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Made with just a handful of simple ingredients, Greek egg and lemon (avgolemono) soup is a delicious soup with a one-of-a-kind flavor and creamy texture that's satisfying enough to make a meal all on its own.
What is Egg and Lemon (Avgolemono) Soup
Egg and Lemon Soup (Avgolemono Soup) is a classic Greek soup thickened with eggs and rice and richly flavored with lemon juice and lemon zest. Along with olive oil, oregano, and garlic, lemons are one of the most common ingredients in Greek cuisine.
In addition to combining the tart, citrusy flavor of lemons with eggs in this easy-to-make soup, a similar egg and lemon sauce is also used frequently as a topping for fish, vegetables, and dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with rice).
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken broth: In our kitchen, this recipe is a favorite go-to for a light dinner, so we generally make it with a good-quality, low-sodium chicken broth from the supermarket. We always use low-sodium broth because it gives us more control over the seasoning. If you have your own homemade chicken broth, by all means, use that instead. It can only make the soup better.
- Medium-grain white rice: The grains of rice classified as “medium-grain” are about 2-1/2 times as long as they are wide. Arborio and Valencia are two well-known varieties. Medium-grain rice is a good choice for egg and lemon soup because it releases more starch during cooking, which helps to thicken the soup. Both conventional long-grain white rice and Basmati rice are acceptable substitutes.
- Large eggs: We call for 3 large eggs in this recipe, but use your best judgment on this. If you feel your eggs are a little on the small side (as large eggs sometimes are these days), go ahead and add a fourth.
- Fresh lemons: There’s no getting around it – the tangy lemon flavor from both the zest and the freshly-squeezed juice is essential for this recipe.
- Fresh herbs (optional): A sprinkling of fresh dill is our top choice for a garnish, but chopped parsley or chives can add that little something extra in terms of flavor and visual appeal as well.
How to Make Greek Egg and Lemon (Avgolemono) Soup
This is an overview of how this dish is made. You’ll find detailed measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version of the recipe below.
- Bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the rice.
- Stir for about 2 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
- While the rice cooks, whisk the egg whites until frothy and beginning to thicken.
- Add the yolks and whisk together until light and creamy.
- While continuing to whisk, slowly drizzle in about 1/2 cup of the simmering broth, then whisk in the lemon juice.
- Remove the soup from the heat and gradually add the egg mixture while stirring constantly. This should take a full minute.
- Stir in the lemon zest and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and serve immediately.
Tips for Success
- Temper your eggs: Once you’ve combined your egg whites and yolks, you need to temper the mixture before adding it to the hot broth and rice. Tempering prevents curdling, and it’s done by slowly whisking a little of the hot chicken broth into the egg mixture to warm it.
- Stir the eggs in slowly: After your eggs have been tempered, it’s important to stir them into the hot broth slowly and evenly.
- Leftover soup: Greek Egg and Lemon Soup is not a dish that reheats very well, so if possible, don’t make more than you’ll use in one meal. If you do have leftovers, reheat in the microwave at 50% power and give the soup a stir every 45 seconds or so.
- Add some chicken: This recipe serves two for dinner or four as a first course. Occasionally we add a little extra protein in the form of shredded chicken, but most often we simply serve it with a Greek salad on the side.
More Classic Greek Recipes
If you enjoy the flavors of Greek cuisine as we do, we have a few other recipes you might like to try.
- Skordalia is a creamy, garlicky, Greek dip (or sauce) made with potatoes, breadcrumbs, garlic, olive oil, and lemon. It’s delicious as an appetizer spread on toasted pita triangles.
- Pastitisio is a baked pasta dish that’s layered similarly to lasagna. It combines tubular pasta (we use penne), a savory tomato-based meat sauce made with ground beef, and béchamel sauce.
- Moussaka is a layered casserole dish made with ground lamb and tomato meat sauce. It uses sliced eggplant in place of any type of noodles and has a top layer of creamy béchamel sauce.
Greek Egg and Lemon Soup (Avgolemono Soupa)
Made with just a handful of simple ingredients, Greek egg and lemon (avgolemono) soup is a delicious soup with a one-of-a-kind flavor and creamy texture that's satisfying enough to make a meal all on its own.
Ingredients
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup medium-grain white rice, Valencia or Arborio
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh dill or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the rice.
- Stir for about 2 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
- While the rice cooks, whisk the egg whites until frothy and beginning to thicken.
- Add the yolks and whisk together until light and creamy.
- While continuing to whisk, slowly drizzle in about 1/2 cup of the simmering broth, then whisk in the lemon juice.
- Remove the soup from the heat and gradually add the egg mixture while stirring constantly. This should take a full minute.
- Stir in the lemon zest and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
- Temper your eggs: Once you’ve combined your egg whites and yolks, you need to temper the mixture before adding it to the hot broth and rice. Tempering prevents curdling, and it’s done by slowly whisking a little of the hot chicken broth into the egg mixture to warm it.
- Stir the eggs in slowly: After your eggs have been tempered, it’s important to stir them into the hot broth slowly and evenly.
- Leftover soup: Greek Egg and Lemon Soup is not a dish that reheats very well, so if possible, don’t make more than you’ll use in one meal. If you do have leftovers, reheat in the microwave at 50% power and give the soup a stir every 45 seconds or so.
- Add some chicken: This recipe serves two for dinner or four as a first course. Occasionally we add a little extra protein in the form of shredded chicken, but usually, we simply serve it with a Greek salad on the side.
Nutrition
Calories: 392, Total Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 246mg, Sodium: 307mg, Carbohydrates: 50g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Protein: 26g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!
Used to make this for my Greek father in law . This the best and easiest recipe made it for my sick grand daughter she loved it. Thank you
Hi Linda,
I’m happy to hear you and your granddaughter like our Egg and Lemon Soup recipe. Thanks for taking the time to let us know.
This was good. Dealing with the eggs before mixing in worked well. Could have been more flavourful but that probably comes down to my chicken stock and not enough lemon and lemon zest.
Hi Deb,
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the soup overall. Like any produce, lemons can be a bit of a variable, some have a little more punch than others. One thing I do with both lemons and limes is to microwave them whole for 15 to 20 seconds prior to juicing and zesting. It definitely makes them easier to juice and I believe you can get a little more out of them. It also releases the oils in the rind so they’re a bit more fragrant. I don’t know whether this actually makes them more flavorful though.
Could you substitute cauliflower rice for the regular rice? I need to eat low carb.
Hi Barbara,
I haven’t tried cauliflower rice in this recipe yet, but I often use it to either replace rice completely, or I mix it half and half to reduce the carbs. I think flavor-wise it would be perfectly fine in the egg and lemon soup. What I would suggest would be to cook the cauliflower rice separately and make sure it was well-drained. I would also consider adding an extra egg to replace the extra thickness the starch in the rice would have given the soup. Hope this helps!
Hi. I have been eating this recipe for years. I have had a long ago recipe that used 4 egg yolks and no egg whites. It just made it so velvety and rich. I also still don’t use rice into the soup. Everyone does it I just hate my rice getting soggy (lol)
Made this and also added some rotisserie chicken shreds to it… delish!
YUMMY! I added extra chicken flavoring to my broth and extra lemon juice. So very good!
Happy to hear you enjoyed the soup!