This vegan hot and sour soup is made with crispy tofu, bok choy and shiitake mushrooms, simmered up in a spicy, gingery broth.
My family didn't eat much Chinese food when I was growing up. I'd hang out with friends' families who'd take me to the Chinese buffets, where I'd simply stare, perplexed as to what could be in all of these strange looking food items, before settling on some wontons and egg rolls. Can't go wrong with fried stuff when you're a kid!
When I reached my late teens and early twenties, people began to assume I was well versed in the typical Chinese restaurant menu. Why wouldn't I be? Not only was Chinese food an American favorite, but I was a vegetarian, and that stuff was loaded with veggies. I'm a bit embarrassed to say that this was news to me.
So I went and I tried out a few of these Chinese places I'd been intimidated by for so long. I remained intimidated for a bit, and for a while I was too nervous to order anything but veggie lo mein. Eventually I branched out though. Hot and sour soup was one of my first shots at this. I loved hot, loved sour, and this soup had tofu! I was hooked, and this one has remained a favorite. When I lived in Philadelphia I would stop by an Asian market near my apartment, almost daily, and grab a quick cup for a dollar ninety-nine.
I eventually came up with my own recipe for vegan hot and sour soup, and it's been a lasting favorite. I start with a basic recipe, and add whatever veggies I happen to have a hankering for on that day. Carrots, water chestnuts, snow peas, and all sorts of greens go well. For this particular version I went with bok choy, which worked out excellently!
This post originally published on Connoisseurus Veg on May 9, 2013. Updated February 13, 2017.
Vegan Hot and Sour Soup with Bok Choy
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
- 8 ounces can bamboo shoots, sliced
- 1 14 ounce block of firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 medium bunch bok choy, green parts only, sliced into strips
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Asian chili paste, or to taste
- 1 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoons organic granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup cold water
- 6 scallions, sliced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- Toasted sesame seeds for topping, optional
Instructions
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Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for about one minute, being careful to avoid burning.
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Add broth, raise heat, and bring to boil. Lower heat and add mushrooms and bamboo shoots, and simmer for about ten minutes.
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While your broth simmers away, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add tofu and cook on each side until it begins to brown. Remove it from the pan and transfer to a plate.
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Once the broth has simmered for ten minutes, stir in the bok choy, vinegar, chili paste, soy sauce and sugar. Simmer an additional ten minutes. Taste test the broth and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
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Add tofu and cornstarch mixture into the broth, stir well, and remove from heat.
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Stir in the scallions and cilantro, setting just a bit of each aside.
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Ladle the soup into bowls and top with remaining scallions and cilantro, and optionally, a few sesame seeds.
Ksenia says
Fantastic soup! I built on this recipe and made it in the slow cooker last night. Great recipe - highly recommended, and going straight into my winter soups repertoire.
Alissa Saenz says
Oh nice! I've been meaning to break out the slow cooker for some of my soups. I'll have to give it a try next time I make this one. Glad you enjoyed it - thanks so much for sharing your results!!
Cat says
How do you do it in the slow cooker?? I wanna try it in mine!
Rhonda says
I recently tried hot and sour soup for the first time and was hoping you'd have a recipe for it! Maybe I sent you an ESP message. Can't wait to try it.
Alissa Saenz says
Awesome! I hope you enjoy my version!
Leo Tat says
Being Chinese myself, hot and sour soup is my favorite, Alissa. I like mine extra hot, so I'll take your recipe and add in some cayenne peppers too :)
Alissa Saenz says
I like my food extra spicy too, but end up toning most of my recipes down for my husband! Some cayenne sounds like a delicious addition. Enjoy!
Glenn CooksPlants says
So tasty for Saturday dinner for five. Really, you can chop up the white parts of the bok choy and throw that in too! Plain old white mushrooms were all I had on hand and were fine. A tablespoon of sriracha stood in for the Asian chili paste, and arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch for the thickener.
Alissa Saenz says
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Those all sound like great modifications too - I've used button mushrooms in a pinch as well. :) Thanks Glenn!
Sonja Karkinen says
Hi Alissa!
