The best thing about eggs with soy sauce — boiled eggs marinated in sweetened soy sauce — is that they can be served a thousand different ways: breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a midday snack!
In this recipe
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The many varieties of soy sauce eggs
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steam eggs
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Marinate for 4 to 24 hours, but no more
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Do it your way
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How to serve soy sauce eggs
Eggs with soy sauce are soft-boiled, peeled and marinated in a spiced and sweetened soy sauce – the outer layer of the eggs is dyed coffee-brown and infused with salty, barely sweet, garlicky and ginger flavors.
There are many ways to cook eggs with soy sauce—some require the eggs to be stewed in soy sauce after they’re soft-boiled, but the eggs cook longer than I’d like and they’re chalkier and rubberier. I prefer mine to be cooked until the yolks are jam-like and then marinated in the stovetop soy sauce.
The many varieties of soy sauce eggs
Eggs with soy sauce are widely used in several Asian cuisines. The simplest versions are marinated or braised in plain soy sauce. Some are sweetened or contain alcohol, usually sake or rice wine. Others are infused with flavors ranging from garlic and ginger to 5 spices.
Eggs with Japanese soy sauceShoyu Tamago or Ajitsuke Tomago, are sometimes referred to as ramen eggs and are often halved and served on a bowl of ramen. They are boiled until the yolks are thick, runny, and pudding-like, and then marinated in either soy sauce or a combination of soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and/or sake.
Eggs with Chinese soy saucelu dan, are hard-boiled and seasoned with soy sauce, sugar, and either ground five-spice spice or whole flavorings such as cinnamon sticks, star anise, orange peel, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaves, and chilies.
There are also tea eggs– Tea leaves are added to the marinade and the eggshells are cracked but left unpeeled during marinating to create a nice, marbled surface when peeled.
steam eggs
While eggs are often boiled to make soft-boiled or hard-boiled eggs, I prefer to steam them. Steamed eggs cook more evenly and slightly faster. I also find them to be less fussy – the eggs don’t bounce around in the boiling water and crack as they cook, and there’s no need to stir them. No babysitting required! Just cover the pot and set the timer. I also find that steamed eggs are easier to peel.
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Marinate for 4 to 24 hours, but no more
The eggs can be eaten after 4 hours of marinating, but I prefer them after 8 hours when they’ve picked up a good amount of flavor and color. The longer you marinate them, the ginger and garlic flavors will intensify, the egg whites will become more rubbery, and the texture of the yolks will become creamier and firmer. It’s not bad, just different. The eggs can become too salty after 24 hours.
Do it your way
My version of soy sauce eggs is pretty simple, using standard pantry ingredients. If you’re struggling with nutrition, are using up food from the pantry, or want a variation, here are some ideas:
- Use gluten free soy sauce instead of the regular stuff. Be sure to check the labels. Tamari is considered gluten-free, but some brands contain wheat.
- I use easy-to-find soy sauce brands like San-J or Kikkoman. Eggs with Chinese soy sauce use a dash of dark soy sauce. It is sweeter, thicker and darker in color. I grew up eating Pearl River Bridge Dark Soy Sauce. It can be found in Chinese markets and online. You can also add a dash of mushroom-flavored dark soy sauce for an extra punch of umami.
- Instead of granulated sugar, use brown sugar or a small piece of rock candy.
- Replace half the water in the marinade with sake.
- Instead of mirin, use non-alcoholic mirin, which contains up to 14% alcohol depending on the brand.
- Instead of Mirin, use sake or Shaoxing wine with the addition of more sugar to taste.
- Use scallions instead of or in addition to fresh garlic and ginger.
- Omit the garlic and ginger entirely.
How to serve soy sauce eggs
Soy sauce eggs alone are a quick after-school snack, after a workout, or when you’re feeling hungry. Here are other ways to enjoy them:
- For a quick meal, serve them on a bowl with furikake rice or topped with toasted seaweed. Cover the egg with a drizzle of sesame oil, a pinch of sesame seeds, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Place the eggs in a bowl of noodle soup or as an instant upgrade for instant ramen noodles.
- Slice them and top them with avocado toast.
- Make deviled eggs out of them – cook them a minute or two longer so the yolks firm up.
Let us know how you like to eat eggs with soy sauce in the comments below!
Do you love things with soy sauce?
- Flourless soy sauce brownies
- Tomato salad with soy sauce
- Sugar Pea Salad
- Easy Vegetable Lo Mein
- Instant Pot Ginger Soy Tilapia
Eggs with soy sauce
ingredients
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1 cup of water
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1/2 cup soy sauce
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1 tablespoon of sugar
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6 tablespoons mirin
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2 garlic cloves, crushed
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1/4 inch piece unpeeled ginger, crushed
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6 large eggs, cold straight from the fridge
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Ice to cool the eggs
method
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Make the marinade:
In a small saucepan, combine the water, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, garlic, and ginger and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer and toss the saucepan once or twice for 3 to 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the marinade reduces slightly.
Pour the marinade into a heatproof container with a tight-fitting lid and wide enough to hold 6 eggs in a single layer. Set aside to cool.
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Boil eggs:
While the marinade is simmering, insert a medium saucepan with a steamer basket and fill with enough water to reach the bottom of a steamer basket. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
If necessary, use a slotted spoon to gently place the eggs in the steamer basket in a single layer. Cover the pot and steam the eggs over medium-high heat for 6 to 7 minutes. Let rise 6 minutes for a pudding-like, almost runny yolk. 7 minutes will give you a slightly firmer but still jammy yolk. Don’t guess the time! Use a timer!
If you don’t have a steam basket: Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. There should be enough water for the eggs to be fully submerged. Once boiling, carefully add the eggs and cook for 7 minutes.
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Cool the eggs:
While the eggs are cooking, make an ice bath. Fill a medium-sized bowl with plenty of ice and cold water and set it next to the stove. When the eggs are done cooking, use a spoon to immediately drop them into the ice bath to cool completely.
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peel eggs:
Crack the eggs all over with the back of a spoon, one at a time, to crack the shell. Peel the egg starting at the broad bottom end. There is the air pocket that makes peeling easier. Submerge the eggs in the ice bath to rinse off any eggshells that have stuck to them. Place the shelled eggs on a paper towel and pat dry.
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Marinate Eggs:
Add the eggs to the marinade, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours and up to 24 hours. The eggs will be saltier in the marinade, so don’t let them sit for more than 24 hours.
Leftovers should be removed from the marinade and stored in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Don’t throw away the marinade—it’s delicious drizzled over rice. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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