Vegan Egg Drop Soup
Finally, a vegan egg drop soup recipe that accomplishes the light and wispy texture of the classic, Chinese soup, without the use of real eggs!
Egg drop soup is a classic Chinese soup that can accompany any meal. Like the name implies, the soup incorporates beaten eggs in its broth to make up the soup’s unique and wispy texture.
It’s so good and definitely something I always, always order if I see it on the menu. But I never thought it would be just as easy to make it at home – especially vegan!
This vegan egg drop soup recipe is super easy to throw together and tastes exactly like the real thing, even without the key ingredient! If you’re skeptical that you can make perfect egg drop soup sans eggs, prepare to be proven wrong.
The Secret is Silken Tofu
Silken tofu is the softest tofu you can get – yes, even softer than “soft tofu.”
It has a silky (obviously) texture that falls apart easily and melts in your mouth. While you can probably get away with using soft tofu in this recipe, the texture of silken tofu is almost indistinguishable from eggs in this vegan egg drop soup.
Silken tofu can be found next to the rest of the tofu in the refrigerated section, and it’s particularly easier to find in Asian grocery stores. However, sometimes grocery stores will carry it in a place you may not expect: on the shelf not in the refrigerated section!
Silken tofu can sometimes be found on the shelf in the Asian food section, if you can’t find it next to the regular tofu. This tofu is in aseptic boxes and it’s actually shelf stable for over a year.
You can even find silken tofu on Amazon, if you can’t find it in stores!
Again, using whatever tofu you have available to you will work just fine, but if you really want to fool your nonvegan friends who love a good egg drop soup, silken tofu is the way to go.
How to Make Vegan Egg Drop Soup
To make the best vegan egg drop soup, you’re going to need the following ingredients:
- 5 cups warm water
- 2 tbsp Vegetarian Chicken Better than Bouillon (or sub 5 cups veggie broth)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 8 oz silken tofu
- 1 medium carrot finely diced
- ½ cup frozen corn roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp white pepper
- Green onions optional for topping
For the veggies, start by peeling and finely dicing the carrots, then roughly chop the frozen corn. Corn and carrots are often used in egg drop soup for texture, but are ultimately optional if you’re not a fan of either! Set aside.
Next, prepare the silken tofu. Because the wispy ribbons of eggs is the signature of egg drop soup, you’re going to need a vegetable peeler and a little bit of patience! In order to get the “egg ribbon” texture, simply use the vegetable peeler to “peel” the block of silken tofu into ribbons as best as you can.
Now, I can almost guarantee this will not come out perfect. Tofu is so soft and fragile, it will definitely break apart and be messy. Just do the best you can to slice the tofu with the peeler, and it will come out great in the end!
Then, it’s time to saute. Heat a tablespoon of sesame oil in a large pot on medium-high heat, and add the diced carrots and corn. Saute the veggies for a couple of minutes, not letting them brown or burn.
Next, add the water. After a few minutes of sauteing, add 5 cups of warm water to the pot, then whisk in the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch until it completely dissolves.
For the “chicken” broth, add 2 tablespoons of Vegetarian Chicken Better than Bouillon. Egg drop soup is traditionally made with chicken broth so it’s best to try to find a vegan chicken bouillon or cubes like the one I use here, but just use 5 cups of veggie broth if you don’t have any. Turn up heat to high and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low-medium, then whisk in the ground ginger, white pepper, and garlic powder.
Lastly, slowly stir in the “peeled” tofu, being careful to not break up the tofu too much. Let the soup simmer for 5 more minutes.
Top off with some chopped green onions and chili oil to taste. Enjoy!
Vegan Egg Drop Soup
Ingredients
- 5 cups warm water
- 2 tbsp Vegetarian Chicken Better than Bouillon (or sub 5 cups veggie broth)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 8 oz silken tofu
- 1 medium carrot peeled and finely diced
- ½ cup corns roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp white pepper
- Green onions optional for topping
Instructions
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Peel and finely dice the carrots, then roughly chop the frozen corn. Set aside.
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Using a vegetable peeler, try to carefully slice the block of tofu into ribbons. Do the best you can – it will get messy and they won’t come out perfect since silken tofu is extremely fragile, but slicing the tofu this way (however sloppy) best mimics the texture of eggs.
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Heat up the sesame oil in a large pot on medium-high heat, then add the diced carrots and corn. Saute the veggies for a couple of minutes, not letting them brown or burn.
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Add 5 cups of warm water to the pot, then whisk in the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch until it completely dissolves. Then add 2 tablespoons of Vegetarian Chicken Better than Bouillon (or just use 5 cups of veggie broth). Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil.
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Reduce heat to low-medium, then whisk in all the spices. Next, slowly stir in the “peeled” tofu, being careful to not break up the tofu too much. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
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Serve with chopped green onions and chili oil to taste.
Notes
Silken tofu: You can use soft tofu if you can’t find silken, but silken definitely works best at mimicking the texture of eggs! If you’re having a hard time finding it in stores, you can grab it on Amazon.
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