Ramen Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago) are delicious as topping on ramen or enjoyed as a snack. Read on to learn how to make this flavorful soft boiled eggs recipe at home.
There seems to be a ramen craze sweeping the US lately. No, I am not referring to the instant ramen packages you find in the grocery store aisles. I am referring to the fresh ramen noodles served in a delicious hot broth the chef has been preparing for days, topped with sliced chashu (stewed pork), veggies, and a ramen egg.
Watch How to Make Ramen Egg
Flavorful soft boiled eggs with custard-like egg yolk soaked in soy sauce and mirin, used for topping on ramen or enjoyed as a snack.
Across the US, cities from New York, Nashville, to San Francisco, there seems to be always a line outside the popular Japanese chains as Ippudo (博多一風堂) and Santouka (山頭火), as well as local stores. At the recent ramen festival in San Francisco, if you wanted a bowl of ramen it was a 3+ hour wait. I’ll be sharing a series of posts for different ingredients to make miso ramen at home, starting with these ramen eggs.
Ramen eggs are a bit unique; they are soft boiled but the egg yolk part is never fully cooked. The egg yolk can be super runny, or it can be custard-like with a firm texture. In Japan, we call these soy sauce marinated eggs Ajitsuke Tamago (味付け玉子) or Nitamago (煮玉子). Although most commonly eaten as a topping in ramen, these flavorful eggs can be enjoyed a side dish or a snack, or included as part of bento.
The best part is that these eggs are easy to make and you need just 4 ingredients – eggs, soy sauce, mirin, and water. Of course, every ramen shop has its own secret sauce and seasonings they’ve added to the marinade, but today I’m going to show you the simplest yet delicious recipe.
Ramen Egg Tips & Tricks
There are many ways to make soft boiled eggs. If you already have a method that works for you, feel free to do so instead. Some recipes start off with eggs that are at room temperature instead of refrigerated eggs, but room temperature could be different depending on where you are so I like to boil cold eggs right out of the refrigerator. I use large American eggs for this recipe and knowing egg sizes do vary a bit around the world, you might need to adjust the cooking time slightly.
When the eggs are done, you could run the cold water to cool, but I like to use an ice bath because it stops the eggs from cooking any further immediately. It’s also an easy way to control the exact time for cooking your eggs.
You could marinade the ramen eggs for just a few hours or overnight which I prefer. That way I can focus on making ramen the next day while the eggs stay marinated in the fridge waiting for their appearance.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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- 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (refrigerated till Step 3; You can use up to 4 eggs with this recipe)
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Gather all the ingredients. Increase the marinate ingredients if you cook more than 4 eggs.
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In a resealable plastic bag, combine soy sauce, mirin, and water. Tip 1: If you plan to make the ramen eggs in just a few hours of marinating, use 0-1 Tbsp water. Otherwise, start with 2-3 Tbsp water and taste before adding more water. You have to adjust the saltiness to your taste and how long you plan to marinade. Tip 2: To use the minimal amount of the condiments (as we have to discard after marinating), I use a plastic bag. If you use a container, you will need to double the amount of condiment to cover the eggs.
- Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. There should be enough water to cover the eggs (should be 1 inch above eggs).
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When boiling, take out the eggs from the refrigerator and carefully and slowly submerge the eggs into the boiling water with a mesh strainer/skimmer or ladle to prevent the eggs from cracking.
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Immediately reduce heat to maintain a simmer (gentle boil) and cook the eggs for exactly 7 minutes (See Notes). Make sure the water is simmering, but not so hot that the eggs bounce around. If you want your egg yolk to be in the center, gently rotate the eggs with chopsticks once in a while for the first 3 minutes so the egg yolk will be in the center.
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After 7 minutes, immediately take out the eggs and soak in the ice bath to stop them from cooking further. Let them cool for 3 minutes.
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The soft boiled eggs are not completely hardened so gently peel the eggs.
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Put the eggs in the sauce bag and close tightly. The eggs should be submerged in the marinade. Let them marinate overnight to up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- Take out the eggs and cut in halves to serve. Enjoy the eggs by themselves or use them as a ramen topping.
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Keep the eggs in the refrigerator all the time. Enjoy the eggs within 4 days if your eggs are soft-boiled. If your eggs are hard-boiled, you can keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. For food safety, I recommend discarding the marinade and making a new batch if you want to make more.
Cooking Time for Eggs:
- Runny egg yolk - 6 to 6 1/2 minutes
- Custard-like egg yolk but not runny - 8 to 9 minutes
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
More Drool-Worthy Recipes & Inspirations:
- Most Popular Miso Ramen
- Tan-Men (Midnight Diner: Tokyo Series)
- Chashu (Braised Pork Belly)
- Japanese Ramen Guide for Beginners
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I love these eggs. Infact I made them for breakfast this morning with toast and coffee. Made four, couldn’t let my husband starve. Thanks Nami for such great recipes, you are an amazing lady. 🙂
Hi Jacquie! What a great breakfast with toast and coffee! I’m so happy you enjoyed this dish. Thank you for your feedback!
