Egg Roll Soup
Cooked in a Dutch oven and ready in just 35 minutes, this homemade Egg Roll Soup is a bowl of pure comfort. Made with ground pork and a savory broth with a subtle sweetness, this soup makes a healthier spin on egg rolls! Enjoy a bowl as a hearty dinner or simple lunch.
📌 Quick Glance at Egg Roll Soup
- 🍜 Flavor Profile: Savory, cozy egg roll flavors in soup form with a subtly sweet broth.
- ⏱️ Time & Effort: Ready in about 35 minutes and made in one pot.
- 🥬 Main Ingredients: Ground pork, cabbage, carrots, ginger, garlic, chicken broth, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
- 👩🍳 Technique Tip: Add the sesame oil at the end so the soup keeps its fragrant egg roll aroma.
- 🥢 Serving Idea: Top with green onions, sesame seeds, and crunchy wonton strips for the full egg roll experience.
- 🥡 Better Than Takeout: All the classic egg roll flavor you love, but in a cozy, slurpable bowl of soup.
Summarize & Save This Content On
Skip the takeout and whip up your favorite dish in soup form instead. This egg roll in a bowl of soup has all the comforting, savory flavor of the classic dish, but in a cozier form, just like my chicken pot pie soup.
I adore takeout egg rolls and whipping up a deconstructed egg roll in a bowl. But this egg roll soup recipe took those classic flavors to a whole other level when I finally realized that the secret ingredient was a hint of sweetness to mimic the lightly sweet flavor in egg rolls. Though potato broccoli cheese soup may be my favorite winter go-to, this homemade soup is a close second.
Why This Recipe Works
- Sweet and Savory Flavor: Egg rolls have a hint of sweet flavor from the wrappers themselves, so adding agave to the soup mimics the authentic flavors of egg rolls.
- Simple Broth: One of the keys to having the best-tasting egg roll soup with ground pork is discarding the drippings from cooking the pork before making the broth. This ensures you don't have a greasy base to the soup.
- Easy Techniques: This soup is easy to make, but the timing of a few ingredients matters-especially adding the sesame oil at the end for that classic egg roll aroma.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Ground pork: This is what's traditionally used for egg rolls, as its high-fat content keeps them juicy and adds extra richness to the broth. Just make sure to drain and discard the grease once it's cooked.
- Fresh ginger: Fresh herbs and spices will always bring out more flavor to a dish. If you want to make it even more potent, freeze the ginger and grate it directly from frozen.
- Cabbage: Both green and napa cabbage can be used. Just make sure to slice it thinly so that it softens nicely into the broth. I also use green cabbage in this unstuffed cabbage soup.
- Agave: This is what gives the egg roll soup with cabbage its subtly sweet flavor. In a pinch, you could also use honey or a tiny bit of sugar.
- White pepper: Black pepper can work if it's all you have, but white pepper has a sharper, more floral flavor, which gives the soup a more authentic feel.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Recipe Variations
- Use a Different Protein: In place of classic ground pork, you could use ground beef, chicken, or a blend of meats for the deconstructed egg roll soup. I use ground chicken to make this egg drop soup with wontons.
- Gluten-free: To make this soup gluten-friendly, skip the wontons, double-check your broth, and use a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari in its place. The same swaps are needed in this Thai red curry soup.
- Bulk Up the Soup: If you want to make the recipe heartier, stir in cooked rice or rice noodles in the last 3-4 minutes of simmering.
How to Make Egg Roll Soup
Like most soup recipes with ground pork, you can actually chop all the vegetables and prepare the meat a day in advance, saving you some prep time in the kitchen. Store all the ingredients separately in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook the soup.
Step 1: Brown the Pork. Over medium heat, brown the ground pork, crumbling it as it cooks. When cooked, discard any grease and set it aside.
Step 2: Prepare the Veggies. Return the Dutch oven to the stove and sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in avocado oil until the onions are soft and translucent.
Step 3: Cook the Cabbage. Add the carrots and cabbage to the pot and cook them all for roughly 3 minutes until the cabbage turns bright green.
