Taiwan / Appetizers

Tea eggs

Name: Tea eggs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Yield: 6 portions
Cuisine: Taiwan
Ingredients: 6 eggs; 800 ml water; 2 black tea bags; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 1 star anise; 1 small cinnamon stick; 1 tsp sugar

Hard-cooked eggs gently steeped in tea, soy and warming spices.

Prep15 min

Cook35 min

Yield6 portions

Jump to recipe

Editorial home-cooking adaptation · Not yet kitchen-tested. Timings are estimates; additional soaking, rising or chilling may apply. Read the complete method before starting.

Ingredients

6 portions

1×

Units are listed with each ingredient. 1 tbsp = 15 ml; 1 tsp = 5 ml. US cup measures are approximately 240 ml. Chef adaptations may retain source units. Scaling changes quantities, not cooking times. Ingredient ticks reset when the page reloads.

Let’s make it.

Cover eggs with water in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer 10–12 minutes until firm. Cool in cold water.
Tap shells all over with a spoon without peeling.
Combine 800 ml fresh water, tea, soy sauce, spices and sugar. Simmer 5 minutes. Add cracked eggs and simmer gently 20 minutes.
For more flavor, cool promptly in a shallow container and refrigerate the eggs in the strained liquid 4–12 hours. Peel before serving.

A little kitchen note

Steeping is additional to the listed prep and cooking time; keep steeping eggs refrigerated. Home-cooking adaptation; not kitchen-tested. Check ingredient labels.

Allergen notes

Egg, soy; wheat in many soy sauces. This list is a starting point, not a certification of suitability. Check every ingredient label and preparation surface.

Use a food thermometer where relevant. For handling and storage, see our cooking basics and official food-safety links.

A little nourishment.

Illustrative nutrition estimate · Per listed portion (1/6 of the recipe)

Energy: 83 kcal
Protein: 7.1 g
Carbs: 2.2 g
Fat: 4.9 g
Fibre: 0.4 g
Total sugar: 1.0 g
Sodium: 550 mg

Approximate generic ingredient estimates, not verified nutrition labels. Includes quantified optional ingredients; unquantified “as needed” salt, oils or garnishes may be excluded. Brands, substitutions, portions and cooking change values. Nutrition stays per portion when batch quantities are scaled. How we estimate nutrition

Approximate generic ingredient estimates. Brands, edible portions and cooking change values.

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