This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Canned quail eggs were the topping that broke the comments section on one of my early videos. Half the audience had never seen them before. The other half grew up eating them. I’m in the second camp. My mom dropped them into her egg drop soup when I was a kid, and the small white ovals floating in the broth are one of the things that taste like home to me.
If you’ve never used them, the pitch is simple. They’re already cooked. They come in a can in a light brine. You drain, rinse, and drop them on top of a bowl. Six tiny eggs in two minutes. The texture is firmer than a soft-boiled egg and the flavor is mild. They look great in photos, especially if you halve them.
Why Canned Quail Eggs are Great for Ramen
They solve the protein problem in the time it takes to open a can. If you’re hungry and you don’t want to start a whole egg-cooking project, canned quail eggs are the fastest protein topping in the pantry. Six small eggs are roughly the protein of one chicken egg, but they look like more, and they spread across the bowl in a way one egg can’t.
The texture also matters. They’re firmer than a soft-boiled egg, which gives the bowl a different mouth feel. If your bowl already has a yolky thing happening, quail eggs add a contrasting bite that you can’t get from another chicken egg. They also photograph well. The small white halves with the pale yolk centers are one of the most photogenic toppings on the site.
Ways to Add Canned Quail Eggs to Instant Ramen
You can add canned quail eggs to your ramen in a few simple ways:
Whole on top of the bowl: Drain, rinse, drop. The most common method and the one I use 90% of the time. The broth heat warms them through in about thirty seconds. Six eggs distributed across the bowl gives every couple of bites a piece of egg.
Halved, lengthwise: If I’m filming or photographing, I halve the eggs with a sharp knife and arrange them cut-side up. The yolk centers face the camera.
How to Serve Them
Once your instant ramen is cooked, arrange the whole or halved quail eggs on top along with any other toppings you’re using. The warmth of the broth will gently heat them if they were chilled.
If the eggs are coming straight from the fridge, they’ll cool the bowl down by a small amount. I usually drop them in right after the noodles so the broth heats them through while I add the rest of the toppings. If you’re prepping a topping spread, the kimchi-marinated version is the move. They sit in their brine, they’re already a finished topping, and people pick them up like olives. My instant ramen bar guide shows how I lay it out.
My Pro Tip
A Quick Tip
Before using, drain the quail eggs from their brine and give them a quick rinse under cold water. This helps remove any residual salty liquid.
A Kimchi Twist
If you’re feeling adventurous, try this: I have a video where I marinate the canned quail eggs in leftover kimchi juice for a few days. The slightly spicy and tangy flavor infuses the eggs, and they’re great added to ramen. The kimchi-marinated eggs add a whole new dimension of flavor.
My Instant Ramen Suggestions
Have you ever tried canned quail eggs in your ramen? What did you think?
