This easy Vegan Egg Drop Soup recipe is ready in 20 minutes! It's a plant-based remake that captures all the flavor and essence of the original version. (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free option.)
I'm so excited to share this delicious "egg" drop soup! It's a plant-based alternative that captures all the flavor and character of the original version. Plus it's quick, easy, and ready in 20 minutes!
This recipe holds a special place in my heart. When I was a kid, egg drop soup was my favorite dish to order when visiting Chinese restaurants (or takeout). So I'm thrilled to have this veganized version that I can make right at home now. It tastes just as scrumptious and authentic as the original!
We mimic the egg ribbons with silken tofu. It has a similar color and texture, so it works perfectly. You can also expand the soup with other veggies or flavors if you'd like. I'd love to hear if you give it a try!
Ingredients for Vegan Egg Drop Soup
For this recipe, you'll heat in a medium pot on the stove:
- Silken tofu: This is a shelf stable (non-refrigerated) type of tofu that I find in the Asian food section of the grocery store. Silken tofu comes in soft, firm, and extra-firm. I've used each one in this soup at various times and they all work. But I do prefer firm or extra-firm for the egg substitute here. (Just a heads up that silken tofu used to come in 12-ounce packages, but the ones I find now are about 10.8 ounces. Either one works.) Soft silken tofu works as well, but I find it's too soft to create the ribbons so I just crumble it all instead.
- Vegetable broth
- Tamari: Or you can substitute soy sauce, but I use tamari for gluten-free.
- Toasted sesame oil: Just a half teaspoon adds tasty depth of flavor, but you can easily omit this for an oil-free version.
- Ground turmeric: Some classic recipes use food coloring to achieve the yellow broth. I'm not a fan of that, so we'll use a little ground turmeric to naturally achieve the vibrant yellow color instead. (I can't taste the turmeric in the soup - it's purely for appearance.) Turmeric can stain, so use cautiously.
- Green onions: Also called scallions, these add a mild onion taste to the soup.
- Green peas: I use frozen green sweet peas for convenience. These are optional, so feel free to leave them out. Some restaurants included them, and I grew quite fond of them in my egg drop soup.
- Cornstarch or arrowroot powder: Either one works great! This is what thickens the broth.
- Kala namak: Also called black salt. This adds the eggy flavor, so I don't recommend leaving it out. Cooking dulls the flavor of it, so we'll stir it right before serving. (I haven't been able to find kala namak at any of our local grocery stores, so I purchase mine online.)
- Black pepper: You can add some black pepper to taste before serving. The classic ingredient is white pepper (which has a more earthy flavor) but I don't usually have that on hand, so I use standard black pepper instead.
Customizing
Tofu ribbons: I usually do a mixture of ribbons and crumbles (as shown in the photo above). Use gentle pressure with a vegetable peeler to shave off some thin slices. Then I crumble the rest or anything I can't shave. If you don't want to fuss with the ribbons, just crumble it all and go! It tastes just as great that way too.
Veggies: Expand this soup with mushrooms, carrot, zucchini, sweet corn, baby spinach, or anything else that sounds good.
Flavor variations: I like the classic version best, but you can stir in other spices to the mixture like freshly grated ginger (or ground ginger), mushroom powder, garlic powder, a splash of rice wine vinegar, or red pepper flakes for some heat.
Thickness: You can adjust the consistency to your liking! For a thinner soup, use one or two tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot. Or for a thicker soup, use three tablespoons or even more.
Refrigerated silken tofu: I've also used this in place of shelf stable tofu, because I can find an organic option. However it usually comes in a 16 oz. package so I either slightly increase the other ingredients, or just keep them as written for an extra-eggy version. The refrigerated silken tofu I find is quite soft so I just crumble it all rather than making some ribbons.
Serving
Serve small bowls of this soup as an appetizer or side dish paired with your favorite Asian-inspired meals. (Like this Rainbow Veggie Fried Rice!) Or you can enjoy larger servings of it for lunch or a light dinner. (I often make it in the mornings for breakfast as well - so good!)
Storing
Allow the soup to cool completely, then store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I find it keeps for about 3-4 days (but it never seems to last that long)! Simply reheat in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
For more inspiration, also browse all vegan soup recipes or Asian-inspired recipes.
Vegan Egg Drop Soup (Easy!)
Ingredients
- 10.8 oz. silken tofu*
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 Tbsp. tamari
- 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil (omit for oil-free)
- 1/8 tsp. ground turmeric (or more)
- 3/4 cup green peas (I use frozen)
- 2 green onions
- 3 Tbsp. cornstarch (or arrowroot)
- 1/2 tsp. kala namak
- Black pepper to taste (or white pepper)
Instructions
- Remove the silken tofu from the package. Using a vegetable peeler with gentle pressure, shave off thin slices to create some tofu ribbons if desired. Crumble the rest with your hands. (We're not looking for perfection here, so have fun with the unique shapes and sizes. Peel what you can, and crumble the rest.) Then set it aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the broth, tamari, sesame oil (optional), turmeric, and peas. Bring to a light boil.
- Meanwhile, slice the green onions. Add to the saucepan.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch (or arrowroot) with 1/3 cup cool water.
- Once the broth is lightly boiling, re-whisk the cornstarch slurry and add it to the pan. Heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring often, until broth is slightly thickened.
- Then reduce heat to medium and add the silken tofu. Heat for 3-4 minutes until warmed through.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the kala namak and black pepper to taste. Serve warm. (Feel free to add a dash more kala namak to your serving bowl for a bolder "eggy" taste.)
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium content: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
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J says
A+