This soy sauce eggs recipe is sponsored by Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the companies that keep this blog going.
A super easy Chinese soy sauce eggs recipe with soft-boiled and hard-boiled eggs that features a well balanced marinade that is savory, fragrant, and slightly sweet. I also included a few ideas to use these soy sauce eggs to make a fast one-bowl meal. {Gluten-Free adaptable}
If you are an egg lover like me, you can’t miss this soy sauce eggs recipe. Not only are the eggs super delicious eaten on their own, but you can use them to create many simple meals in no time and they’ll make any ramen bowl even better.
We did many experiments to test the marinade, in order to produce the best result. We tested different ratios for the seasonings and spices. And we tested many different soy-sauce-to-water ratios. After a week of eating more eggs than I could count (which I absolutely loved!), here is the final product!
Ingredients you need
You only need six ingredients to make soy sauce eggs. And chances are, they are already in your pantry.
I love to use Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs in my daily cooking. They are a B Corporation, which means they manage their business in a socially- and environmentally-conscious way. They are committed to small-scale farming, sourcing their fresh and high quality eggs from 50 small family farms they partner with around the country. Their organic eggs are USDA-certified, without GMOs, synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, or hormones. Unlike what you’ll find at mass-production facilities run by big corporations (read: store brand eggs, among others), their hens are truly humanely treated, and have access to outdoor pastures with room to roam. You’ll notice that their eggshells are much thicker and the yolks have a more vibrant yellow color.
Cooking process
It couldn’t be easier to make these eggs. All you need to do is:
- Boil the eggs to the degree you prefer.
- Put the marinade together using your pantry staples and simmer it for 5 minutes.
- Add the peeled eggs to the marinade.
That’s it!
Then all you need to do is sit back and wait patiently while the eggs marinate.
TIP: Want a taste of the soy sauce eggs immediately? That’s OK, too! Simply cut the eggs open and drizzle a bit of marinade over the yolk and enjoy!
NOTE:
- When you’ve just added the eggs to the marinade, you will see a small number of the eggs are floating above the marinade. You don’t need to press them down. The eggs will absorb the marinade and sink later. If you submerge the eggs with a weight (a plate, for example), the part of the egg that touches the weight won’t get marinated properly.
- If you like runny yolks, here is great news. The yolks will be slowly cured by the marinade and become creamier over time. Even if you undercook the eggs a bit, no need to worry. The yolks will thicken overnight and become very creamy and flavorful on day 3.
How to boil eggs so they’re easy to peel
There are a few keys to making perfectly boiled eggs that are easy to peel.
- Older eggs are easier to peel compared to fresher eggs.
- Once you’re done cooking, thoroughly rinse the eggs with cold water and then use an ice bath (or cold water bath) to cool the eggs completely before peeling them.
- Use the back of a spoon or roll the eggs on a hard surface to crack the shells thoroughly.
- If you start to peel an egg and find it hard to peel, rinsing the egg with tap water can help separate the shell from the egg.
Lastly, if you have an Instant Pot, you can try boiling the eggs in the Instant Pot so they come out perfectly and easy to peel every single time!
How to use soy sauce eggs
There are countless ways to enjoy soy sauce eggs. You can:
- Eat soy sauce eggs by themselves
- Top soy sauce eggs on your favorite noodle dishes
- Chop them and put them in a salad
- Top the eggs over steamed rice or boiled noodles to make a quick one-bowl meal
5-Minute soy sauce egg noodle bowls
To make a quick noodle bowl:
- Boil 1 serving of dried thin noodles (or any type of noodles you like, usually 4 oz. / 110 g) according to the directions on the package. Transfer the drained noodles to a bowl.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of hot noodle boiling water and 2 tablespoons of the egg marinade onto the noodles.
- Top the noodles with two soy sauce eggs, along with some homemade chili oil.
It tastes heavenly!
What to do with the leftover marinade
The best thing about making soy sauce eggs is, you can use the marinade over and over again. Simply store the marinade in the fridge (or freezer for longer storage), and bring it to a boil before you use it again.
Afterthoughts
The only drawback to these soy sauce eggs is that you can never stop after eating just one! Twelve eggs might seem like a lot to cook, but trust me, you’ll finish them in no time.
Next time you need an afternoon snack to boost your energy or have a sudden craving for a salty snack at midnight, reach for these eggs instead of a bag of chips. They’ll keep you satisfied without feeling guilty.
Top the soy sauce eggs on
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Soy Sauce Eggs
Ingredients
- 6 to 12 large Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs (*Footnote 1)
Marinade
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or white sugar)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 4 dried chilis (or 2 jalapeno peppers) (*Footnote 2)
- 2 star anise pods
- 3 to 4 cups water (*Footnote 3)
Instructions
Prepare the marinade
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a small pot. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the stove and let it cool.
Boil the eggs
- Prepare a pot that is large enough to hold all the eggs without overlapping them. Add just enough water to cover the eggs. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling. Lower the heat to medium.
- Transfer the eggs to a ladle or a colander. Slowly lower the eggs into the water to prevent them from cracking. Adjust the heat so the water maintains a slow boil.
- Bring a small pot with just enough water to cover your 6 eggs to a boil.
- (Optional) If you wish to keep the egg yolks in the center of the eggs, stir the water in a consistent circle for the first minute of cooking.
