In this article
- Quail eggs fiber by the egg and by the handful
- What small eggs pack per 100 grams
- Five quail eggs against one chicken egg
- The cholesterol catch
- Iron and B12 in a small package
- Choline and selenium from a handful
- Quail eggs next to other poultry eggs
- Small eggs, big fiber plates
- Where quail eggs fit in a day’s fiber
- Trying quail eggs this week
- Quail eggs and fiber: what people ask
- Sources
You’re building a salad and drop five halved quail eggs on top, expecting the tiny speckled eggs to add something special. They do add protein and minerals, but on quail eggs fiber the answer is 0 grams, the same as any other egg.
USDA FoodData Central lists no fiber in raw quail eggs at all. What makes them worth knowing about is their nutrient density per gram, which differs from chicken eggs in a few surprising ways.
Quail eggs fiber by the egg and by the handful
A quail egg weighs only about 9 grams without its shell, roughly a fifth of a large chicken egg. Because people eat them in handfuls, here’s how the numbers stack up:
| Amount | Weight | Calories | Protein | Fiber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 quail egg | 9 g | 14 | 1.2 g | 0 g |
| 3 quail eggs | 27 g | 43 | 3.5 g | 0 g |
| 5 quail eggs | 45 g | 71 | 5.9 g | 0 g |
| 10 quail eggs | 90 g | 142 | 11.8 g | 0 g |
| 12 quail eggs | 108 g | 171 | 14.1 g | 0 g |
No matter how many you eat, the fiber column never moves. Mayo Clinic defines fiber as the parts of plant foods your body can’t digest, and a quail egg is made entirely of animal protein, fat, water and a trace of sugar.
Five quail eggs land close to one medium chicken egg by weight, which makes them a handy point of comparison. That comparison comes up again below.
What small eggs pack per 100 grams
Size aside, the quail egg is a dense little package. FoodData Central reports these values per 100 grams of edible egg, with percent Daily Value from the FDA’s label targets:
| Per 100 g quail egg | Amount | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 158 | n/a |
| Protein | 13.1 g | 26% |
| Fat | 11.1 g | 14% |
| Saturated fat | 3.6 g | 18% |
| Fiber | 0 g | 0% |
| Cholesterol | 844 mg | n/a |
| Riboflavin | 0.79 mg | 61% |
| Selenium | 32 mcg | 58% |
| Choline | 263 mg | 48% |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.58 mcg | 66% |
| Iron | 3.65 mg | 20% |
| Folate | 66 mcg | 17% |
| Vitamin A | 156 mcg | 17% |
Riboflavin is the standout. At 0.79 milligrams per 100 grams, quail eggs carry about 1.7 times the riboflavin of chicken eggs, which list 0.46 milligrams.
Riboflavin is also called vitamin B2. The FDA sets its Daily Value at 1.3 milligrams, so 100 grams of quail eggs, about 11 of them, covers well over half.
Five quail eggs against one chicken egg
Since five quail eggs weigh about the same as a medium chicken egg, putting them side by side is the fairest comparison you can make at the table:
| Nutrient | 5 quail eggs (45 g) | 1 medium chicken egg (44 g) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 71 | 63 |
| Protein | 5.9 g | 5.5 g |
| Fat | 5.0 g | 4.2 g |
| Fiber | 0 g | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 380 mg | 164 mg |
| Choline | 118 mg | 129 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.36 mg | 0.20 mg |
| Iron | 1.6 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.71 mcg | 0.39 mcg |
| Selenium | 14.4 mcg | 13.5 mcg |
The quail eggs win on riboflavin, iron and B12, each close to double. The chicken egg wins on choline and lands far lower on cholesterol, at less than half the amount.
Calories and protein are nearly a wash. If you’re swapping one for the other, the real trade is extra minerals and vitamins against more than twice the cholesterol.
Curious how much fiber your own day should include around snacks like these? Our fiber calculator gives you a personal target in seconds.
The cholesterol catch
Per 100 grams, quail eggs carry 844 milligrams of cholesterol against 372 in chicken eggs. That works out to about 76 milligrams in each small quail egg.
Harvard’s Nutrition Source explains that the 2015 Dietary Guidelines removed the old 300 milligram daily limit, and that up to one chicken egg a day appears fine for most healthy people. Ten quail eggs, though, bring about 760 milligrams, which is roughly four large chicken eggs’ worth.
For people with diabetes, Harvard suggests keeping yolks to about three a week. A quail yolk is tiny, but a handful of quail eggs quickly adds up to more than one chicken yolk.
Iron and B12 in a small package
Quail eggs list about 3.65 milligrams of iron per 100 grams, more than twice the 1.75 milligrams in chicken eggs. Ten quail eggs supply about 3.3 milligrams, or 18 percent of the Daily Value.
Vitamin B12 runs higher too, at 1.58 micrograms per 100 grams compared with 0.89 for chicken eggs. Ten quail eggs cover about 59 percent of the 2.4 microgram Daily Value.
Harvard lists vitamin A, choline, lutein and zeaxanthin among the nutrients eggs provide, and quail eggs carry all of them. They have about 369 micrograms of lutein and zeaxanthin per 100 grams, a little less than chicken eggs.
