A bowl of hot and sour soup with tofu, egg ribbons, and green onions, served in a red bowl on a wooden table with a red spoon and another bowl of soup in the background.

Why I Love This Recipe

When you want a warm and gentle meal, Tofu Egg Drop Soup is the answer. The savory broth, soft tofu, and tender egg ribbons blend together beautifully, and fresh ginger adds a bright note. This vegetarian soup is quick to make, budget-friendly, and deeply satisfying.

  • Quick – Ready in just 10 minutes!
  • Light yet nourishing – Comforting after a long day or for a quick meal.
  • Budget-friendly – With a couple of fresh ingredients and some pantry staples, this recipe is easy on the wallet.

Love quick soups? Try my Homemade Miso Soup, Japanese Glass Noodle Soup, or Easy Japanese Egg Drop Soup (kakitamajiru) recipes next!

A bowl of egg drop soup with tofu cubes and sliced green onions, served in a red bowl on a rustic wooden table, with a red spoon and other dishes nearby.

What is Tofu Egg Drop Soup?

Tofu egg drop soup is a Japanese adaptation of Chinese-style egg flower soup. In Japan, home cooks make a lighter broth using vegetable stock or dashi, then add sesame oil and ginger for a comforting, delicate flavor. It’s a favorite on chilly days or when you need a gentle, easy-to-digest meal—simple yet full of warmth and nourishment.

Ingredients for Tofu Egg Drop Soup

  • medium-firm tofu (momen dofu)
  • egg
  • green onions/scallions – or use mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley)
  • fresh ginger
  • vegetable stock or broth – or use bouillon + water
  • toasted sesame oil
  • salt and black pepper
  • water + potato starch or cornstarch – for the slurry

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Jump to RecipE
Two bowls of miso soup with tofu, egg, and green onions sit on a wooden tray. Red and black lacquered spoons rest beside the bowls, showcasing a cozy, traditional Japanese meal on a rustic table.

How to Make Tofu Egg Drop Soup

  1. Prep ingredients. Slice green onions (separate white and green parts) and grate ginger. Cut tofu into small cubes.
  1. Mix egg and slurry. Beat the egg in a small bowl. In another bowl, mix potato starch and water with a spoon to make a slurry.
A person slices green onions on a wooden cutting board with a large knife; thinly cut green onion pieces are visible on the board and in a small dish.
Two hands grating fresh ginger on a small white ceramic grater over a wooden surface. Grated ginger pieces are visible on the grater.
A hand holds a block of firm tofu while a knife cuts it into cubes over a white tray on a wooden surface.
A close-up of hands using chopsticks to whisk raw eggs in a clear glass bowl on a wooden surface.
  1. Sauté aromatics. Heat sesame oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the white part of the green onion and grated ginger. Sauté until fragrant.
  1. Simmer broth and tofu. Add vegetable stock, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a gentle simmer. Add tofu and stir in the slurry to slightly thicken.
  1. Add egg. Slowly drizzle in the beaten egg in a spiral pattern. Let it set for 20 to 25 seconds, then remove from heat. Stir in half of the green onions.
A hand adds grated ginger and sliced green onions to hot oil in a stainless steel pan on a stovetop. The mixture is being sautéed, and bubbles form around the ingredients.
A hand pours broth from a measuring cup into a saucepan with sliced green onions and sauce, being stirred with a wooden spoon on a stovetop.
A hand pours beaten eggs from a bowl into a pan of simmering soup with tofu cubes, green onions, and broth on a stovetop.
A hand pours a cornstarch slurry from a small glass bowl into a pot of simmering soup with tofu and green onions, using a wooden spatula to stir.
  1. Serve in miso soup bowls, and garnish with more green onion.
A bowl of hot and sour soup with tofu cubes, garnished with sliced green onions, sits on a wooden table next to a black spoon and teapot.
Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Nami’s Recipe Tips

  • Medium-firm tofu works best – It holds its shape while staying tender.
  • Include ginger juice – Use the grated ginger’s juice for extra warmth and aroma.
  • Keep at a gentle simmer. Don’t let the soup boil too hard or the eggs won’t form fluffy ribbons.
  • Don’t skip the thickening slurry. It helps to suspend the egg in the soup to form fluffy, delicate ribbons.
  • Drizzle egg in a spiral pattern. Don‘t pour the beaten egg in one spot. For better control, I place my cooking chopsticks at the edge of the bowl so the egg will drizzle down in a thin stream. 
  • Let the egg set. Wait several seconds before stirring for soft, silky ribbons.
A black bowl of miso soup with tofu cubes and green onions, with a black spoon lifting tofu from the soup. The bowl is placed on a wooden surface.

Variations and Customizations

  • Add Japanese mushrooms – Shiitake, shimeji, or enoki mushrooms add umami and texture.
  • Stir in vegetables – Try spinach, kaiware daikon radishes, julienned carrot, sweet corn kernels, or wakame seaweed.
  • Silken (soft) tofu – Soft tofu breaks more easily, so be sure to handle and stir gently.
  • Make it spicy – Add a few drops of la-yu (Japanese chili oil) or white pepper powder to taste.
  • Add protein – Mix things up with shrimp, chicken, or edamame.
  • No tofu on hand? Skip it and make a simple egg drop soup (kakitamajiru).

