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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.
One of the most popular recipes on my blog, this Bok Choy Soup remains a personal favorite thanks to its delicious simplicity.
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.
Table of Contents
Some of you may be wondering…why?
Why This Is The Best
- The broth. The key to a delicious and memorable brothy soup is the broth. Unfortunately, achieving this wondrous 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.
Key Ingredients
- 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 you’re 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 thing.
- 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
“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
If you love this bok choy soup, you may also enjoy homemade Chicken Soup, Kimchi Ramen Noodle Soup, or this fast and healthy 10-Minute Garlic Bok Choy Recipe.
For more bok choy recipes, check out:
More Soup Recipes
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
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.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My husband and I recently decided to go with a vegetarian diet. I saw this recipe and saw the reviews and decided to give it a try. We both thought it was tasty. I have a question….the recipe states that prep time is 5 minutes. Really? What am I doing wrong? It took me forever to dice, slice and chop everything! Granted I’m not an accomplished cook, but I can’t imagine anyone prepping everything in 5 minutes. Can anyone give me some pointers to speed things up? Thanks!
Just made this for dinner and WOW!!! I added broccoli and chopped celery for some extra veggies and it was perfection! Thanks so much for this recipe! 🤗
This was an excellent soup. Out of my comfort zone but wow. Lots of flavour. Really enjoyed. Thanks!
made this tonight – I used some home made fish stock for the base and it was excellent! Thanks for giving me a recipe that can help me use up my fish stock. YUM!
This was anazing!! So easy and delicious! I added chicken and match stick carrots . Will be a staple in my house from now on. Cant wait to try with shrimp. I made it gluten free with gf soy sauce and rice noodles !! Thanks you!!
I am glad you found it amazing Patti!
Quick question: if one was to meal prep this soup, would you recommend keeping the noodles and bok choy seperate and then throw them together and microwave? Thank you! It looks delicious 😀
Hi Amra,
I wouldn’t recommend meal prepping anything but the broth, as the noodles and vegetables should be added fresh if possible – especially the noodles.
Warm regards,
Jessica
This was my first time making soup. This recipe is delicious and easy to follow. My family loved it! ?
your site is my go-to recipe book when I need to find a good recipe quick and I know it’s going to be good.
Thank you for sharing! ?
Another P.S. – In your write up prior to the specific recipe instructions you should recommend that if making the recipe for just two or less people that it be cut in half; or in order to maintain the quality of the soup for leftovers the next day or freezing that the broth be made separately from the noodles and mushrooms. Cook the needed quantity of rice noodles, put them in the bowl first then add the hot broth and fresh mushrooms; therefore maintaining the quality of the soup for leftovers and freezing.
P.S. to my earlier comment that has not yet posted.
I substituted home grown Swiss Chard for the Bok Choy. I was initially concerned because Bok Choy is milder than Swiss Chard but the substitution turned out fine.
My critique of the Ginger Garlic Noodle Soup Recipe.
The flavor profile was new to me especially from the star anise. At first I was thinking I did not care for it but as I continued eating the soup the flavor grew on me.
As the broth was simmering I tasted it and it definitely needed more depth of flavor. I added about a teaspoonful of salt, a 1/2 to 3/4 tsp of ground pepper and 3 more tablespoons of soy sauce. In addition to more chicken stock. This improved the flavor of the broth significantly. My package of rice noodles were 2 ounces larger than the recipe. Overall the quantity of chicken broth needed to be increased considerably. It called for 5.5 cups I used 8 cups and could have used two more. The noodles expand and take up the broth. My rice noodles were extra thin so I turned off the heat prior to adding the noodles. In 3 to 5 minutes the rice noodles were ready. The soup could have handled a thicker rice noodle versus what I had on hand.
In my opinion in addition to flavorful taste, the key to a good soup is how it tastes the next day. I am curious to see how the rice noodles hold up when reheated. Another key is the ability to freeze leftovers. From what I read about rice noodles, they do not freeze well. The solution is to cook the noodles separately put them in the bowl and add the soup. [IMO -to much extra work].
Overall I liked the soup as adjusted. It was more work and time intensive than indicated by the author. Incuding prep time it was about 90 minutes from start to serving. Had I initially known the soup, specifically the rice noodles, does not freeze well I probably would not have made the soup or better yet cut the recipe in half. I also don’t think mushrooms freeze well either.
Would I make it again? Not likely because if I am making soup it has has to be freeze-able, and jury is out on how the texture and taste will be tomorrow. It also took alot longer to make than I expected.
I rate this: Tasty but Not going into the rotation. Time to Move on to another New Recipe
Hi Donna,
This soup freezes well, as noted in the Bok Choy Soup Frequently Asked Questions section:
”
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
“