Name: Chinese Steamed Egg Pudding Dessert
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 Large Eggs; 3 Tbsp Condensed milk (45g); 120 ml Distilled water (1/2 Cup); 120 ml Evaporated milk (1/2 Cup)

Jump to Recipe

Velvety rich goodness in every bite, you’re going to love this smooth and creamy Chinese steamed egg pudding recipe. All you need are 4 simple ingredients to create this delicious Chinese steamed egg custard dessert!

Chinese steamed egg custard featured image

What Is Chinese Steamed Egg Pudding?

Chinese steamed egg pudding, also known as Cantonese steamed egg custard or 燉蛋 in Cantonese, is a popular Hong Kong steamed egg pudding recipe that you’ll often find being served in Hong Kong or a southern Chinese household.

This Chinese steamed egg custard recipe typically consists of fresh eggs that are combined with water or milk, along with some sort of sweetener such as sugar or condensed milk. The egg pudding mixture is then carefully steamed to create a rich, decadent egg pudding-like texture that is extremely creamy and smooth. If you’ve never had this Chinese dessert before, then you’re in for a treat!

This Cantonese steamed milk egg pudding recipe only requires 4 simple ingredients to make, but is sure to wow your family and friends with how delicious it is.

Here’s what you’ll need for this Chinese egg pudding recipe:

Chinese Steamed Egg Custard Ingredients

2 large eggs
3 Tbsp of condensed milk (45g)
120 ml of distilled water (room temperature) (1/2 cup)
120 ml of evaporated milk (1/2 cup)

Ingredient Notes

Evaporated milk: I recommend using regular or full-fat evaporated milk, as this will produce the richest and creamiest texture for your egg pudding dessert. Reduced-fat or non-fat evaporated milk tends to be very runny and won’t taste nearly as good in this Chinese steamed egg custard dessert recipe.

Substitutions

Evaporated milk: You can substitute regular or full-fat evaporated milk with reduced-fat evaporated milk if you’re on a diet or you want to limit the amount of calories you consume; however due note that the final product will not be as creamy and rich compared to using regular evaporated milk. Non-fat or reduced-fat evaporated milk tends to be very runny as well. There’s also coconut and oat evaporated milk if you’re lactose intolerant.
Condensed milk: If you’re lactose intolerant, then you can substitute condensed milk with vegan condensed milk, like coconut condensed milk. Likewise, you can also use sugar, but I found that the Chinese steamed egg custard tastes best with condensed milk.

How to Make Chinese Steamed Egg Custard

Add water into a steamer or wok and heat it up on high heat.
Now crack 2 eggs into a bowl.
Whisk and mix the eggs until it is evenly mixed, but don’t overmix them, otherwise, you will introduce too much air into the eggs.

Now use a sieve to strain out the eggs into another bowl.

Now add about 120 ml of distilled water at room temperature into a large bowl.

In another bowl, add in 3 Tbsp of condensed milk

Then add your evaporated milk into the bowl and mix everything well together.

Adding in evaporated milk with the condensed milk

Now pour this bowl into the large bowl of water and mix everything well together.

Finally, pour the eggs into the large bowl and mix everything well together.

Pouring in eggs into bowl of water mixed with milk

Now, using a sieve, pour out the egg mixture into 2 small bowls that will be used to steam the eggs in.

Pouring egg mixture through a sieve into a small bowl

Two small bowls with egg mixture poured in

If you see any bubbles, use a lighter to pop the bubbles on the surface to make the eggs look smooth.

Using a lighter to pop bubbles on surface of egg mixture

Now, using some heat-resistant plastic wrap, wrap the plastic wrap over the two bowls to prevent water from dripping down into the steamed eggs.

Once the water in the steamer or wok is boiling, it’s time to steam the eggs.
Add the two bowls into the wok or steamer and cover the lid once the water is boiling.

Steam the eggs for 12-13 minutes on medium heat.
After steaming the eggs, immediately turn off the stove but leave the two bowls in the steamer for an additional 3 minutes.
After letting the eggs rest for 3 minutes in the steamer or wok, remove them from the steamer or wok and serve.

