Ginger Garlic Noodle Soup with Bok Choy is a nutritious, comforting, and flu-fighting twenty-minute recipe made with a vegetarian broth, noodles, mushrooms, and baby bok choy. You can easily make this Bok Choy Soup your own by adding chicken, shrimp, spicy chilis, or other veggies.
The most popular recipe on my blog, this Bok Choy Soup remains a personal favorite thanks to its delicious simplicity. If you love this bok choy soup you may also enjoy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Kimchi Ramen Noodle Soup, or this fast and healthy 10 Minute Garlic Bok Choy Recipe.
I have made a lot of soup in my life. Creamy soups, brothy soups, vegetable soups, and meaty soups. I’ve made them all. However, if I had to pick one soup to eat for the rest of my life it would be this Ginger Garlic Noodle Soup with Bok Choy. This Bok Choy Soup is that good.
Some of you may be wondering…why?
WHY THIS IS THE BEST GINGER GARLIC NOODLE SOUP WITH BOK CHOY
- The broth. The key to a delicious and memorable brothy soup is the broth. Unfortunately, achieving this wonderous broth often takes HOURS (learn how to make bone broth here!). The broth in this Bok Choy Soup? Twenty minutes, my friends. Thirty minutes tops.
- It tastes a lot like Phở. Ok, I know, this is basically the same as what I said above. But it deserves two points because it kinda blows my mind a little.
- It’s like chicken noodle soup…but better.
- This Bok Choy Soup will fight your flu. Now, I can’t claim that it will cure anything (I’m not a doctor), but things like ginger and garlic are there to help when you feel like crap.
- It’s completely customizable. In other words, you have the base, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go wild with it. This bok choy soup loves all the veggies and really loves shrimp.
INGREDIENTS IN THIS GINGER GARLIC NOODLE SOUP WITH BOK CHOY
- Shallots and green onions (white AND green parts)
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Low-sodium chicken broth (or veggie broth/water to keep it vegan)
- Soy sauce (or Tamari to keep it gluten-free)
- Bok Choy
- Mushrooms
- Rice noodles
- Star Anise
That’s the basic overall list of what you need to make this awesome soup. You’ll also need salt, pepper, and red chili flakes.
What is star anise?
This is one of the most frequent questions I get from readers planning to make this recipe. Every other ingredient is fairly easy to find, but whole star anise? What’s this? Star anise is the seed pod from the fruit of the Illicium verum plant. Shaped like a star, star anise has six to eight points, each containing a single seed.
This Ginger Garlic Noodle Soup with Bok Choy Recipe calls for 2 whole star anise. The star anise is not meant to be eaten. I repeat- you do not eat the whole star anise. Star anise provides wonderful flavor to soup, sauces, and marinades, but tastes horrible when eaten whole. Remove the seed pod after simmering the broth.
What does star anise taste like? Star anise is a mix of sweet, spicy (not the chili kind of spicy), and very similar to licorice. As someone who mostly hates licorice, I guarantee you won’t feel like your slurping a bowl of licorice (unless you forget to remove the star anise pods and bite into one).
No idea where to buy star anise? Most major supermarkets sell this must-have spice, but just in case,
If you are one of those people who absolutely HATE star anise, simply substitute with cinnamon sticks. The flavor won’t be quite the same, but it will still be delicious.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BOK CHOY AND BABY BOK CHOY
Since several of you have asked, I did a little research and this is what I have found.
- Baby bok choy and Bok choy are basically the same things.
- The difference is that baby bok choy is harvested earlier producing smaller, more tender leaves.
- This means that baby bok choy is much sweeter than bok choy and is often served directly in soups (oh HAY!) or even in salads.
- Bok choy, on the other hand, is much heartier, perfect for longer cooking times as in stir-frys.
That said, this Ginger Garlic Noodle Soup with Bok Choy could technically handle either baby bok choy or bok choy. Just remember that bok choy will be slightly more bitter and less sweet.
