Best Mini Ramen Eggs (Ajitama Quail Eggs) 味付け玉子 are perfect because you can pop the whole thing in your mouth and get all that jammy egg that's irresistible in every bite! We used quail eggs and an easy umami-rich, sweet, salty brine to marinate the Ajitsuke tamago. Custardy gooey eggs are so quick, easy, fun to eat, and damn delicious. The easiest way to enjoy these soy-marinated soft-boiled eggs with a golden yolk is with a hot bowl of ramen noodles.

Marinated soft boil quail eggs are the perfect bite-sized ajitama tamago for Japanese cuisine ramen lovers. The cooking time for raw quail eggs takes much less time than regular soft-boiled eggs!
> In This Post: Everything You'll Need For Perfect Ajitama Ramen Eggs
After perfecting these egg recipes like Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs 茶葉蛋 and Chinese Deviled Eggs with Pork Floss, I made these soft yolk jammy ramen eggs!
Check out this quick story summary of our recipe!
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What Are Quail Eggs?
Quail eggs are adorable and cute speckled eggs from Quail game birds.
Compared to chicken or duck eggs, these peewee-sized eggs look like Easter mini eggs.
You can find this type of egg at your local farmer's market, Asian supermarket, or large big box stores.
Quail Egg vs Chicken Egg
These small but mighty quail eggs pack a richer, creamier texture and jammier punch than chicken eggs, depending on how you cook them.
Three quail eggs are equal to a single-size of chicken egg.
Quail eggs are full of essential nutrients. They are nutritious and rich in vitamins A, D, B12, selenium, riboflavin, choline, iron, protein and healthy fats.
Quail Eggs Benefits
Quail eggs have many benefits, including essential amino acids, boosting our immune systems, supporting respiratory systems, and improving skin elasticity, sexual health, and eyesight.
If you love the creamy texture of quail eggs, try adding them to avocado toast with sea urchin or homemade vegetable ramen instant noodles. Or crack a few to replace your regular sunny-side eggs during breakfast!

Ingredients and Substitutes
You only need a few simple ingredients to make tasty soy-marinated quail eggs.
Quail Eggs - Compared to a regular soft-boiled egg, hardboiled quail eggs are fun to pop in your mouth.
White Vinegar - Adding a little vinegar to the boiling water makes for easy peeling eggs shell.
Bowl of Iced Water - prepare a bowl of cold water filled with ice to stop your soft-boiled eggs from cooking further.
Marinade Brine
This flavorful, slightly sweet and salty marinade is what makes the ramen egg yolk gooey. The salt cures the yolk. Controlling the salt content or the time the egg is submerged in the marinade is critical to having the perfect yolk.
- Water or Dashi Stock
- Japanese Soy Sauce
- Mirin
- Cooking Sake or Rice Wine
- White Sugar or Brown Sugar
Most dry goods ingredients, tools and supplies can be purchased at your local Asian grocery stores or online at my Amazon Store. I have linked the products for your convenience!
Leftover Marinade
Besides making marinated eggs again, there are many great uses for leftover soy sauce-based marinades.
First, I suggest boiling the marinade before using it to remove impurities.
I took the leftover marinade to Chicken Katsu Seasoning Broth for チキンカツ丼 Easy Crispy Chicken Katsu Don. It was delicious!