Tips

Don’t over-whisk the eggs, as you will get excess bubbles and air into the eggs. Whisk until the eggs are fully mixed, but not more than that; otherwise, after steaming, you’ll notice a lot of bubbles inside of the Chinese steamed egg milk custard.
Use a lighter or a toothpick to pop bubbles on the surface of eggs to get a nice, smooth surface.
Use heat-resistant plastic wrap instead of aluminum so that you can see the eggs while they are being steamed and check when they are done.
Lightly wiggle the bowls after they are finished steaming to see if the eggs are done. The outside edges should be fully set, while the middle part of the egg custard pudding should either be set or have a slight wiggle to it. If it is still very runny, then the eggs will need to be steamed longer.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

Not pouring the eggs through a sieve to remove the impurities, leading to one ugly-looking Chinese egg custard pudding after it has finished steaming 🤦‍♂️
Steaming the eggs on high heat, leading to overcooked eggs with a lot of bubbles in the center of the eggs, not to mention tasting kind of dry.
Not steaming the eggs long enough, leading to runny undercooked eggs 🤮

Storage Tips

The steamed egg pudding can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Dishes That Go Great With This Recipe:

You can combine this Chinese silky egg pudding with a main dish such as Cantonese soy sauce chow mein noodles or my spam fried rice dish. You may also want to pair this Asian steamed egg custard dessert with some homemade soy milk.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I Make Cantonese Steamed Milk Egg Pudding Using the Microwave?

You can, however, using a microwave to cook the eggs tends to dry them out, so I wouldn’t recommend it unless you really can’t steam the eggs for whatever reason. You’ll also need to constantly check on the eggs to ensure that you aren’t overcooking them.

I’m Lactose Intolerant. Can I Replace the Condensed Milk and Evaporated Milk With Something Else?

Yup! Just replace it with some vegan condensed milk, such as coconut condensed milk or condensed oat milk, and likewise some coconut evaporated milk or oat evaporated milk.

Can I Use Sugar Instead of Condensed Milk to Sweeten My Chinese Steamed Egg Pudding?

Yes, it’s perfectly fine to use sugar in place of condensed milk if you don’t want to use condensed milk for whatever reason. Do note though, that condensed milk adds an extra layer of creaminess and richness to the dessert that regular white sugar cannot replicate. You can use either white sugar or rock sugar to sweeten the dessert.

Can I Use Aluminum Foil Instead of Plastic Wrap to Wrap My Bowls While Steaming?

Yes! This works as well, however, compared to using plastic wrap, you won’t be able to check when your eggs are done steaming.

How Come My Cantonese Steamed Egg Dessert Isn’t Smooth?

The smoothness of the egg custard is affected by several factors:

How long you whisk the eggs while mixing them.
Whether or not you poured the eggs through a sieve.
Whether or not you had any bubbles on the surface of the eggs prior to steaming them.
How long did you steam the eggs for, and the heat intensity you used while steaming your eggs.

Over-whisking the eggs can introduce a lot of bubbles and air into the eggs, while not using a sieve to strain out the eggs will cause a lot of impurities to remain on the surface of the eggs while they are being steamed.

Furthermore, not popping any bubbles on the surface of the eggs prior to steaming them will produce a bubbly appearance on the surface after the eggs are steamed.

Lastly, overcooking the eggs will cause them to dry out and develop a harder texture compared to the smooth, glossy appearance that you want. If you see a lot of bubbles inside of your steamed eggs and they look kind of dry then that indicates that you’re overcooking the eggs.

Try to reduce the temperature and/or time that you’re steaming the eggs. Also, if you see your eggs swell up really high while steaming, that means your steaming temperature is way too high.

How Long Should I Steam the Egg Pudding For?

The recommended time is about 12-13 minutes on medium heat. The steaming can vary depending on the stovetop used and how thick or thin your bowls are.

For thicker bowls, you may need to increase the amount of steaming time. Likewise, if your steamed eggs are getting overcooked, you’ll need to either reduce the steaming time or temperature or both.

Other Dessert Recipes You’ll Love