Bok Choy Soup Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I freeze this soup? Yes and no. Yes, you may absolutely freeze the broth. However, I do not recommend freezing this soup with the vegetables or the noodles. Fortunately, the vegetables and noodles in this bok choy soup take only minutes to heat together.
- Do I pre-cook the noodles? No no no no nooooo. Rice noodles cook super fast. Add the noodles to the broth just a few minutes before you are ready to eat.
- Does this bok choy soup taste good leftover? Similar to freezing, this soup can be eaten leftover but tastes best fresh- unless, of course, you make a big batch of broth and keep the vegetables and noodles separate.
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS GINGER GARLIC NOODLE SOUP WITH BOK CHOY
“This was a-mazing. A lot of flavour and very little prep and cooking time. Makes you feel warm inside. Tasty, delicious and satisfying, yet light. This seriously picked me up!” -Emma
“This really was delicious. I used ramen noodles from a pack, I think any kind of noodles, even angel hair pasta would work well. I love bok choy but don’t usually buy it to fix just as a veggie. Now I have an excellent reason!” -Judith
“OMG! Thank you for this recipe, it is sooooo good! I couldn’t help myself and had a second bowl.” -Bonnie
For more bok choy recipes check out,
- Easy Sheet Pan Thai Chicken with Bok Choy
- Sweet Chili Tofu with Coconut Rice and Bok Choy
- Spicy Stir Fried Tofu with Bok Choy
- Udon Noodle Soup with Bok Choy and Poached Egg
- Spicy Stir Fried Tofu with Bok Choy
For more soup recipes check out,
- Easy Chicken Avocado Soup Recipe
- Vegetarian Butternut Squash Black Bean Soup
- Turmeric Broth Soup with Wild Rice and Vegetables
- Pho Recipe (How to Make Vietnamese Noodle Soup)
- Minestrone Soup Recipe
- Easy Six Onion Soup
DON’T FORGET TO PIN THIS GINGER GARLIC NOODLE SOUP RECIPE WITH BOK CHOY TO MAKE FOR A FAST AND EASY DINNER, WHEN YOU HAVE THE FLU, OR ANY OTHER TIME YOU WANT TO MAKE A BIG BOWL OF BOK CHOY SOUP.
If you try making this Bok Choy Soup Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
RECIPE CARD
Ginger Garlic Noodle Soup with Bok Choy
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 shallots - diced
- 1 bunch green onions - chopped, green and white divided
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoon ginger - fresh, minced
- 5.5 cups low sodium chicken broth - or vegetable broth for vegan
- 2 whole star anise
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce - or Tamari for a Gluten Free option
- 10 oz crimini mushrooms - sliced
- 6 oz rice noodles
- 1.5 heads bok choy - roughly chopped
- sesame seeds - for topping
- red pepper flakes - for topping
Instructions
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium-sized stockpot over medium heat.
- To the oil add the diced shallots and mix well. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or until the shallots turn translucent and start to soften. Stir often.
- Chop the end off of each green onion- dividing the white part from the green part. Chop and set aside the green part for topping. Meanwhile, finely chop the white part of each green onion.
- Add the white part of the green onions, minced garlic, and ginger to the shallots and mix. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes or until garlic and ginger is fragrant.
- Carefully pour the chicken stock or water (or mix) into the pot and bring to a simmer. To the pot add the star anise and soy sauce. Cover and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid from the pot and carefully remove and discard each star anise from the soup.
- Add the sliced mushrooms, uncooked noodles, and bok choy to the pot and simmer for 5-8 minutes, or until noodles and bok choy are tender. Season to taste.
- Divide soup between bowls and garnish with sesame seeds, the green parts of green onions and red pepper flakes (if desired).
Video
Jessica's Notes
- Not everyone loves the taste of star anise. However, I find that it plays a crucial role in the flavor of the broth. That said, if you hate it or don't have any on hand, I have found cinnamon sticks to be a good substitute.
- Need a little protein? Don't be shy about adding some chopped chicken or shrimp to the soup approximately 5 minutes before serving (assuming the chicken has been previously cooked).
- For a lower sodium diet, you can substitute low sodium soy sauce, and/or substitute unsalted chicken broth.