Just a thought for the marinade, I used the sauce that I cook the chashu in, to marinade the eggs in after I am done and it tastes even better with the ramen soup. So don’t throw away the chashu mixture.
Oh yes!!! I love the sweet and savory (and thick) sauce from chashu. I love marinating anything in there, haha but eggs definitely. 🙂
Ha! I love these… I just had some at Santouka in the local Mitsuwa and thought to myself: I bet it’s mirin and soy sauce.
Then I thought: Ah ha! I don’t remember seeing *these* on J.O.C.! Maybe I can recommend adding them.
Should have known it’d be here^^;
Thank you!
Hee hee, yes I have! I have some ramen recipes and these eggs are necessity! 😉 Santouka is great, we’re so lucky to live near Japanese grocery stores. 😀 Thanks so much for your comment!
Hi, Nami
after put in refrigerator
how to make egg back to warm, after i put it in refrigerator?
should i boil it back ?
or waited until warm?
i try ur recipe, and that baby still in refrigerator
can’t wait to try it out
tnx
Hi Gie! As long as you heat up the egg in water that is less than 158 F (70C), egg yolk will stay the same and won’t be affected. That’s the temp that egg yolk start to cook. 🙂 We usually eat at room temp. 🙂
okay nami, tnx 😀
i will try right away.
tnx for reply.
omg i need to make this now! if i see an egg that’s overcooked and not creamy in my ramen, i won’t eat it. ever. lol. but, this would taste good with about anything! mmm and onsen tamago… i need to go to SF soon ❤
Hi Hazel! Yeah, I put it on my noodles (any type of noodles) and donburi (rice bowl) dish. 🙂 Hope you enjoy this dish!
Just made these and placed the eggs to marinade so haven’t had the final product yet, but wow! Just snacked on one (made several) and the inside was just the perfect custardy consistency described at 7 minutes. Not always the case for recipes found via pinterest. Can’t wait to have the end result!
Hi Maria! I hope the final product was good! Thanks for trying this recipe! I’m happy to hear you came from Pinterest. Welcome! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe, these eggs look and sound perfect and I can’t wait to make them. However, I’m cooking at high altitude (7,000 feet). How much longer should I boil the eggs in this case? Thanks!
Hi Sean! I wish I could tell, but I’ve never cooked in high altitude so I don’t know…. Sorry! You might need to test and see. You just need to test once (then next time you’ll know). Write number on each egg and test the egg every minute around 7 mins to see what’s your liking based on high altitude cooking.
If anyone who reads this comment and knows the answer, please share your tip! 🙂
Thanks for your response! I will get to testing them out and see what I get.
Good luck! 😀
Today was Ramen Soup day in our household, so I found the recipe for your eggs and gave them a try. My girls loved them so much that they asked me to JUST fix them a bowl of these eggs! I usually put one whole sliced egg per bowl, but now I will probably have to double or triple that request to appease my crew. I guess I should just rename it Ramen Egg Soup day. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Annie! I’m so happy to hear you and your children love this recipe! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! 🙂
The total time for this recipe is as long as it takes for the eggs to sit in the marinade… so more than 12 minutes – more like 8 hours
Hi Bob! Thanks for pointing that out. The recipe plugin doesn’t allow me to add inactive time (such as marinating), so I added in my Note section.
So easy and delicious ! I left it 1 night in the fridge = so good and your cooking time is just perfect !! A question : is it possible to keep the “marinade” for another batch ?? If yes, how many time ?? Thank you !
Hi CocoHoju! Thank you for trying this recipe! For food safety reason, I don’t recommend to re-use the sauce. If you cook the sauce before using it (to kill any germs), you can probably use it for one more time. 🙂
I’m going to try this soon. I have a few eggs I need to use up soon, as well as a busy weekend ahead.
When I was in college years ago, I used to tutor a girl whose mother is Japanese. As a part of my payment, she would make me ramen with an egg on top. I never learned how she made them, so thanks for the recipe.
Hi Ren! Hope you enjoy this recipe and it’s close to what you tasted back then. 🙂
My refrigiratwd eggs cracked as soon as they touched the water.
Hi Kevin! Did you gently submerge them using a ladle or strainer? I do this all the time, but the eggs never broke because of the hot water. I wonder what else could cause them break…. Sorry I wish I know.
