How Long Should I Boil Quail Eggs?
Quail eggs are little bite-sized beauties that pack a real punch — they’re delicious and nutritious!
There’s a TON of recipes that feature quail eggs out there (check out our recipe library!) and some rely on boiled quail eggs.
But how, exactly, do you boil these cuties?
Glad you asked!
Boiling a quail egg is similar to boiling a chicken egg, but it takes a lot less time — so you can whip them up whenever you want a quick, tasty little snack!
Just follow these simple steps:
Fill a pot with water and bring it to a full, rolling boil. If you add a bit of vinegar to the water, it’ll make the eggs easier to peel. Note: Sometimes the eggs will crack if you put them into to boiling water straight from the fridge. To avoid this, set them in warm water while the water on the stove boils.
Carefully add the quail eggs to the boiling water (dropping them in gently with a spoon will keep your fingers away from the boiling water). And here’s a pro tip for you — if you want the yolk to be centered, stir them gently while they cook!
Set the timer! When cooking quail eggs, seconds count, so make sure not to over-boil them.
After two minutes the whites will be soft with a runny yolk
After two and a half minutes the whites will be set with a thick, runny yolk
After three minutes the yolk will be partially set with a wee soft patch in the middle
At the four-minute mark, your quail egg will be completely hard-boiled
If you leave it longer than that, you’ll have a little rubber ball, and you may as well start over again…
Once you’ve boiled your quail egg for the desired number of minutes, put them immediately into a nice, cold water bath so they don’t overcook.
Now they’re ready to peel and eat!
How to peel quail eggs
Once your eggs have cooled they’re ready to peel but be careful, they’re tiny (and oh, so cute!).
Put down a paper towel to catch any eggshell pieces that fall as you peel the eggs.
Take each egg out of the bowl of water where they've cooled.
Tap each egg on something hard to crack the shell.
Gently roll each egg to crack the rest of its shell.
But there’s more than one way to peel a boiled quail egg…
A trick some chefs swear by is to soak the boiled egg in white vinegar for a few hours or even overnight! This dissolves the shell and just leaves the membrane, making it super-easy to peel.
Getting the shell off is actually the easy part. The membrane surrounding the egg is quite thick (to protect these little guys) so you may want to use a pair of scissors or a sharp knife to pierce it.
How long will hard-boiled quail eggs stay fresh?
While boiled quail eggs are best eaten fresh, they will keep in the fridge for up to a week whereas raw quail eggs can be kept for four or five weeks (the boiling process removes the egg’s protective coating).
But my bet is they won’t last that long… you’ll be popping them in your mouth every time you open the fridge! (Yes, they’re that good!)
Don’t want to boil your own?
If you want to enjoy your quail eggs right away (and even two minutes is too long to wait) you can always pick up a bag of our boiled and pickled quail eggs — peeled and ready to eat!
No matter how you cook your quail eggs, they’re delicious and healthy — in salads, in baked goods, for lunch or dinner (in a box, with a fox… ) or just on their own.
Check out our recipe section for ideas and inspiration!
