This recipe from The Kitchn describes how to make Chinese steamed eggs, a savory custard dish that serves four and requires about 5 minutes of prep and 15 to 20 minutes of cooking. The dish calls for four large eggs, salt, and two cups of warm low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, following a ratio of 1/2 cup broth per egg, and is finished with a drizzle of soy sauce plus optional sesame oil and scallions. To cook, the strained egg mixture is steamed in a pie plate for 8 minutes over gently simmering water, then left covered off the heat for 5 more minutes, or steamed in a metal cake pan for 3 minutes over high heat followed by 15 minutes off the heat. The author learned the dish from her mother and grandmother, who made it as a quick side to serve over rice, and notes it is similar to Japanese chawanmushi. Water can substitute for broth if the salt is increased to 1/2 teaspoon.
Chinese Steamed Eggs
This savory, silky-smooth custard is pure comfort food.
Serves4
Prep5 minutes
Cook15 minutes to 20 minutes
Why You’ll Love My Chinese Steamed Eggs
The texture is unreal. These steamed eggs cook up into a perfectly silky-smooth, savory custard.
It’s so quick and easy. You only need three ingredients and about 20 minutes (and most of that is hands-off cook time) before these Chinese steamed eggs are ready to eat.
I’m always amazed at what a humble egg can turn into. It helps create the lush texture of lemon curd and homemade mayonnaise, and sets the filling in custard-based desserts like pumpkin pie. But one often-overlooked way to prepare eggs is to mix them with liquid and gently steam them. In Japan, chawanmushi is a savory steamed custard made this way. But one of my favorite comfort foods is Chinese steamed eggs.
My mom and grandmother turned to steamed eggs when they needed a quick and easy dish to round out dinner. Just a simple mixture of broth and eggs would cook into the most amazing texture: barely set with a slight wobble, delicate, and silky-smooth. When it was scooped over rice, it was absolutely heaven. Here’s how to make them in your kitchen.
Straight from Our Recipe Tester
“These silky, custardy eggs seem like something that would take a practiced hand to pull off, but they’re so simple! With just a few ingredients you get eggs that are remarkably savory and flavorful. They made for a wonderful breakfast over white rice. I’m definitely going to be making these again!” —Andrea, July 2026
Why You Should Trust Me
My love of food started with eating Chinese home cooking at my grandmother’s table every night. After going to culinary school in Paris, I learned how to test and develop recipes at America’s Test Kitchen. I’ve created hundreds of recipes over the past 20 years, and with each one I keep the home cook in mind to make sure each recipe is foolproof and something they’ll want to make over and over again.
Key Ingredients in Chinese Steamed Eggs
Eggs: You’ll need 4 large eggs for this recipe. Size does matter here, as this recipe was developed with a specific egg to broth ratio, and smaller or larger eggs will throw the ratio off.
Broth: I like to use low-sodium chicken broth here, but vegetable broth will also work. Water, although not as flavorful, can also be used (just bump up the salt to 1/2 teaspoon).
Soy sauce: A drizzle of soy sauce right before serving gives the steamed eggs a boost of savory flavor.
How to Make Chinese Steamed Eggs
Set up a steamer. You’ll need a wide steamer that will fit an 8-inch cake pan or a pie plate. I don’t have a steamer, so I place a small wire rack in a wok and steam on the rack instead. Fill the wok with an inch or two of water (but make sure the water is not touching the bottom of the rack).
Make the custard. Whisk the eggs and salt together, then whisk in the broth. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into the cake pan or pie plate to remove any stubborn bits of egg white.
Steam gently. Place the pie plate in the steamer, cover, and steam for 8 minutes. Make sure the water is steaming gently, not vigorously, if you want the surface of the steamed eggs to be smooth. After 8 minutes (the eggs will not be fully cooked yet), turn off the heat and let the steamed eggs sit for another 5 minutes in the steamer to finish cooking through. (See Helpful Tips below for instructions on steaming in the cake pan.)
Garnish and serve. Gently drizzle the top with soy sauce and toasted sesame oil if you’d like. You can also garnish the steamed eggs with scallions. For easier serving, cut the eggs into a crosshatch pattern and scoop it out with a large spoon.
Helpful Tips
This recipe is all about ratios, so just remember that for every 1 large egg, you’ll need 1/2 cup of broth.
Starting with warm broth ensures that the custard is about room temperature after it gets mixed with the eggs before steaming, which will steam more evenly.
If you’re using a metal cake pan, it conducts heat differently than a ceramic or glass pie plate. I prefer this technique I learned from The Woks of Life : Steam at a full boil for the first 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the steamed eggs finish cooking off the heat for 15 minutes.
What to Serve with Chinese Steamed Eggs
This savory, silky-smooth custard is pure comfort food.
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes to 20 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups warm low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (100 to 110ºF)
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (optional)
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Prepare a steamer (preferably around 12 inches wide) for steaming and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, whisk 4 large eggs and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt together in a medium bowl until broken up. Whisk in 2 cups warm low-sodium chicken broth until very well-combined and no streaks of egg remain. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer set over a glass or ceramic deep-dish pie plate, or 8-inch round cake pan; discard the contents of the strainer.
Option 1: Pie plate. Place the pie plate in the steamer. Reduce the heat so the water is gently simmering. Cover and steam for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let sit covered in the steamer until the eggs are just set, about 5 minutes more.
Option 2: Cake pan. Place the cake pan in the steamer. Cover and steam over high heat for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let sit covered in the steamer until the eggs are just set, about 15 minutes more.
Very gently drizzle with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil if using. Tilt the pie plate so the sauce coats the top. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions if using. Use a large spoon to serve.
Recipe Notes
Broth substitution: Warm water can be substituted for the broth; increase the amount of kosher salt to 1/2 teaspoon.