A delicious spicy sour egg flower soup with mushrooms, carrots, chili peppers, and soft tofu. This quick and easy hot and sour soup is ready in 20 minutes! It's so comforting, made in one pot and saves you money on takeout.
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What is Hot and Sour Soup?
Hot and Sour Soup is a comforting soup that is tangy, spicy, savory! The broth contains soft tofu, silky eggs, mushrooms, carrots, green onions, and red chili and seasoned with vinegar at the end to make it sour!
It's a popular and classic dish from Northern China served at any Chinese restaurant and has become so popular in America. It can be served as a main dish, starter, or side dish with your meal.
My version of this iconic Chinese soup is perfect on a cold day when you want some heat!
Thanks to the contrasting flavors and delicious veggies, this is one of my favorite soups to date! I had such a great time creating this recipe for you all and I hope you enjoy it too.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- Fresh shiitake mushrooms: or substitute with dried mushrooms rehydrated in hot water, wood ear mushrooms (black fungus), or button mushrooms.
- Seafood mushrooms: or substitute with enoki mushrooms.
- Soft Tofu: or substitute with medium tofu or firm tofu
- Carrots: or sub with bamboo shoots
- Red chili: or omit if you wish.
- Green onion
- Eggs: for the egg ribbons
- White vinegar: or substitute with Chinese Black Vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- Regular soy sauce: Or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
- Dark soy sauce: this is thicker and darker than regular soy sauce. But if you don’t have this, substitute with regular soy sauce.
- Sesame oil: for that nutty flavor. If you're allergic to it, please omit.
- Chicken bouillon powder: to give the soup depth. Omit if you’re vegetarian.
- White granulated sugar
- Cornstarch: Or substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch to thicken the soup.
- Cold water: for the cornstarch slurry
- Salt
- Black pepper or white pepper (optional)
Variations
- For a gluten-free version: substitute both soy sauces with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice. Make sure to use a gluten-free chicken bouillon powder.
- For a vegan version: substitute the chicken stock with vegetable broth and omit the chicken bouillon and eggs.
Note: The Asian grocery store will carry the Asian ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Prepare all the ingredients in advance as the cooking process is quick.
- To make egg ribbons, pour them in a thin stream while stirring from a slight height.
- Cut the tofu into small strips so it mixes better with the other ingredients.
- Season with white pepper to taste at the end. White pepper can create a bitter taste if you add this ingredient near the beginning.
- Add vinegar at the very end to taste. If you add it too soon, the vinegar will evaporate and it won't be as tangy.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make hot and sour soup:
Make Cornstarch Slurry and Season Stock
In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until well combined. This is your cornstarch slurry. Set aside.
In a medium size pot pour in chicken stock. Season stock with regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, chicken bouillon powder and sesame oil.
Boil Stock and Add Vegetables
Cover and bring to a boil on medium high heat.
Once it reaches a boil, reduce to low-medium heat. Add in shiitake mushrooms, carrots, seafood mushrooms, red chili and boil uncovered for 2 minutes or until mushrooms have softened.
Add Tofu and Cornstarch Slurry
Lower in thin strips of soft tofu and gently stir.
Stir in cornstarch slurry to slightly thicken the soup.
Pour in Eggs and Vinegar & Garnish
Once thickened, while stirring the soup in a circular motion, pour beaten eggs in a thin stream. Give it another stir to form ribbons.
Add green onions. Finally season with white vinegar, salt and white pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in the fridge in an airtight container. To reheat, re-boil on the stove top or microwave for a few minutes covered until hot.
- Freezer-friendly? I wouldn't recommend freezing hot and sour soup as you need to remove the tofu and the soup loses it sourness after freezing.
Pairing Suggestions
Hot and sour soup serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, or crab rangoons
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein
- cooked vegetables like spicy garlic bok choy, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Orange Chicken, Lemon Chicken, Cashew Chicken, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!
FAQ
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop on medium heat. Just a note that hot and sour soup will lose it sourness with each reheating so be sure to add some more vinegar.
Yes, feel free to add thinly sliced chicken or pork but please make sure to cook it through by boiling it for at least 6 minutes.
Different vinegars have different acidity levels and tastes. Typically Chinese black vinegar is used in this soup for it's fruitier and umami taste but you can also substitute with white vinegar, rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar and it will all taste great!
Other recipes you may enjoy
📖 Recipe
Easy 20-min. Hot and Sour Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock low sodium
- ½ cup seafood mushrooms ends removed (or sub with button mushrooms)
- ½ cup soft tofu cut into ¼-inch thick strips (or sub with medium to firm tofu)
- ¼ cup carrot julienned
- 5 shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 1-2 tablespoon red chili sliced (optional)
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ½ tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- ¼ teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
- ¼ cup water cold
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar add more if you like it more sour
- salt & white pepper season to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and cold water until well combined. This is your cornstarch slurry. Set aside.
- In a medium size pot pour in chicken stock. Season stock with regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, chicken bouillon powder and sesame oil. Mix well.
- Cover and bring to a boil on medium high heat.
- Once it reaches a boil, reduce to low-medium heat. Add in shiitake mushrooms, carrots, seafood mushrooms, red chili pepper and simmer for 1-2 minutes, uncovered.
- Lower in thin strips of soft tofu and gently stir.
- Stir in cornstarch slurry to slightly thicken the soup. Simmer for 30-60 seconds.
- Once thickened, while stirring the soup in a circular motion, pour beaten eggs in a thin stream. Give it another stir to form ribbons.
- Add green onions. Finally season with white vinegar, salt and white pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Bob
Loved it so much! Perfect consistency!
Christie Lai
Fantastic! Thanks so much!
May
Recipe was easy to follow, quick to make.
I used everything except for the chili.
I did use Chinese black vinegar, I prefer the taste.
Will make this again!
Christie Lai
Thanks for making my recipe!
Lin
I enjoy your recipes! Thank you! I found this to be easy but not exactly quick. There is a lot of prep (cutting veggies, making slurry, et. al.) . But the end result was great! I did add more vinegar (we wanted it a bit more sour) and I had to substitute a Serrano pepper because I could not find a fresh red chile. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly.
Christie Lai
Thanks for making it and glad you enjoyed it!
Judith
Hi, made this for the first time tonight. My soup looks not so nice clear as yours. Maybe the cornstarch...? I did stick to the quantity in the recipe. Any idea what I may have done wrong...? Thanks!
christieathome
Hi there, thanks for making my recipe! It could have been the soft tofu. If you're not gentle while stirring, it can easily break apart and create a milky broth. That's the only factor I can think of that would cause that. Hope this helps!
Susanne Coulson
I find soups from the take-away very gloppy. This soup was delicious though and so quick and easy to do.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Susanne! Glad this was delicious and easy to make!