Do you have quail eggs you’re planning to cook?
If you do, you’re probably asking yourself, “How can I cook quail eggs?”
The composition of quail eggs is quite similar to chicken eggs but only smaller. The same goes for how they are cooked.
The only difference is that it takes less time to cook quail eggs due to their size.
In this blog, you will learn different ways to cook these eggs, how long to boil quail eggs, and even a few tips on preparing them.
What are Quail Eggs?
Quail eggs are known for their peewee size. A single egg weighs around 9 to 10 grams on average.
They have a noticeable whitish-cream appearance with speckled brown spots.
When compared to a chicken egg, it would take 3 to 4 eggs quail eggs to sum up to its size. However, that’s not the case for its nutrients.
In fact, quail eggs are nutrient-dense and appear to have more cholesterol than chicken eggs.
We’ll discuss more about their nutritional content later on in this blog.
Where to Buy Quail Eggs?
Quail eggs may be limited in some areas. Fortunately, with their rising popularity, you can find them in supermarkets.
They are more available in the market during occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter.
Other consumers would contact a farmer directly for freshly harvested quail eggs.
If you live in a rural area like I do, I found a farmer who has his own quail farm and sells these eggs at a cheaper price.
How to Cook Quail Eggs: Boil
This is the simplest and most common way of cooking your quail eggs.
Here is how to hard boil quail eggs and how you can prepare them for immediate serving.
How to Boil Quail Eggs
Boiling quail eggs can be a little different compared to doing it with chicken eggs. They are smaller, so they tend to cook faster.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can boil quail eggs:
- Put water in a pot or saucepan, then place it on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Tip: You can add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to the water to help the shells separate from the eggs, making them easier to peel.
- Once the water starts to boil, you can add your quail eggs.
- Start your timer and turn off the stove after 4 minutes to achieve hard-boiled quail eggs.
- Remove the quail eggs and put them in a bowl of cold water. You can add ice cubes to the bowl.
- Once they’re cool enough to hold, you can start peeling.
Note: Soft-boiled quail eggs should be consumed immediately. You can refrigerate hard-boiled ones for 3 to 5 days.
How Long to Boil Quail Eggs
People have different preferences regarding how their boiled eggs are served. So, how many minutes to boil quail eggs?
Here are the durations you should take note of:
| Duration | Variation | Texture |
| 2 minutes | Soft-boiled | Runny yolk and watery whites |
| 3 minutes | Medium-boiled | Egg whites are set and yolks are sticky and shiny |
| 4 minutes | Hard-boiled | Both whites and yolks are set and firm |
How to Peel Quail Eggs
- Prepare a paper towel to catch the eggshells.
- Take each egg out of the bowl of cold water and try to crack them by tapping them on the table or any hard surface. You can also try cracking them using a knife or a cutting tool.
- Once cracked, gently roll the egg to peel more of its shell. Do this lightly, or you’ll crush the egg.
- Peel off the shell around the egg and set aside for serving.
Tip: If eggshells are sticking to your fingers, simply dip your fingers or the eggs into the bowl of water. Shell pieces will easily slide off once you do.
How to Cook Quail Eggs: Fry
If you prefer frying your eggs, then you can definitely do that with quail eggs.
You’d be amused at how tiny these eggs would appear when fried, and here’s how to do that:
How to Fry Quail Eggs
- Crack each quail egg and put them in separate small bowls or ramekins.
- Heat oil in a frying pan, preferably a non-stick one, on medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, carefully put the raw quail eggs into the frying pan.
- Sprinkle some salt and pepper according to your preference.
- Fry these quail eggs to your liking (sunny side up, over easy, over medium, over hard, etc.)
- For scrambled quail eggs, you can put 2 to 3 eggs into a bowl and whisk them, then fry.
How to Crack Quail Eggs
Despite their small size, quail eggs have tougher shells than chickens.
Because of this, don’t tap them into a bowl or anything fragile when trying to crack quail eggs.
Instead, you can use either a paring or serrated knife. There are also quail egg scissors or cutting tools that you can use.
By the narrow side of the quail egg, gently cut the top of the eggshell.
Make sure to keep your fingers away from the cutting tool, and be careful since these tiny eggs can get slippery.
Once the top is removed, turn the egg upside down and empty it into a small bowl or ramekin.