Thanks so much for this recipe – I LOVE the eggs I get at ramen shops! How long can you leave the eggs in the marinade? I’m thinking of making a whole batch of 10 eggs and having 2 per day (instead of having to boil and peel eggs every day)?
Hi Sarah! Overnight is pretty good. I think 5 days is kind of too long for the eggs to be sitting in the marinade. Maybe 2 days up most? 🙂
Hello I have no real access to mirin is there an adequate substitute?
Hi Michele! I’m so sorry for my late response. Mirin is basically sake + sugar. So if you can find Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry and add sugar, that’s a good substitution.
1 Tbsp mirin = 1 Tbsp. sake + 1 tsp. sugar.
Hi, love your blog. Just a quick question I can’t use alcohol, is there anything that can substitute the mirin or should I just omit it? Thanks!
And I accidentally replied to someone else. That’s what I get for using my phone ????
Hi Nem! The only substitution besides alcohol is water. It doesn’t have same cooking effect but you will need the same amount of liquid to go in, so that the seasonings are “diluted”. 🙂
You could use seasoned rice vinegar, it has a different flavor but still tastes really good.
Hi Griffin! Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
This is such a helpful recipe! I know from experience from making Chinese Tea Eggs that your method is THE best way to get the shell off cleanly when you crack it! I’ve tried so many ways of boiling eggs, but the absolute best way is to start the eggs in the hot water (not put them in the water before it is boiling) and to put them into an ice water bath immediately when done. If the eggs are cold from the fridge at first, this sudden temperature change can sometimes cause one or two to crack when put into the water, but it doesn’t usually leak out much of the egg and still cooks just fine. I would estimate it would take a minute or two off the cooking time if starting with room temp eggs.
I am really excited to make these! It will be a breeze since these are quite like tea eggs but much simpler! No having to simmer all the tea and spices in the sauce! Just good ol’ soy sauce and mirin. <3
And now for my shameful confession, I will be using these in instant ramen. 😛 I'd love to make ramen homemade someday, but there are many other recipes on your site I'd love to try first! For now, this will be my add-on when I need a quick late-night instant ramen fix! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your kind feedback, Lion! I’m so happy you liked the recipe. 🙂 Instant ramen is good, as long as you don’t eat it everyday. 😉 Enjoy!
I find that steaming the eggs gives more consistent results. It also makes peeling them a breeze. For soft “boiled” I steam them for 6 1/2 minutes. 7 mins if I want a more custard like consistency.
Hi Mike! Thank you for sharing your tip! 🙂
I really love your ramen egg recipe (using it with your miring substitute recipe) and also get a positive feedback about their taste 🙂 So thank you very much for sharing 🙂
Hi Pascal! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you for writing your kind feedback. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe. My eggs turned out amazing! I can’t wait to make them again.
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Monica! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them. 🙂
Although I didnt top my ramen with this egg recipe, I did top my Japanese Curry with it! It was soft, creamy and just delicious! Thank you for this amazing recipe!!
Hi Emily! We use these eggs for non-ramen dishes too! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe and thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
I always wondered how restaurants made their ramen eggs. These eggs were just as good! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. My family and I loved it with our ramen.
Hi Stephanie! Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it with your ramen. Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
Yum! Surprisingly tasty for so few ingredients.. I’ve previously used a more time consuming recipe with more than double the ingredients, and I think I prefer your recipe!
Hi Agnes! I’m glad you liked this recipe! Thank you for trying this recipe. 🙂
May I know how much time we need for room temperature eggs to have running yolk pls
Hi Augustina! I didn’t use room temperature eggs because your room temperature eggs may be different from my room temperature eggs or JOC readers’ from different parts of the world… while fridge temp is pretty much same everywhere.
You– are my new hero! Thanks for this easy, and well-explained recipe!
I was just at our favorite ramen shop in Hong Kong with my girlfriend- we always order an extra egg- and she said, just look something up on the net, and make your own– so…. I did! 唔該 !
Hi David! I’m glad you found my recipe and thank you to your GF for her GREAT suggestion! 😉
One hint – eggs will peel easier if you first take a spoon and lightly crack them to break the shell. Then put back into the ice water for 30 mins before peeling
Hi Mike! Thank you for sharing your tip! My mom just tap the egg on the countertop too! I think her way is rough and I like your spoon method better. 🙂 Japanese also use a pushpin to make a hole BEFORE cooking the egg. Which is not a common stuff to keep in the kitchen tho…
What other ingredients have you added, or do you always use the basic recipe? I’m curious 🙂 Thanks for this recipe, it always comes out perfectly!
Hi Christina! Do you mean what other ingredients do I add into this marinade? I created this marinade for the eggs, but we have similar marinade for meat etc, you just need to adjust the flavor. 🙂
You mention “Of course, every ramen shop has their own secret sauce and seasonings they’ve added to the marinade” so I’m wondering if you have any other sauce and seasonings secrets that you use for eggs 🙂 Thanks.
