Chinese Steamed Eggs (also known as 蒸蛋) has a soft and silky texture that goes perfect with white rice. This healthy and easy dish only takes 20 minutes to prepare – great if you don’t have a lot of ingredients in the fridge!
My grandma used to make this recipe for me very often as a child. This healthy dish is very popular among Chinese children and adults due to it’s silky egg texture. To make a full Chinese meal, pair the steamed egg with steamed eggplant with garlic and stir-fried jalapenos. Follow my Chinese family’s tips and tricks to ensure that this steamed egg comes out perfectly soft every time.
To add extra umami flavor to the steamed egg, I recommend to add dried scallop and dried shrimp. Check out the notes section in the recipe card on how to make steamed eggs with dried scallop and shrimp.
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Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these delicious Chinese steamed eggs:
- eggs – using pasteurized organic eggs are the best for this recipe. The more fragrant your eggs, the more delicious your recipe will taste!
- warm water – keep the water temperature at (30-45 C or 86-113F) to ensure that the eggs steam perfectly!
- corn starch – this is my grandma’s secret ingredient to make the eggs extra soft!
- olive oil – this ensures that the egg doesn’t stick to the bowl and also makes the egg very silky.
Garnish:
- knorr seasoning or preferred soy sauce – this soy sauce is more savory and sweet which perfectly pairs with the eggs.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Variations and Substitutions
- Add more protein to the steamed eggs. Depending on the amount you add, you will need to steam the eggs longer until the meat is cooked.
- dried shrimp and scallop
- ground pork
- shrimp
- For the olive oil, you can substitute the with avocado oil, vegetable or canola. Any oil you have on hand works!
- If you don’t want to add soy sauce on top, you can add sesame oil or salt. This option is great for those that are gluten-free or watching their sodium levels.
- If you don’t have knorr seasoning, use your preferred low sodium soy sauce. I like to use Kikkoman brand for a nice savory flavor.
How to make steamed eggs:
Step 1: Boil water in a large pot. Then, add your wire rack and an empty bowl to the large pot. Add ½ tablespoon olive oil in the bowl.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl, whisk 3 eggs with sugar, salt, and corn starch. Then, add 1 & ¼ cup warm water (30-45 C or 86-113F) to the eggs and whisk well.
Step 3: Make sure the water is already boiling. Then, sift the egg mixture in the bowl.
Step 4: Use a bowl or plate to cover the egg mixture. Steam on medium high heat for 6-7 minutes. Turn off the heat. Rest the steamed egg by letting it sit in the pot for 5 minutes covered.
Recipe FAQs
Whenever you want to cook with dried scallop and dried shrimp, make sure you soak in water the night prior. Also, you will need to steam for 5 minutes to soften the shrimp and scallop before adding to your steamed eggs.
You can find dried scallop and dried shrimp in most Chinese/Asian grocery stores (you can find it at 99 ranch stores). They are located in the refrigerated section with the Chinese sausage. If you can’t find any, you can buy it on Amazon linked here for scallop and shrimp! However, the ones at the Chinese stores are higher quality and cheaper.
Chinese steamed egg is usually served with hot white rice, vegetables and an additional protein for a complete family style dinner. When I ate this at home, my parents would serve this with Chinese steamed chicken with mushrooms, tofu with black bean sauce and Chinese steamed fish with ginger and scallion. The whole meal becomes very filling and nutritious with a variety of side dishes.
You can also serve it as a side dish in Korean BBQ! Check out this Korean BBQ guide to learn more.
Tips & tricks for smooth steamed egg:
- Use warm water to mix with the eggs! The temperature should be around 30-45 C or 86-113 F. This helps temper the eggs and ensure the egg mixture cooks evenly.
- Heat up your steaming bowl and ensure the bowl is hot before pouring your egg mixture.
- Strain your eggs through a sifter before adding to your hot bowl to steam. This helps ensure there are no lumps in your egg mixture.
- Use a bowl or plate to cover the egg when steaming. This ensures that there won’t be bubbles that form during cooking.
If you love egg recipes, check out these delicious Chinese recipes:
- Egg drop soup – want something warm and delicious? The soft egg white and silky tofu makes for a great meal!
- Chinese shrimp and egg – a classic Cantonese dish that is made in 10 minutes!
- Japanese omurice (Rice Omelette) – tomato flavored fried rice wrapped in soft eggs topped with demi-glace sauce.
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Chinese Steamed Egg – 20 Minute Recipe
This Chinese steamed egg recipe (蒸蛋) tastes savory and has a soft and silky texture. My family's tips and tricks ensure that this steamed egg comes out perfect every time. We top the eggs with soy sauce and eat this dish with rice for a healthy and easy meal!
- 3 eggs (beaten)
- 1¼ cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
garnish
- half green onion (sliced)
- ½ tablespoon knorr seasoning or preferred soy sauce
Steam bowl
Boil water in a large pot. Then, add your wire rack and an empty bowl to the large pot. Add ½ tablespoon olive oil in the bowl. Steam your bowl (without the egg) for 5 minutes on medium high heat.
In a mixing bowl, whisk 3 eggs with sugar and salt, and corn starch. Then, add 1 & ¼ cup warm water (30-45 C or 86-113F) to the eggs and whisk well.
Steam eggs
Make sure the water is already boiling. Then, sift the egg mixture in the hot bowl.
After the egg mixture has been added to the hot bowl, use a bowl or plate to cover the eggs. Steam on medium high heat for 6-7 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Rest the steamed egg by letting it sit in the pot for 5 minutes covered. Don't open the lid.
Take the egg bowl out with oven mitts or towel. Garnish with sliced green onions and soy sauce to taste.
Expert Tips
- Use warm water to mix with the eggs! The temperature should be around 30-45 C or 86-113 F. This helps temper the eggs and ensure the egg mixture cooks evenly.
- Heat up your steaming bowl and ensure the bowl is hot before pouring your egg mixture.
- Strain your eggs through a sifter before adding to your hot bowl to steam. This helps ensure there are no lumps in your egg mixture.
- Use a bowl or plate to cover the egg when steaming. This ensures that there won’t be bubbles that form during cooking.
Amanda says
Great recipe thank you for sharing! I really liked the idea to add tilapia on top too, nice way to get some more protein
Jess says
Followed this recipe to the tee, nothing happened with my egg mixture. Watched the video and noticed the recipe did not mention frying the scallop as compared to the video. No mention on how much water was supposed to be added for this either. Wasted a hour of my life to be disappointed.
Cook With Dana says
Hi Jess, so sorry to hear the recipe did not work for you. Thank you for letting me know that the recipe was confusing. I updated the recipe to make the instructions with pictures that are easier to follow ◡̈ I did not make changes to the water amount. It is still listed as 1 & 1/4 cup to add to the egg. As for the amount of water for the boiling pot, it really depends how large your pot & wire rack is. This doesn’t need to be an exact measurement but you can try 3-5 cups first.