Ramen Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago) (2024)

Ingredients & Substitutions

Please scroll down to the below recipe card for exact measurements.

• Fresh Large Eggs: ideallyroom temperatureeggs to avoid cracking the eggshells. Or bring them to room temperature by running cold eggs under warm water. Large Eggs are about 2 oz or 56.8 grams in weight and it's important to use large ones for the perfect jammy yolk.
  • Avoid using extra-large eggs (2.25 oz or 63.8 g), medium eggs (1.75 oz or 49.6 g) or small eggs (1.5 oz or 42.5 g) as this will cause non-jammy eggs or very runny yolks.
• Salt & White Vinegar: or substitute with rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar to add to the boiling water (optional). The vinegar softens the calcium carbonate in the shell making it easier to crack and peel away. The salt prevents any cracked eggs from leaking into the boiling water.

Soy sauce marinade

• Regular soy sauce:or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
• Mirin: a sweet Japanese cooking wine that is sweeter than cooking sake and has a very low alcoholic taste. You can find this at most Asian or Japanese grocers. For a non-alcoholic version: substitute with non-alcoholic mirin or 4 tablespoon cold water + 3 drops of rice vinegar + ⅛ teaspoon white sugar.
• Cold water:to help dilute the soy sauce
• Sugar:or brown sugar to help balance out the salty flavors

Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.

In a mason jar or small air-tight container, combine marinade ingredients until the sugar fully dissolves. TIP: Microwave this for 30 seconds to help the sugar dissolve faster. Set aside.

In a small pot of water, add vinegar and salt. Boil water over high heat.

Once water reaches boiling point, carefully lower room temperature eggs. Reduce to medium high heat for a rolling boil.​(If needed, bring cold eggs to room temperature by running them under warm to hot water until the shell is not cold). For soft boil eggs with a runny yolk, boil for 6 minutes or 6.5 minutes for a jammy yolk. For hard-boiled eggs, boil for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl. Transfer cooked eggs into the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Do not just run them under cold water. Let them sit in the ice bath until the eggs have cooled down completely.

Gently crack and peel egg shells with the back of a spoon. Start by cracking from the bottom of the egg (the less pointy side) as there is a gap between the egg white and the shell. You can use your fingers to gently peel away the shell and then use the back of the spoon to lift the shell off. This prevents any finger nail marks in the egg whites. Important: Soft-boiled eggs require a gentler touch over hard-boiled eggs when cracking and peeling.

Carefully place cooked eggs into soy sauce marinade. Cover the container with a lid. Marinate overnight or for 24 hours for best results. The egg whites will began to stain at around the 2 hour mark if you're in a hurry to enjoy them. Tip: Place a small square of plastic wrap or paper towel over the eggs to further submerge them into the marinade.

Can I reuse the marinade?

The soy marinade can be repurposed for one more batch and is good for another 4 days as long as there isn't any egg yolk from the previous batch.

Can I make these in advance?

Yes, you can make these a day in advance and they will last up to 2 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Can I warm up these ramen eggs?

I wouldn't recommend re-heating them in the microwave that as this can cause the yolk to become overcooked and less jammy. However, you can allow the eggs to sit on hot water until they're warmed to your liking.

​How can I take my ramen eggs to the next level?

There are many ways to level up your ramen eggs and it all comes down to what you add into the marinade. Some suggestions include: minced garlic, grated ginger, green onions, sesame seeds, or chili oil.

Other recipes you may like

• ​Korean Marinated Eggs
• Chinese Soy Marinated Eggs
• Chinese Tea Eggs
• Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry
• Egg Fried Rice
• Korean Egg Butter Rice

• 4 large room temperature eggs or bring them to room temperature by running cold eggs under warm water until shells are not cold
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar for boiling eggs to make peeling process easier (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt for boiling eggs to make peeling process easier (optional)

Soy Sauce Marinade

• ¼ cup regular soy sauce or substitute with a gluten-free soy sauce, tamari sauce or coconut aminos
• ¼ cup mirin
• ¼ cup cold water
• 2 teaspoon white granulated sugar or sub with brown sugar

• In a mason jar or small air-tight container, combine marinade ingredients until the sugar fully dissolves. TIP: You can microwave this for 30 seconds to help the sugar dissolve. Set aside.

• In a small pot of water, add vinegar and salt. Boil water over high heat.

• Once water reaches boiling point, carefully lower room temperature eggs. Reduce to medium high heat for a rolling boil and do not cover. For soft boil eggs with a runny yolk, boil for 6 minutes or 6.5 minutes for a jammy yolk. For hard-boiled eggs, boil for 10 minutes.

  Meanwhile prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl.

• Transfer cooked eggs into bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Do not just run them under cold water. Let them sit in the ice bath until the eggs have cooled down completely.

• Gently crack and peel egg shells with the back of a spoon. Start by cracking from the bottom of the egg (the less pointy side) as there is a gap between the egg white and the shell. You can use your fingers to gently peel away the shell and then use the back of the spoon to lift the shell off. This prevents any finger nail marks in the egg whites. Important: Soft-boiled eggs require a gentler touch over hard-boiled eggs when cracking and peeling.

• Carefully place cooked eggs into soy sauce marinade. Cover the container with a lid. Marinate overnight or for 24 hours for best results. The egg whites will began to stain at around the 2 hour mark if you're in a hurry to enjoy them. Tip: Place a small square of plastic wrap or paper towel over the eggs to further submerge them into the marinade.

• Slice the eggs open with a sharp knife by slicing them down the middle. Enjoy cold! There's no need to reheat them.

Storage

These eggs will last up to 3 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. By day 4, I would be cautious to consume, as the recipe requires a 24-hour marinating time which already counts as day 1.