1. Egg Drop Soup
15 min · Beginner · Home-Style (家常菜)
Silky golden egg ribbons in a light, comforting broth — the 15-minute soup, and the easiest of all. The whirlpool-and-thin-stream trick gives you feathery ribbons, never clumps.
3 Chinese Soup Recipes
By The Chowmi Test Kitchen · Updated June 6, 2026
Chinese soups range from a 15-minute weeknight bowl to a meal in itself, and what they share is a clear, savory backbone — good stock, the right seasonings, and a few well-chosen add-ins rather than long, heavy simmering. These Chinese soup recipes cover the most-loved trio: tangy, peppery hot and sour soup thick with tofu and mushrooms; delicate egg drop soup with its silky golden ribbons; and comforting wonton soup with springy pork-and-shrimp dumplings in a clear broth. Each one explains the single technique that makes it — the whirlpool for egg ribbons, the balance of vinegar and white pepper, keeping a wonton broth crystal clear — and each is written for a US kitchen with substitutes for anything hard to find. Light, savory and soothing, they're as good as a starter or as a meal.
2. Hot and Sour Soup
30 min · Beginner · Home-Style (家常菜)
The takeout classic: savory, tangy and peppery, thick with tofu, mushrooms and egg ribbons. A whole meal in a bowl, in about 30 minutes.
3. Wonton Soup
50 min · Intermediate · Cantonese
Springy pork-and-shrimp wontons in a clear, savory broth with leafy greens. Cozy and satisfying, and easy to make ahead by freezing the wontons.
Easy Chinese dinner FAQ
What is the most popular Chinese soup?
In the US, hot and sour soup, egg drop soup, and wonton soup are by far the most familiar, usually as takeout starters. In China, the range is huge — clear blanched-vegetable broths, long-simmered Cantonese “old fire” soups, and hearty noodle soups all feature, often served alongside the meal rather than before it.
What's the difference between hot and sour soup and egg drop soup?
Both are lightly thickened and finished with egg ribbons, but the flavor and body differ. Egg drop soup is mild, light and delicate — mostly seasoned broth with silky egg. Hot and sour soup is bold and substantial — tangy from vinegar, peppery from white pepper, and packed with tofu, mushrooms and sometimes pork. Egg drop is the gentle one; hot and sour is the punchy, hearty one.
How do you make Chinese soup broth flavorful?
Start with a good stock (homemade or quality store-bought), and build savoriness with light soy sauce, a little sesame oil and white pepper. Aromatics like ginger and scallion simmered in the broth add depth. For clear soups, avoid overcrowding or over-thickening; for richer ones, a cornstarch slurry gives body. Taste and season at the end — the broth should taste good on its own.
Can these Chinese soups be made vegetarian?
Yes. Use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock, and the soups translate easily — egg drop soup is already nearly vegetarian, hot and sour soup works beautifully with extra tofu and mushrooms in place of pork, and wontons can be filled with mushrooms and tofu. Each recipe notes how to adapt it.
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