Instructions
Bring a large pot of water and white vinegar to a rolling boil.
Use a slotted spoon to carefully lower the small quail eggs into the hot water. Continue stirring the pot to keep the eggs moving. This will ensure the eggs come out round and the egg yolk is evenly distributed.
For soft-boiled jammy eggs, set a timer to precisely 2.5 minutes. If you prefer your eggs less running, adjust the cooking time according to your preference for their doneness. For hardboiled eggs, increase the cooking time to 4 minutes.
Alternatively, you can also sous vide quail eggs for 30 minutes at 145.7°F (63.2°C) to ensure a perfect poach. However, I find it takes too long. I prefer using the simple way of cooking it in boiling water for 2.5 minutes.
Also, remember that the doneness also depends on the size of the eggs.
Remove the eggs immediately after cooking, and transfer the eggs to an ice bath - a large bowl of ice water.
Allow the boiled eggs time to cool. Once cool, peel the eggs and place them into a glass container.
Add marinade to the glass container.
Cover and refrigerator overnight.
Enjoy them alone or as a flavourful topping to a delicious bowl of ramen noodles, rice, or salads.
Marinated Brine
Add all ingredients to a small saucer and bring to a simmer.
Let cool to room temperature before use.
The marinade mixture can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How To Meal Prep
You can efficiently work this marinated quail eggs recipe into your family meal prep ideas for the week. Add these perfectly poached mini eggs that can be served as a cold appetizer, a side dish, or a topping to cooked rice and ramen bowls!
Gooey, golden egg yolks Ajitsuke Tamago can be portioned airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Pro Tip: How To Peel Eggs Perfectly
A perfect Ajitama egg will have a firm egg white with no dents from peeling or air bubbles.
- Gently crack the eggs first and add them back to the ice-cold water. Let the water "seep" into the egg between the shell and the egg whites.
- Peel the eggs under running water.
- Pull back only the shell once you can see the thin membrane layer.

What To Serve With The Best Ramen Eggs
An ideal ajitama has a firm egg white and a custardy, gooey yolk served at room temperature. Allow the eggs to warm up before adding them to a hot bowl of noodles.
This is one of the most popular proteins to add to Japanese cuisine. It is perfect as a make-ahead-of-time weekly meal prep for two. Enjoy this bold and flavourful umami-rich soft boiled egg to complete the meal with the following delicious dishes.
- Japanese Mentaiko Spaghetti Noodles 明太子パスタ
- Best Tonkatsu Japanese Pork Cutlet 豚カツ
- Easy Crispy Chicken Katsu Don チキンカツ丼
- Vegan Unagi Don (Eggplant Kabayaki) うなぎ丼
I'd love to see how you went with my recipes! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @INSTANOMSS #INSTANOMSS.
> Recipe
PrintBest Mini Ramen Eggs 味付け玉子 (Ajitama Quail Eggs)
Best Mini Ramen Eggs (Ajitama Quail Eggs) 味付け玉子 are perfect because you can pop the whole thing in your mouth and get all that jammy egg that's irresistible in every bite! We used quail eggs and an easy umami-rich, sweet, salty brine to marinate the Ajitsuke tamago. Custardy gooey eggs are so quick, easy, fun to eat, and damn delicious. The easiest way to enjoy these soy-marinated soft-boiled eggs with a golden yolk is with a hot bowl of ramen noodles.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 2.5 minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 2-4 persons 1x
- Category: Appetizers, Snacks
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Low Calorie
Ingredients
- 12 Quail Eggs
- 1 tbsp White Vinegar (for easy peeling)
- 1 Large Bowl of Ice Water (water and ice)
Marinade Brine
- ½ C Water or Stock
- 6 tbsp Japanese Soy Sauce
- 4 tbsp Mirin
- 4 tbsp Cooking Sake
- 4 tbsp Sugar
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water and white vinegar to a rolling boil.
- Use a slotted spoon to carefully lower the small quail eggs into the hot water. Continue stirring the pot to keep the eggs moving. This will ensure the eggs come out round and the egg yolk is evenly distributed.
- For soft-boiled jammy eggs, set a timer to precisely 2.5 minutes. If you prefer your eggs less running, adjust the cooking time according to your preference for their doneness. For hardboiled eggs, increase the cooking time to 4 minutes.
- Remove the eggs immediately after cooking, and transfer the eggs to an ice bath - a large bowl of ice water.
- Allow the boiled eggs time to cool. Once cool, peel the eggs and place them into a glass container.
- Add marinade to the glass container.
- Cover and refrigerator overnight.
- Enjoy them alone or as a flavourful topping to a delicious bowl of ramen noodles, rice, or salads.
Marinated Brine
- Add all ingredients to a small saucer and bring to a simmer.
- Let cool to room temperature before use.
- The marinade mixture can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Equipment


Stainless Steel Safety Paring Knives with Cover
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 159
- Sugar: 20.9 g
- Sodium: 859.6 mg
- Fat: 3.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.5 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 5.4 g
- Cholesterol: 227.9 mg

