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.
📖 Recipe
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
- 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.
- Add broth, raise heat, and bring to boil. Lower heat and add mushrooms and bamboo shoots, and simmer for about ten minutes.
- 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.
- 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.
- Add tofu and cornstarch mixture into the broth, stir well, and remove from heat.
- Stir in the scallions and cilantro, setting just a bit of each aside.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with remaining scallions and cilantro, and optionally, a few sesame seeds.
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This is now my favorite Hot and Sour recipe! (Out of many I've made and saved over the years).
Only change I made was to sub sliced Daring for the tofu.
Such a warm, cozy, commenting and delicious soup.
Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely amazing recipe, thank you! Seriously beautiful flavours. This soup is one I love love LOVE to make and have made often (although never quite remember the chili paste/vinegar/soy sauce ratio so have to come back to remind myself, haha). Looking forward to trying more recipes..:)
(and big thanks to Jenna Marbles, too, for pointing me to this site back then <3 )
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!
Just made this for the first time. Good shit! Thanks
This is the best soup recipe ever!!!
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! ;)
Made this tonight exactly as written, and it turned out perfectly. Yuuuum!!
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.
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!! ❤
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.
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?
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!
Amazing recipe! This is a regular recipe in our house.
First time making Hot and Sour Soup and loved it!
Yay! So happy to hear that!
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.
Sounds delicious! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
This was basically AMAZING.
Yay! Glad you think so!
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.
Yay! I'm so glad you like it!
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.
I'm glad you like it!! Water chestnuts sound like a delicious addition!
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.
Hey Sam! It looks like you might have commented on the wrong recipe, as there's no chickpeas in this one. :)
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!!
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks Lorelle!
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.
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!!
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!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much Melanie!
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.
This was delicious! Made it with extra oyster mushrooms...thank you!
You are so welcome! And thanks for letting me know how it turned out. Enjoy!
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!
Awesome!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
LOVE IT!!
Yay!! I'm glad to hear it!
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!
I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks Bri!
Can this soup be frozen?
I haven't tried freezing it, but I think it would work! I'd love to hear how it works out if you try.
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 :)
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?
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!
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!!!!
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!
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 ^-^)
That IS awesome!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Rosie!
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 :)
Jenna sent me here too! I can't wait to get my kitchen unpacked so I can make this!
Good luck unpacking and enjoy!!
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!!
Yay!! That's awesome! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)
We used bread as a side the first time but rice noodles are the best! Also we used black seaame (it was on sale)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62lpPNvscis&t=259s
A couple of famous Youtubers referenced your amazing soup :)
YES!! Is that awesome, or what!? I saw that, and got a ton of traffic from it!!
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!)
That should work just fine! Enjoy!
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.
I'm so glad you like it!! Thanks Cynthia!
could i sub coconut oil or olive oil for the vegetable oil?
Yup!
DINK FAM
YEAH!!
DINK DINK
DINK DINK DINK
:)
Did you see Jenna Marbles made a video about making this soup?
It's one of my favorites!!!
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!!
Funny enough that's exactly why I'm here!!!
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!
I think coconut aminos would be your best bet. Enjoy!
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.
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.
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 :/
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
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Jasmine!!
Dink Fam!!!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!!
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 :)
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!
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.
Awesome! I hope you enjoy my version!
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.
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!!
How do you do it in the slow cooker?? I wanna try it in mine!