49 mg
Sodium	704 mg	234 mg
Salt equivalent	1.8 g	0.6 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 335 mg
Calcium: 35 mg
Iron: 1.3 mg
Magnesium: 16 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 66 µg
Vitamin C: 2 mg
Vitamin D: 0.8 µg
Vitamin B12: 0.3 µg
Folate (DFE): 35 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: fresh ginger.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Pour the egg from a height in a thin stream for fine, silky ribbons; pour faster for larger flakes.
The soup is only as good as the stock — taste and season it well before adding the egg.

Common mistakes

Stirring vigorously right after adding the egg, which makes it cloudy instead of ribboned.

Serve with

Add silken tofu, tomato or sweetcorn for a more substantial soup.

Storage

Best eaten fresh.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Egg, beaten3 piece · 150 g

Used in step 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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