Published March 10, 2025. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Soy Sauce Eggs Recipe soaks boiled eggs in a soy sauce-based marinade to create a satisfyingly salty and sweet snack, appetizer, or topping. I love how this recipe is straightforward and hands-off, yet it has many uses.
You may not know it yet, but soy sauce and hard-boiled eggs go hand in hand. The umami-packed soy sauce marinade complements the creamy, fatty yolk. All wrapped up in a hand-held, two-bite snack, so much to love about soy sauce eggs! When you’re not snacking on them, I recommend topping a few eggs on your noodle soup or fried rice bowls. They’re the perfect addition to any simple or flavor-packed meal.
What Are Soy Sauce Marinated Eggs?
Soy sauce eggs are an easy, low-maintenance appetizer or snack. Hard-boiled eggs are marinated in a soy sauce marinade for up to a day, then halved and served with fresh garnishes. The yolks are creamy, the whites are dyed brown, and every bite bursts with umami goodness.
I made these soy sauce-marinated eggs in the simplest way possible, but even more variations will take the flavors over the top. Korean soy sauce eggs (mayak gyeran) are garlicky, spicy, and perfect for breakfast; Japanese soy sauce eggs (shoyu tamago, ajitsuke tamago, or ramen eggs) are soft-boiled to stay jammy, making them an ideal topping for ramen and noodle soup. Chinese soy sauce eggs use whole spices, like star anise or ground Chinese 5-spice, in the marinade for a more aromatic flavor profile.
Remember to pack some patience before starting because soaking eggs in soy sauce will take at least 6 hours. I don’t mind because even though it takes a little while, the eggs last for up to 3 weeks in the fridge. It’s so handy to have a few on hand, ready to enjoy as a flavor-rich snack, to top my bowl of ramen, or to pair with rice and steamed bok choy.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Eggs — This recipe uses enough large, fresh eggs to serve a crowd or leave extras in the fridge. Feel free to adjust the number of eggs based on how many you’d like to have leftover.
- Water – Just like with classic deviled eggs, the eggs must be boiled in water to cook the whites and yolks. Remember to have an extra bowl filled with ice and water on the side to shock the eggs and stop them from cooking.
- Soy Sauce – The star of the marinade. Regular soy sauce infuses the eggs with its signature salty-sweet flavors and dyes them brown. If you need a gluten-free option, tamari should work well as a substitute, although the flavor will differ slightly.
- Vinegar – I used rice wine vinegar in the marinade for a subtle, tangy flavor. Apple cider, white wine, and mirin will work as substitutes.
- Sugar – I added a little sugar to the marinade to cut through the intense umami flavors from the soy sauce. I typically use white sugar, although brown sugar, cane sugar, or coconut sugar will all work just as well.
- Garlic – Peeled garlic cloves give the marinade savory undertones. I don’t recommend replacing the fresh garlic with garlic granules or powder because it isn’t as strongly flavored as the real thing.
- Seasonings – I seasoned the marinade with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for a subtle heat. Cayenne pepper, star anise pods, Chinese 5-spice, and/or dried chili peppers are other seasonings you can use in the marinade.
How to Make Soy Sauce Eggs
Boil the eggs: I carefully add them to a pot of boiling water and boil them for 6 minutes. Once the time is up, I turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let the eggs cook in the warm water for another 6 minutes.
Chill the eggs: I transfer the boiled eggs to a bowl filled with ice water and wait for them to cool.
Make the marinade: While the eggs are cooling, I whisk the soy sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, garlic cloves, and red pepper flakes together in a medium bowl and set it aside.
Peel the eggs: I carefully shell them and place them in a container.
Marinate the eggs: I pour the soy sauce marinade over the eggs until they’re completely submerged. I cover the container and transfer it to the fridge for 6 to 24 hours.
Serve: Before serving, I cut the eggs and garnish them with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Chef tips + notes
One of the things I love most about this soy sauce egg recipe is that it’s completely flexible. Look at it like a blank slate. Adjust the flavors in the marinade by using a 1:1 mix of light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Then, add whole aromatics or chili peppers for complexity, or replace the vinegar with mirin if you’re aiming for a Japanese-inspired flavor.
- Boil the eggs to your preferred doneness: I like to hard-boil my eggs for approximately 12 minutes to firm up the yolks. If you like jammy yolks (AKA medium-boiled eggs), boil the eggs for 8 minutes before transferring them to the ice bath.
- Fully submerge the eggs in the marinade: If they aren’t entirely submerged, add another 1/2 cup of soy sauce and water to the container (maintain the 3:1 soy to water ratio).
- Marinate the eggs for a minimum of 6 hours: The minimum 6-hour soak will give the eggs an outstanding balance of flavors and a nice brown tint, but I always recommend leaving them in the marinade for as long as you can to develop even deeper flavors (leave them for up to 24 hours). If you’re in a rush, you might get away with a quick 4-hour soak, but the eggs won’t be as flavorful.
- Reduce your food waste by reusing the marinade: Once the eggs are removed, I’ll transfer the extra liquid to an airtight container and keep it in my fridge for up to 1 week. It comes in handy when I need another batch of marinated eggs!
Serving Suggestions
I always like having a batch of soy sauce eggs in my fridge to boost the flavor of Asian-inspired meals. They’re a perfect topping for ramen and other noodle soups, salads, and rice bowls with steamed vegetables. They would even dress up a simple stir fry and add a pop of color to a bowl of beef bulgogi.
I also enjoy these eggs as a simple but delicious snack. I like to serve it with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, fresh cilantro, cracked black pepper, or red chili flakes.
You can’t go wrong with serving soy eggs at parties, too. Besides being a low-maintenance party appetizer, they also pair well with other snacks. Try them with hand-rolled Shrimp Spring Rolls and these show-stopping Smoked Chicken Wings. You can even add them to a charcuterie board if you want!
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: The eggs can be left to soak in the marinade for 6 to 24 hours. After marinating, the sliced eggs can be kept covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day before serving.
How to Store: The soy sauce-marinated eggs can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
More Egg Recipes
- Avocado Deviled Eggs Recipe
- Turkish Eggs
- Eggs Benedict Recipe
- Perfectly Poached Eggs
- Scotch Egg Recipe
Soy Sauce Eggs Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 smashed garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Gently add the eggs to a medium-sized pot of boiling water and cook for 6 minutes. Turn the heat off, cover the pot, and cook for an additional 6 minutes.
- Immediately transfer the eggs to a container with ice water and chill until cool. This takes about 4 to 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, whisk together the soy sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, garlic cloves, and red pepper flakes in a medium-sized bowl and set it to the side.
- At this stage, carefully shell the eggs and add them to a container.
- Pour the soy sauce mixture over top of the eggs ensuring they are completely submerged. If not, I usually add on 3 to 1 soy to water mixture until they are.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours. Remove the eggs and keep in a container for up to 3 weeks. Feel free to use the leftover soy mixture for another batch.
- Slice and garnish with optional sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Soy Sauce Eggs