- Cook for 6 minutes for runny yolks, 8 minutes for semi-firm, or 11 minutes for hard boiled.
- While the eggs are boiling, prepare an ice bath (or a big bowl of cold water if you don’t have ice).
- When the eggs are done cooking, run cold water over them for 30 seconds. Add the eggs to the ice bath and let them cool completely, about 10 minutes.
Marinate the eggs
- Once the marinade is cooled until no longer hot to touch, transfer it into a tall container that is large enough to hold 8 cups of water (*Footnote 4).
- Carefully crack the egg shells by tapping them with the back of a spoon or by gently rolling them on the counter. Starting from the bottom, begin peeling each egg, dipping it back into the water as needed to help loosen the shell. Make sure to peel off the egg membrane completely, so the egg will marinate evenly. Once peeled, place the eggs into the marinade container.
- Marinate the eggs in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours before serving. If you want to serve the eggs sooner, simply drizzle some extra marinade onto the cut eggs. Store the eggs in the marinade in the fridge for up to a week.
How to serve
- You can serve the eggs over steamed rice or boiled noodles, drizzled with extra marinade and some homemade chili oil (if you wish). You can also make noodle soup by combining some marinade with hot noodle boiling water. Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe produces enough marinade for 12 eggs. Halve the amount of marinade if you plan to make 6 eggs or fewer, and use a full batch if you’ll make 6 to 12 eggs.
- The chili peppers add aroma and smokiness to the marinade, but not spiciness.
- If you wish to serve the eggs the same day you make them, use 3 cups of water. If you plan to store the eggs for a longer time (up to a week), use 4 cups of water. If you use light soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce, I highly recommend using 4 cups of water instead, because light soy sauce has a higher sodium content.
- You can use a smaller container for fewer eggs. It should be able to hold all the marinade and eggs without causing the eggs to press against each other.
Nutrition
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag @omnivorescookbook and @peteandgerrys on Instagram! We’d love to see what you come up with.
like the short ingredient list with these eggs and love having a new way to make them since eggs are a regular part of my diet, so thank you, much appreciated
What a great way to have an alternative way to make eggs. My son and his father loved adding these eggs to their ramen. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Fresh eggs, poke a hoe in the large end (pipping) and boil. Egg shells with have a layer of water between them and the egg.
Yes, definitely have to do this!
I made and tried the eggs at 24 hours and 4 days time and yes they are more perfect the longer they soaked. I’ve kept the liquid in the freezer to make it again. I ended up using 3 1/2 cups of water to suit my taste salt wise. Never had anything similar before so thank you.
These are amazing and so addictive. I’ve never had to buy so many eggs before, because I keep making these!
Oh my!! Who would have thought this would be so delicious? I added a bit too much of the marinade do it was all more ‘watery’ than I would have liked; but I know for next time.
Yum, thanks Maggie!!!
These are great – just wondering how long I can keep them marinating in the fridge? I didn’t scoff them as quickly as I thought I would and am nearing 7 days with 6 left (soft boiled)
These are great – but I’m just wondering how long I can keep them marinating in the fridge? I didn’t scoff them as quickly as I thought I would and am nearing 7 days with 6 left (soft boiled)
I think they should stay OK for 10 days or so (I was never able to keep them for that long without overeating so I’m afraid I don’t have an exact length). If you store them even longer, you should test the eggs by smelling and try a small bite. They should be OK as long as they taste good.
These eggs were delicious! So easy to make. I served mine with lemongrass pork meatballs, rice and a crunchy noodle salad. I’ll put the left over marinade in the fridge and make more ASAP. Everyone in the family loved them! Thank you for this recipe
Wow! When I was in China (ages ago) I used to buy something similar in vacuum packed plastic from grocery stores. Each egg was packed separately (do you know which ones I’m talking about?). And I NEVER thought I could re-create this flavour at home so easily!! Thank you so, so much for this recipe! I will definitely make them again and again.
PS. Is there any name for eggs prepared like this in Chinese?
It is called 卤蛋 (Lu Dan), meaning thousand year sauce eggs. The vacuum packed ones are usually hard boiled eggs but I really love the eggs runny so I marinate the eggs instead of boiling them in the broth 🙂
Great, thank you! I tried to achieve runny yolks but no success this time 😛 But I imagine they have to be even better runny or semi firm.
The recipe went great due to some unforseen negligence of the cook there’s no vinegar or chili so i made some substitution such as lemon for vinegar and other kind of chili plus a few garlic and lemt me tell you it was bussing
Hi, this looks so great, I just made it and I’m wondering if I leave the aromatic chili peppers and the Streese in the marinade or strain them out before adding the eggs? Thanks so much.
I usually leave the chili peppers in the marinade and it doesn’t really make it spicier (as long as you use mild dried chili peppers). But you can also fish them out if you’re concerned.
Thank you! This recipe came out great. I immediately made a second batch because we ate up the first.
These were super tasty and I also used a paper towel over the eggs in the marinade to make it so the eggs were fully submerged with a weight overtop but were also completely covered in the marinade since the paper towel soaks up the marinade and covers the rest of the eggs with it!
The paper towel idea is great! Thanks for leaving a positive review and sharing the tip 🙂