Craving for your favorite Chinese-style egg drop soup, but worried about MSG (monosodium glutamate), carbs, and other non-keto ingredients? Why don’t you try making our keto egg drop soup recipe today? We’ve keto-fied this delicious soup, so you don’t miss out on classic comfort foods like this.
Our keto egg drop soup can satisfy your need for a quick, hot meal at any time because cooking this dish only takes 20 minutes. It’s subtly spicy thanks to our homemade garlic-chili paste (recipe included below). We decided to make the paste as we found out that most store-bought ones are not keto-friendly and are packed with sugar and empty calories.
This healthy and creamy keto egg drop soup recipe is a 100% beginner-friendly. You only need to use 7 simple ingredients, which is readily available in most kitchens (hopefully in yours, too). This recipe serves 2, but if you want to make more, feel free to adjust the ingredients and modify the macros accordingly. If you follow this exact recipe, you’ll get 324 calories, 31g fat, 2.1g net carbs, and 10.2 g protein per serving.
First, we need to make our homemade garlic chili paste. In a food processor or blender, process the garlic with the olive oil, chili, and salt to get a thick paste.
Alternative method: If you have neither equipment, a good old-fashioned mortar and pestle will do. Ground the garlic, chili, and salt before adding the olive oil and mixing everything together to form a thick paste.
Now it’s time to melt the butter in a pot and stir in the garlic chili paste. Add the 3 cups of chicken broth. When it starts boiling, lower the heat to a simmer. Whisk the eggs and gradually add to the soup, stirring vigorously to create the egg ‘ribbons.’
Allow the soup to simmer for 5-6 minutes until it reaches a velvety consistency.
Serve warm. Optionally, garnish with fresh basil leaves and chopped spring onions. Or if you’re looking to add more fat and protein to your day, sprinkle some spicy pork rinds on top!
Nutrition Facts
|
Keto Egg Drop Soup |
Calories |
Fats (g) |
Carbs (g) |
Fiber (g) |
Net Carbs (g) |
Protein (g) |
|
3 cups chicken broth |
115 |
4.1 |
2.7 |
0 |
2.7 |
14.5 |
|
2 tablespoons butter or ghee |
224 |
25.5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.1 |
|
2 medium eggs, beaten |
63 |
4.4 |
0.3 |
0 |
0.3 |
5.5 |
|
1 clove garlic |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0.1 |
0.9 |
0.2 |
|
2 tablespoons olive oil |
240 |
28 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
1 small red chili pepper |
2 |
0 |
0.4 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
|
½ teaspoon salt |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
648 |
62 |
4.4 |
0.2 |
4.2 |
20.4 |
|
Per Serving (<2) |
324 |
31 |
2.2 |
0.1 |
2.1 |
10.2 |
Is Keto Egg Drop Soup Healthy?
Yes, keto egg drop soup is healthy! The macros fit perfectly into the keto diet with only 2.1g net carbs, 31g fat, and a moderate 10.2g of protein. Even if you eat the entire 2 servings yourself, you wouldn’t get kicked out of ketosis. The high amount of fat also means your tummy will be full and happy for the next several hours.
And who can forget the health benefits of eggs? This recipe calls for 2 medium-sized eggs, which will help fill you up with important vitamins and nutrients. These include vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin, folate, selenium, iron, phosphorus, and choline.
If you want more nutritious veggies and spices in your soup, feel free to add these before adding the whisked eggs to the soup. You can add shredded cabbage, kale, mushrooms, spinach, etc. to add more flavor and nutrients to your keto egg drop soup.
What Are The Benefits of Keto-Friendly Egg Drop Soup?
This specific recipe is healthy and keto-friendly, yes, but its benefits go beyond nutrition. Egg drop soup is comfort food for many. It’s perfect for eating when cold or rainy, it makes you feel all warm and happy inside. Spooning some soup into your mouth can release serotonin, a.k.a. the feel-good chemical, and lift your spirits up. When you’re down with a cold, the steamy broth can help unclog your nose, your sinuses, and your throat, so you can breathe and talk a bit easier. No wonder my mom made this amazing soup whenever someone in the family got sick!
What Makes Egg Drop Soup Thick?
Regular (non-keto) egg drop soup has a thick texture thanks to cornstarch. But since cornstarch is far from keto-friendly (each gram of cornstarch has 0.91g carbs!), we need to look for an alternative. Fortunately, there are other low carb options out there, but for this soup, the best ones are xanthan gum and unflavored gelatin powder. A sprinkle of either thickening powder can go a long way. For this 2-serving recipe, about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon will do.
Can You Add Meat To This Recipe?