- Garnish with Cilantro optional.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Great flavor… BUT, I don’t know what went wrong, but the rice noodles I used melted??? I have never had anything like that happen. And that of course made the soup starchy.
It sounds like an unusual issue with the rice noodles! Typically, if rice noodles melt into the soup and create a starchy texture, it might be due to a few potential factors:
Overcooking: Rice noodles are much more delicate than other types of pasta and can turn mushy if cooked for too long. Itโs best to soak them in warm water just until they’re soft but still have some bite, then add them to the soup towards the end of cooking just to heat through.
Brand: Perhaps the rice noodles you used were a bad batch? Try a different brand next time and make sure not to over cook.
Try these adjustments next time, and hopefully, your noodles will maintain their texture better in the soup!
This recipe was delicious! Very reminiscent of pho.. will make again for sure. I added tofu , shrimp , white mushrooms and cabbage because I donโt like bok choy. Delicious ๐
Thanks Huynh, it is like pho, without the 8+ hours of cooking ๐
This was answer to veggies in my CSA box. Made a couple of little changes, baby Bellaโs and I did add shrimp. Wonderfull! Thank you
Made last night with garden fresh bok choy and green beans and used star anise. It was delicious! I added some chicken and rice noodles. Will definitely become a staple in my recipe book! Thank you!
I appreciate your delicious feedback, Roberta ๐
Wanna try but what can I use instead of anise as we do not have it in our town and I have no patience to wait for Amazon lol
Its worth the wait, but here are three good substitutions for star anise:
1. Chinese Five-Spice Powder: This blend typically contains star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel seeds. It provides a similar complex flavor profile and can be used in equal amounts to replace star anise in recipes.
2. Anise Seeds: Anise seeds have a similar licorice flavor, though slightly milder. Use about half the amount of anise seeds as the recipe calls for star anise to avoid overpowering the dish.
3. Fennel Seeds: Fennel seeds offer a mild licorice taste and can be used as a substitute. Use a slightly higher quantity to match the intensity of star anise, as fennel seeds are less potent.
These substitutions ensure your dish retains a similar depth of flavor even without star anise.
Love this soup. So easy to make and healthy. Trying to go vegan and this will definitely be a go to recipe
Love this soup ! So very good ! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks Barb ๐
This was on its way to being really, really good but I made some mistakes and I would make some changes, too. The broth is delicious. I misread and added way too many noodles and it ended up being more like pasta with sauce. Totally my fault. Though it says it serves 2, it makes a ton. It might be 2 servings if you serve it like pho in a really big bowl, but otherwise it would make 4 – 6 regular soup bowls. I see that other posters said that it fed their whole family. Also, rice noodles – or at least the ones I used – don’t need to be cooked. They rehydrate in hot liquid. Next time, I would add the noodles just before serving and only to the soup I plan to serve. I can see enjoying this over a couple of days by heating a bowl of the broth and adding noodles only to what I plan to eat. They got really mushy when reheated.
I love this! I added some frozen chicken wontons that I had in the freezer from Trader Joeโs! As well as broccoli.
Omg. Fabulous idea. I did this as well after reading your note. It was perfect
Loooove this soup. I did sub crimini for shitake, added some leftover grilled chicken and udon noodles, some lime when served, and it was THE best soup of itโs kind.
I love this soup, Ive made it twice , its simple and delicious.
Thank you! I recently went vegan and most recipes are hit and miss, this is a keeper!
I want to try this recipe, but I’m wondering if I could use Five Spice powder instead of the star anise, if so, how much would I use?
I would start slow and add to your own taste preference ๐
A most delicious Asian soup and so easy to make! Will become one of my favourites. Like you Jessica, I’m sure I could eat it every day!
That was a cute remark!!!!
Its delicious
Easy delicious Asian soup recipe. I add extra veges, spices and herbs to this recipe.
Thanks for the delicious feedback, Nessa ๐
Made this tonight for dinner and added tofu that needed to be used up. The entire family enjoyed this soup (2 adults and 4 young kiddos). Thanks for sharing!