Easy Wonton Egg Drop Soup

Wonton Egg Drop Soup, made with savory (premade) Asian dumplings, is one of the fastest, easiest soups you will ever make. Perfect for a weekend lunch or a busy weeknight, it makes a tasty, light, and satisfying meal. 

For the last decade or so, this wonton soup recipe has been high on our short list of indispensable fallback meals.

We all need a few dependable fallback meals, right? Fast, easy, budget-friendly recipes. Meals to make when you're too tired to cook and way to close to hangry. Made with pantry items and frozen Asian dumplings, the ingredients for this soup are almost always on hand; plus, it's easy enough to throw together even after an exhausting day. 

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Ingredient Notes & Options

Asian dumplings

You can use just about any fresh or frozen Asian dumplings to make this soup. While I don't often use commercially prepared foods, I am grateful that I can grab a bag of savory, delicious dumplings from the grocery store and use them to have dinner ready in less than half and hour. 

For the wonton soup shown in the images on this post, I used a combination of regular and mini wontons to illustrate that it doesn't really matter what kind of dumplings you use. Remember though; the flavor of the dumplings will strongly influence the outcome of your soup, so choose dumplings you enjoy on their own. (Our current favorite dumpling option for this recipe is Chicken & Cilantro Mini Wontons, which can be found at Costco.)

Chicken broth

For most of the homemade soups I make, I prefer to use a hearty homemade chicken stock (i.e., bone broth). However, egg drop soup requires a lighter base, so I either use my homemade stock diluted by half, or I use a good quality commercial chicken broth at full strength. 

Sesame oil

Sesame oil is a small but vital component to this recipe. Use a high-quality sesame oil, and make sure it is fresh. 

Sesame oil has a relatively short shelf-life. Once you've broken the seal on a bottle of sesame oil, try to use it with six months for maximum freshness. 

To maximize its shelf life, always refrigerate sesame oil after opening. When refrigerated, sesame oil will become cloudy and solidify, but this doesn't affect the quality or flavor at all. Once the oil back at room temperature, it will return to normal.

Soy Sauce

The type of soy sauce you use can dramatically change the flavor profile of the soup base. I prefer to use Shoyu (a type of Japanese Soy Sauce), which has a sweeter, less harsh flavor, for this egg drop soup. When I use a darker, stronger soy sauce, I usually also add a little white sugar to the soup base to sweeten the stock just slightly. 

Recipe Updated June 24. 2021 (Originally published November 5, 2014 )

How to Make Wonton Egg Drop Soup

This first step is an optional one, but I really like what it does for the soup's overall flavor and appearance. If you are in a hurry, you can totally skip it. 

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add just enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan, and then brown the wontons in the oil, using tongs to turn them. They don't need to be browned on all sides; just give them some color. 

Remove the browned wontons from pan and set aside.

Whisk eggs together. I like to do this in a small measuring cup with a pour spout so that I don't have to transfer them and make yet another dirty dish. When the eggs are whisked, set them aside.

Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, and sesame oil to a large, heavy saucepan. Heat over medium-high.

As the liquid heats up, use a wooden spoon to check the flavor of the soup base. Season to taste with additional soy sauce and sesame oil as needed. You may even want to throw in a pinch or two of sugar, depending on the kind of soy sauce you use. (As mentioned previously, the kind of soy sauce you use can dramatically change the flavor profile of the soup base.)

When the soup base suites your tastes, bring it to a full, rolling boil. 

Reduce the heat until the soup base is at a steady, hard simmer.

S-l-o-w-l-y begin pouring the beaten eggs in a thin stream into boiling liquid. The eggs will cook into ribbons on contact. 

If you stir the boiling soup base as you add the eggs, they will break up into smaller, thinner ribbons. I prefer to not stir the soup base as it simmers, which in turn produces larger, slightly thicker ribbons of beaten egg. 

When all of the eggs have been poured into the liquid, you have a lovely egg drop soup!

Now, add the prepared dumplings and sliced green onions to the hot soup base. 

• Frozen Wontons: Add frozen wontons to liquid one at a time, and heat until liquid has returned to a simmer. Cook wontons for 5-6 minutes after broth has returned to a simmer.
• Browned Wontons: Add browned wontons to liquid all at once, and heat until liquid has returned to a simmer. Cook wontons for 2-3 minutes after broth has returned to a simmer.

When the soup is done, serve it up in bowls with some tamari, shoyu, or soy sauce on the side; along with whatever else you like to use to spice up your soup. (I like to season my wonton soup with a little sweet chili sauce, while Mr. B prefers a healthy dash of Sriracha with his.)

For a quick, light meal, pair this easy wonton soup with a simple green salad tossed mandarine oranges, green onions, slivered almonds, and our delicious Carrot Ginger Dressing. 

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