How do I make a low calorie version of vegan glass noodle soup for my boyfriend? I can't use oil and vegetable broth/bouillon cube because he wants to lose weight, but I need the soup to taste good when he comes home after his long exhausting evening shift.
Alissa Saenz says
Hi Sonja! Here's a link to my recipe for glass noodle soup. You can sauté the garlic and ginger in water instead of oil to reduce the calorie content. Vegetable broth isn't very high in calories, so that shouldn't be an issue, but if sodium is a concern you can use a low sodium variety. Another thing think you could try is using shirataki noodles instead of glass noodles. I hope that helps! Enjoy!!
Alice Tilles says
Just made this! I have never made hot and sour soup before. I thought it was delicious. I doubled all the flavoring-stuff/condiments, including the cornstarch. But it never thickened up, I'm not sure what went wrong (I ended up boiling it trying to 'activate' it but it only slightly worked??). My boyfriend didn't like it though. ... these are his complaints:
* It was too bland
* The tofu should be soft/boiled, not crunchy or rubbery (should I have used soft tofu instead?)
* It was too sweet ( I only put in the 1tbsp of granulated sugar though )
* It should have been redder
* There should have been more bok choy and mushrooms
* The bamboo shoots should not have been crunchy (I just bought them in a can, never had them before; were they supposed to soften more during the simmering process? They tasted fine to me)
* It wasn't thick enough (Fair)
He is quite picky but maybe people who have really high expectations shouldn't try making hot and sour soup at home :/
Jasmine Eacret says
Yummm this was a great recipe, i did add more seasonigs to taste. I wish it didnt take me so long to chop everything😝 if only i had helpful roommates.
Dink Fam
Alissa Saenz says
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Jasmine!!
Toni says
Dink Fam!!!
SD Ritchey says
Those "complaints clearly come from someone with a fixed idea of what a specific dish should be like.
So try this unless he refuses to give it a second try
It was too bland - Add sriracha
* The tofu should be soft/boiled, not crunchy or rubbery (should I have used soft tofu instead?) - try soft and cut pieces smaller
* It was too sweet ( I only put in the 1tbsp of granulated sugar though )- drop the sugar
* It should have been redder - sriracha will help that too
* There should have been more bok choy and mushrooms - so add them
* The bamboo shoots should not have been crunchy (I just bought them in a can, never had them before; were they supposed to soften more during the simmering process? They tasted fine to me)- you can cook them longer in the beginning, but many people like the additional texture of that "crunch"
* It wasn’t thick enough (Fair) - dd arrowroot and/or more cornstarch, that's easy.
Sam says
Is there a substitute for soy or could you leave it out completely? I’m allergic to soy but this recipe sounds too delicious to miss!
Alissa Saenz says
I think coconut aminos would be your best bet. Enjoy!
Nan says
I think she just needs a different boyfriend. One who cooks, and doesn’t complain. Winky face. I thought it was amazing soup. Perfect for New Years and trying to get back to clean eating.
Nan says
If you are not vegan, you could agg beaten egg, shrimp, pork or chicken. If vegan, leave out tofu and just have as a veggie soup.
Liah says
Did you see Jenna Marbles made a video about making this soup?
It's one of my favorites!!!
Alissa Saenz says
I did!! Her video actually sent me a BUNCH of traffic this week. It was pretty exciting. I'm glad it's one of your favorites too!!
Vada says
Funny enough that's exactly why I'm here!!!
Annie says
DINK FAM
Alissa Saenz says
YEAH!!
Abigail says
DINK DINK
amelia says
DINK DINK DINK
Alissa Saenz says
:)
lauren says
could i sub coconut oil or olive oil for the vegetable oil?
Alissa Saenz says
Yup!
Cynthia Masse says
Jenna Marbles sent me here and boy I am not disapointed. This soup tastes awesome. Thanks a lot. I'll sure come back for more of your recipes.
Alissa Saenz says
I'm so glad you like it!! Thanks Cynthia!
Holly Burmeister says
I only have chili garlic sauce on hand. Would that be an okay substitute for the chili paste? (And thanks Jenna Marbles for the recipe link!)
Alissa Saenz says
That should work just fine! Enjoy!
