Shrimp Egg Drop Soup

Shrimp egg drop soup turns a favorite appetizer of Chinese American restaurants into a robust bowl hearty enough for dinner. It still has the smooth, velvety texture of classic egg drop soup and the fragile, petal-like swirls of egg that give the soup its alternate name: egg flower soup. This recipe includes juicy shrimp for more protein and egg noodles for texture without overpowering the original mild flavor. Broccoli and carrots give each bowl color and crunch.

Even with all those layers, the soup is ready in just 30 minutes from prep to serving. Precooked shrimp along with frozen noodles and broccoli speed up the process, and a simple cornstarch slurry thickens the soup in just a couple of minutes. Enjoy the soup with a light salad or other side dish, or as the prelude to quick Chinese takeout copycat recipes.

Ingredients for Shrimp Egg Drop Soup

• Chicken broth: The flavor of chicken broth stands out in this delicate soup, so choose a high-quality version. Store-bought chicken broth brands can be heavily salted, so opt for reduced-sodium or homemade chicken broth.
• Frozen egg noodles: Frozen egg noodles have a thick, hearty texture, perfect for this shrimp egg drop soup recipe. Dried egg noodles are convenient and keep well in a cupboard, but they become mushy and fall apart when cooked in broth.
• Frozen broccoli: Although you could add still-frozen broccoli straight to the soup pot, the chunks might be unappealingly large. Thaw and chop it first to ensure bite-sized florets.
• Carrots: For this soup, it’s worth using fresh carrots; frozen carrots become mushy and dull when cooked, but fresh ones stay crisp and bright. “Julienned” simply means cut into thin strips.
• Egg: Don’t forget to beat the egg before drizzling it into the soup pot. With the yolk and white combined, the egg is stirred in and distributes evenly in classic, thread-like swirls.
• Shrimp: Precooked medium shrimp (31 to 40 per pound) warm in under a minute. After adding them, keep an eye on the soup to avoid rubbery, overcooked morsels.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens this soup, but you need to dissolve it in cold water before you add it to the hot broth. Otherwise, it forms pasty clumps.
• Soy sauce: Soy sauce replaces salt in this recipe because it does more than add enough sodium to bring out the other flavors. It also adds umami.
• Ginger: Powdered ginger has a more concentrated flavor than fresh gingerroot, so you don’t need much to taste its sharp, spicy flavor.

Directions

Step 1: Dissolve the cornstarch

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, soy sauce, ground ginger and 1/2 cup cold water. Set aside.

Step 2: Cook the noodles and vegetables

In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth and the remaining 1 cup of water. Bring to a simmer, add the noodles and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add the broccoli and carrot, and simmer until the noodles are tender, three to four minutes longer.

Step 3: Finish with the egg and shrimp

Drizzle the beaten egg into the hot soup, stirring constantly. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the saucepan. Bring the soup to a boil and then cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about two minutes. Add the shrimp and heat through.

Editor’s Tip: It’s easiest to beat room-temperature eggs; the yolks break and combine with the whites with little effort. Fresh eggs have better flavor than old ones, so use the freshest ones. To help create the classic wispy strands of egg, pour it in slowly while you use a fork or whisk to stir in the beaten egg.

MARK DERSE FOR TASTE OF HOME

Shrimp Egg Drop Soup Variations

• Kick up the flavor: Even when you use shrimp with egg drop soup, the final result should have a mild, delicate flavor. If it’s too light for your tastes, stir in extra soy sauce or add a pinch of garlic powder. Umami-rich sliced mushrooms would add both flavor and texture to this egg drop shrimp soup.
• Make it pescatarian or vegetarian: Make a pescatarian-friendly soup with shrimp stock or vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. For vegetarians, change the broth and replace the shrimp with cubed tofu or sliced mushrooms. For maximum flavor, make vegetable broth yourself from leftover vegetable scraps.
• Use dry egg noodles: For a thinner noodle texture, substitute dry egg noodles for the frozen ones—especially if you don’t plan to have leftovers. Dry egg noodles are more likely to turn mushy when reheated in soup.

How to Store Shrimp Egg Drop Soup

Let the egg drop soup with shrimp cool to room temperature before storing it. Then, transfer the cooled soup to an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator.

How long does shrimp egg drop soup last?

Tender shrimp with egg drop soup tastes best when eaten right away. If you have leftovers, they will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. We don’t recommend freezing this soup because of the eggs, precooked shrimp and cornstarch slurry. Freezing and thawing would make the eggs and shrimp rubbery, turn the noodles to mush and weaken the cornstarch’s thickening power.

How do you reheat shrimp egg drop soup?

Low, slow heat is best for reheating shrimp egg drop soup because the shrimp and eggs will become tough if overcooked. Add a little more broth and fresh cornstarch slurry when you reheat the soup slowly over low heat on the stovetop as needed. Stir it slowly as it warms to minimize damage to the noodles and ribbons of egg.

Shrimp Egg Drop Soup Tips

MARK DERSE FOR TASTE OF HOME

Can you make shrimp egg drop soup with fresh shrimp?

You can use fresh or frozen raw shrimp instead of precooked shellfish for shrimp egg drop soup. First, clean the shrimp, rinsing them afterward to remove all the shell bits. (For even more flavor in your next batch of shrimp with egg drop soup, save those shells and turn them into shrimp stock.) Then add the raw shrimp at the end, just as you would the precooked shrimp. Expect them to take a tad longer to warm through, about two minutes for medium shrimp and perhaps four minutes if you bump up to jumbo ones.

What can you serve with shrimp egg drop soup?

Light side dishes work well when you serve this shrimp egg drop soup recipe as the main course. Keep it simple with a tossed green salad, or skip the greens and make this Asian cucumber salad. For a warm side, make bok choy and radishes or grill some mushrooms for shiitake salad with sesame-ginger vinaigrette. If you’re serving egg drop shrimp soup as a starter, follow it with a more filling salad, like ginger-cashew chicken salad. Add main dishes like sticky sesame cauliflower and kung pao chicken for a full restaurant-style meal.