We've raised ducks alongside our chickens for more than fifteen years. Ducks are a lot of fun to raise, but what we love best about them is their eggs.
In case you have never eaten duck eggs, but you're curious to try them, here's what you should know about cooking and baking with them. And if you're a baker, you might want to think about raising some ducks of your own.
All about Duck Eggs
Like chickens, ducks lay an egg almost every day. And like chicken eggs, duck eggs have a shell, a white (or albumen) and a yolk.
Turns out, duck eggs are pretty similar to chicken eggs. But there are some real benefits to duck eggs compared to chicken eggs.
Ducks Lay Almost Every Day
Ducks lay their eggs just before sunrise and will make their own nest in a corner of their house or coop in the bedding straw or shavings.
Cooking and Baking with Duck Eggs
Duck Eggs are Larger than Chicken Eggs
Now here's where you need to pay attention if you're planning on using duck eggs in recipes.
Duck eggs are much larger than chicken eggs - about 30% larger to be precise. Our duck eggs usually weigh in right around 3 ounces, which is considerably heavier than even jumbo chicken eggs.
Since a normal large chicken egg called for in most recipes weighs 2 ounces, you can substitute 2 duck eggs for each 3 chicken eggs a recipe calls for.
Alternatively, you can lightly whisk your duck eggs and then weigh out 2 ounces for each egg you need.
Duck Eggs have Larger Yolks
The yolks are also larger, comparatively, compared to the whites. Duck eggs have about a 15% higher yolk-to-white ratio than a chicken egg.
That's a duck egg on the top in the photo below and a chicken egg beneath it.
Duck Eggs are Alkaline
Duck eggs are considered to be an alkaline-producing food and one of the few that leave your body more alkaline. Conversely, chicken eggs are an acidic food making your body more acid.
The alkaline makeup of duck eggs is of great benefit to cancer patients as cancer cells do not thrive in an alkaline environment. So some physicians apparently recommend duck eggs to cancer patients. (Talk to your physician about this in more detail if you have any questions.)
Also, people who are allergic to chicken eggs can often eat duck eggs without any problem - and vice versa - because duck eggs contain completely different proteins than chicken eggs.
Duck Eggs are Better for Baking
Duck eggs contain slightly less water - and more fat - which makes them superior for baking. They make cakes and breads rise better. They make mayonnaise, custards and puddings richer.
Duck eggs can be a bit more difficult to whip for meringues, but a pinch of baking soda or a few drops of lemon juice can help make nice stiff peaks.
Duck Eggs can be Scrambled, Fried, Poached and Hard-Cooked As Well
On the flip side, because of their low water content, they cook faster than chicken eggs and overcooking them makes them rubbery.
Because duck eggs are so easy to overcook, some people don't like them when they're fried or scrambled. But we do eat them both ways. I'm just careful to cook them over very low heat and only until the whites are just set.
You can steam duck eggs to hard cook them just like you would a chicken egg, but since they are so much later, I find that it takes about 20 minutes for a yolk to cook through.
Duck Eggs Do Tend to Taste a bit "Eggier"
I do find that duck eggs do have a bit stronger "egg" taste than chicken eggs. If you find them too strong for your liking, try pairing them with a strong cheese such as Swiss, Bleu, or sharp Cheddar in an omelet or scrambled. Or try adding some fragrant herbs or spices when you're cooking the duck eggs.
I don't ever notice that my baked goods taste any different when I use duck eggs, however, so no worries about that.
I also think that the overall taste of your duck eggs will depend on your duck's overall diet, but in general, because of their higher fat and lipid content, duck eggs will taste creamier and richer than chicken eggs.
How to Substitute Duck Eggs for Chicken Eggs in Recipes
Despite the rule of thumb 2/3 ratio with 2 duck eggs equaling 3 chicken eggs in volume, I honestly tend to just use our duck eggs in a one-to-one ratio in recipes that call for chicken eggs. I try and save our smallest duck eggs for baking.
But as I mentioned above, you can lightly whisk the duck eggs and measure out:
- 2 ounces for each egg the recipe calls for, or
- 3 tablespoons for each egg the recipes calls for
Duck Eggs Stay Fresher Longer
Duck eggs stay fresher longer than chicken eggs due to having thicker shells and membranes. Unwashed, a duck egg will last week and weeks out on the counter and will last for several months refrigerated.
Duck eggs tend to be a bit dirtier when you collect them than chicken eggs, due to the fact that ducks lay their eggs on the ground in nests they create out of nesting material on the floor of the coop - or sometimes even just lay their eggs outside in the grass.
So I normally do have to rinse my duck eggs off before refrigerating them.
Duck Eggs are More Nutritious
As for nutrition, duck eggs have larger yolks, thicker whites, and ounce for ounce they contain more calcium, Vitamins A, B-12, and D and more Omega-3 fatty acids than chicken eggs.
Interestingly, they contain about the same amount of protein as a chicken egg.
One duck egg contains about 130 calories, half of which are fat calories. Comparatively, a chicken egg has about 70 calories.
Neither duck or chicken eggs contain any Vitamin C.
Compared to chicken eggs, ounce for ounce, duck eggs contain:
- 500% more Vitamin B12
- 150% more Niacin
- 100% more Omega-3s
- 60% more Potassium
- 40% more Magnesium
- 30% more Vitamin E
Overall, the large, rich duck eggs make a nice contrast in color, size, taste and composition to our chicken eggs and I feel blessed to have both provided by our backyard flock.
