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Easy Chinese Tea Eggs - a batch of flavorful and aromatic hard-boiled eggs that are perfect for snacking or serving at parties. With just 10 minutes of prep time, you can effortlessly whip up these delicious, marbled eggs.
The Best Chinese Tea Eggs Recipe
My uncle gave me a block of aged Chinese pu-erh tea (普洱茶), and I immediately thought of Chinese tea eggs (茶叶蛋) as it’s perfect for making tea eggs.
Chinese tea eggs are one of the popular egg recipes, alongside Chinese soy sauce eggs, Japanese shoyu egg and Korean soy sauce eggs. These tea eggs absorb the delicious and aromatic flavors of the Chinese tea mixture during steeping, resulting in a marbled pattern on the egg whites. In this Chinese tea eggs recipe, I used pu-erh tea leaves, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and five-spice powder for added depth of flavor and delightful aroma.
This easy tea eggs recipe takes only 10 minutes of prep time, and with just three simple steps, you’ll be able to enjoy these delicious and aromatic eggs, perfect for snacking or serving at parties.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Unique flavor. The combination of tea, soy sauce, and spices infuses the eggs with a savory and aromatic taste that is both unique and delicious.
- Quick and easy. Prep time takes only 10 minutes, and this recipe is incredibly simple and does not involve any real cooking, unlike tomato eggs and egg foo young.
- Versatility. These eggs can be enjoyed in various ways – as a snack, side dish, or part of a main meal. They pair well with many dishes like noodles (such as chow mein and Chinese chicken noodle soup, steamed rice or fried rice, steamed buns and vegetables (such as garlic bok choy).
- Convenient for batch cooking. These eggs can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator, making them convenient for quick meal additions and snacks without losing flavor.
Ingredients For Chinese Tea Eggs
- Pu-erh tea leaves – infuses the eggs with a deep, earthy flavor and adds a dark color to create the marbled pattern on the egg whites.
- Cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and five-spice powder – add depth of flavor and aromatics.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
Tea Eggs Ingredients Addition
- Dark soy sauce. For a deeper colour.
- Dried tangerine peel. For a citrusy note.
- Shaoxing wine. Enhances the overall umami and complexity of the tea eggs.
How To Make Tea Eggs
Step 1: Add 4 cups of water to a medium pot and gently place the eggs in it, ensuring they are fully submerged. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Boil for approximately 10 minutes to ensure the eggs are fully cooked.
Step 2: Transfer the hard-boiled eggs out of the hot boiling water and rinse them with cold water. Using the back of a teaspoon, gently tap the eggshells to crack them. Return the eggs to the water and add the remaining ingredients.
Step 3: Bring the tea mixture to a boil and immediately reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour (the longer the simmering, the better the taste). Add more water if needed. Serve immediately, or leave the tea eggs in the mixture overnight to further develop their color and flavor.
Helpful Tips For Home Cooks
- Boil the eggs for about 10 minutes to ensure they are fully cooked and firm before cracking the shells.
- Gently tap the boiled eggs with the back of a spoon or roll them on a hard surface to create cracks all over the shell. This allows the tea mixture to seep in and create the marbled pattern.
- Simmer the cracked eggs in the tea mixture for at least 1 hour on low heat to allow the flavors to infuse deeply.
- For a darker marbled pattern, simmer the eggs longer in the tea mixture or add a small amount of dark soy sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use quail eggs to make smaller-sized tea eggs. Adjust the boiling and simmering times accordingly as quail eggs cook faster than chicken eggs.
Yes, you can use tea bags instead of loose tea leaves. Use 2-3 tea bags for the desired strength of flavor.
Chinese tea eggs can be served warm or chilled, depending on your preference.
Tea eggs can be stored in their liquid mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Yes, you can reuse the tea mixture for subsequent batches of tea eggs. Simply strain out the spices and store the liquid in the refrigerator until ready to use again.
This recipe is only 70 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
These versatile and aromatic eggs go well with just about any comforting Chinese dishes. For a wholesome home cooked meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes:
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please share your photo in the Comments section and consider giving it a 5-star rating. I can’t wait to see your creations! Want more easy and delicious recipes? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Tea Leaf Eggs
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- 4 cups water
- 6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons Chinese pu-erh tea leaf
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 star anise
- 3 cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Add 4 cups of water to a medium pot and gently place the eggs in it, ensuring they are fully submerged. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and boil for approximately 10 minutes to ensure the eggs are fully cooked.
- Transfer the hard-boiled eggs from the boiling water and rinse them under cold water. Using the back of a teaspoon, gently tap the eggshells to crack them. Return the eggs to the water and add the remaining ingredients.
- Bring the tea mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour (the longer the simmering, the better the taste). Add more water if needed. Serve immediately, or leave the tea eggs in the mixture overnight to further enhance their color and flavor.
Notes
- Boil the eggs for about 10 minutes to ensure they are fully cooked and firm before cracking the shells.
- Gently tap the boiled eggs with the back of a spoon or roll them on a hard surface to create cracks all over the shell. This allows the tea mixture to seep in and create the marbled pattern.
- Simmer the cracked eggs in the tea mixture for at least 1 hour on low heat to allow the flavors to infuse deeply.
- For a darker marbled pattern, simmer the eggs longer in the tea mixture or add a small amount of dark soy sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Dear Bee,
I’m glad I found your recipe. I heard about tea leaf eggs and want to try them
I was wondering if I can use something else besides soy sauce? I also love oolong tea and have plenty. Can I use that? Look forward to hearing from you.
Tess
You can try salt. Sure any tea is fine.
Thank you. I’ll try it as soon as I can.
This is my go-to tea leaf egg recipe. I’ve used it a dozen + times and made it for my parents, friends, neighbors. All love! I havent strayed much from the recipe except to put in a a couple more star anise or a couple more cloves. I use pu-erh tea every time. Delicious, easy, yum!
Hi Bee,
While I’m writing this message, the eggs are simmering on the stove. If the taste will be as good as the smell of the infusion liquid then I can call it a success already. I will let them soak overnight. It’s quite exciting but I’m confident about the result. And finally I found a good purpose for the Pu’er tea leaves that I brought from China.
Kind regards, Johan
Hi Johan, I am sure you will love it.
Hi Bee,
While I’m writing this message, the eggs are simmering on the stove. If the taste will be as good as the smell of the infusion liquid then I can call it a success already. I will let them soak overnight. It’s quite exciting but I’m confident about the result. And finally I found a good purpose for the Pu’er tea leaves that I brought from China.
Kind regards, Johan
Can’t wait to try this, but we don’t have cloves or tea leaves at home. Can we substitute with Lipton tea bags for the leaves and omit (or substitute something else for) the cloves?
Yes, that’s fine. Just use more Lipton tea bags. You can skip cloves.
Sounds wonderful. My sister loves tea and eggs . She is homebound so I will make these for her. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Awesome! Please try.
Sounds wonderful. My sister loves tea and eggs . She is homebound so I will make these for her. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Well, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MISSY !
Not only were the tea leaf eggs extremely delicious, but now I’m hooked on pueh tea as well ! It’s opened up an entirely new world of alternatives to commercial teas for me. Keep these treasures coming !
Hi Bee, love the tea eggs and I made a lot! Couldn’t finish them in one go ( although I really want to :p), how long can I keep them for? Should I leave them outside or in the fridge? Thanks!
My mum uses a different recipe but you can keep them in the fridge for at least a week and they are still good cold or warmed up in a microwave (beware of exploding egg if you zap them too long though).
Hi I have many packets of tea leaves. Are there expired dates for tea leaves? What to do with them? Please help. A waste to discard.
You can use them.