Chinese salted eggs are surprisingly simple to make at home. You need salt, water, raw duck eggs (or chicken eggs), and about 25 to 30 days of patience. There are two traditional methods: a wet brine and a dry salt-and-alcohol rub. Both produce that prized golden, oily yolk that’s a staple in Chinese cooking.
Why Salt Transforms the Egg
When an egg sits in a concentrated salt solution for weeks, salt ions slowly penetrate the shell and work their way into the yolk. The yolk of a fresh egg is essentially a stable emulsion of fats and proteins. Salt disrupts that emulsion by breaking apart the low-density lipoproteins that keep everything bound together. The fats separate from the proteins and become free-floating oil droplets. That’s what gives a cooked salted egg yolk its distinctive sandy, oily texture and rich orange color. The white, meanwhile, absorbs most of the sodium and becomes intensely salty, which is why many recipes use only the yolk.
Duck Eggs vs. Chicken Eggs
Duck eggs are traditional and preferred. They’re larger, have a higher fat content in the yolk, and produce a richer, more vividly colored result. Chicken eggs work too, but the yolks will be smaller and slightly less oily. The curing process is the same for both. Duck eggs are available at many Asian grocery stores, often sold by the dozen specifically for this purpose.
The Brine Method (Easiest for Beginners)
This is the most hands-off approach. You submerge whole raw eggs in a salty liquid and wait.
For about 6 duck eggs, bring 2 cups of water to a boil with 1/4 cup of salt, 2 star anise, and 2 teaspoons of Sichuan peppercorns. Stir until the salt fully dissolves, then let the brine cool completely to room temperature. Place your eggs in a clean glass jar or food-safe container, pour the cooled brine over them until they’re fully submerged, and seal the container. If any eggs float above the surface, weigh them down with a small plate or a sealed bag of water.
If you’re scaling up, the principle stays the same: use enough salt to make a strongly saturated solution. A good rule of thumb is roughly 1 part salt to 8 parts water by volume. The brine should taste aggressively salty.
Adding Aromatics
Star anise and Sichuan peppercorns are the most common flavorings, but you can also add a few slices of fresh ginger, a couple of smashed garlic cloves, or dried chilies. These contribute subtle background flavor, especially to the white. Boil them with the brine so they release their oils, then cool everything together before pouring over the eggs.
The Dry Salt-and-Alcohol Method
This method uses high-proof spirits to sanitize the eggshell and help salt adhere. It’s traditional in many Chinese households and produces results that are slightly more concentrated than the brine method.
Pour about half a cup (120 ml) of baijiu into a wide bowl. Baijiu is a strong Chinese liquor, but whiskey works as a substitute. Roll each raw egg in the alcohol, turning it every few minutes so the entire surface gets coated. You won’t have enough liquid to submerge the eggs, so you need to keep rotating them over about 30 minutes total.
While the eggs soak, prepare a bowl of fine salt, or a mixture of salt and crushed Sichuan peppercorns. Once each egg is well coated in alcohol, roll it in the salt mixture until the shell is completely covered. Wrap each egg individually in plastic wrap to hold the salt against the shell, then place all the wrapped eggs into a sealed container or zip-top bag. Store at room temperature in a cool, dry spot.
How Long to Cure
Most eggs need 25 to 30 days at room temperature. At the 25-day mark, the yolk will be partially firmed and salty. Waiting the full 30 days gives a more intensely flavored, oilier yolk. Some people go as long as 35 days for a very strong result, but beyond that the white can become unpleasantly salty.
You can test one egg early. Pull it out at day 25, boil it (instructions below), cut it open, and check the yolk. If it’s still soft and pale in the center, give the remaining eggs another week. Temperature matters: in a warm kitchen (above 80°F/27°C), curing happens a few days faster. In a cooler environment, add a few extra days.
Once the eggs reach your preferred level of saltiness, move the whole batch into the refrigerator. This slows the curing process and prevents them from becoming oversalted. Refrigerated, they’ll keep for several more weeks.
How to Cook Salted Eggs
Salted eggs are always cooked before eating. The simplest way is to hard-boil them. Place the eggs in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, cook for 20 to 25 minutes. This is longer than a regular hard-boiled egg because the salt-cured yolk needs extra time to firm up properly. Cool under running water, peel, and slice in half to reveal the yolk.
For recipes that call for just the yolk (like salted egg yolk shrimp, mooncake filling, or salted egg fried rice), you can separate the raw yolk from the white before cooking. Crack the cured egg, scoop out the yolk, and bake the yolks at 350°F (175°C) for about 12 to 15 minutes until they’re firm and glistening with oil. The whites are edible but very salty on their own. They’re best used sparingly, chopped into congee or steamed with fresh eggs to balance the salt.
A Note on Sodium
Salted eggs are, as the name suggests, high in sodium. The white absorbs far more salt than the yolk because the yolk’s dense fat content physically blocks salt ions from penetrating as deeply. A whole salted duck egg can contain upward of 1,500 mg of sodium, with most of that concentrated in the white. If sodium is a concern, using only the yolk and discarding the white significantly reduces your intake while keeping the flavor you’re after.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
If your yolks aren’t oily after 30 days, the brine likely wasn’t salty enough. The solution needs to be heavily saturated. If you can still taste the water more than the salt, add more. A weak brine will make the eggs salty on the outside but leave the yolks soft and uncured at the center.
If the eggs develop an off smell or the brine turns cloudy and foul, the batch has gone bad. This usually happens when the eggs had hairline cracks in the shell before curing, allowing bacteria in. Always inspect eggs carefully before starting and discard any with visible cracks. Using the alcohol method adds an extra layer of protection since the spirits help kill surface bacteria.
If the finished eggs taste too salty overall, reduce the curing time on your next batch by 3 to 5 days. Personal preference varies, and the only way to dial it in is to test one egg partway through and adjust from there.