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Linda says
Quail eggs are so nutritious and fun to eat. I love the idea of using these eggs for ramen because the kids are so crazy about them
Sangeetha S says
I love the idea of using quail eggs for a perfect bite-sized treat, and the umami-rich, sweet, salty brine sounds like the perfect complement to the custardy egg. I can't wait to try making these and enjoy them with a hot bowl of ramen noodles.
Mina says
I love ramen and these cute eggs are perfect! So happy to learn that it's easy to make and tastes really good!
Elizabeth says
So good and the best for ramen! Thanks for the recipe!
Andy says
Love that these are mini! Such great finger food!
Andrea says
These mini ramen eggs turned out so amazing! Such a delicious and tasty dish!
Asha says
I haven't made these in so long! Thanks for the reminder. And your marinade for them is delicious. The little quails eggs look so cute in a bowl of ramen.
Amy Liu Dong says
This is perfect! I have quail eggs in my kitchen, and I am so excited to make this today.
Andréa Janssen says
Looks like a delicious recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Nicole NK says
I love making new recipes for breakfast and this looks divine! I can’t wait to try it!
Nancy says
So easy to make a great protein addition.
Angela says
The perfect little bite. So delicious!
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
Quail eggs are so fun to use !
Np says
Excellent and delicious. Super easy to follow. Never knew how good ramen eggs would be!
Katie says
These mini ramen eggs are fantastic! Super easy to make and full of flavor!
Megane says
Ramen eggs are awesome. I love the little chewy exterior and the soft yolky centre. Thanks for sharing.
Nora says
Perfect, little bites and so delicious! Thank you for all the background information as well.
Marie-Pierre Breton says
Girl! I'm learning a great deal from your blog! Love that vinegar helps to peel the eggs in the end! Also, this size is waiting better than the usual big egg; I will try this out soon! Lovely! Also, what is the difference between Japanese soy sauce vs. the generic kind?
Nancy says
HI Marie - so happy to hear that you find this helpful! We just love the bite sized eggs here. Usually Japanese-style soy sauces are made with a mix of soy and wheat (usually 50/50). This gives the Japanese sauces a sweeter profile compared to say Chinese Soy Sauce. Chinese soy sauce differs in Light Soy Sauce and Dark Soy Sauce - the process of how the sauce is fermented and aged. Light soy sauce is used for seasoning and dark soy sauce is used for adding colour to dishes. Light soy sauce is saltier, thinner.
Lily says
I love quail eggs and this is such an easy way to prepare them - thank you for the recipe!
Bernice says
I have a lot of weird food 'quirks' and one of them is biting into soft boiled eggs. I just hate the feel of the yolk on my teeth but I love the flavour. These one bite mini ramen eggs are perfect for me, I've always been a bit hesitant to pick up quail eggs but now I'm going to give them a try.
Nancy says
I wonder if that is what my DD doesn't like about the yolks too for regular chicken eggs. But she can't stop popping these mini quail eggs. go figure!
Laura Arteaga says
I need to try this recipe. Never tried Quail eggs before and now I feel like I've been missing!
Tayler says
I love eggs in my ramen, but I’ve never made them until now. This recipe was so easy to follow- thanks for sharing!
Savita says
These are so adorable, the recipe is really interesting would really try it soon, and let you know how it turns...
Holley says
What an amazing flavor! Great recipe!
Beth says
This looks really interesting! I had quail eggs once at a French restaurant, and they were tasty. I'm eager to try this. I just have to find a carrier!
dana says
Oh my gosh these are SO CUTE! The egg is always my fave part of the Ramen bowl. Would love throwing a bunch of these in there!
Kate says
These eggs taste as good as they look!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
Using quail eggs is such a great idea and these make the perfect garnish for so many dishes too.
Anjali says
This was such a helpful guide to making mini ramen eggs at home! Can't wait to try it soon!
veenaazmanov says
Love your description to enjoying these Mini Ramen Eggs. Hoping to try them soon. Excited to have a yummy Breakfast like this.