Hayleigh says
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62lpPNvscis&t=259s
A couple of famous Youtubers referenced your amazing soup :)
Alissa Saenz says
YES!! Is that awesome, or what!? I saw that, and got a ton of traffic from it!!
Liz says
It's really bizarre, I've never been a fan of hot and sour soup, EVER. But for some reason Jenna's video made it look so appealing I had to try it for myself. I might have cheated a little and added some rice to it, but I'm definitely hooked. Thank you!!
Alissa Saenz says
Yay!! That's awesome! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)
Amy says
We used bread as a side the first time but rice noodles are the best! Also we used black seaame (it was on sale)
Sara says
Jenna sent me here too! I can't wait to get my kitchen unpacked so I can make this!
Alissa Saenz says
Good luck unpacking and enjoy!!
rosie says
hi!! i also came here from jenna & would LOVE to make this soup, but I really don't like the taste of ginger. would you recommend leaving it out or would that make it miss a bit of punch? could it be replaced with anything? & i can't find coriander and bamboo shoots, could they be replaced with anything? thanks a lot!!!!
Alissa Saenz says
The ginger adds a lot of flavor, but if you don't like it I think you'd be fine to leave it out. And try water chestnuts and scallions to replace the bamboo shoots and cilantro. Enjoy!
rosie says
thanks a lot!! i was too impatient so i already made the soup, i left out the ginger and it was still immensely tasty! i added a little bit more of all the other spices. i also had some carrots left over which i added & which were very tasty!! great recipe :D (i made this all the way in the netherlands btw, isn't that cool? you added some ingredients together at the other side of the world & thought it tasted great, and then i recreated it all the way over there, i'm currently having the leftovers ^-^)
Alissa Saenz says
That IS awesome!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Rosie!
rosie says
hi Alissa, just wanted to come back and thank you again for this wonderful recipe!! I must've made it at least like 50 times since I last commented, it's one of my absolute all-time favourites and one of only two soups that I like! Huge thanks for all you do :)
Catherine says
Also via Jenna Marbles. I can’t wait to try this, it’s right up my street. I’m hoping I can store it in batches - have you tried freezing it? I also love my own version of pho, easy to prepare and take to work, all I need is a kettle! Do you have a pho recipe?
Alissa Saenz says
I haven't tried freezing it, but I think you could! And I do have a pho recipe (one of my favorites): https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/easy-vegan-pho/ Enjoy!
Mang says
Can this soup be frozen?
Alissa Saenz says
I haven't tried freezing it, but I think it would work! I'd love to hear how it works out if you try.
Courtney Kuzco says
I make huge batches of this soup and freeze it all the time, especially in the summer when I have fresh bok choy on hand. Works great, and it makes for a fantastic healthy (and quick) lunch when I freeze into smaller containers! Thanks so much for this recipe it's become one of my staples :)
Bri says
I made this for dinner tonight, it was absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing. Not vegan so I used chicken broth and also added shrimp. So much flavor, will definitely make again!
Alissa Saenz says
I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks Bri!
annette m says
LOVE IT!!
Alissa Saenz says
Yay!! I'm glad to hear it!
Nicole Taft says
Also here from Jenna's channel! Made it just the other night - pretty darn tasty! I have a friend who loves this soup, so I'm definitely sharing it with her!
Alissa Saenz says
Awesome!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Jen says
This was delicious! Made it with extra oyster mushrooms...thank you!
Alissa Saenz says
You are so welcome! And thanks for letting me know how it turned out. Enjoy!
Sharon says
Thanks so much for this recipe. I love hot and sour soup, especially when I'm sick, and I'm so glad to find a vegetarian version. I followed your recipe as written except that I didn't fry the tofu and it was delicious. I may even try this again with soft tofu and a little more corn starch because I like a silky texture to hot and sour soup.
Melanie says
This soup was so good! My family said it tasted like something you'd order at a restaurant because it was so gourmet and flavorful. I didn't have the Chinese chili sauce so I used sambal olek and it still turned out fine! Also portabella since I couldn't find shiitake mushrooms :( Even with the subs, it was so good. I'll make this again for sure!
Alissa Saenz says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much Melanie!