Absolutely! Protein is always a nice addition to warm soups, and keto egg drop soup is no exception. If you use our recipe with the chicken broth, then cubed chicken breast would be perfect. If you’re using beef broth, then a few strips of beef will add magic to your soup. If you’re using vegetable broth, then any kind of meat will add some more healthy protein to your soup.
Can You Add Ginger To This Soup?
A small slice of ginger is all you need to make this keto egg drop soup even more delicious! Mince about an inch of ginger and add it to the pot along with the garlic chili paste. Let it cook for a minute and enjoy the gingery aroma before adding the chicken broth.
Adding ginger to your soup when you’re sick is perfect because ginger has well-known medicinal properties. It helps with nausea and morning sickness (great for pregnant women). It fights the common cold and flu. And its anti-inflammatory effects can even help relieve painful arthritis.
What To Serve With Your Warm Keto Egg Drop Soup?
This keto egg drop soup can be eaten as the main dish or as an appetizer. It honestly is very filling on its own. But if you want more than one dish on the table or you’re on OMAD (one meal a day), then pairing this soup with something else will help tide you over until the next meal!
Here are some suggestions:
Keto Moo Shu Chicken
Our keto egg drop soup recipe is based on traditional Chinese recipes for this soup. And what better dish to serve it with than another Chinese dish? Makes for a complete Asian feast in my opinion. Our Keto Moo Shu Chicken recipe is good for 2 and is seriously good, so it will be a perfect match! Here are the total macros for the egg drop soup and our keto moo shu chicken:
Calories – 637 | Fat - 46.8g | Net carbs - 12.35g | Protein - 39.9g
Keto Pigs in Blankets with Fondue
Protein is important in a keto diet. Our keto egg drop soup recipe is a bit low on the protein side of things. So we think pairing this soup with our keto pigs in blankets (sausage wrapped in bacon – yum!) is a great idea. Here’s what the macros look like if you pair up these two amazing dishes:
Calories – 833 | Fat - 72.5g | Net carbs - 3.7g | Protein - 41.8g
Keto Caesar Salad
Craving for some healthy green salad along with your keto egg soup? Try this keto Caesar salad recipe! It’s also easy to prepare, you can have this salad in just 20 minutes. Besides mixed green veggies, this recipe includes the classic keto favorites – eggs, bacon, avocado, yogurt, and cheese! Here’s the combined macro for both dishes:
Calories – 903 | Fat - 69.3g | Net carbs - 8.1g | Protein - 58.7g
How to Get That Rich Yellow Color in the Soup?
Egg drop soups in most restaurants usually have a rich, yellow color to it. If you want your homemade keto egg drop soup to look the same, add a bit of turmeric powder or some yellow food coloring to your soup.
Can You Freeze and Reheat the Soup?
You can refrigerate keto egg drop soup for a few days (3-4 days max). But freezing it? No, we don’t recommend you freeze it at all. Reheating frozen soup just won’t taste good – the velvety texture will be gone and the egg ribbons will taste like rubber. In short, you’re better off just making a new one from scratch.
Reheating some refrigerated soup (not frozen) will taste okay, but it won’t be as good as it was fresh off the stove. Fortunately, making keto egg drop soup won’t take up a lot of time so you can make a new one in just a few minutes.
To save time on the soup preparation, we suggest making a big batch of our homemade garlic chili paste. You’re not limited to using it on the egg drop soup alone. In fact, you can add it to a wide variety of dishes, such as our best tasting keto chicken recipes. With your garlic chili paste readily available, you can have your keto egg drop soup in just 10 minutes. It’s perfect for when you’re in a hurry and need some warm, delicious soup to jumpstart your day!
Conclusion
Our keto egg drop soup recipe is a keeper! It’s highly versatile so you can adjust the recipe any way you like. You can mix and match it with a variety of dishes. You can eat it whenever you feel like it – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack time, or even as a midnight snack. Do let us know in the comments below if you also love this recipe as much as we do!
Ingredients
Directions
First, we need to make our homemade garlic chili paste. In a food processor or blender, process the garlic with the olive oil, chili, and salt to get a thick paste.
Alternative method: If you have neither equipment, a good old-fashioned mortar and pestle will do. Ground the garlic, chili, and salt before adding the olive oil and mixing everything together to form a thick paste.
Now it’s time to melt the butter in a pot and stir in the garlic chili paste. Add the 3 cups of chicken broth. When it starts boiling, lower the heat to a simmer. Whisk the eggs and gradually add to the soup, stirring vigorously to create the egg ‘ribbons.’
Allow the soup to simmer for 5-6 minutes until it reaches a velvety consistency.
Serve warm. Optionally, garnish with fresh basil leaves and chopped spring onions. Or if you’re looking to add more fat and protein to your day, sprinkle some spicy pork rinds on top!
