For the warmest and most welcoming appetizer to grace a Japanese meal, it always feels right to start with steaming cups of chawanmushi. Made with a dashi-infused egg mixture with the freshest seasonal ingredients, this Japanese savory egg custard is meltingly smooth and deeply flavored. It is typically cooked in a traditional steamer or in a hot water bath, but if you happen to have an Instant Pot, you can easily make chawanmushi in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. When you’re busy making main and side dishes on the stovetop, Instant Pot Chawanmushi is particularly convenient and dependable.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Instant Pot Chawanmushi
For the Egg Mixture
dashi stock (Japanese soup stock) – for vegetarian, make Vegan Dashi large eggs – they should weigh 50 g each without the shell mirin usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce – or use regular soy sauce or gluten-free soy sauce for GF; we use light-color soy sauce so the broth doesn’t get dark kosher salt
For the Chawanmushi Ingredients
chicken thigh – skip for vegetarian shrimp – skip for vegetarian sake carrot mitsuba (Japanese parsley) shimeji mushrooms kamaboko (Japanese fish cake) – skip for vegetarian
The Perfect Egg-to-Dashi Ratio
The best ratio for the egg mixture to dashi is about 1 to 2.5 (by volume). It’s good to know the basic ratio to start and you can adjust later as you like. See below for the amount of dashi to add:
for 1 large egg (50 ml), add 125 ml dashi [ml = g] 2 eggs (100 ml) – 250 ml dashi 3 eggs (150 ml) – 375 ml dashi (can make 5 200-ml ramekins) 4 eggs (200 ml) – 500 ml dashi 5 eggs (250 ml) – 625 ml dashi 6 eggs (300 ml) – 750 ml dashi (can make 10 200-ml ramekins) 7 eggs (350 ml) – 875 ml dashi 8 eggs (400 ml) – 1000 ml dashi
Note: Since you may not have a kitchen scale, I’ve tried my best to give you the closest measurement possible using a liquid measuring cup. Because the “perfect” amount could display “between the lines” of the exact measurement, this could cause subtle differences/improvements in the final taste. When in doubt, weigh your ingredients!
How to Cook Instant Pot Chawanmushi
Including prep time, you can make this chawanmushi recipe in about 40 minutes total time:
3 Cooking Tips for Soft, Silky Chawanmushi
1. Strain the egg mixture.
Straining the egg mixture helps separate any stringy egg whites strands so your custard will have a soft, silky-smooth texture.
2. Use gentle steam on the low heat setting.
When your chawanmushi has a porous texture with tiny visible holes, we call them “su.” These holes in the steamed egg custard are the indicator of strong heat or overcooking, hence it’s considered a failure. Your goal is to make chawanmushi without these air bubbles. To achieve that, make sure to keep an eye on the cooking time and heat.
3. Check doneness by inserting a skewer.
If clear liquid comes out, it’s done. If the juice is not clear, you will need to cook it longer.
What if you don’t have an Instant Pot?
Don’t worry! Here are other methods to make chawanmushi:
Stovetop Steamer:
You can use a traditional steamer to make chawanmushi. You do not need to cover the steaming cups in this setting. Instead, you will wrap the steamer lid with a large kitchen towel so that moisture and condensation from the lid won’t drop into the chawanmushi while steaming. Place the steamer cups in the steamer and leave the lid ajar to let the hot steam escape. This creates a gentle steaming condition inside the steamer. Cook for roughly 18–20 minutes.
Stovetop Water Bath:
Boil water in a large pot that can fit the steaming cups. Once boiling, reduce the heat to the lowest heat. Gently place the cups inside the hot water and cover the pot with the lid. Cook for 18–20 minutes on the lowest heat. You can follow the step-by-step instructions with photos in my classic Chawanmushi recipe.
Steam in the Oven:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and fill a roasting pan (or deep baking dish) with 1 inch (2.5 cm) boiling water. Cover the steaming cups with the lid or aluminum foil and place them inside the roasting pan. Cook for 25–30 minutes (cooking time varies based on your oven/steaming cups).
Substitution Ideas
Chawanmushi cups – Use ramekins or oven-safe containers instead of chawan tea cups. You can use aluminum foil to cover it. Dashi – Do not skip. The flavor of chawanmushi relies heavily on dashi. For vegetarians, you can use Kombu Dashi. I make standard Awase Dashi from scratch or with a dashi packet. Use instant dashi (dashi powder) only in a pinch. Eggs – Try to use good-quality large eggs for this dish. Avoid extra large eggs since the weight is different from large eggs. Usukuchi (light color) soy sauce – The light color keeps the broth from getting dark. You can use less regular soy sauce and add a pinch of salt. Mirin – Small amount, but this is one of the essential Japanese ingredients (read here). If you don’t have it, use sake/water + sugar. Chicken thighs – You can use chicken breast or chicken tender. We do not use other types of meat for chawanmushi. Shrimp – You can use other seafood of your choice or skip it. If your shrimp are large, cut them in half so they will cook faster. Shimeji mushrooms – Use shiitake mushrooms or your favorite mushrooms. Kamaboko – You can use different types of Japanese fish cakes (cut into similar sizes and thicknesses) or skip them. Mitsuba (Japanese parsley) – Use chopped chives, green onion/scallion, or a few leaves of cilantro.
The seasonal ingredients in this chawanmushi are a delicious treat, but even if you simplify it, your homemade chawanmushi will still taste wonderfully luxurious. I know you’ll enjoy this ethereal egg custard! Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
