Eggs offer a super versatile, inexpensive way to put a satisfying meal on the table. These are our 25 best Chinese egg recipes, whether you have just 5 minutes to cook or a whole day.
We break it down by how much time you’ve got, so you can make a fast and easy 5-minute dish or take your time baking a batch of rich Hong Kong Egg Tarts!
A Go-To Ingredient for Every Meal of the Day
Eggs are a staple in our house. We even once raised egg laying hens for a year! Our grandfather built us a coop, and we raised them from small chicks.
There was never a single scrap of wasted fruit or veggie trimmings. We fed them watermelon rinds, corn cobs, and vegetable trimmings from the kitchen. They would even hop into the compost pile and go to town!
We also let them forage for bugs, grass and weeds in the yard in the evenings, and they would hop back into the coop when it got dark.
We loved having a steady supply of eggs—not only for breakfast and baking—but also to cook up our favorite Chinese egg recipes for lunch or dinner.
Cheap, Fast & Versatile
Eggs are inexpensive, cook up lightning fast, and are so versatile. In Chinese cooking, they’re steamed, hard-boiled and braised, stir-fried, scrambled, dropped into soup, salted and preserved, or made into sweet custard fillings.
They’re incredible companions for strong flavored ingredients like salted chilies, preserved radish, sweet tomatoes, pork, and seafood, and it can make for a healthy yet extremely satisfying meal.
It’s how we’ve always rounded out weeknight family dinners, when you just need one more thing to make the meal feel complete. And it’s the cornerstone of a fast lunch when you’re too busy to do much else than crack an egg and heat up some leftover rice.
The Key to Perfectly Scrambled Eggs in Chinese Cooking
Generally speaking, the key to cooking eggs in a Chinese kitchen is well-beaten eggs, high heat, and a good amount of oil. The eggs will puff up into a light and airy scramble—done in just a minute or two.
This is the method we use for stir fries and to cook eggs for fried rice, but we’ve included a broad range of other cooking techniques as well.
Ok, let’s get on with the recipes!
25 Chinese Egg Recipes
If you only have 5-10 minutes…
All of these recipes are life-savers. All you need is to get a pot of rice going!
Bonus, there’s a serious oldie but goodie interpretation of a Jian Bing, a street food favorite that relies on a crispy thin crepe spread with scrambled egg, hoisin sauce, spicy bean sauce, and herbs.
Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-Fry
The Jian Bing Approximation
If you only have 15-20 minutes…
With 15-20 minutes, you can make some of our go-tos, like stir-fried eggs with summer Chinese chives and warm and comforting steamed egg. We’ve been eating these dishes for our whole lives.
There are several spins on egg drop soup that we love, including the traditional version, one with a flavorful kick from seaweed (if you’re a fan of miso soup, you’ll enjoy this one), and tomato egg drop soup.
You’ll also find a couple of quick-cooking shrimp recipes!
Egg Drop Soup
Tomato Egg Drop Soup
10-Minute Tomato Egg Drop Noodle Soup
Steamed Eggs
Seaweed Egg Drop Soup
Golden Fried Rice (黄金炒饭)
Stir-Fried Shrimp and Eggs (虾仁炒蛋)
Shrimp with Lobster Sauce
If you have 30 minutes…
These egg recipes are just as simple as the others. They just take a little bit of extra prep for a secondary star ingredient—additions like beef, crispy pork, or rice and vegetables for a satisfying fried rice.
Steamed Eggs with Crispy Pork
Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup
Beef and Egg Stir Fry Rice Bowls
Egg Fried Rice
If you have 45 minutes to 4 hours…
When you want to make something extra special, there are classic deep-fried patties of egg foo young, egg dumplings for a festive soup, or perfect envelope-shaped Chinese Garlic Chive “Boxes” filled with chive, egg, and glass noodles.
And of course, don’t forget the egg tarts. We’ve got you covered with both versions, from Hong Kong and the Portuguese variation popular in Macau.
Chicken Egg Foo Young
Egg Dumpling (蛋饺)
Chinese Garlic Chive “Boxes”
Hong Kong Egg Tarts
Portuguese Egg Tarts
If you have 1 day…
With a little advanced planning, you can make a big batch of Chinese Tea Eggs to snack on over the course of the week, or Chinese Salted Duck Eggs, which are SO much better than store bought and will keep for 1-2 months after they complete the brining period.
Chinese Tea Eggs
Chinese Salted Duck Eggs (1 day of active prep PLUS 30-60 days of brining time)
Hope you enjoy these Chinese egg recipes!
