Chinese steamed eggs are silky, savory, and incredibly comforting. This steamed egg recipe only uses a handful of pantry staple ingredients, and has a few easy-to-follow steps for the most delicious and satisfying silky finish.

A bowl of chinese steamed eggs topped with sesame oil, soy sauce, and green onions.

The best part about this Chinese egg recipe is that it will take less than 30 minutes to make! You can easily customize your steamed eggs with different toppings, proteins, or vegetables and enjoy them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

What are Chinese Steamed Eggs?
Ingredients
How to Make Chinese Steamed Egg
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
Pairing Suggestions
FAQs
Chinese Steamed Egg Recipe

Lifting a spoonful of egg from a bowl of chinese steamed eggs.

What are Chinese Steamed Eggs?

Chinese steamed eggs (蒸蛋), also known as water egg or egg custard, is a traditional Chinese egg dish. The dish is made with beaten eggs that are mixed with warm water or broth and then steamed until silky perfection. Chinese steamed eggs have a soft texture similar to gelatin that gently melts in your mouth.

There are so many versions of this Chinese steamed egg dish that can incorporate mushrooms, clams, crab, ground meat, and other ingredients. This dish is most commonly served for breakfast, but can be served at any time as a side dish or a snack.

Ingredients

You can find the ingredients for this Chinese steamed egg recipe at your local grocery store. Full measurements and links to the ingredients I used are listed in the recipe card below.

Large Eggs: Since this Chinese steamed egg recipe only has a handful of ingredients, make sure to use fresh large eggs for the best flavor.
Salt: seasons the eggs.
Chicken Broth: adds a comforting flavor to the eggs.

Garnishes

Light Soy Sauce: adds a salty umami flavor that brings out the flavors of the eggs.
Toasted Sesame Oil: adds additional umami flavors to the Chinese egg dish.
Green Onions: adds additional aromatics to the eggs.

All the ingredients to make Chinese steamed eggs organized and labeled.

Substitutions and Additions

Substitutions

Water: an alternative to chicken broth.
Chicken Bouillon: substitute it with the same volume of water and 1/2 teaspoon of chicken bouillon.
Vegetable broth: for a vegetarian-friendly steamed eggs.
Soy sauce alternatives: tamari, coconut aminos are good gluten free alternatives.

Additions

Protein: fresh shrimp, dried shrimp, crab meat, clams, ground pork, etc.
Vegetables: mushrooms, green beans, asparagus, carrots, diced onions, etc.
Spice: chili oil, sambal oelek, or sriracha.

How to Make Chinese Steamed Egg

Here are the steps for how to make this Chinese steamed eggs recipe.

Prepare the steamer by bringing the water to a boil.
In a medium mixing bowl on a scale, gently whisk the salt and eggs, and weigh the eggs.

Whisking together eggs and salt in a glass mixing bowl.

Add the warmed 100-110°F (38°C) chicken broth. The water volume should be just about 2x the volume of the eggs.

Adding chicken stock to a bowl of seasoned eggs while measuring the weight on a scale.

Strain the egg mixture into 2 small bowls or 1 medium bowl and skim any bubbles with a spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a few small holes, or cover with an upside-down plate.

Sifting whisked eggs through a fine mesh sieve.

Poking holes into a plastic wrapped bowl with egg mixture inside.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Place the egg mixture into the steamer and steam for 14-15 minutes. Remove the steamed eggs and let them rest for 5 minutes.

Placing a plastic wrapped bowl with egg mixture inside a steamer.

Add the soy sauce and sesame oil to the steamed eggs, and garnish with green onions. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

Egg-to-liquid ratio should be about 1:2. For example, 2 large eggs should measure around 100 ml so you’ll need about 200 ml of water or chicken broth.
Use warm liquid. Using a warm liquid (100-110°F (38°C)) to mix with the Chinese steamed egg will gently temper them. It will ensure the texture is silky smooth.
Strain the egg mixture. Straining the egg mixture will guarantee the perfect homogenous smooth texture. It eliminates the egg membrane which creates a less silky texture.
Cover the steamed egg. Either use plastic wrap with holes or an upside-down plate to protect the eggs from any condensation from the steamer.
Gently simmer. Steam the eggs over medium-low heat where the water in the steamer is gently simmering.
Cooking time will vary. The cooking time of the Chinese egg pudding will vary depending on the type of bowl you use. I recommend using a bowl that is heatproof like a glass or ceramic bowl.
Test if the eggs are done cooking. You will know if the steamed eggs are cooked if you gently tip the bowl slightly to one side, and the eggs only slightly move and jiggle like jello in the center. If it is still runny, steam it until it is set. Keep in mind it will continue to cook and set as it cools for 5 minutes.

Storage Instructions

This steamed eggs recipe is best served immediately. However, you can store any leftover eggs by wrapping it with plastic wrap and storing in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheat: microwave covered until warm or steam until warm. Note that the silky texture may not remain as silky and soft when you reheat.

Pairing Suggestions

This Chinese steamed egg recipe is most commonly served on its own or with rice for breakfast, as a side dish or a snack, but can be paired with the following suggestions.

Vegetable dishes such as gai lan with oyster sauce, Chinese garlic green beans, or garlic bok choy.
Rice dishes such as Chinese chicken fried rice, shrimp fried rice, or beef pepper rice.
Noodle dishes such as Cantonese chow mein, beef and broccoli noodles, garlic chili oil noodles, and chicken lo mein.
Steamed buns such as Chinese steamed buns, or banh bao (Vietnamese steamed pork buns).
Desserts such as chocolate steamed buns or banh bo hap (Vietnamese steamed rice cakes).

FAQs

How do you know if your steamed eggs are done?

You will know if the steamed eggs are cooked if you gently tip the bowl slightly to one side, and the eggs only slightly move and jiggle like jello in the center.

How much liquid do you use for steamed eggs?

The perfect ratio for for the most silky steamed eggs is 1:2 or 2 eggs or 1/2 cup of eggs to 1 cup of liquid. If you prefer more of a dense steamed egg custard you can reduce the liquid ratio to 1.5 liquid to 1 egg.

Is Chinese steamed egg healthy?

Yes, Chinese steamed egg is healthy! There are only three whole and healthy ingredients in this steamed eggs recipe. You can opt for an even healthier version by using warm water or reducing the amount of salt.

More Egg Recipes to Try

Chinese Steamed Egg Recipe

Chinese Steamed Egg

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Silky, savory steamed eggs are a delicious way to start your day. This Chinese steamed eggs recipe has a melt-in-your-mouth, smooth texture with a warm, comforting flavor.

Servings: servings

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