Amaze your friends and family with this vegan egg drop soup with a real authentic taste and texture, but with no eggs of course! There are a few vegan egg drop soup recipes floating around out there, but they all used tofu for the egg. Well, that is probably yummy too, but that is tofu soup, not egg drop soup!
Do you miss egg drop soup as a vegan?
This tastes like the egg drop soup you used to get at your favorite Chinese restaurant! It’s made by dropping a vegan egg substitute into boiling vegan “chicken” broth for a true vegan "egg" drop soup.
What is the egg substitute made from?
I’ve been using chickpea flour (aka garbanzo bean flour) for a long time now to make vegan omelets. So, I wanted to see if a chickpea batter would work for egg drop soup. Well, it didn’t! It needed something to bind it together, so I combined it with potato starch and it started to work! It took many attempts of adjusting the proportions and adding some eggy flavor, but I finally perfected it and it has become one of my kids' favorite foods!
How do I make vegan egg drop soup?
- Put 2 cups cold water, a tsp of potato starch and a vegan “chicken” broth cube into a pot.
- Bring the broth to a boil.
- While the broth is heating, mix potato starch, garbanzo bean flour, nutritional yeast, black salt, and water in a small bowl and stir until it forms a paste. This is your vegan egg.
- Once the broth has come to a rolling boil, drizzle in the “vegan egg” a spoonful at a time stirring between each spoonful to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom
- Toss in some chives or green onion slices and boil for 1 more minute to ensure that vegan egg has cooked through.
- Serve on the side of your favorite vegan Chinese dish for an authentic tasting meal!
Pro Tips:
- While the broth is heating, be sure to stir it a few times. Don't let the potato starch sink to the bottom. You want it to be evenly distributed to thicken the broth.
- Make sure that the vegan chicken broth has come to a full boil before dropping in your "egg."
- Stir the soup slowly between each spoonful of "egg" dropped in the soup so it doesn't stick to the bottom.
- Don't stir the soup too vigorously or it will break up the "egg" into small pieces.
What should I serve along with my egg drop soup?
Vegan Tofu Fried Rice or Easy Vegan Lettuce Wraps are perfect to serve with this soup for an authentic vegan Chinese style meal!
If you love Asian style soups try my easy Vegan Pho or Vegan Tom Yum Soups
Be sure to follow me on Instagram for daily vegan inspiration and recipe ideas! Tag me at #thehiddenveggies! I love to see what you made too!
Vegan Egg Drop Soup
Ingredients
For the broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 cube Not Chick'n broth or any equivalent vegan chicken broth
- 1 tsp potato starch
- 1 stalk green onions or chives (optional)
For the "egg"
- 1 tbsp potato starch
- 4 tsp chickpea flour (aka garbanzo bean flour)
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp salt (use black salt for a more egg-like taste)
- 2 1/2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Put 2 cups cold water, 1 tsp. of potato starch and a vegan “chicken” broth cube into a pot, stir well and bring the broth to a boil. (stirring occasionally)
- While the broth is heating, mix potato starch, garbanzo bean flour, nutritional yeast, black salt, and 2 1/2 tsp water in a small bowl and stir until it forms a thin paste. (This is your vegan egg).
- Once the broth has come to a rolling boil, drizzle in the “vegan egg” a spoonful at a time stirring slowly between each spoonful to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom, but not so fast that it breaks up the "egg" pieces.
- Toss in some chives or green onion slices and boil for 1 more minute to ensure that vegan egg has cooked through.
- Serve on the side of your favorite vegan Chinese dish.
Notes
- While the broth is heating, be sure to stir it a few times. Don't let the potato starch sink to the bottom. You want it to be evenly distributed to thicken the broth.
- Make sure that the vegan chicken broth has come to a full boil before dropping in your "egg."
- Stir the soup slowly between each spoonful of "egg" dropped in the soup so it doesn't stick to the bottom.
- Don't stir the soup too vigorously or it will break up the "egg" into small pieces.
This was so good! I was doubtful that it would satisfy my egg drop soup craving but it really hit the spot. This one is going in my regular rotation! I’m very impressed.
I'm so happy that you liked it, Natalie!
Looks amazing. I can't wait to try it, my daughter loves 'chicken' and sweetcorn soup which uses drop egg. I live in the UK and potato starch is not easy to come by. I was wondering if cornstarch works with the chickpea flour.
Yes, cornstarch will work instead of potato starch. I like the texture of the potato starch a little better, but they are very similar. (This is my son's favorite soup too!) Enjoy! 🙂
Thanks, first you solved the problem of victoria sponge and now this. Amazing
Thanks Susan! 🙂
So easy and came out really great!
I'm so happy that you liked it, Chloe! 🙂
I don't have potato or corn starch. I only have tapioca.
