This vegan egg drop soup is made with strips of silken tofu that mimic delicate egg ribbons perfectly, suspended in a savory, sesame-scented broth. It’s cozy, satisfying, and comes together in about fifteen minutes!
There's just something so comforting about classic egg drop soup, which is why I've wanted to create a vegan version of it forever! But nailing those delicate eggy ribbons without using actual eggs? That part proved tricky. I experimented with a few different methods, and wouldn’t you know it … the answer was tofu all along. I should have guessed! Tofu works so well as an egg alternative in dishes like my vegan quiche, vegan scrambled eggs, and vegan frittata.
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In this soup you'll be recreating those classic eggy ribbons in traditional egg drop soup by thinly slicing up silken tofu using a vegetable peeler. That's right! The technique, which I'll get into below, yields super thin, delicate strips that you'd never guess were actually made of tofu.
This soup is simple, comforting, and comes together in no time!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Silken tofu. Silken tofu comes in both refrigerated and shelf-stable varieties. Some brands also offer it in different firmness levels, such as soft, firm, and super-firm. For this recipe, it really doesn't matter what kind you use. With it being sliced up so thinly, you won't notice much of a difference.
- Vegetable broth.
- Soy sauce. Need an alternative? Try tamari or liquid aminos.
- Toasted sesame oil. You can find this in the international aisle of most grocery stores.
- Turmeric. This is purely for adding yellow color to the soup. You won't taste it at all, and you're welcome to skip it if the look of your soup doesn't matter.
- White pepper. You can find this in the spice aisle of most grocery stores. Feel free to substitute black pepper if that's what's available.
- Water.
- Cornstarch.
- Scallions.
- Kala namak. Also known as black salt, this optional seasoning contains lots of sulfur, so it's great for making things taste like eggs. You can find it in most Indian grocery stores.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Prepare your silken tofu. Place the block on a cutting board, then run a vegetable peeler over it repeatedly to create strips. They'll be messy and uneven. This is fine! The egg ribbons in egg drop soup certainly aren't uniform.
Step 2: Prepare the broth. Add it to a pot with the soy sauce, sesame oil, turmeric and white pepper. Heat it to a boil.
Step 3: Make the cornstarch slurry. Stir the cornstarch together with ice cold water. This is your thickener for the soup.
Step 4: Thicken the soup. Once the broth boils, slowly drizzle in the cornstarch slurry while stirring.
Step 5: Finish the soup. Stir in the sliced tofu and chopped scallions, along with the kala namak, if you're using it.
Your vegan egg drop soup is ready to enjoy! Ladle into bowls and dig in!
Variations
- Corn egg drop soup. Add a half to one cup of thawed frozen corn kernels to the soup at the same time as the tofu and scallions.
- Mushroom egg drop soup. Sauté some thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps in a bit of oil, until browned, then add them to the soup with the tofu and scallions.
- Spicy egg drop soup. To add some heat, season the soup with some chili oil or hot sauce, such as sriracha, to taste.
- Ginger garlic egg drop soup. For a flavor punch, sauté a clove or two of minced garlic and a couple teaspoons of freshly grated ginger in some oil for about thirty seconds before adding broth to the pot.
Frequently Asked Questions
It certainly can! Simply substitute gluten-free tamari for the soy sauce.
Very well! They'll be good in an airtight container in the fridge for three to four days. I don't recommend freezing this soup, though, as this can mess with the texture of both the tofu and the broth.
I don't recommend it. Silken tofu has a texture that's much closer to eggs, and you won't be able to achieve the same delicate ribbons with other varieties of tofu.
It's great on it's own, or paired with some other vegan Chinese dishes. Try it with vegan fried rice, tofu dumplings, baked spring rolls, or scallion pancakes.
More Asian-Inspired Soups
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Egg Drop Soup
Ingredients
- 1 (12 ounce/340 gram) package silken tofu
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- Pinch white pepper
- ½ cup cold water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 scallions, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon kala namak, or to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Carefully open the package of silken tofu and transfer the block of tofu to a cutting board. Run a vegetable peeler over the top of the block of tofu to slice it into thin, ragged strips and bits. Don't worry about keeping them neat.
- Place the broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, turmeric, and white pepper into a small saucepan and place it over high heat. Heat the mixture until it comes to a boil.
- While the broth mixture heats up, stir the cold water and cornstarch together in a small cup or container.
- Once the broth mixture comes to a boil you're ready to add the cornstarch mixture. Give it a quick stir to redistribute any cornstarch that has sunken to the bottom, then slowly drizzle it into the pot while stirring. Let the mixture come back to a boil. It should thicken up quickly. Remove the pot from heat once this happens.
- Stir in the tofu and scallions. Taste-test the soup and season it with kala namak to taste, if using. Adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
- Ladle into bowls and serve.
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