What to Serve with Tofu Egg Drop Soup

Pair this soothing soup with these dishes:

A white ceramic plate containing Japanese fried rice (Yakimeshi).
A round plate containing gyoza (Japanese potstickers or pan-fried dumplings) with a small plate of dipping sauce made with soy sauce, vinegar, and Japanese chili oil.

Storage and Reheating Tips

To store: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

To reheat: Reheat gently over low heat until warm. Avoid boiling so the tofu and egg stay tender.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth?

Yes, it adds a richer, deeper flavor.

Can I double the recipe?

Yes, just keep the egg-to-broth ratio the same for the right consistency.

I’d love to hear how yours turned out! 💛 Please leave a star rating and comment below to share your experience. Your feedback not only supports Just One Cookbook but also helps other home cooks discover recipes they can trust.

A bowl of egg drop soup with tofu cubes and sliced green onions, served in a red bowl on a rustic wooden table, with a red spoon and other dishes nearby.
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Tofu Egg Drop Soup

by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Tofu Egg Drop Soup is a cozy, nourishing bowl filled with tofu, egg ribbons, and fragrant ginger. It comes together in just 10 minutes—perfect for busy weeknights or when you’re craving something light and comforting.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients 
 

For the Broth

Instructions

  • Gather all the ingredients.
    Overhead view of ingredients on a wooden surface: a glass measuring cup with broth, a block of tofu on a dish, green onions, an egg, ginger, soy sauce, pepper, cornstarch, and salt in small bowls.
  • Cut 2 green onions/scallions into thin diagonal slices, keeping the white and green parts separate.
    Close-up of hands slicing green onions on a wooden cutting board; on the left, the onions are cut into thin white rounds, and on the right, the onions are cut into thin green strips.
  • Peel and grate 1 inch ginger and measure 2 tsp grated ginger with juice.
    Two-part image: On the left, a hand grates fresh ginger on a ceramic grater. On the right, grated ginger is gathered on the edge of the same grater, which rests on a wooden surface.
  • Cut ½ block medium-firm tofu (momen dofu) into ½-inch (1.3 cm) cubes. Slice it on the cutting board or see how I cut tofu in the palm of my hand in my Japanese Cutting Techniques tutorial.
    Three side-by-side photos show hands slicing a block of tofu with a knife, demonstrating how to cut tofu into pieces. The background and hands are out of focus to emphasize the tofu and knife.
  • Beat 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) in a small bowl. Whisk 2 tsp potato starch or cornstarch with 1 Tbsp water in a separate bowl to make a slurry.
    Two images side by side: on the left, a hand stirs raw eggs in a small glass bowl; on the right, a hand stirs a white liquid mixture in a small glass bowl. Both are on a wooden surface.

To Cook

  • Heat a pot or saucepan over medium heat. When it's hot, add 2 tsp toasted sesame oil to heat. Add the white part of the green onion and the grated ginger to the hot oil.
    A hand pours a small bowl of sauce into a pot, followed by sliced green onions in simmering liquid, then minced ginger being added to the mixture in the pot.
  • Sauté with a wooden spatula until fragrant. Add 2 cups vegetable stock/broth.
    Side-by-side images of a metal pan on a stove. Left: sliced green onions and ginger being sautéed with a wooden spatula. Right: broth is being poured into the same pan with the vegetables.
  • Season with ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper and heat to a simmer.
    Three-panel collage: Salt and pepper are added to a pot of reddish broth with sliced green onions, then a wooden spoon stirs the mixture.
  • Add the tofu and bring the soup back up to a gentle simmer (you'll see small bubbles appear around the edges).
    Left: A hand slides cubed tofu from a tray into a pot. Right: Cubed tofu and chopped green onions simmer in a pot of reddish-brown soup on a stovetop.
  • Give the slurry a final stir, then drizzle it into the soup. Stir to thicken.
    Keeping a gentle simmer, slowly drizzle a thin stream of beaten egg in a spiral pattern around the soup pot (don‘t pour it in just one area). I place my cooking chopsticks at the edge of the bowl to guide the egg.
    Two-panel image: On the left, a hand adds cornstarch mixture to simmering soup with tofu in a pot. On the right, a hand pours beaten eggs into the same soup while stirring with a wooden spoon.
  • Let the egg sit for 20–25 seconds without stirring. Then, remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in half of the green part of the green onion.
    A pot of miso soup with tofu and vegetables simmers on a stove. In the second image, a hand sprinkles fresh green onions into the soup.

To Serve

  • Pour the soup into miso soup bowls. Garnish with more green onion and serve warm.
    A red bowl filled with hot and sour soup containing tofu, egg, and green onions. One image shows soup being ladled, the other shows the soup garnished with sliced green onions on a wooden surface.

To Store

  • Keep the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat until warm, but do not let the soup boil.

Notes

Variations and Customizations
  • Add Japanese mushrooms – Shiitake, shimeji, or enoki mushrooms add umami and texture.
  • Stir in vegetables – Try spinach, kaiware daikon radishes, julienned carrot, sweet corn kernels, or wakame seaweed.
  • Silken (soft) tofu – Soft tofu breaks more easily, so be sure to handle and stir gently.
  • Make it spicy – Add a few drops of la-yu (Japanese chili oil) or white pepper powder to taste.
  • Add protein – Mix things up with shrimp, chicken, or edamame.
  • No tofu on hand? Skip it and make a simple egg drop soup (kakitamajiru).

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