Are Quail Eggs Worth Buying For Their Nutritional Benefits? Here's What We Found Out

Farmers' struggles with a fatal bird flu epidemic have sent egg prices as high as $5 a dozen, which has made people think twice about cooking their favorite omelets for breakfast. However, eggs provide a good amount of nutrition with just 72 calories, including 6 grams of protein. Eggs are a good source of choline, as well,  helping to improve your brain and nerve functioning.

Although chicken eggs are the most common, people also eat turkey, goose, and duck eggs. Another option is quail eggs, and some countries consider them to be a delicacy. Kourtney Kardashian has even eaten quail eggs to help with her fertility. If you think $5 is a lot for chicken eggs, quail eggs go for about $19 a dozen on Amazon.

Are quail eggs more nutritious? "Quail eggs have 2 mg more iron per 100g serving than chicken eggs and less than 1 microgram more of Vitamin B12," Courtney Pelitera, a Registered Dietitian at Top Nutrition Coaching, told Health Digest. Quail eggs also have more riboflavin (vitamin B2) and a little more of the amino acids isoleucine and tryptophan than chicken eggs. "When comparing the two eggs, they can definitely be used interchangeably when looking at overall diet and health," Pelitera said.

There is a catch. Because quail eggs are much smaller than chicken eggs, Pelitera said that you need to eat four quail eggs to meet the nutritional equivalent of one chicken egg. That adds up to $6.33 if you want to replace one chicken egg with four quail eggs.

A quail egg generally weighs about 9 grams compared to the 50 grams of a large chicken egg. That little egg also has 14 calories and 1.2 grams of protein. Eating four quail eggs provides nutrition similar to one chicken egg. Four quail eggs have 57 calories, and both types of eggs have a similar amount of fat and saturated fat. A chicken egg has slightly more protein and a lot more choline than the quail eggs.

Chicken eggs are well-known for their 182 milligrams of cholesterol. If you eat 4 quail eggs for their nutritional benefits, you'll be taking in 304 milligrams of cholesterol. Pelitera says the higher cholesterol in the quail eggs is due to the nutrient-dense yolk. "The yolk-to-white ratio in quail eggs is much higher than chicken eggs," she said. "Simply put, the quail egg is going to be a yolkier egg."

If the price of quail eggs fits your budget, Pelitera says they're worth a try. "Quail eggs are known for being creamier in texture than chicken eggs which makes them really great in recipes where chicken eggs might normally be used," she said. "For example, you could make a savory breakfast frittata with fresh vegetables or breakfast tacos with quail eggs." She says you can swap them into your baking dishes, but you'll have to add more quail eggs than the recipe requires.

Pelitera says to not be too turned off by quail eggs' high cholesterol, however. The American Heart Association suggests keeping dietary cholesterol low while paying close attention to your overall diet. "This means that we have to look at the diet as a whole: Am I eating these eggs with other higher-fat foods? Am I meeting my goal of 2 cups of vegetables and 1.5 cups of fruit per day? Am I getting high-fiber foods in my diet?" She suggests pairing quail eggs with whole grain toast and mixed berries to round out your meal.