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Potato Egg Drop Soup
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients. Cut the potatoes into approximately 1.5 cm cubes, finely chop the onion and coarsely grate the carrot. Wash, dry and chop the dill. Keep the eggs refrigerated for now. Use a saucepan of at least 3 litres, preferably with a little extra headroom.
Soften the vegetables. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and add the onion and carrot. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring, until the onion is translucent and the carrot starts to soften. Avoid a dark brown crust. Only sauté directly in the saucepan if its manufacturer permits it.
Cook the potatoes. Carefully pour in the water and add the potatoes, salt and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 12-15 minutes. The largest potato cube should divide easily with a spoon. Do not add the eggs while the potatoes are still firm.
Mix the eggs. Shortly before the potatoes are ready, crack each egg into a separate clean cup before transferring it to a small pouring jug. Weigh 150 g without shells. Mix with a fork until the yolks and whites are evenly combined, without stringy unmixed white. Do not whip into a foam or add milk, flour or starch. Wash your hands after handling shells.
Form the egg ribbons. Keep the soup at a gentle simmer. Slowly move a spoon around the pot to create a mild circular flow. Pour the eggs in a very thin continuous stream while stirring slowly in one direction. Do not pour them in all at once or whisk the soup vigorously. After the final addition, simmer for another 1-2 minutes until the egg ribbons are fully set. The soup must reach at least 72 °C or 162 °F after the eggs are added.
Finish and serve. Add the pepper and dill, stir gently and remove the bay leaf. Check that the potatoes are tender and there is no liquid egg left. Remove from the heat and rest covered for 2-3 minutes. Divide into 6 servings. Optional sour cream or bread is not included in the base calorie estimate.
Before you start
The base uses 2 litres of water for 6 servings, not 2 litres of finished soup. The vegetables and eggs increase the volume. The 150 g shelled egg is roughly 3 medium eggs. When scaling, mix the yolks and whites and weigh the amount needed rather than rounding freely to whole eggs.
This is a simple home-style meatless potato soup. It has no sorrel, noodles or flour dumplings. The egg itself makes the ribbons, with no flour or starch needed. It is not a claim to an authentic Chinese egg drop soup.
Troubleshooting
- Large egg clumps: too much egg landed in one spot at once. Separate the clump gently and cook it through; use a thinner stream next time.
- Very cloudy liquid: vigorous stirring or foamy egg can create fine particles. Mix with a fork in the jug and move the spoon slowly in the pot.
- Firm potatoes: continue cooking until tender. Eggs do not soften undercooked vegetables. Potato type and cube size affect the timing.
- Too thick: add a little hot water, return to a boil and check the salt. This changes serving weight, not the calories in the whole pot.
Stock and noodle variations
Replace the water with 2 litres of ready-made vegetable or chicken stock if preferred. Check its salt level before adding the listed salt. Chicken stock makes the soup non-vegetarian. Making stock from raw poultry takes extra time and is not included in the 35-minute estimate.
For a little extra starch, add 30-40 g small dry noodles to the whole pot. Follow the packet timing so the noodles finish before the egg goes in. This optional addition is not part of the base calculator or calorie estimate. For a different soup, see meatball and dumpling soup. Wild garlic and egg soup has a different green base and a boiled-egg garnish.
Servings, scaling and calories
About 130 kcal per one-sixth of the pot is an estimate without bread, sour cream, chicken or noodles. The eggs and all 20 g of oil are included. The whole pot contains approximately 780 kcal, depending on the actual products. Weigh the cooked soup without its pot to calculate a value per 100 g; the finished weight has not been measured.
The calculator scales ingredients, not heating time, pan capacity or storage life. For larger quantities use a roomier pot, keep the potato cubes the same size and check potato tenderness and fully cooked egg. The estimated 35 minutes includes preparation for one normal batch.
Storage and reheating
Transfer leftovers to shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the room is above 32 °C or 90 °F. Keep at 4 °C or 40 °F or below and use within 3 days.
Reheat only the portion needed, stirring gently, until it boils and reaches at least 74 °C or 165 °F throughout. Do not keep a full pot lukewarm on the hob all day. The egg ribbons become firmer with reheating, so smaller fresh batches give a better texture.
Recipe video: Potato soup with egg
Important: This related Russian-language video uses chicken. Our main recipe is meatless.
Images are AI-generated.
FAQ
What is potato egg drop soup? +
It is a simple soup in which beaten eggs are poured into hot potato and vegetable broth to form delicate ribbons. This home-style version uses dill, carrot and onion. It is not presented as a traditional Chinese egg drop soup and contains no starch thickener.
How do I keep the eggs from forming large clumps? +
Combine the yolks and whites evenly first. Keep the soup gently simmering and create a slow circular flow with a spoon. Add the eggs in a very thin stream rather than a large splash into one spot.
Why did the broth turn cloudy? +
Vigorous whisking, foamy beaten eggs or potatoes breaking down can cloud the liquid. Some loss of clarity is normal when the egg ribbons form. A whisk used in the saucepan can break the egg into very fine particles.
Can I make it with water rather than stock? +
Yes, water is the base recipe. Softened onion and carrot, potatoes, eggs and dill provide flavour. If you replace water with stock, its salt and nutritional values must be taken into account.
How many eggs do I need for 2 litres of water? +
Use 150 g shelled egg, roughly 3 medium eggs, together with all the vegetables in the list. Egg sizes vary, so weighing is useful, especially when scaling the servings.
Can I add noodles? +
They are optional and not included in the base recipe. Try 30-40 g small dry noodles for the whole pot, add before the eggs and follow the packet cooking time. Add the eggs only when the potatoes and noodles are ready. This changes thickness and calories.
Can I use chicken stock? +
Replace the water with the same volume of safely stored ready-made chicken stock. If it is salted, do not add the full 8 g salt immediately. Raw chicken is not a direct substitute for ready-made stock and needs separate thorough cooking.
Is this soup vegan? +
No, it contains eggs. The water-and-vegetable-oil version is meatless and suitable for vegetarians who eat eggs, but not for vegans or a fast that excludes eggs.
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