Ohhh I see what you meant. If I do, I’d include it in my recipe. 😀 Mine is pretty simple.
I’ve left these in the marinade for upwards of two weeks before and they come out delicious. If you try it you may want to slightly reduce the amount of soy sauce, or serve them with an unsalted dish. They get a little bit saltier than usual.
Hi Erin! Yes, I agree. When marinating for a longer time, it’s best to reduce the overall seasoning as it gradually gets saltier and more flavorful. Thank you for your tip!
This is SO GOOD! I have had ramen a few times in Prague where I live, and the eggs were never this delicious. Next time I can try bringing my own ramen eggs to the ramen shop as substitutes to shop’s eggs… 😀 Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Laura! AHAHAHA! Your comment made me happy and smile. Yes, BYOE (bring your own egg)!!! LOL. Thanks so much for trying this recipe! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! xo
Hi,
How many times can I use the marinade sauce please?
Regards,
Xue
Hi Xue! For food safety, I recommend just once. 🙂
Hi,
The eggs turned out wonderful. My kids love them. Thank you for the recipe. One question, can I reuse the sauce for future batches of eggs?
Thank you.
Hi Kareen! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the eggs with the kids! Usually not recommended for food safety. But if you really want to use it, make sure to re-heat the sauce (to kill bacterias – you don’t see). 🙂
Hi there, what kind of mirin do you use here? hon mirin or mirin?
Hi Regina! I recommend using Hon-Mirin (expensive but very delicious) or Mirin listed here:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/mirin/
I only use first 2 (#1 and #2) for my cooking.
For the soy sauce, what kind of soy sauce do you recommend i use? Thanks 🙂
Hi Regina! I use organic soy sauce. More details here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/soy-sauce/
A great and easy to follow recipe. I had never attempted prior to coming across your recipe but yum! I doubled the recipe and paired the eggs with ramen. I went for the custardy texture but they literally turned out perfectly minus a few welts because I peeled an egg or two too hastily 🙂
Hi Erin! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
Hi there! Do you know for how long these eggs stay good? A friend of mine is a big foodie, but doesn’t have a lot of spare time, so I’m thinking of making him a jar with marinated eggs. Do they need to be consumed within 36 hrs of making, or will they stay good for a day or three? I look forward to your reply, thank you!
Hi Merel! I re-wrote the instructions to be clear. I recommend to consume on the 3rd day (2 days after marinating begins). You can keep marinating until that point, but you need to eat it by the 3rd day, especially if you make soft boiled eggs. And if you want to keep marinating for a longer time, make a new marinade to continue on the 3rd day. 🙂
Hey,
I made these again with ramen and they are really good (: had a few extra this time as well for my bento the day after! I made it once before and I will make it again 😀
Hi Albert! Thank you so much for your kind comment! It’s great that you get to eat them on two days! 😀
Hello! This recipe is delicious thank you for sharing. How do you serve this with ramen where the egg is warm because if they marinate overnight in the fridge it’s tricky serving it in ramen where the outside is warm but the middle is cold. I don’t want to overcook the egg with the hot stock. Any tips would be helpful.
Hi Michelle! You can take out from the fridge to bring it to a room temperature or soak the bag in warm (not hot) water to bring up temp faster.
FYI, usually at ramen shops, these ramen eggs are always at room temperature and never be warm. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I boiled 6 eggs all at the same time and put them in ice-cold water. When I started peeling, the shells remained stuck to the eggs and the egg whites were so soft they fell apart. What do you think went wrong?
Hi Emily! I apologize for my late response (due to traveling and being sick for over 2 weeks…). When you use fresh eggs, the shell tends to stick the egg. That’s just how it is… some websites say not to use fresh eggs when you make boiled eggs. 🙂
I’m sorry if this is a foolish question to ask, but do we use light soy sauce or dark for the eggs?
Hi WY! It’s not a silly question at all, as I get asked about this often. In Japan, we do not have a light or dark soy sauce. We only have one regular kind (except for some regional preference, which is light COLOR soy sauce for noodle soup and chawanmushi used in Kyoto and Osaka) and sweetened soy sauce used in South like Kyushu region.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/soy-sauce/
Hi, what if my eggs aren’t refrigerated? We have cage free chickens at my house so we pick them up the same day still warm. Will this effect the cooking process?
Hi Diana! You have a rare case (but how nice to have cage-free chickens!). I created this recipe that does not require a kitchen thermometer since many don’t own one. Since the refrigerator temperature is pretty much same globally (but “room temp” can be different based on geography), that’s what I used. In your case, your cooking time will be much less. You probably need to figure out what’s the right timing for you to take out the eggs from boiling water according to your liking (soft boiled, hard boiled etc). 🙂
Can d mirin be replaced by somethg else….