What can I use in the broth?
You can use tapioca starch if that is what you have.
but you wrote below that will make the broth "slimy." Anything else that won't make the broth slimy?
"Hi Tara, I have used tapioca starch in the “egg” before and it comes out well. When I have tried to thicken the broth with tapioca starch, it comes out sort of slimy. You can use cornstarch instead of potato starch if you would like. I think that the potato starch has a slightly better taste and texture, but the “egg” works with any of the 3 starches. Enjoy! 🙂"
Arrowroot is the only other thing that I can think of that will work like potato or corn starch. You can leave it out completely for a thinner broth.
Thanks. I love your website
Thanks so much! I really appreciate it! 🙂
This was excellent! I made a few tweaks to really bring it over the top though. For one, I used two cups worth of prepared no-chicken broth using better-than-bouillon, then also added a dash of ginger powder, garlic powder, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and white pepper. So tasty!!
Your additions sound delicious, Brandon! Glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Did you use chickpea flour to make it gluten free or is it necessary for the science of the matter? Can I use normal flour instead?
So excited to make this for Chinese New Year! We used to make this every year in my family (my mom is Chinese), and I've missed this so much so I went looking for a recipe! When I opened the page and saw your question, "Do you miss egg drop soup as a vegan?" it almost brought me to tears!! Such an answer to prayers! 謝謝您！新年快樂！Thank you very much! Happy New Year!
Hi Angela, you need to use chickpea flour for the egg-like taste and texture. Regular wheat flour will not work. It happens to be gluten-free, but that is not the reason that I use chickpea flour in it. I hope that you love this recipe and have a wonderful Chinese New Year! 🙂
Monica thank you
You're welcome! Hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
Can I use arrowroot instead of potato starch ?
I have not tried it, but I think that it would work. I have tried corn starch and that works well too.
Hello,
How much water to make the egg part?
Hi Sue, sorry that I didn't make that more clear. You need to add 2 1/2 tbsp of water to the egg part and mix until it forms a thin paste. Enjoy! 🙂
I can't wait to give this recipe a try! What fun and it looks YUMMY!
This recipe is genius! I can't believe that it actually works and it's super yummy too!
Thanks so much Morgan! I was excited the first time that I got it to work. I's still surprised with how much it acts like real egg!
I loved this stuff so much! and miss it!!!
Have you tried this using tapioca or cornstarch as an alternative to potato starch?
Hi Tara, I have used tapioca starch in the "egg" before and it comes out well. When I have tried to thicken the broth with tapioca starch, it comes out sort of slimy. You can use cornstarch instead of potato starch if you would like. I think that the potato starch has a slightly better taste and texture, but the "egg" works with any of the 3 starches. Enjoy! 🙂
What could I use instead of potato starch? Would corn starch work?
Hi Lori, Corn starch will work, but I think potato starch works a little better. You can definitely swap it out though.
I love opening my email to find a new recipe from you in it. It seems it's always something I feared I would never taste again You have such a talent for re-creating tastes and textures out of surprising ingredients. Do you think you could make a Vegan New England Clam Chowder, and without coconut milk, which gives me GERD?
Thanks Cathy! It made my day to read this! I have actually made a vegan New England Clam Chowder using soy milk a few times. Thanks for reminding me to get it up on the blog! 🙂
hello monica, thank you f or the recipe. i am always on the look out for simple, delicious vegan food.
i live high in the chiapas highlands of mexico in a town called san cristobal de las casas, named after the compassionate bishop who became the protector of the indigenous people of the highlands here, who were suffering under the viscous spanish rule.
here people dream of being carnivores. the majority of people are poor and can afford meat only a few times a year. so veganism has hardly been heard of.
nevertheless, we do have a vegetarian restaurant with vegan options, four tiny vegan eateries, one of which is a take out much loved by the young vegan tourists.
as you can imagine, i have problems finding ingredients for my food. your lovely soup for instance calls for veg brothes cubes, well i make my own; potatoe starch i can not get, neither black salt. the chick pea flour i will grind myself. i wonder if i could use tapioca starch?
i am very glad i came across your blog. please thank your son for me for helping in developing this recipe. and thank you, with love christel
Hi Christel, your town sounds so beautiful! My husband's cousin lives in San Miguel and we have always wanted to take a trip to visit them, but we are afraid that we wouldn't find vegan food. I'm glad to hear that there is at least some vegan choices there! You can simply leave out the black salt or swap it for regular salt. I just tested out the tapioca starch for you. It worked well! It just made a slightly chewier texture than the potato starch. However, in the broth itself, I would use corn starch if you can't get potato starch. The tapioca starch will work there too, but gives it a slimy texture. (PS -My son will be excited to get a thank you for this)! Enjoy! 🙂