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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.
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.
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was delicious. Everyone loved it. We gave my husband cooked chicken to add
To his at the table, otherwise we didn’t change a thing. Thank you!
I am glad your family enjoyed it 🙂
Hi Jessica,
This looks amazing! A question about the bok choy. I was reading your description of the differences between regular bok choy and baby bok choy. Your *recipe* calls for bok choy, but in your description, you said that baby bok choy is sweeter and better for soups. Do you recommend the baby bok choy for this?
Either will work, but regular bok choy is what I usually use 🙂
I made this last week, and it was amazing!!! I did screw up a bit because I didn’t read the instructions carefully enough. I had mixed the shallots with the green onions, minced garlic, and ginger, not seeing that I needed to sauté the shallots FIRST, then add the remaining ingredients.
One thing I did want to ask was whether there is supposed to a strong taste ginger, or whether it just blends in with the other ingredients. I keep about 1-½ inch pieces of peeled ginger well wrapped and vacuum sealed in the freezer. I sliced the frozen ginger and then minced it. In speaking with Pai who runs the “Hot Thai Kitchen” website, she told me she does the same thing and as long as the ginger is sliced and minced while frozen, it measures the same and keeps the flavor.
So, I didn’t know whether I needed a stronger ginger flavor.
Oh! The only thing I did was to add about a tsp or two of sesame oil.
Yes, Dave, this soup does have a prominent, but not overpowering ginger taste, so it sounds like your frozen ginger turned out ok 🙂
This is one of the very few recipes I make without alterations. It really is so so good. I like it best with homemade chicken stock but have also used other broths.
I probably use more ginger than called for but that’s just our taste. Don’t skimp on garnishes/toppings!
I’ve shared this recipe with friends and family and I never do that– a real endorsement
cant wait to try this. How is it possible that this recipe is 647 calories????
I personally read every single label of food I buy for myself and my family, so I truly appreciate the importance of nutritional labels when buying food. When cooking a recipe, specific ingredients can vary in nutrition depending on size, ripeness, brand, and even in different seasons.
We create the recipe cards at the bottom of the recipe posts with the WordPress plugin WP Recipe Maker. WP Recipe Maker utilizes the Spoonacular API to calculate the nutritional information from the ingredients I list on the recipe card. Because ingredients can come in various sizes, ripeness, and brands with differing nutritional qualities, this API is not perfect, and I do sometimes modify the data for information that I feel is not 100% accurate. As such, the nutrition information provided on all my recipes is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific ingredient brands. Please use this information as more of an approximation or guide.
I wondered the same thing until I realized she was calculating the recipe as 2 servings. IMO it’s much more than that
This is my favourite soup recipe of all time. I make it exactly as directed and have shared the recipe with many of my friends. Thank you for this recipe!
WOW WOW WOW. This recipe is a 10/10. I followed it exactly and we were blown away. The broth was incredibly flavorful and rich. I have never cooked with star anise before (found it in the Hispanic section) and it added such an amazing taste and fragrance – don’t skip it!! This recipe is immediately going into my recipe box!
This was a homerun! We added chili paste (instead of red pepper flakes) and fresh jalapenos.
Will be making again!
Thanks Jessica 🙂
This recipe not only tastes so good it feels like comfort for your tummy. I am not a big fan of star anise so I did try only one and not two. It actually tasted great to me. I am glad you encouraged us to not leave it out.
Thanks, Faye 🙂
I made ramen soup using this recipe as a base. I did change a few things. I used 1 tablespoons of ginger instead of 2. I used I star anise instead if 2. I added teriyaki marinade as I only had mushroom soy. I used 6 closes of garlic instead if 4.i also added sesame oil at the end . The only thing I need to change is boiling the ramen noodles separate from the soup base as it thicken it too much.
It came out very tasty once I added some salt and housing sauce. I love the use of shallots instead of regular onions.
Thanks for sharing. I would have given it a 5 stars if the noodles were boiled separate from the broth
Delicious! I made this for my daughter because she wasn’t feeling well and she gave it two thumbs up. I used a cinnamon stick and Chinese five spice since I didn’t have star anise. Loved baby bom choy in it!
I appreciate your delicious feedback and rating, Jill 😀
This is simple, budget friendly and my teenagers loved it too. Felt good feeding everyone healthy food! Thank you for the great recipe!
Thanks for sharing your feedback and rating, Sharon 🙂