How to Cook Quail Eggs: Poached
Do you prefer cooking your quail eggs with less oil? You might want to have poached quail eggs instead.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to cook poached quail eggs:
How to Cook Poached Quail Eggs
- Put water in a frying pan that is around 5 cm or 2 inches deep.
- Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- While waiting for the water to boil, crack the quail eggs and put them into small bowls or ramekins separately.
- Be careful in cracking or opening these quail egg shells to avoid breaking the yolk.
- Once the water boils, turn down the heat until the water starts to simmer.
- Note: Make sure the water has gentle bubbles at a calm pace before adding the eggs.
- Carefully slide the eggs into the water. Make sure there is space apart between the eggs.
- Tip: When pouring the egg into the simmering water, position the ramekin as close to the water as possible to get the yolk intact.
- Cook the eggs for around 1 minute or until the whites are set.
- Remove the cooked eggs using a spatula.
- Put them into a plate with a paper towel to drain.
- Serve the eggs right away. You may have them as toppings or put them in salads.
You can put the poached quail eggs in a bowl of iced water for a few hours to preserve them. To consume the eggs again, reheat them in simmering water for 30 seconds.
Cooking Quail Eggs Vs. Chicken Eggs
What’s the difference when cooking quail eggs vs. chicken eggs?
The cooking process is quite similar between the two, and the only difference is the cooking duration.
You can boil, scramble, poach, and even bake both quail and chicken eggs.
However, quail eggs take a shorter time to cook due to their small size.
When it comes to their shells, quail eggs are tougher to crack and peel—hence, they take more time to prepare than chicken eggs.
Cooking quail eggs should be a breeze, but one challenge that you will face when cooking these is their availability.
Quail eggs are considered a delicacy in certain places, making them less available than chicken eggs. They’re also more expensive.
So, if you’re planning to cook quail eggs, it’s best to search for them in the supermarket ahead of time to avoid catching them out of stock or unavailable.
Quail Eggs Nutritional Content
These tiny eggs are not to be underestimated since they’re packed with more nutrients than you think.
In fact, quail eggs are more nutrient-rich compared to chicken eggs.
Here are the nutritional contents of quail eggs per 100 grams based on the data from the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Data Central:
| Nutritional Contents per 100 grams | |
| Energy | 158 kcal |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Total Fat | 11.09 g |
| Carbohydrates | 0.41 g |
| Cholesterol | 844 mg |
ALSO READ: The Benefits of Quail Eggs
Cooking Quail Eggs: FAQs
How long can you store boiled quail eggs?
At room temperature, you can store boiled quail eggs for around 10-12 hours—less when the weather is hot.
When refrigerated, you can store them for 2 days if soft-boiled and one week if they are hard-boiled and unpeeled.
How long can you store raw quail eggs?
At room temperature, you can store fresh quail eggs for around 4 weeks. However, always check the “use by date” label on the packaging.
When refrigerated, you can store them for 6 to 8 weeks. Still, it’s best to stick to the “use by date” label.
Can you freeze quail eggs?
No, it’s highly discouraged to freeze quail eggs—whether cooked or raw—since they lose their texture.
How to properly peel boiled eggs?
Tap the quail eggs on a solid surface until the shells crack. You can roll them over to soften the shells and get more cracks.
Gently peel off the shells, especially if they are soft-boiled.
If the eggshells start to stick to your fingers, simply dip your fingers into a bowl of water from time to time. It helps the shells to slip off easily.
What are common quail egg recipes?
You can simply try a plain boiled quail egg recipe.
But if you want to go a little extra, you can try the Orange Quail Egg recipe also known as Kwek-Kwek.
There is also the flavorful Korean Braised Quail Egg recipe that is sure to tease your tastebuds.
Other recipes include deviled quail eggs, pork and quail egg stew, quail egg pizza, salad topped with quail eggs, and many more!
How To Cook Quail Eggs: Before You Go…
If you’ve found yourself asking how to cook quail eggs, we hope this guide has answered that question for you.
There are three easy ways to cook quail eggs: boiled, fried, and poached.
And if you’re up for it, you can go a little extra by creating tea-marbled or pickled quail eggs.
Just keep in mind that quail eggs are smaller and sturdier, so it takes less time to cook but more time to crack and peel.
The best thing about cooking quail eggs is that they are generally easy to prepare and are quite versatile to different types of dishes.
Now that you know how to cook quail eggs, you can start creating delicious quail egg recipes!