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Avgolemono soup is a classic Greek soup of lemon, egg, chicken stock and rice. It’s creamy without cream, and comes together quickly!
This soup holds a special place in my heart and kitchen for so many reasons! We ate it as kids at the Greek restaurant adjacent to my dad’s law firm (it’s a story here!), it was a very favorite soup of Dan’s mom at our local Greek spot, and it’s a part of an annual tradition with the family. Rainy day up north in Michigan, kids (now adults!) all around. I make a giant triple batch of this soup and a soft loaf of talami bread. We look forward to it so much we almost hope for the rainy day to come! Everyone gets into my special touch: a pinch of sumac spice on each bowl.
If you too are looking for a healthy comfort food that offers creamy richness (without cream!) with bright citrus notes, make a simple batch of Avgolemono soup. Known as the Greek’s version of chicken noodle soup, this silky, luxurious dish is a staple of Greek cooking.
While you might have tasted this at your local Greek restaurant, making it at home yields an equally divine result. It requires surprisingly few ingredients but relies on technique to achieve that signature velvety texture.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Silky & Creamy: No dairy required! The emulsion creates a perfect consistency.
- Bright & Zesty: Packed with flavor (and Vitamin C!) with juice from fresh lemons.
- Versatile: You can make it with white rice or orzo pasta. You can add shredded chicken for more heft.
What is Avgolemono?
The word Avgolemono (pronounced ah-vo-le-mo-no) literally translates to “egg-lemon.” It refers to both the classic Greek soup itself and the egg-lemon sauce used to thicken it. Unlike many creamy soups that rely on heavy cream or flour, this delicious soup uses egg yolks mixed with puréed cooked rice and fresh lemon juice as natural thickening agents.
When tempered correctly with hot broth, this mixture of eggs and lemon transforms a simple chicken stock into a hearty meal. Find out why this classic Greek comfort food is a family favorite at our house!
Ingredients You Need
To make what will be rank among the best chicken soup you’ve ever tasted, you need simple, quality ingredients.
- Chicken stock: I’m a fan of homemade chicken stock using pieces or a whole chicken. Much of the flavor of the soup comes from the stock. Check out my post on How to make Chicken Stock yourself! My favorite purchased stock is Kirkland’s Organic Chicken Stock.
- Rice or Pasta: The traditional starch is short-grain or medium-grain white rice (like Arborio or glazy rice), which releases starch to help thicken the soup. You can also use cooked orzo pasta for a slightly different texture.
- Eggs: This recipe uses yolks rather than whole eggs. It’s worth it to separate the egg yolks and egg whites, and setting the whites aside for another use. I find using yolks creates a smoother, silkier end result.
- Lemons: You need fresh lemon juice—bottled won’t do for that bright lemon flavor.
- Fresh Herbs or Spices: Finish with fresh dill or fresh parsley. I like to finish with sumac spice, a citrusy flavor that complements the lemon and looks lovely too.
How to Make Classic Avgolemono Soup
Follow this step-by-step guide to a perfect Greek lemon chicken soup.
Step 1: Prepare the Broth and Rice
If making stock from scratch, do this in advance because rich chicken stock takes several hours to make. In any case, Bring 8 cups of homemade or store-bought broth (or water with bouillon cubes) to a boil. Make 3 cups of cooked white rice (from 1 cup dry rice).
Step 2: Make the Egg-Lemon Mixture
In a blender, purée a cup of the hot stock and a cup of the cooked rice. Add the egg yolks and lemon juice and purée again. A small prep food processor will also work here in place of the blender if needed.
Step 4: Tempering the Eggs (The Secret Technique!)
You cannot pour the eggs directly into the boiling soup, or you will get egg drop soup. You must temper them, which means infusing the broth with just a little bit of egg mixture at a time.
- Turn the heat on the soup off completely.
- Using a ladle, take a small amount of the hot broth (about one ladle full) from the pot.
- With the blender running, slowly pour the ladle of hot broth into the blender through the pour hole in a steady stream. If using a food processor, add the broth and immediately put the lid on and process.
