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    Home » Breakfast & Brunch » Chinese Tea Eggs Recipe

    Chinese Tea Eggs Recipe

    Mar 26, 2013 · by Valentina · 14 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    It's so much fun making Chinese Tea Eggs! They're awesome, unique looking hard boiled eggs, and they're so delicious! Lovely mixed into rice, ramen or a stir-fry, they're also fabulous on their own.  Chinese Tea Eggs on a black background

    Easter eggs?

    Well traditional Easter eggs they're not . . . but how cool would these eggs be on your Easter table? I will tell you: just as cool as my Beet Pickled Eggs.

    Both are beautiful and delicious, so I say make the two of them and totally wow your guests.

    What are Chinese Chinese Tea Eggs?

    • Tea eggs are basically hard-boiled eggs infused with the flavors of Chinese tea, spices, soy sauce and sometimes citrus.
    • All around China, these marbled Tea Eggs are a common, inexpensive snack sold on the street and in open air markets in the evenings.

    They are super tasty on their own and are also fantastic mixed into a rice, ramen, or a stir-fry.

    My recipe was created based on my own research, and while they're not authentic, I think they might be quite reminiscent of  the real thing. It's my (fun) idea to serve them on Easter -- again, not authentic.

    How to Make Chinese Chinese Tea Eggs

    Here's how the egg transforms . . .

    Several eggs in a potAfter the egg is hard boiled and gently cracked, it steeps in a gorgeous aromatic blend of ingredients.

    tea stained egg in shellThe spices, soy sauce and other ingredients work both their beauty and their flavor into the egg.

    A white bowl filled with spices for Chinese Marbled Tea EggsAnd your home will fill with the scents of  cinnamon, cloves, fennel, Sichuan pepper, and star anise.

    You neighbors might even be able to catch some of the aroma.

    tea stained egg coming out of shellAfter a few hours, when you peel the egg it will amaze you with its beauty.

    cracked chinese tea egg shellThe inside of the shell is equally as beautiful.

    Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs on a black surface with shells in backgroundAren't they stunning!  And, they tastes so, so good!

    How to Serve Them

    As I mentioned, these are delicious sliced in ramen, rice dishes or a stir-fry. They are also outstanding simply on their own as a snack.

    And how fun would these be to mix things up little at an Easter brunch!?

    I hope you enjoy making and eating these Chinese Tea Eggs as much as I do.

    two marbled Chinese tea eggs on black background

    Chinese Tea Eggs

    Valentina K. Wein
    It's so much fun making Chinese Tea Eggs! They're awesome, unique looking hard boiled eggs, and they're so delicious! Lovely mixed into rice, ramen or a stir-fry, they're also fabulous on their own. 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr 45 mins
    Steeping Time 4 hrs
    Total Time 6 hrs
    Course Ingredient, Appetizers and Hors d'Oeuvres
    Cuisine Chinese
    Servings 6
    Calories 72 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 6 large eggs
    • 2 individual black tea bags
    • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon fresh tangerine or orange juice
    • 1½ tablespoons Chinese Five Spice blend (in powder form, use 1 tablespoon)
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon brown sugar

    Instructions
     

    • Hard boil the eggs. Add the eggs to a pot where they all fit snugly. Cover the eggs with water, to about 2 inches above them. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the eggs carefully with a slotted spoon or small strainer, adding them to a bowl as you go. (Leave the water in the pot!)
    • Cool. Run cold water over the eggs until they are cool enough to handle.
    • Tap shells to lightly. Use the back of a small spoon to tap all around each egg gently. You want to make slight cracks all over the shell, being careful not to peel any off. Do not remove any of the shell.
      n their crackled state, return the eggs to the pot.
    • Make tea mixture. Open the tea bags and empty them into a small bowl. Then add all of the remaining ingredients and mix to blend.
    • Simmer eggs with tea mixture. Pour the tea mixture into the water with the eggs, and bring to a strong simmer. Let the eggs simmer for about 10 minutes, then turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover and simmer very gently for 1½ hours.
    • Continue to steep. Keep the lid on the pot, remove it from the stove and let the eggs continue to steep for up to 4 hours. (The longer they remain in the pot, the deeper the color will become.)
    • Peel/refrigerate. You can either peel and serve the eggs immediately or store them in the fridge for up to 4 days in a tightly covered container.

    Notes

    Calorie count is only an estimate.
    Keywords great for brunch, great to add to rice, ramen eggs
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

    Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.


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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Colette

      March 26, 2013 at 10:09 pm

      How clever.
      The kids would love to make these!

      Reply
    2. Nancy Rose Eisman

      March 28, 2013 at 7:13 pm

      You really have an artist's eye for capturing the beauty in food, and flowers too.

      Reply
      • valentina

        April 01, 2013 at 4:51 am

        Nancy, thank you so much! Means a lot. xo

        Reply
    3. Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious

      April 19, 2014 at 11:51 pm

      Wonderful!

      Reply
      • valentina

        April 22, 2014 at 7:43 pm

        Thank you, Dorothy!

        Reply
    4. April

      March 09, 2016 at 1:36 pm

      Wow these are some gorgeous eggs. Work of art!

      Reply
      • valentina

        March 09, 2016 at 2:11 pm

        Thanks so much, April! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Sarah

      March 09, 2016 at 1:50 pm

      This is SUCH a cool idea! I'm so curious what the taste is like!

      Reply
      • valentina

        March 09, 2016 at 2:11 pm

        Thanks Sarah. They're delicious! Not too strong a flavor -- subtly spiced. 🙂

        Reply
    6. sue|theviewfromgreatisland

      March 09, 2016 at 2:38 pm

      What a fun post, I've seen these and wondered how they were done!

      Reply
    7. Nellie

      March 09, 2016 at 3:19 pm

      These are SO pretty and SO fun! I always wondered how those beautiful marks got on the marbled tea eggs! I'll try this for sure!

      Reply
      • valentina

        March 10, 2016 at 7:21 am

        Thanks Nellie. I'd always wondered too. I was surprised as to how easy it was once I tried. 🙂

        Reply
    8. Dana

      March 09, 2016 at 3:59 pm

      These are stunning! Like someone else said--total works of art!

      Reply
      • valentina

        March 10, 2016 at 7:20 am

        Aww, thanks Dana. 🙂

        Reply

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