Chinese Hot and Sour Soup Recipe

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Hot and Sour Soup is a popular Chinese soup with a savory, spicy, and sour/tangy flavor profile. It’s ubiquitous with Chinese takeout, but it’s super quick and easy to make at home! Serve it as a starter for a bigger Chinese meal, or as a main course on its own.

A bowl of Chinese hot and sour soup with shiitake mushrooms and tofu garnished with scallions.

(This post was originally published in May 2013, but was updated with a new recipe, new photos and content in 2023).

Hot and sour soup is an excellent example of Sichuan Chinese cuisine, which is known for its spice. There are many ways to make hot and sour soup, with many variations in different countries throughout Asia, including a personal favorite, Tom Yum Gai, or Thai hot and sour soup.

This version of hot and sour soup I'm sharing is more in the American-Chinese style, and what you might come to expect from your local Chinese takeout spot. The broth is thickened with a cornstarch slurry, which gives it a glossy look and more viscous consistency. When it’s cold it might even resemble gelatin.

The broth features a balance of savory, spicy, and sour flavors with extra umami bites from mushrooms and tofu and a bit of texture from bamboo shoots. Silky egg ribbons are the final flourish in this classic comforting soup.

Ingredient notes

Ingredients for Chinese hot and sour soup on a light grey background.

Mushrooms: My preferred mushrooms for hot and sour soup are typically shiitakes (make sure to remove the stems) and cremini or baby bella mushrooms. Wipe them clean and thinly slice them. If using shiitakes, buy more mushrooms than you think you need because once you remove the stems the amount you have will reduce quite a bit.
Tofu: Firm tofu will work best in hot and sour soup. Soft and silken tofu is too soft and can fall apart. Extra-firm tofu is a bit too firm for my taste. Firm is the Goldilocks texture here.
Bamboo Shoots: Canned bamboo shoots work perfectly here. Get the julienned or slivered ones, and make sure to drain them before adding to the broth. If you can only find the slices, blot them dry and julienne them yourself into thin slivers.
Soy Sauce: You’ll need regular (light) soy sauce for this recipe. I recommend low-sodium soy sauce. You can also add some dark soy sauce, which is thick and syrupy and lends a nice dark color to the broth. I’ve noted this as optional in the recipe since you may not have it on hand, but I recommend adding it if you can. Start with less and add more if you’d like.
Vinegar: I use rice wine vinegar in my hot and sour soup, but you can use plain white vinegar if that’s what you have.
Chile: The chile element can vary depending on what you have and what you like. Sriracha and chile garlic sauce are both good options to add the spicy notes to this soup. You could also add crushed red chiles. You’ll need to check and adjust based on how spicy you like it.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch is the key ingredient to thicken this soup. That being said, I’ve made hot and sour soup countless times without using cornstarch slurry to thicken it, and it’s still absolutely delicious. It just has a thinner broth reminiscent of a regular soup, but the flavors are still on point. When thickening the broth, I usually add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, but you can add more if you want an even thicker broth. I’ve included a range in the recipe.

An Asian soup spoon lifting hot and sour soup out of a white bowl.

How to make it

Heat a pot over medium-high heat. Add broth or stock and bring to a simmer. Next, add sliced mushrooms, cubed tofu, bamboo shoots, garlic, vinegar, light soy sauce, sriracha or chile garlic sauce, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, dark soy sauce (if using), and black pepper. Return to a simmer for another minute or so.

Adding sliced shiitake mushrooms, cubed tofu, and other ingredients to a pot of soup.

A pot of soup with sliced shiitake mushrooms floating on the surface.

Then, whisk together the cornstarch and water and, while stirring the soup, pour it in. As you stir and the mixture simmers, the soup will thicken.

Hot and sour soup after adding cornstarch slurry but before adding egg in a metal pot.

Next, while slowly stirring the simmering soup in a clockwise direction, slowly pour in the beaten eggs. It will create thin egg ribbons throughout the soup.

Hot and sour soup in a metal pot before adding scallions.

Finally, add about half the scallions, stirring gently.

Finished hot and sour soup in a metal pot.

Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add salt if it needs it, more vinegar if you want a more sour soup, and more sriracha or chile garlic sauce if you want a spicier soup.

Divide into bowls and serve immediately, topped with the remaining scallions to garnish.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Two bowls of hot and sour soup on a blue and white towel.

Expert tips and FAQs

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave (stirring a couple times partway through) or in a saucepan on the stovetop until simmering.

You can add julienned (thin strips) of raw pork or chicken to the soup (or add leftover cooked shredded chicken) if you'd like to make it even heartier. If adding raw meat, just make sure to simmer the hot and sour soup long enough so the meat cooks through. Since they are small pieces it shouldn't take too long.

If you have leftover tofu that isn't used in the soup, you can freeze it! After draining the excess liquid, portion the tofu (I usually do 4 ounce blocks). Then wrap each piece in plastic wrap, transfer to a freezer bag and freeze. Thaw each block as needed in the fridge before using.

Is hot and sour soup healthy?

Hot and sour soup is actually quite healthy. It’s fairly low in fat and calories and doesn’t contain added fat from oil. It also has a good amount of protein from tofu and eggs.

What makes hot and sour soup thick?

Hot and sour soup is thickened with a slurry of cornstarch and water (or additional broth). Adding cornstarch to thicken hot and sour soup is an American-Chinese method and may be less common in other places, including China.

A bowl of Chinese hot and sour soup garnished with scallions.

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