Prepared with mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tofu, and green onions, this 30 Minute Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup is all you need to keep warm this winter. A popular Chinese buffet starter that everyone loves, this soup is thick and loaded with good-for-you ingredients.

Years ago, I used to have takeout every Tuesday night for dinner. Tuesday used to be my late day at work, so I would arrive home after seven. Who wants to cook at that time? I would always pick up dinner from a Toronto-based Chinese restaurant called Tender Trap. This 30 Minute Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup reminds me of the soup I’d get from that restaurant.
Unlike their soup, which had shredded chicken in it, I’m keeping my version vegetarian. It’s just a matter of leaving the chicken out of the recipe and using vegetable stock rather than chicken or beef stock. If you want, you can add cooked, shredded chicken to your soup. Just add it in when you add the tofu so that it’s properly heated through. The chicken must be previously cooked!
My favourite part of this soup is that tangy flavour. The combination of sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot sauce blends to create this deep, rich flavour. It always surprises me that the flavour of something so simple can be so complex and created in thirty minutes. You have to try this recipe!
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INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE
The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.
- Vegetable Stock – If you are using store-bought, use low sodium. Some of them can be overly salty!
- Ginger – Use fresh ginger in this recipe. Peel it and use a box grater to grate it – it’s easier than mincing it!
- Soy Sauce – There’s a lot of soy sauce in this recipe. Depending on the brand, soy sauce can be really salty. Try to use low-sodium soy sauce to avoid preparing a dish that might be too salty to eat!
- Vinegar – I love the flavour of rice vinegar in dishes like this. If you don’t have rice vinegar, white wine or apple cider vinegar.
- Hot Sauce – Use your favourite hot sauce here. I personally feel that sambal works extremely well in this soup.
- Sugar – The sugar helps to sweeten and balance out the acidity.
- Mushrooms – Use good meaty mushrooms like cremini.
- Bamboo Shoots – Find these in cans at any major grocery store. Drain them well.

- Cornstarch – Used to thicken the savoury broth.
- Eggs – The eggs are beaten and slowly poured into the soup at the end while whisking to create little egg ribbons.
- Tofu – Use extra firm tofu, otherwise, soft tofu will just fall apart.
- Sesame Oil – For flavour.
- Salt and Ground Black Pepper – Season to taste.
- Green Onions – Hot and Sour Soup cannot be without lots of freshly chopped green onions. The add flavour, texture and a fresh scent.
Lord Byron’s Notes
Our go-to soup when fighting a cold in North America is usually Chicken Noodle. Try this Hot and Sour Soup instead. The spices and vinegar will help to clear out any congestion you might be dealing with. Also, if you have a sore throat, this soup will help to soothe it.
FRESH MUSHROOMS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE
Traditionally, Hot and Sour Soup is prepared with dried mushrooms. It’s usually a combination of dried shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms. They are rehydrated first, of course, but I think fresh mushrooms work much better. And, using fresh mushrooms will keep the preparation of this soup faster.
It took me years to figure out that I actually did like mushrooms, and that I had been brainwashed into thinking that mushrooms were these pale, brown, slimy, button-looking things that came out of a can. Once I began to experiment with fresh mushrooms, my opinion of them changed rather quickly.
My mom can’t be blamed for not using fresh mushrooms. I grew up in Newfoundland, and I know that canned mushrooms were all my parents could purchase at the time. I remember it well – there were sliced mushrooms, or if you were being very frugal, you could get stems and pieces in a can too.
Mom would often fry canned mushrooms with chopped onion together in her cast iron skillet. It would just be those two ingredients with a little butter, some salt, and ground black pepper. She would spoon it over the top of fried or grilled steak or pork chops. It looked so good, but I wouldn’t even try it. Fresh makes all the difference, because now I like mushrooms.
ADDING CHICKEN
As mentioned above, you can add chicken to this soup if you prefer to not have a vegetarian soup. To do so, you can add pre-cooked, shredded chicken to the soup when you add the tofu. This will ensure that the previously cooked chicken is heated through before serving. But, if you don’t have any pre-cooked chicken, but still want to add some in, you can poach chicken.
To poach chicken, add one or two skinless, boneless chicken breasts to a pot. Cover with water so that the water is at least one inch above the chicken. Add salt according to your tastes. Use a little more salt than you think you will need because you don’t want the chicken to be bland. Add a clove of crushed garlic and a slice or two of fresh ginger. Lastly, add a stalk of green onion that you have cut into one inch lengths.
Over medium heat, allow the liquid to come to a low simmer. Do not be tempted to increase the heat to make the poaching process faster. You will just end up with tough chicken. Once the liquid is simmering, lower the temperature to medium-low and simmer for fifteen more minutes. Remove from pot and allow to cool before shredding.

HOW TO MAKE 30 MINUTE VEGETARIAN HOT AND SOUR SOUP
This soup is very easy to make and can be prepared in about thirty minutes. Here is how to do it. Start with the mushrooms. Add them to the soup pot with the vegetable oil. Over high heat, sauté the mushrooms until browned. Next, add the vegetable stock, fresh ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, and bamboo shoots. Bring to a boil.
In the meantime, whisk the cornstarch with a quarter cup of water. Pour the cornstarch into the soup while stirring. This will thicken the broth. Cook for two minutes. Next, beat the eggs and pour them into the soup while gently whisking.
Now, add in the tofu, sesame oil, and chicken, if using. Stir well and add in the salt and ground black pepper. Taste and season according to your preference. Finally, add the sliced green onions and cook for three more minutes. Serve immediately, garnishing with more green onions and optional sesame seeds.

FREEZING AND RE-HEATING
When freezing 30 Minute Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup, I like to make sure it’s completely cooled. The best way to do this is to just turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let the pot of soup just sit at room temperature for at least ninety minutes. Then, stir well to ensure none of the ingredients have settled at the bottom.
Portion as you wish. I like to portion two cups per person. Use a freezer-friendly container with a very tight-fitting lid. Also, be sure to label the soup so you know what it is!
To reheat, allow the frozen soup to sit at room temperature for at least two hours. Then, slowly simmer in a covered saucepan. In some cases, when thawing soup that has been thickened with cornstarch, the soup will not be as thick as it was when it was first made. You can bring the soup to a boil and add a little bit more of the cornstarch slurry to thicken it up again.

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30 Minute Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 6 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sambal
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup bamboo shoots
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 large whisked eggs
- 16 ounces extra firm tofu, cubed
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
- sesame seeds for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Add the mushrooms to a soup pot with the vegetable oil. Over high heat, sauté the mushrooms until browned.
- Next, add the vegetable stock, fresh ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, sugar, and bamboo shoots. Bring to a boil.
- In the meantime, whisk the cornstarch with a quarter cup of water. Pour the cornstarch into the soup while stirring. Cook for two minutes.
- Next, beat the eggs and pour them into the soup while gently whisking.
- Add in the tofu, sesame oil, and chicken, if using. Stir well and add in the salt and ground black pepper. Taste and season according to your preference.
- Finally, add the sliced green onions and cook for three more minutes. Serve immediately, garnishing with more green onions and optional sesame seeds.
Nutrition
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Cheryl Jones says
Wow thank-you for this!
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing vegetarian hot and sour soup recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Freya says
One of my favourite soups, I always find hot and sour so restorative
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Freya. 🙂
Linda says
Love the addition of sambal in this soup. So easy to make and so flavorful!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Linda. 🙂