HI Nafisah! Mirin in this case can be replaced by water and sugar, although it’s not the same… see substitute here:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/mirin/
Super recipe! It never goes wrong
Thank you Sue!
Hey!!
I am sorry if this is gross but it seems I might not be able to consume the eggs tomorrow or idk. Is there a problem with freezing them??
Hi Andy! I think the texture won’t be the same.
Delicious
Thank you Ming!
For anyone looking for an alternative way to make soft-boiled eggs. I find I get the most consistent results if I steam the eggs, because that temperature is always the same; on my electric stove, using different pans, I find it difficult to get the same “simmer” each time.. To steam the eggs, add enough water to a cold pan to cover the bottom to a depth of ~3/8″ and bring it to a boil. Gently add your eggs to the pan, cover and cook to your desired firmness – I use 6 minutes because I like the yolk runny – then put in an ice bath. This works great if you need a lot of eggs at one time.
Hi Laura! Thank you so much for your kind tip on simmering soft boiled eggs! xoxo
A little baking sofa in the water helps break down the inner membrane of the egg, making it easier to peel.
Hi Adam! Thanks for sharing!
What to do with the left over marinade?
Hi Cendy! You can reheat (to kill any bacteria) and let cool to use it again; otherwise, it’s recommended not to reuse for food safety reason.
It’s easy and delicious, thank you!
Hi Sonnya! Thank you for your kind words!
After a few days of marinating in refrigerator, the soft boiled eggs turn sour. Why is that?
Hi Hima! That doesn’t sound right. Marinating the eggs will not cause the sourness. It could have been contaminated during the cooking process or ingredient wasn’t fresh, etc. I recommend not eating the food when you felt something was off.
I made the eggs! Sadly ended up making them hard boiled. Since I was invested already, marinated them anyway. I can say that they are really delicious even if the eggs are hard boiled. Thanks Nami
Hi Mimi! Thank you for trying this recipe! Hope you find the right cooking time for your liking to make the ramen eggs. 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind feedback. xo
When you mention Soy Sauce, which one are you referring to? I see that there are three types in the link provided.
Hi Tina! In Japanese cooking, we normally have “soy sauce” that refers to the first one – koikuchi soy sauce. In some regions, they use a different type, but in general, one kind (opposed to Chinese soy sauce have dark and light soy sauce for regular cooking). 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/soy-sauce/
Hello Namiko! First of all, thanks for all the videos you post they are very simple and easy to follow. Love them! Tried your Poke recipe and my family loved it!!! I am now planning to make ramen and watched all related videos (over and over:D) including the chasu pork. You mentioned in your Pork Chasu belly video that the sauce from cooking the pork can be saved to make the ramen egg. How much sauce vs water should be used to marinate the boiled eggs? Or do I even have to add water? One last question, you mentioned that you boil the eggs straight from the fridge but sometimes the egg cracks when I do this. Any tips to avoid the cracking? Looking forward to your reply! Thanks and stay awesome!
Hi Ina! Thank you for watching my videos! For ramen egg using chasu sauce, you don’t need to use water. Just put the sauce over the egg. But don’t marinate too long as it is salty. I don’t recommend adding water because the sauce is oily and water doesn’t mix well. 🙂 Just marinate for a short time. My eggs never crack, but I heard of it. Not sure if you do the same, but here is what I do. Let the water boil. Lower the heat. Submerge one egg at a time using a ladle or skimmer. NEVER drop the egg. Eggs shouldn’t be jumping around while cooking. 🙂
Love these! The first time I made the them I tried one the next day and found the egg to be undercooked and not very flavorful. Day two was better, but by day three they were PERFECT! I don’t totally understand how marinating them makes them cook through more, but it is the perfect amount of flavor and consistency! Now I get why they’re only cooked 7 minutes. Just made a second batch, it’s going to be a long three day wait ^.^ My mom is Japanese and I’ve spent a lot of time growing up in Japan, so these really hit the spot.
Hi Heidi! I’m so glad to hear you figured out how to make the perfect ramen egg. I think the saltiness from the sauce changes the texture of the egg, not necessarily “cook”. You can also play with the amount of water if you want to speed up the process. Thank you so much again for your feedback!
Can I use my foodsaver to marinate the soft boiled eggs and store them too? I borrowed a foodsaver from a friend to try it out and learning what things I can use it for
Yes, you can and I do that. But the egg shape changes a bit… so Ziploc bag is good enough.
So delicious and easy! Great recipe
Hi Beck! Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thanks for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi !
Just a little message to thank you for that recipe. My son is eating tons of eggs as a bonus proteins for muscular training and was getting tired of it. And guess what, he loves those and it’s gonna be a while before he get tired of it ! An easy, quick way to have a twist on eggs loaded of flavours. Now it’s time to stop being afraid to do ramen, I’m sure your recipes will give me confidence ! Thanks again and keep on that awesome website. Morgane.
Hi Morgnane! Thank you for your kind feedback. I’m so glad to hear he enjoyed the recipe! And don’t be afraid of my ramen recipe as it’s really easy and simple. But you do need the right ingredients as the ingredient list is short and each ingredient plays an important role. 🙂
Much easier than I thought it’d be…and so oishii!! Will definitely make again.
Thank you so much for trying this recipe, Mari! I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
How could this method of boiling eggs work for you without the refrigerated eggs cracking as soon as you put them in boiling water?
Hi Allan! That never happened to me… You are not dropping the eggs to the boiling water right? Do you slowly submerge the eggs with a ladle and release them?
I carefully dropped them this time. No crackling! Maybe o was just too eager the first time. 😃
Hi Allan! AHAHAHHAAHA! Thank you for your feedback and for confirming that it works! xoxo 😀
I have yet to make Ramen from scratch but have had it in a restaurant once. I wasn’t impressed with the egg. It wasn’t marinated as yours. I think this will be more interesting.I haven’t decided on broth yet but have ingredients for scratch dash.
Hi Barbara! Ramen shops in Japan offer both non-seasoned version (like you had) and seasoned version (this recipe). I also believe that this seasoned version is tastier. 🙂 I hope you enjoy making ramen at home! My ramen recipes are simple and easy but using the right ingredients is important as it’s a quick recipe and relies on those ingredients.
Hello. I tried this technique and the eggs kept bursting open. THEN once I finally got 2 eggs to work out and I let them marinate for 2 days, I found that the inner egg white was not fully cooked. So frustrating! Do you have any tips and tricks for perfection every time?
Hi LaDonna! Thank you for trying this recipe. Could you please explain “the eggs kept bursting open” means? Do you mean they crack in the water? How do you lower/submerge the eggs? Do you use a tool to gently submerge the egg? Or do the eggs crack while cooking? If so, did you immediately reduce heat to maintain a simmer, but not like a rolling boil? Since you mentioned the egg whites are not cooked enough, I also feel like either you reduced the heat too much that the boiling water didn’t maintain the temperature (and cold eggs just let the hot water cool down)…
Please don’t give up. Many people have been making this recipe since I posted. I’d love to help you until you succeed this!
Hello! Thank you for your response. I kept trying, because giving up isn’t really in my nature haha. I got it right! I turned the heat down on the stove the right amount and I took more time slowly lowering the eggs into the pot. I think previously I put the egg in the water with a slotted spoon, but didn’t take the time to slowly lower them in and so they heated up too quickly which caused the shell to crack open (that’s my theory). The time that I made them and the egg white was not cooked I’m quite sure I turned the heat down on the stove too much. Anyway, I’ve made them perfectly two times now! Thanks for sharing – I’ve been eating a lot of Ramen lately and these eggs take it over the top!
Also, I’ve been unable to find Mirin in any stores near me so I dissolved a little sugar into rice wine vinegar and used that as a substitute.
Hi LaDonna! I’m SO HAPPY to hear that! Thank you for your update!
About mirin, a lot of misinformation online that you can substitute mirin (basically, sake + sugar) with rice wine vinegar… but just like white wine and white wine vinegar taste COMPLETELY different, and we can’t replace mirin with rice wine vinegar and sugar, because there is “vinegar” you’re introducing.
In this recipe, a taste of vinegar may not be a bad thing, but some other recipes may not work. Just FYI. I see this “substitute” suggestion online a lot, but I don’t think it’s a good substitute. 🙂
For mirin’s substitute, I suggest: 3 Tbsp water (sake, dry sherry, or Chinese rice wine) + 1 Tbsp sugar (3:1).
Hope that helps!
Thanks- I’ll try that!
Just to check: when you put the eggs to simmer for the seven minutes, is the lid of the pot ON or OFF?
I made these from your recipe once before and they turned out perfectly but I can’t remember what I did
Thanks Nami!
Hi Megan! No lid. I usually mention to cover or put a lid when needed. 🙂 I’m glad they came out well last time! Thanks for trying this recipe, Megan!
These are so lovely, and easy to make.
I am wondering if this could work with quail eggs. It seems like it will work very nicely, but … I am wondering how long to cook them to get that perfect soft boiled texture. Maybe just 2 or 3 minutes? Nami, any tips will be much appreciated.
