Fluffy Korean Steamed Eggs (Gyeran Jjim)
Korean steamed eggs (gyeran jjim) made extra fluffy, silky, and jiggly with chicken stock for rich umami. This easy recipe shows you how to recreate that signature soufflé-like rise at home—perfect as a cozy banchan or a side for Korean BBQ.
This Korean steamed egg dish—gyeran jjim—is one of those comforting banchan that never fails to hit the spot. Imagine a fluffy, silky, jiggly egg soufflé-style custard rising like like a soft volcano in a bubbling earthenware pot. It’s light, savory, and deeply satisfying—especially when paired with a bowl of warm rice or grilled meat.
I’ve made gyeran jjim more times than I can count, using both traditional ttukbaegi and small pot (both worked but ttukbaegi performed better). For extra depth, I found that swapping water for chicken stock adds a richer, more savory flavor—making it restaurant-worthy.
And here’s a small trick: I add just a touch of baking powder to help the custard rise higher and become even fluffier. It’s subtle, but it makes a big difference.
If you’ve only tried this dish at a Korean BBQ restaurant, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to make at home—and honestly, homemade might be even better.
Note: Don’t confuse Gyeran Jjim with Gyeran Bap, a simple dish of fried eggs over rice seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil.
How to Make Korean Steamed Eggs (Gyeran Jjim)
Here’s a quick visual guide to show how you can make fluffy gyeran jjim at home.
Gather the recipe ingredients: eggs, chicken stock, salted shrimp, and a pinch of baking powder.
Whisk eggs with a little bit of Korean salted shrimp brine.
Add a pinch of baking powder to eggs.
Bring chicken stock to a boil in a ttukbaegi or small pot.
Pour in the egg mixture to the stock while stirring.
Keep stirring with spoon until soft curds form (about 80% cooked).
Cover and steam over low heat with a dome-shaped lid or bowl until puffed and fluffy.
Voila! You got an egg volcano shooting out hot steam—light, jiggly, and delicious!
Drizzle sesame oil and garnish with green onion. Serve this gyeran jjim with rice—it’s a cozy banchan that pairs especially well with grilled Korean BBQ dishes like samgyeopsal (pork belly) or galbi (marinated beef short ribs).
If you enjoy fluffy Korean steamed eggs, you might also like the Chinese-style steamed egg —a silky, custard-like version with a different flavor profile.
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Fluffy Korean Steamed Eggs (Gyeran Jjim)
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs, well beaten
- 1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock
- 1 tsp Korean salted shrimp , liquid only, optional
- 2 pinches kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp sesame oil, optional
- 1 tbsp finely chopped green onion, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine eggs, salted shrimp (if using), and a pinch of salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add baking powder and beat them well until frosty.
- Pour chicken stock in a pot and bring it to boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium. Slowly pour egg mixture into the chicken stock as you stir gently with a spoon.
- Keep stirring the egg mixture, scraping it as necessary from the side of the pot to the center. You will want to stir until the egg mixture reaches 80% cooked, about 2 minutes.
- Cover the pot with a dome shaped heat-safe bowl immediately. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and remove the lid (make sure to wear kitchen gloves). You will see the egg mixture has risen well above the rim of your pot.
Notes
- A 1:1 ratio of eggs to liquid creates the best texture—too much liquid makes the eggs collapse quickly.
- Whisk thoroughly until frothy. It ensures a smooth, silky, airy texture.
- Use a ttukbaegi (Korean earthenware pot) to retain heat and keep the eggs puffed up while staying warm at the table.
- Steam gently over low heat for soft, tender eggs. Avoid overcooking!
Is it normal to have a bit of broth pooling around the edges or my eggs are too small?
It’s perfectly normal to see a little bit of broth pooling around the edges. If you broth sitting on top of eggs after cooked, then it’s a sign that too much of liquid is added.
Thank you Holly! I will decrease the broth next time.
No more scrambled eggs for the brush family, these eggs are the bomb! We served it with Thai dry curry and it was sublime.
Looks delicious and easy enough!! What type of bowl do you recommend to use and how would you do it so that clean up is easy? I use a glass bowl and the egg pudding after cooking left a permanent stain on the bowl!! Thanks!
This is my fave side dish! Whenever we go to our favorite korean bbq place, we always get a side order of the steamed egg. I have tried making this before, but could not get the taste right. Thank you!
thank you Holly for the suggestion…i’ll try it
Hai..
I’m really craving for Korean food everytime i saw them. For the first timer to try the korean food, what do you suggest me to taste first. because i think korean food very different from Malaysian cuisine right ^__^
This particular egg pudding recipe is very simple side dish to try first. Also Try easy Korean beef recipe in my site. You can find it under recipes tab on my menu bar on top.
Been missing this from my childhood. Thank you so much.
Hello there, I’m your new visitor to your blog (just recently discovered it this morning when I was trying to find a Kimchi recipe). I’m so happy to find this dish here. Almost 6 years ago, I went to Korea as an exchange student and met my husband there. In our first date in Daejeon, we had this steamed egg pudding at a street vendor. At that time we couldn’t order anything except for this dish and a bottle of soju because we didn’t speak any Korean. Thus, this entry brings back so many precious memories for us. I will make this tomorrow. Thank you so much, Holly 🙂
Hi Jessica, I am so glad to hear that it turned out so well for you. Sometimes, creating a good dish is not just coming from a good recipe, it is about knowing good tectonics and know-hows to make it better. Simple tips help things go much smoother in cooking.
Thank you for your support.
Holly~ This is my Korean hubby's favorite dish, but I've never been able to get it quite right. No other recipe talked about using a dish to stabilize the pot, or covering the pot with foil. Those must've been the missing parts for me, because the keran turned out so well! I loved using chicken broth as well…it was very tasty and I used salt instead of the shrimp. 🙂 Thanks for your labor of love in this blog. 🙂
Thanks Holly, I already had in mind to buy the anchovies and kelp. I will most likely also get the others recommended. I recently tried fresh roasted seaweed from Korea, my bf's uncle's gf is korean and her family own a seaweed factory – it's so good with rice!
Thanks, Lucy. I am glad that it turned out good for you.
Stock up lots of stuff from Korea. I would recommend Korean chili flakes, dried Korean anchovies, dried seaweed for roasting, and home-made doenjang if you can handle. These are the stuff I usually get when I go to Korea.
Holly, I tried this recipe last night, and it was SOOO good! I love the velvety texture of the egg, and the best part was it took less than 5 mins to assemble and I had a great dish! My boyfriend absolutely loved it, and polished it all off along with the left over kimcheese mixture we had left over from the night before! =)
*A big thumbs up* for all the dishes we have tried on your blog so far! will be trying more especially once we go korea and stock up for my kitchen!
Thanks, Jeanene.
I hope you are doing well with your family.