Gluten free Egg Drop Soup is a favorite soup of many who enjoy Chinese food. This classic Chinese soup is silky smooth, salty, and warms you right up.
It's so easy to make and only takes a few minutes. I love making it for a quick lunch or as an appetizer with dinner. There is nothing quite like it.

When starting out living a gluten free lifestyle or learning to follow a gluten-free diet after a celiac disease diagnosis, it can feel difficult to figure out what is safe for you to eat. Can you go out to restaurants and enjoy your previously favorite foods? Do they offer safe gluten-free alternatives? Do I need to worry about cross-contamination? So many new things to think of when you head out to eat at your favorite Chinese restaurant.
Why You'll Love This Easy Egg Drop Soup Recipe
- An easy weeknight meal that is a total family pleaser
- Simple to scale, since the original recipe only makes 2 servings, to feed more people
- Perfect freezer friendly soup recipe and tastes better than anything you get from the grocery stores
- Super quick- ready in only 15 minutes
- This recipe only uses pantry staple simple ingredients you probably already have on hand
Ingredients
Get more info in the ingredient list in the recipe card below.
- Eggs
- Cornstarch- naturally cornstarch is gluten free but you should check the manufacturer's info to be sure they don't use the same machines to make wheat containing recipes.
- Water
- Broth- I suggest using homemade chicken broth or storebought, but you can use vegetable broth, chicken stock, beef broth, or any other broth option you have
- Toasted sesame oil
- Onion oil- if you don't have this, you can just use more toasted sesame oil
- Coco Aminos- you can swap this out for gluten free soy sauce or tamari sauce if needed
- Green onion, diced
- Salt and black pepper

How to Make Gluten Free Egg Drop Soup
- In a small bowl beat the raw eggs and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and set aside.
- In another small bowl combine the water and the remaining 3 teaspoons of cornstarch and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan combine the broth, oils, and coco aminos. Heat this mixture over med-high heat. Once it's simmering add the water/cornstarch mixture and let simmer a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Place a fork against the bowl with the eggs (tines down) and use it to pour the eggs through and into the simmering broth. This will help keep the eggs uniform and not glob up in the pan.
- Once the eggs are set you can divide the soup into bowls and top with a sprinkle of green onions. Add salt and pepper to taste to each bowl of soup, serve, and enjoy.

Storage
Any leftover homemade egg drop soup should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Make sure to wait until your hot soup has cooled down to room temperature before transferring to a container of choice.
How to Reheat
To reheat this delicious soup, you need to transfer it from your container to a stove on the stovetop and warm it up until it's thoroughly heated.
Is Egg Drop Soup From Chinese Restaurant Gluten-Free?
All too often restaurants thicken their soups and chowders with wheat flour, leaving us gluten free eaters with even more limited options. I never assume an egg drop soup is gluten free, I always ask to be sure. And if possible, I ask if they use cornstarch as a thickener and ask which brand that way I know if cross-contamination is going to be a possible issue or if it's a company that offers certified gluten-free products.
However, the ingredients used in traditional egg drop soup should be naturally gluten free as long as no additives ars used that container hidden gluten.
How do I make Egg Drop Soup Paleo-Friendly?
This soup is one of my standby recipes when I'm eating Paleo. The recipe already uses coconut aminos instead of tamarind sauce or gluten-free soy sauce, so you only need to change one thing to make it paleo. Just switch out the cornstarch for arrowroot powder or tapioca starch and you're good to go.
Egg Drop Soup Tips and Variations
- There are two tricks to getting those egg ribbons silky smooth. It doesn't take that much extra work and is something you don't want to skip. The secret? Adding a little cornstarch to the beaten eggs, to create something like a cornstarch slurry, and use a fork to strain the eggs into the soup. I went a few months of making Egg Drop soup without knowing about the corn starch and fork trick and let me tell you the difference is HUGE. Unless blobby, chunks of egg are your thing don't forget the cornstarch and fork!
- Wanna make this Chinese takeout favorite soup even better? Check out my Onion oil recipe. It will up your cooking game. It adds depth of flavor and makes this Egg Drop soup that much more amazing.
- If you want a thicker broth add more cornstarch to the water mixture till you find the ratio you like best. I'd start with a teaspoon at a time and make a note of how many teaspoon you prefer.
- Be careful with the hot broth when you transfer the Chinese egg drop soup to the bowls for serving.
More Popular Soup Recipes
Want some more tasty soup recipes? Here are some of our reader favorites:
- Gluten Free French Onion Soup
- Gluten Free Ramen with Chicken and Mung Bean Noodles
- Loaded Potato Soup (gluten free)
- Zuppa Toscana Soup (gluten free)
- Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Soup (gluten free)
If you're ready for an absolutely amazing Chinese copycat soup, this easy Egg Drop Soup is for you. I hope after reading this you can confidently answer the question, "is egg drop soup gluten free?".
Now you can safely make your favorite Chinese soup with this tasty egg drop soup recipe now that you see how incredibly easy it is and how fast it can be made using just pantry staple common ingredients you already have on hand!
PrintEgg Drop Soup
Warm, salty, and full of egg. This recipe is everything you love about egg drop soup
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- 4 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 1 TBS Water
- 2 cups Broth (Chicken is preferred but any will do )
- ½ teaspoon Toasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp Onion oil (or more toasted sesame oil)
- 1 TBS Coco Aminos (can sub for gluten free Soy sauce)
- 1 Green onion (Diced)
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl beat the eggs and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and set aside.
- In another small bowl combine the water and remaining 3 teaspoon cornstarch and set aside
- In a sauce pan combine the broth, oils, and coco aminos. Heat this mixture over med-high heat. Once it's simmering add the water/cornstarch mixture and let simmer a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Place a fork against the bowl with the eggs (tines down) and use it to pour the eggs through and into the simmering broth. This will help keep the eggs uniform and not glob up in the pan.
- Once the eggs are set you can divide the soup into bowls and top with diced green onion and salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
If you want a thicker broth add more cornstarch to the water mixture till you find the ratio you like best. I'd start with a teaspoon at a time and make a note of how many teaspoon you prefer.
Keywords: Egg, Egg Drop, Gluten free, Paleo, Soup
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