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Simple Vegetarian Chinese Hot and Sour Soup is a delicious, meat-free alternative to a takeout favorite. Shiitake mushrooms, tofu and vegetables are bathed in a delicious vegetable broth flavored with soy sauce, rice vinegar and spicy chili sauce for perfectly balanced flavors.

2 bowls of Vegetarian Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

This must be the easiest hot and sour soup as all you have to do is add all the ingredients to a pan and thicken. Takeout food at made at home even if you’re not much of a cook.

This is my go-to recipe when I want a hot and comforting Chinese soup.  Typically made with pork, this soup has no meat,  I added carrots which is also not traditional, but I love the look of the orange in the soup and the flavor is legit.

A closeup of the soup showing the mushrooms, tofu and vegetables

Adding eggs to hot and sour soup

I’ve seen some discussion whether the eggs are authentic. I don’t claim that this recipe is an authentic hot and sour soup, but I do know that all the hot and sour soups I’ve eaten do have eggs and the flavor is very close to the real deal.

If you are vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian (abstain from eating eggs) you can omit the egg completely or just use the egg white as it contains no animal cells. 

Per the review below, the soup is just as good without the egg, in-fact it is  “lip smacking”.

Is hot and sour soup healthy?

In addition to being low in calories (in this recipe there are 59 calories per cup) I would say it is pretty healthy. It is low fat, has healthy vegetables, and tofu is a good source of meat-free protein.

Is Hot and Sour Soup gluten free?

There is soy sauce in the soup, but now that gluten-free soy is available so I can say yes, you can make it gluten free.

What do you serve with hot and sour soup?

I like to serve a small appetizer like spring rolls with my Trio of Asian Dipping Sauces, Baked Honey Soy Chicken Drumsticks or Chicken and Vegetable Lettuce Wraps with Orange Sauce.

In addition to being low in calories (this recipe there are 59 calories per cup) I would say it is pretty healthy. It is also low fat, has healthy vegetables, and tofu is a good source of meat-free protein.

In addition to being low in calories (this recipe has 59 calories per serving) I would say it is pretty healthy. It is also low fat, has healthy vegetables, and tofu is a good source of meat-free protein.

Is Hot and Sour Soup gluten free?

There is soy sauce in this soup, but it’s easy to make it gluten-free by using coconut aminos.

A spoonful of vegetables on a spoon

How hot is the soup?

Yield: 8 cups/2 quarts

Vegetarian Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

A white bowl filled with vegetarian Chinese hot and sour soup

Tofu and vegetables are bathed in a delicious vegetable broth flavored with soy sauce, rice vinegar and chili sauce for perfectly balanced flavors.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 ½ teaspoons chili garlic sauce
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • Small pinch of salt
  • 4 cups (944 ml) vegetable stock
  • 4 ounces (62 grams) shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup (227 grams) can of bamboo shoots
  • 5 ounces (140 grams) firm tofu, drained, cut into cubes
  • 3/4 cup (27 grams) carrots, cut into thin strips (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 large egg, beaten (optional)
  • 2 green onion/spring onion, sliced thin

Instructions

  1. To a small bowl add the soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and salt.
  2. To a large soup pan add the vegetable stock, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tofu, carrots ginger. Stir in the soy sauce mix and bring to a simmer.
  3. Mix the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water and stir into the soup. Simmer until thickened.
  4. While stirring, drizzle in the egg until incorporated.
  5. Serve warm garnished with green onions.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1 cup
Amount Per Serving Calories 59Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 23mgSodium 584mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 4g
© Culinary Ginger
Cuisine: Chinese / Category: Soup

Vegetable Stock

A pitcher and a jar of vegetable stock