Step 4: Put it Together. Add the broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and ground pork to the pot and bring it to a simmer. When it's heated, you should see small bubbles appear on the surface. At this point, cook the soup for 12 minutes.
Step 5: Finish Seasoning. Reduce the heat to low, then add the sesame oil, agave, white pepper, and salt.
Step 6: Serve. Serve bowls of soup with green onions, sesame seeds, and wonton strips.
Lyn's Top Tips
- Taste test: Only add ½ teaspoon of salt into the soup before giving it a taste and adjusting the seasonings from there.
- Scraping the pan: While you simmer the soup, scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits, as they're the ones with the most flavor.
- Draining the pork: To make sure that your soup doesn't have a greasy broth, drain the run off from cooking the ground pork out of the pan before you sauté the veggies.
- Storing: Once fully cooled, store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make sure not to garnish it before you store it so that your toppings stay fresh. Reheat it on the stove over low heat until warmed through.
Soup-er Toppings & Serving Suggestions
Enjoy bowls of soup topped with chopped cilantro, green onions, and crispy wontons. You can also add an extra drizzle of sesame oil or add a little heat with sliced Thai chiles.
Enjoy bowls of soup along with your favorite fakeout recipes, such as tofu fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, and any other dishes you love.
If you love bread with your soup, try these crusty dinner rolls or make some homemade breadsticks.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, it tastes just as delicious when made in advance. To do this, cook the soup and let it cool, making sure not to add any wontons or toppings. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container before reheating it when you need it. You may need a splash of extra broth to get the soup going again. Then, top it with your favorites before serving.
When slicing cabbage for soup, you first want to remove the core. Then, using a mandolin or a very sharp knife, slice it to roughly ¼ inch thick and make sure the slices are even so that they all cook to the same tender texture.
Yes, you can, though the cabbage will soften a bit when frozen. I found the soup still quite delicious. To freeze, let it cool completely, then store the soup in a freezer-safe container or plastic bag, leaving room at the top for it to expand. It stays fresh for up to 3 months. When ready, let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating it on the stove.
Green cabbage is the best choice. It has a mild flavor and sturdy texture that holds up well while the soup simmers, and it's the same type of cabbage traditionally used in egg rolls. As it cooks, it softens while still keeping a little bite, which helps recreate the classic egg roll filling flavor and texture in the soup. Napa cabbage can also work if you prefer a softer texture. It is more delicate and slightly sweeter than green cabbage, so it cooks faster and gives the soup a lighter feel. Red cabbage is not recommended for this soup. While it is edible, it tends to bleed its purple color into the broth as it cooks, which can turn the soup an unappealing grayish-purple color and change the look of the dish.
Egg Roll Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 ¼ cups thinly sliced carrots
- 7 cups finely sliced or shredded cabbage
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon agave syrup
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper or black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 4-5 sliced green onions
- Sesame seeds to serve
- Wonton strips to serve
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the ground pork and cook for 4-5 minutes, crumbling as it cooks, until cooked through. Turn off the heat, remove the pork from the pot with a slotted spoon, and safely discard the grease.
- Return the pot to the heat. Add the avocado oil, diced onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions turn translucent.
- Add the carrots and cabbage. Cook for 3 minutes until the cabbage turns bright green.
- Stir in the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and cooked ground pork. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Once simmering, cook uncovered for 12 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the sesame oil, agave syrup, ground white pepper, and salt, adding more salt as needed to taste.
- Serve the soup hot, garnished with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, and wonton strips.
Recipe Tips
- Draining the pork: To make sure that your soup doesn't have a greasy broth, drain the run off from cooking the ground pork out of the pan before you sauté the veggies.
- Prepping the cabbage: Slice the cabbage as thinly as possible so that it softens fully while simmering and you're not left with thick, tough chunks.
- Wontons: To keep the wontons crispy until everyone is eating, serve them in a bowl on the side and not directly in the soup, where they'll lose their crunchy texture.