Hi Lynn! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! I’m not too sure how long they should be cooked, but I assume 2-3 minutes as well… test one and see if that works? 🙂
I made these eggs yesterday night for dinner and they came out fine even after marinating for just 8 hours. The yolks weren’t as runny but that’s because I only had room temperature eggs so I adjusted by boiling for just 6 mins 30 secs.
I’m not sure if anyone else has asked you this but I would like to know how did you get the yolks to be almost perfectly centered? Most of my yolks were very near to the bottom of the eggs which would most definitely spill out had the yolks been completely runny and if I accidentally peeled some egg white out.
Also, I’m sure I’m not the only person that asks questions about your recipes. Perhaps after you post the recipe and have answered questions from readers, you can add a FAQ section linking to your replies so others who have similar questions will not ask you again?
Hi Jessica! We all learned this in the Japanese home and economics class in elementary school. You gently rotate the eggs with chopsticks once in a while for the first 3 minutes so the egg yolk will be in the center. I’ll add it to my instruction. I never read or hear about this method in American recipes so I thought the detail level is something only Japanese people care about. LOL 🙂
Hi Nami! Regarding your ramen egg recipe, do you have any suggestions for using up the leftover marinade? I’d hate to waste it.
Hi MI! In general, for food safety, it’s best to toss after the marinade because you don’t know (can’t see) any bacteria growth (from your fingers or spoon, etc). If you REALLY want to use it, I’d recommend reheating the sauce and cooling down before you use it. Not all bacteria will be killed from reheating, but it’s better than not doing it. You can use for seasoning dishes if you’re cooking some Japanese simmered dishes or noodle soup dishes. 🙂
I love your recipes and would like to purchase your printed cookbooks for gifts ! Where can I purchase them? thank you !??
Hi Keiko! I’m so sorry but my ebook is ebook and not published book. Maybe one day. 🙂
I love making the eggs this way. They are delicious, and reminiscent of the “salty tasty eggs” that I get at the Lawson’s when I go to Okinawa.
I don’t use these eggs with ramen though, so I cook them for nine minutes. Then I can eat them sliced in a salad or just halved as a side dish.
Thanks for the push to use less marinade than others suggest. It really does work out fine.
You have a wonderful website and a very useful cookbook. Thanks for both!
Hi SG! Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m really happy to hear you enjoy this recipe. You don’t have to use it for ramen too. I love these on donburi or even on snack, etc. 🙂 Thank you for your feedback!
Hi Nami
Thank You for sharing your recipes, my family and I have enjoyed them.
These eggs are perfect, I think the next time I will have them with a miso base ramen. Thank You again!
Hi Debbie! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
Hi Nami:
I wanted to make more than 2 eggs (total of 6) and I cooked them 2 at a time following your recipe and repeated 3 times. Is this the correct method? Also I had a lot of difficult of peeling the shell without breaking them. Any tips? I still placed them into the marinade. Last question, the marinade in your recipe is good for 6 eggs, right?
Thank you in advance.
Hi Christina! You can cook 6 eggs at the same time. There are a lot of tips/theories on how to peel the eggs perfectly online. I don’t have a particular method to do it. Yes, the marinade should be enough for 6 eggs. 🙂
Thank you Nami. I just love the texture of these ramen eggs.
Can ramen eggs be frozen and reheated? Since they take so long it’d be nice if I could just make a big batch and take one out when needed.
Hi Alex! Unfortunately, egg whites will lose the moisture and it becomes a different texture. 🙁 You can break them into small bits and freeze them but I know that’s not what you want to do… So just refrigerate is the only option. 🙁
hi! if i’m making 6 eggs, do i also have make 3 times the marinade too? thanks 🙂
Hi Tae, the marinade can be used for up to 6 eggs. So no, you don’t need to do that. Use a bag instead of a container so the marinade can go around the eggs. 🙂
From the first look of it, the recipe is quite easy. When you actually try it out, it’s difficult. It could be the eggs or the boiling part that makes it hard but whenever I try this recipe out, peeling the egg is the hardest part ever. Every single egg (I’ve used a whole carton) that I have used has always broken down and broke apart 😡. The ones that haven’t always taste raw even marinating it for 4 days. I personally don’t think I will try this recipe again. The other recipes from this site are good though.
Hi Shelly! Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m sorry that your eggs break apart. Well, there are two components in this recipe. One, cooking the eggs to your liking (how soft your egg yolk want to be as opposed to fully cooked boiled eggs). Two, the marinating part. From reading your comment, I think you had issues with making soft boiled eggs. Marinating time will not “cook” the eggs, so the soft boiled eggs you cook would stay that way.
Now, there are a lot of discussions on how to peel boiled eggs easily online. Some say not to use fresh eggs you just bought from grocery stores. Some say to make a tiny hole. Some say to put in iced water or NOT to put in iced water…. everyone has “theory” that they believe in. Maybe try it out and see which one works for you?