- Repeat this with 2-3 more ladles of broth. This slowly raises the temperature of the eggs so they don’t scramble.
Step 5: Combine and Serve
Pour the now-warm lemon-egg mixture back into the large pot of soup, stirring constantly. Turn the heat to low and stir for a couple of minutes until the soup thickens slightly. Do not let it boil once the eggs are added!
Allow the soup to rest for an hour or two, so that it will continue to thicken. Then reheat the soup on low and serve in bowls with garnish and talami or crusty bread.
Tips for the Perfect Velvety Texture
- Room Temperature Eggs: Ensure your eggs are at room temperature before starting. Cold eggs are more likely to curdle when they hit the hot liquid.
- Don’t Boil: Once the avgolemono sauce is in the pot, keep the heat very low. High heat breaks the emulsion.
- Rice Choice: Short-grain rice releases more starch than long-grain, helping the soup achieve that classic avgolemono soup thickness.
- Extra Lemon: If you love lots of lemon, cut fresh lemons into wedges and serve them on the side so eaters can adjust the acidity.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make it fluffier: Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites into a meringue-like foam before mixing with the yolks and lemon. Fold this into the soup for a cloud-like texture.
- Vegetarian: Skip the chicken and use a rich vegetable stock. You can add chickpeas instead of meat for protein.
- Orzo vs. Rice: While this is traditionally a rice soup, orzo pasta is a popular modern substitute. It cooks faster and offers a smooth mouthfeel.
Avgolemono Soup
Equipment
- Blender I love my VitaMix!
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups cooked white rice, make with 1 cup dry rice
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 egg yolks
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons Sumac, or chopped fresh herbs such as dill, for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the stock to boiling and turn off the heat.
- In a blender, purée 1 cup of the hot stock, 1 cup of the cooked rice, and the lemon juice. Add the egg yolks and puree again.
- Ladle in another cup or so of the warm stock and purée again. Repeat one more time.
- Add the remaining cooked rice to the hot stock, then add the egg mixture about ½ cup at a time, stirring to combine after each addition. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to thicken for 1-2 hours.
- Reheat the soup over medium low heat. Serve with a pinch of sumac on top of each bowl.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Recipes to try:
Lemon Chicken is another lemony favorite.
Rushta, Lebanese Lentil Soup, is hearty like this one!
My Fragrant Lebanese Chicken Soup Recipe is divine.
Absolutely loved it!! As someone who does not typically follow recipes, it was a great starting point for me! I ended up adding ~2 extra cups of broth to thin it out a bit, another large lemon (and a little lemon zest), and turmeric to add some depth of flavor 🙂
That’s so great Lindsay, thank you! I love your addition of zest! (would love your 5 star rec..!)
This recipe reminds me of my late mother recipe. I looked at all the recipes on my computer but your recipe is the only original greek recipe. I was born in Cairo Egypt and we were mixed with lebanese, syrians, greek,
italians and arab neighbors. Thank you very much. I cannot use my printer but will contact you later to have again the recipe. Allah Uakbar. Metshakera
Norman thank you so much! What a great note!
This soups looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it. I host a Fall Soup Exchange, where we bring 6 frozen packages of our favorite soup to exchange. Much healthier than the popular “cookie” exchange!” This might be the soup I serve next time! Very different. Thank you.
Soup exchange! That sounds like a ball!! Your avgolemono with this great and easy recipe will have them oohing and ahhhing…
Maureen, THANK YOU for the memories of Jim’s!! I worked in the Abood Law Firm and maybe every couple of months would meet a girlfriend for lunch there. I can only imagine your dad escorting your family through the back door of the restaurant. I’m disappointed that Camille didn’t “show off” you cute kids when you were in his office (via the back door at the offices). We secretaries would have enjoyed meeting you young ones. I haven’t been back to Lansing in MANY YEARS…probably 20+. Jim’s probably is gone by now. If so, is there any other Lebanese restaurant there (or elsewhere in Michigan) that you could recommend? I will be making this soup soon!! THANKS for the stories!