Samantha says
I personally love this recipe the way it is, but I cook for a family of four and three of them don’t like tofu or mushrooms. What kind of substitutes would anyone suggest to make the soup more filling without those two ingredients? (Also, we are not vegan or vegetarian, but I am trying to cook less meat and more veg.)
The recipe the way it is though is absolutely delicious. I loved the peppery taste of the bok choy with the texture of the fried tofu. The crunch of the bamboo shoots along with the delicious savory sweet broth made this dish an instant favorite of mine.
Alissa Saenz says
How about eggplant? I actually really love eggplant in Asian-inspired soups! Alternatively, you could use just about any type of veggies you like/have on hand - cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, etc. I'm glad you like the recipe!!
Lorelle P says
I LOVE this recipe!! I have a few slight moderations based on my own preferences (twice the tofu, no bamboo shoots and no cornstarch slurry) but I make it a couple of times a month. It's amazing for when you're sick or if it's just a cold winter day!!
Alissa Saenz says
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks Lorelle!
Sam sabel says
What can be used to substitute for chickpea? I am allergic and like a lot of these recipes but don’t know what to replace this with.
Alissa Saenz says
Hey Sam! It looks like you might have commented on the wrong recipe, as there's no chickpeas in this one. :)
Pinky says
Also came here after seeing Jenna and Julien's video. I've made this twice. I've decided I don't like canned bamboo sprouts, so I used water chestnuts and extra mushrooms, no cornstarch. So good, and so good for my chronic sinus congestion, lol.
Alissa Saenz says
I'm glad you like it!! Water chestnuts sound like a delicious addition!
Susannah says
Tried this recipe after watching Jenna’s video and It immediately went to the top of my favorite recipes list! Absolutely making it a regular meal at our house.
Alissa Saenz says
Yay! I'm so glad you like it!
Ashley says
This was basically AMAZING.
Alissa Saenz says
Yay! Glad you think so!
Paul says
Awesome recipe! We added bean sprouts and extra vinegar/soy sauce. I also love some extra heat so I add a dash of habanero powder into most of my food. Thank you for the recipe.
Alissa Saenz says
Sounds delicious! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Cassandra Williams says
First time making Hot and Sour Soup and loved it!
Alissa Saenz says
Yay! So happy to hear that!
Emily says
Amazing recipe! This is a regular recipe in our house.
Pinky says
I've been making this soup fairly regularly since discovering the recipe. Unfortunately, due to the current situation, bok choy is unavailable, as are Swiss chard and Chinese cabbage (suggested substitutes for bok choy). I have frozen vegetables but am kind of leery of adding broccoli, cauliflower or spinach. Have you used any of these?
Alissa Saenz says
Glad you're enjoying the soup! I haven't tried any of them, but I think broccoli or cauliflower would work well. I'd love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
Pinky says
Update: Hi, Pinky again. I ended up making the soup with twice as many mushrooms as the recipe requires, water chestnuts, and (sob) no bok choy. I've decided to grow bok choy in a container so I won't experience withdrawal again, lol. I have fresh kale but decided not to risk it. I used about half as much chili sauce since the bok choy seems to absorb a lot of the spiciness. I always marinate the tofu in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and red pepper before sauteing it. I find it adds a lot of flavor to the finished product. Anyway, this was just about the best batch of hot and sour soup I've made using this recipe yet. Everyone, take care and stay healthy and safe.
Alayna says
This is honestly the best soup I have ever had in my life! I left out the cilantro and added more bok choy and mushrooms. Best soup ever!! Thank you so much for sharing this yumminess!! ❤
Chelsea says
This is amazing!!!!
I left out the bamboo shoots, but everything else was true to the recipe and it's fantastic!
I wish I could post a picture.
Jessica says
Made this tonight exactly as written, and it turned out perfectly. Yuuuum!!
Emily Green says
This hot and sour soup is one of my all-time faves! I make it regularly. Such incredibly good flavor. I share this recipe with everyone I know! I also ALWAYS double it! ;)
Stephanie says
This is the best soup recipe ever!!!
Bryan says
Just made this for the first time. Good shit! Thanks
Laurel Dhalla says
Excellent recipe!! Thank you for posting, our whole family loves it! I had to use sriracha for the chili sauce and regular onion for the green onion, but oh my! How delicious!