Know2eat

Quail egg

Coturnix japonica

What quail egg has been studied for

2 associations assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.

  • 2 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About quail egg

A small speckled egg from the Japanese quail, weighing roughly a tenth of a hen egg, used across East and Southeast Asian cooking and as a garnish elsewhere. Because a serving is a handful of eggs rather than one, per-100 g figures overstate what a portion actually delivers.

Also known as Coturnix egg, Uzura no tamago

Muscle & Physical PerformanceRespiratory Health

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Insufficient

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Muscle protein synthesis

Muscle & Physical Performance
Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited for quail egg specifically. Gram for gram it is compositionally close to hen egg, but no trial has used it and the amount of protein in a realistic portion is small.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Respiratory function

Respiratory Health
Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited. Quail egg preparations have been sold in Europe and Latin America for allergic rhinitis and asthma symptoms for decades, and a small number of trials of a standardised quail egg extract report symptom improvements. The trials are small, several are industry-linked, and none of this transfers to eating quail eggs as food.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Quail egg

Ask about Quail egg

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories158 kcal8%
Protein13.1 g26%
Total fat11.1 g14%
Carbohydrate0.41 g0%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0.4 g—
Water74.3 g—
Fats
Saturated fat3.56 g18%
Monounsaturated fat4.32 g—
Polyunsaturated fat1.32 g—
Cholesterol844 mg281%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.94 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A156 µg17%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D1.4 µg7%
Vitamin E1.08 mg7%
Vitamin K0.3 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.13 mg11%
Riboflavin (B2)0.79 mg61%
Niacin (B3)0.15 mg1%
Pantothenic acid (B5)1.76 mg35%
Vitamin B60.15 mg9%
Folate66 µg17%
Vitamin B121.58 µg66%
Choline263 mg48%
Minerals
Calcium64 mg5%
Iron3.65 mg20%
Magnesium13 mg3%
Phosphorus226 mg18%
Potassium132 mg3%
Sodium141 mg6%
Zinc1.47 mg13%
Copper0.062 mg7%
Manganese0.038 mg2%
Selenium32 µg58%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene11 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin369 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.1 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Egg, quail, whole, fresh, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 172191).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Allergy

    Cross-reacts with hen egg

    Quail egg is sometimes recommended as a hypoallergenic alternative to hen egg. Quail and hen egg proteins cross-react in most people with egg allergy, and this substitution should not be made without allergy advice.

  • Worth knowing

    Often eaten raw or barely cooked

    Quail eggs are frequently served soft-boiled, raw on tartare or raw in drinks, and Salmonella has been isolated from quail flocks. The small size does not reduce the risk per egg, and multiple eggs are usually eaten at once.

  • Worth knowing

    Portion size distorts the nutrient panel

    A per-100 g figure describes about eleven quail eggs. Nutrient comparisons against hen eggs on a per-100 g basis are close to identical; the difference is entirely in how many you eat.