Diane I love this so much! We did spend some time in the law offices but a little later as teens, summer jobs. Try Woody’s for casual great Lebanese and also Sultan’s and Zeitun, all in the Lansing area.
I make a similar recipe but for a little healthier version, I substitute white quinoa (or brown rice) for the white rice. And I use a lot more lemons. I also use leftover roast chicken from Sam’s or Costco. My sister sometimes uses canned chicken. Both good!
Great idea Ginny, I’ll have to try this with brown rice. And I LOVE your idea of a roasted chicken from the market. Easy way to add tender chicken to any soup.
Lovely, one of my favorite Greek soups. Lebanese have a similar version “Shorbet Bayda” it is more white in color as the name suggests probably also due to the lack of egg and is finished with finely chopped fresh parsley. I remember my aunt’s husband who was Greek making this for us and my mom used to make her Shorbet Bayda, they always had a friendly argument over which was better. Now being an adult and liking them equally I make a lemony chicken soup with rice and beat a whole egg and carefully incorporate just before serving along with the parsley. Delicious!
Maureen! I love this story. I only went to Jim’s Tiffany once, but what a magical place and from what I remember everything I tasted was amazing. BTW – This soup is one of my all time favourite things to eat, even though I think I only ever had it once from Pegasus in Greektown! Had the Saganaki too.
Fantastic!!!
Perfection. Tastes just like the soup I would regularly order at a small Greek restauant when I was a teen. I’ve been trying to recreate that special taste and consistency for years with some delicious results but never attained the goal I wanted. But this is it. This is the same soup that was served to me in that tiny little corner cafe where I took my lunch break every day. Thank you so much!
I worked at Lieberman’s in the mid-seventies and well remember the wonderful smells coming from Jim’s as I left work for the day through the back door. I couldn’t afford Jim’s very often, but managed it a time or two – enough to become enchanted with the ritual and spectacle of their saganaki. I’ve learned to make a version of it myself and have passed the fun to the younger generation in my family, though we usually do it in the kitchen – a far cry from the beautiful golden ambience at Jim’s. Thanks for reminding me of those days!
Loved your story, this soup and your photos!
Yummy! This looks so good! I love how colorful everything looks in your pictures. Can’t wait to try this recipe!!
Beautiful post, Maureen. The photography is just beyond incredible. Stunning and professional xx
Mahsa
As a 1/4 greek, this is one of my favorites … and a soup I’ve never been able to master at home. I cannot wait to try your version!
This is one of my favorite soups, and so hard to find on a menu- it’s just so unusual and tasty. Thank you! I’ll be making this sometime this week.
This looks delicious! I love how food and stories always intertwine! There are so many stories that surround food! Thank you for sharing!!
This looks like a delicious and easy version of my favourite chicken soup! I have a version too but it’s much more time intensive and some times, you need it ASAP. Lovely photos too!
Like any good recipe or technique there are so many variations. But, it seems memory is always a key ingredient…
https://floricooks.com/2014/01/27/avgolemono-is-not-a-kind-of-soup/
and rightly so–our Aunties are always our dear Aunties!!
Maureen, tears of joyful childhood recollections, and tears of sorrow-memories, words, recipes all combine to give me a most poignant beginning to my day–by the way, how do you now address Louise, as “auntie” or “Mom”?!
Much love from snow covered Albuquerque-a foot of spring snow, still falling, and another front on the way in a few days-as a Los Angeles kid (where it was a golden summer 365 days a year), I never ever tire of living in the four seasons!
Thank you Diane, you California girl! You know, I still call her Aunt Louise…
thank you, what a wonderful story, I have one of an Italian restaurant in Tampa Fla where you had to go through the kitchen to get to the bathroom. What wonderful things came out of that kitchen.
Thank you for the wonderful and moving family story. I grew up in Michigan – Detroit and Berkley – enjoying your references to places in my home state.
Thanks Maureen, this recipe sounds delicious. Will be making it soon. I love the way you add a little story to the recipe….
Thanks for sharing
Fadia