Sweetcorn and egg soup

Name: Sweetcorn and egg soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 17 min
Ingredients: 400 g sweet corn, frozen or canned kernels, half blended to a purée; 900 ml vegetable stock; ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp white pepper; 2 tbsp cornstarch; 2 eggs, beaten; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 1 spring onion, sliced; 150 g chicken breast, finely minced (optional)

Non-vegetarian

粟米羹 · sù mǐ gēng

A velvety, slightly sweet soup of corn kernels and creamed corn in vegetable stock, swirled with egg ribbons — a Cantonese family favourite.

Sweetcorn and egg soup is a Cantonese soup from China, ready in about 17 minutes and made with sweet corn and egg. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 12 min
Total: 17 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 160

Ingredients

4 servings

400 g Sweet corn (opens in a new tab), frozen or canned kernels, half blended to a purée
900 ml Vegetable stock (opens in a new tab)Swap: Chicken stock
½ tsp (3 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
¼ tsp (0.5 g) White pepper (opens in a new tab)
2 tbsp (16 g) Cornstarch (opens in a new tab)Mixed with 4 tbsp cold water.
2 (100 g) Eggs (opens in a new tab), beatenContains eggs
1 tsp (4.5 g) Toasted sesame oil (opens in a new tab)Contains sesame
1 (15 g) Spring onion (opens in a new tab), sliced
150 g Chicken breast (opens in a new tab), finely minced (optional)Add with the stock for the chicken-and-sweetcorn version.

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Blend half the corn (opens in a new tab) with a little of the stock until smooth.
- 2 min
- Blender (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Bring the rest of the stock, the purée and the whole kernels to a boil with the salt and pepper (and the chicken, if using). Simmer for 5 minutes.
- 7 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: If adding chicken, simmer until it is cooked through and white.
3
Step 3
Stir in the cornstarch (opens in a new tab) mixture and simmer until thickened.
- 1 min
- medium heat
4
Step 4
Lower the heat, drizzle in the egg (opens in a new tab) while stirring slowly, then finish with sesame oil (opens in a new tab) and spring onion (opens in a new tab).
- 1 min
- low heat

About this dish

Origin: Guangdong, China · Commonly attributedAlso popular in United Kingdom, MalaysiaMore food from China
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Soups
Cooking method: Simmered, Blended
Taste: sweet, mild, creamy
Diet: Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labels
Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat
Without the optional extras: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, PescatarianWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Budget-friendly · Child-friendly · One-pot · Everyday
Cook more with: Sweet corn · Egg · Vegetable stock · White pepper · Cornstarch · Toasted sesame oil
Techniques: Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

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

160 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 360 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 16%
Carbohydrate 58%
Fat 26%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	160 kcal	44 kcal
Protein	7 g	2 g
Carbohydrate	25 g	6.9 g
Net carbohydrate	22.8 g	6.3 g
Sugars	7.7 g	2.1 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	2.2 g	0.6 g
Fat	5 g	1.4 g
Saturated fat	1.3 g	0.4 g
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	93 mg	26 mg
Sodium	1009 mg	280 mg
Salt equivalent	2.5 g	0.7 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 358 mg
Calcium: 26 mg
Iron: 1.2 mg
Magnesium: 43 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 78 µg
Vitamin C: 8 mg
Vitamin D: 0.5 µg
Vitamin B12: 0.2 µg
Folate (DFE): 56 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: chicken breast.
“—” 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

Creamed corn from a tin can replace the blended half of the kernels.

Common mistakes

Pouring the egg into rapidly boiling soup makes it scramble into lumps — lower the heat first.

Serve with

A gentle start to a Chinese meal or a light supper with bread.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Reheating

Reheat gently without boiling hard.

Variations

Chicken and sweetcorn soup: Add finely minced chicken breast and use chicken stock.

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

Sweet corn, frozen or canned kernels, half blended to a purée400 g
Egg, beaten2 piece · 100 g
Chicken breast, finely minced (optional)150 g

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

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

Egg drop soup
Chinese · 11 min · 168 kcal
Wonton soup
Cantonese · 55 min · 508 kcal
Egg fried rice
Chinese · 13 min · 601 kcal · Contains egg
Hot and sour soup
Chinese · 30 min · 267 kcal