You mentioned that the eggs taste “raw”. I think you probably need to cook your eggs longer for your liking. It’s too custardy for you. Often times people go for those custardy egg yolks but it’s possible that you may not enjoy that. You can make ramen eggs with boiled eggs just fine and it doesn’t have to be soft. It’s just that a lot of ramen shops serve custardy eggs so they are cooked this way.
Hope this helps!
Love these! Made a fresh batch today for Ramen this evening. The person asking about cooking at high altitude. I boil my water and the eggs come right out of the refrigerator, swirl the water a bit (gently for 2 minutes to center the yolk) and cook for a total of 7:30 minutes then straight to and ice bath. Creamy yolk every time fully cooked whites.
Hi Jennifer! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe and thank you for your kind feedback! Thank you so much for sharing your tip on cooking at high altitude!
Absolutely love how simple this recipe is. Works like a charm and the egg turns out every time! Highly recommend keeping your egg in the fridge. My only question is do you have any suggestions or tips for making large quantities? I need to cook around 30-50 eggs. Thanks
Hi Akash! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! So happy to hear eggs come out well! I’d say just increase the amount of marinade and add all the soft-boiled (if not hard-boiled) eggs in there. 🙂
Hello, I stumbled into your website while looking up how to cook Japanese Soft Boil Eggs. A friend of mine gifted me with a bottle of Ninben Shiro Dashi. Can I use this in a substitute for Mirin? I do not know how to cook Japanese recipes and am stuck without knowing what to do with the Ninben Shiro Dashi. Thank you.
Hi Rena! Shiro Dashi is a type of dashi-based soup/stock and it’s concentrated so you have to dilute it. It’s not quite mirin so my answer is no, and this recipe is not the best use… It’s made with white soy sauce, light-colored soy sauce (we call it Usukuchi Soy Sauce), sugar, and mirin, and it’s basically the soup base.
You can use it similar to Mentsuyu (this one is dark one, not Shiro/White dashi). https://www.justonecookbook.com/mentsuyu/
Hope this helps!
Hi, Nami-san,
I tried to cook this ramen egg by following your recipe. However, it was difficult to peel the egg shell and part of the half-cooked egg white ended up broken and ugly.
Could you please provide some advice on this? Thank you!
Hi Jennifer! There are a lot of articles about tips and techniques on how to peel eggs (soft or hard) online. I read and agree that fresh eggs make it very hard to peel. So I try using eggs that have been sitting in the fridge for sometimes (vs just bought from the store). That helps me. Some make a tiny hole before boiling, and I’ve tried that too… but kind of extra step. So many methods/tips out there, so pick whatever works for you. 🙂
this didn’t work out at all. 7 is not long enough, my whites were super runny.
Hi Vanessa! Because I make this recipe often myself, I know the recipe works. I’m wondering – was the water simmering when you are cooking the eggs? Make sure it’s simmering (the water is no rolling boil but it should be still close to boiling point – simmering). If you add more eggs, immediately the boiling water temperature will drop quickly. That’s something we have to consider when boiling more (cold) eggs at once. That’s the part that could cause the cooking delay… Also there should be enough water to cover the eggs (should be 1 inch above eggs). Small things really matter, so I wanted to check with you. You can always try different times (See my Notes):
Cooking Time for Eggs:
Runny egg yolk – 6 to 6 1/2 minutes
Custard-like egg yolk but not runny – 8 to 9 minutes
I have made these a few times and I ADORE them! Makes such a great snack! I make these all the time! I usually make them following your recipe because it is that good but the last time I made them I made a couple of changes. One was planned and the other was a mistake.
First the mistake: I added a Tbsp of dark mushroom soy sauce. When I pulled the soy sauce from the cabinet I took the mushroom dark soy out and I didn’t pay attention and grabbed the wrong bottle. So I rolled with it so I didn’t waste anything. It worked. Not sure if I would do it on the regular but it’s good to know that it won’t ruin them.
The other change was I used low fat/no salt chicken stock instead of water. The stock added a slight depth of flavor that worked really well with the ramen I had made.
Hi Victoria! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind and detailed feedback! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and variations! Thanks for sharing your cooking experience with us!
Hi Nami
I try made soy sauce pickles with kiriboshi daikon
I want ask you if I must Cook first the kiriboshi daikon or only
Put it on bowl with water for 15 -20 minutes ,cold or hot water?
Thank you
I really appreciated
Hi Claudia,
We usualy soak the Kiriboshi daikon in the room temperature water for 15~20 minutes. You may want to check it out our kiriboshi daikon recipe to learn more about it. Please check https://www.justonecookbook.com/simmered-kiriboshi-daikon/
Hope this is helpful!