Egg Drop Soup
This healthy spin on Egg Drop Soup takes less than 20 minutes to make start to finish. With a chicken stock base, wisps of egg and meaty shiitake mushrooms, this is a flavourful and light soup that only requires a handful of ingredients. This Whole30 Egg Drop Soup is also Paleo, Keto, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal.
Egg drop soup used to be my favourite things to order at the start of a meal whenever I went out for Chinese food. It’s light yet so comforting and flavourful. This is my healthy spin on Egg drop soup, that might not be authentic, but it takes just 20 minutes to make and is really tasty. This has become my go to soup to make for dinner on cold nights because it’s so comforting and requires just a few ingredients I usually have on hand. Traditional egg drop soup doesn’t contain mushrooms, but I love the meatiness that sauteed shiitakes add to the soup.
Tips for making this Whole30 Egg Drop Soup
- Stir the arrowroot powder into the soup to thicken it before adding in the egg, this will prevent the ribbons of egg from sinking to the bottom.
- Adding in the egg is a two hand job. Start by stirring the soup with a spoon in a circular “whirlpool” motion and then slowly drizzle the egg in a very very slow stream with the other hand.
- If you accidentally pour the egg in too quickly, stir through it with the spoon to prevent any thick clumps of egg from cooking.
Arrowroot Powder
Arrowroot powder is a starchy powder made from a ground up tuber plant. It is often used in Paleo, Whole30 and other grain free diets in place of cornstarch. Arrowroot powder can be used in soups and sauces as a thickener, or as a coating when frying things like chicken, fish or shrimp because it forms a crispy crust.
Arrowroot Powder Substitutes
- Cornstarch can be used in place of arrowroot powder 1 for 1 in this recipe. Cornstarch is gluten free but unfortunately not Paleo or Whole30.
- Arrowroot powder is unfortunately not allowed for anyone following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet because it is a starch. For this Egg Drop Soup recipe skip adding it in, the soup will still be delicious but slightly thinner in consistency (which isn’t a bad thing!).
Ways to modify this Paleo Egg Drop Soup
- Add more protein: You could add in cooked shredded chicken, ground pork or saute shrimp with the mushrooms. For anyone not on a Paleo/Whole30/SCD diet, you could also add in cubes of tofu.
- Make it vegetarian: to make this soup vegetarian use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock and omit the fish sauce.
- White pepper: I love using white pepper in asian dishes, I find that it has a earthy flavour that really works well in stir frys and other asian inspired recipes. You can find white pepper at most grocery stores, or on Amazon. If you don’t have white pepper, feel free to substitute it for black pepper which has a slightly spicier taste.
- Mushrooms: the shiitake mushrooms add a nice meatiness to the soup. Feel free to swap them for button mushrooms, or alternatively you could add in another vegetable such as sliced bok choy, broccolini or cabbage.
Here are a few more delicious soups that you might enjoy…
- Whole30 Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Turkey Mulligatawny Soup
- Mexican Chicken Soup
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower & Garlic Soup
- Thai Curry Noodle Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Egg Drop Soup
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms (5oz shiitake mushrooms)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp arrowroot powder
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions
Instructions
- Heat the sesame oil in a large pot on medium high heat. Add in the garlic and sliced shiitake mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes until the mushroom slices begin to soften.
- Next add in the fish sauce, coconut aminos, ground ginger and white pepper and give everything a stir before adding in 3 1/2 cups of the chicken stock (set aside 1/2 cup)
- Add the arrowroot powder to the reserved 1/2 cup of chicken stock and whisk until the arrowroot has completely dissolved and there are no small clumps. Pour the arrowroot/broth mixture back into the soup and stir until it's well mixed in.
- In a large measuring cup with a spout (this makes it easier to pour) whisk together the 3 eggs until they are really broken up.
- Be sure that the soup is gently simmering before very very slowly pouring the egg in a thin stream into the soup. While you are pouring the egg into the pot, with your other hand, very gently stir the soup with a wooden spoon in a circular motion so that the egg breaks up into wispy pieces.
- Add in the chopped scallions and leave the soup to gently simmer for another 2 minutes before serving.
I am curious of how this is dairy free when there is an egg in it?
Egg is not dairy 😄 Dairy is anything that comes from the milk of an animal, ie butter, milk, yogurt, cream, cheese etc. If you are looking for a recipe that is both dairy and egg free, try searching for vegan recipes which will include both of those.