This information is a summary of an article published on 24th Feb 2020 by healthline.com.
Quail eggs taste remarkably like chicken eggs but are small — typically just one-third the size of a standard chicken egg. They have cream-colored shells with brown splotches and deep-yellow yolks.
Quail eggs are small, so three to four of them roughly equate to the serving size of one chicken egg.
One quail egg (9 grams) contains:
- Calories: 14
- Protein: 1 gram
- Fat: 1 gram
- Carbs: 0 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Choline: 4% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Riboflavin: 6% of the DV
- Folate: 2% of the DV
- Pantothenic acid: 3% of the DV
- Vitamin A: 2% of the DV
- Vitamin B12: 6% of the DV
- Iron: 2% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 2% of the DV
- Selenium: 5% of the DV
For being so small, these eggs are surprisingly rich in nutrients.
A single quail egg provides a significant chunk of your daily vitamin B12, selenium, riboflavin, and choline needs, along with some iron — all in a serving that contains only 14 calories.
How they compare with chicken eggs
Quail eggs are much smaller than chicken eggs at about one-third their size.
However, for their size, quail eggs have large yolks. Because many of the nutrients in eggs are found in the yolk, some people claim that quail eggs are more nutrient-dense than chicken eggs, meaning they contain more nutrients when compared by weight.
This table compares the amounts of select nutrients in 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of quail and chicken eggs, respectively:
| Quail eggs (about 10 eggs) | Chicken eggs (about 2 large eggs) | |
| Calories | 158 | 148 |
| Fat | 11 grams | 10 grams |
| Protein | 13 grams | 12 grams |
| Choline | 48% of the DV | 61% of the DV |
| Riboflavin | 61% of the DV | 32% of the DV |
| Vitamin B12 | 66% of the DV | 43% of the DV |
| Iron | 20% of the DV | 9% of the DV |
While there are a few minor differences in the amounts of some other nutrients, the most significant differences are seen in the nutrients listed in the table above.
Quail eggs contain more fat and protein by weight, double the iron and riboflavin, and about one-third more vitamin B12 than chicken eggs. On the other hand, chicken eggs contain more choline.
Quail eggs are also more difficult to find. Because of their size, you’ll need more of them than you would chicken eggs if you want to use them as a protein source.