Choline and selenium from a handful
Two more nutrients deserve a mention, since Harvard lists choline among the key nutrients eggs supply and selenium runs high in every egg. Here’s what a handful of six quail eggs, about 54 grams, supplies:
- Choline: about 142 mg, or 26 percent of the 550 mg Daily Value
- Selenium: about 17 mcg, or 31 percent of the 55 mcg Daily Value
- Vitamin A: about 84 mcg, or 9 percent of the 900 mcg Daily Value
Those numbers come at about 85 calories. For a snack that also needs fiber, though, the handful has to be paired with something from the produce aisle or the pantry.
Quail eggs next to other poultry eggs
Every common poultry egg ties on fiber. Here’s how quail eggs compare with chicken and duck eggs per 100 grams in FoodData Central:
| Per 100 g | Quail | Chicken | Duck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 158 | 143 | 185 |
| Protein | 13.1 g | 12.6 g | 12.8 g |
| Riboflavin | 0.79 mg | 0.46 mg | 0.40 mg |
| Iron | 3.65 mg | 1.75 mg | 3.85 mg |
| Cholesterol | 844 mg | 372 mg | 884 mg |
| Fiber | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
Quail eggs top the group on protein and riboflavin by weight. Duck eggs run slightly higher on iron and cholesterol, and chicken eggs stay the leanest of the three.
By size, the gap is dramatic. One duck egg weighs about as much as eight quail eggs, and a large chicken egg matches roughly five and a half.
Small eggs, big fiber plates
Quail eggs shine in dishes where they’re halved or left whole, such as salads, grain bowls and skewers. These FoodData Central portions bring the fiber the eggs can’t:
| Partner food | Amount | Fiber |
|---|---|---|
| Lentils, cooked | 1/2 cup | 7.8 g |
| Chickpeas, cooked | 1/2 cup | 6.3 g |
| Avocado | 1/2 cup | 5.0 g |
| Broccoli, cooked | 1 cup | 5.2 g |
| Bulgur, cooked | 1/2 cup | 4.1 g |
| Red bell pepper, raw | 1 cup | 3.1 g |
| Asparagus, boiled | 1/2 cup | 1.8 g |
A checklist for a quail egg plate with real fiber
- Start with a fiber base: lentils, chickpeas or bulgur
- Add at least one cup of vegetables, raw or cooked
- Top with 5 to 6 halved quail eggs for about 6 to 7 g of protein
- Finish with avocado or a sprinkle of seeds for fiber and healthy fat
A lentil salad with 1/2 cup lentils, 1 cup red bell pepper, 1/2 cup avocado and six quail eggs carries about 15.9 grams of fiber and roughly 16 grams of protein. Swap the lentils for bulgur and broccoli, and you still land near 9 grams of fiber.
Looking for more salads and bowls that make the most of small eggs? Our recipe eBooks are full of high fiber ideas.
Where quail eggs fit in a day’s fiber
Mayo Clinic suggests about 25 grams of fiber a day for women 50 and younger and 38 grams for men in the same age group. Because quail eggs bring none, they only help when they replace a lower fiber food or ride along with a higher fiber one.
Here’s one way a day could look with quail eggs at lunch:
- Breakfast: 1 cup cooked broccoli folded into a chickpea scramble with 1/2 cup chickpeas, about 11.5 g
- Lunch: the lentil, pepper and avocado salad above with six quail eggs, about 15.9 g
- Snack: 1/2 cup boiled asparagus and two quail eggs, about 1.8 g
That’s roughly 29 grams of fiber, enough for the women’s target, with eight quail eggs supplying protein along the way.
To get closer to the 38 gram target for men, add 1/2 cup of bulgur at dinner and a cup of raw red pepper strips as a snack. Those two foods bring about 7.2 grams more, for a day near 36 grams.
Trying quail eggs this week
If you’ve never cooked quail eggs, start with a batch of soft boiled ones for your lunches. Peel six, halve them and set them over a lentil and vegetable salad for a meal that covers both protein and fiber.
Keep the cholesterol in mind if you’re limiting yolks, and treat five or six quail eggs as more than one chicken egg on that count. On fiber, they’ll never be the source, so let the lentils, vegetables and grains do that job.
Quail eggs and fiber: what people ask
Do quail eggs have fiber?
No. USDA FoodData Central lists 0 grams of fiber in quail eggs. All the fiber in a quail egg dish comes from the plant foods served with it.
How many quail eggs equal one chicken egg?
About five. Five quail eggs weigh about 45 grams, close to a 44 gram medium chicken egg, and a large chicken egg is closer to six quail eggs.
How much protein is in a quail egg?
About 1.2 grams in one 9 gram egg. Ten quail eggs provide roughly 11.8 grams of protein.
Are quail eggs healthier than chicken eggs?
They’re richer in riboflavin, iron and B12 by weight. They also carry more than twice the cholesterol per gram, so neither is better on every count.
How much cholesterol is in a quail egg?
About 76 milligrams in one small egg. Per 100 grams that’s 844 milligrams, against 372 for chicken eggs.
How many calories are in quail eggs?
About 14 calories per egg, or 158 calories per 100 grams. Five quail eggs come to roughly 71 calories.
What can I eat with quail eggs to add fiber?
Lentils, chickpeas, bulgur, broccoli and avocado all pair well. Half a cup of cooked lentils adds about 7.8 grams of fiber.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. “FoodData Central” (egg, quail, whole, fresh, raw 172191; egg, whole, raw, fresh 171287; egg, duck, whole, fresh, raw 172189; lentils; chickpeas; avocado; broccoli; bulgur; red bell pepper; asparagus, boiled 168390). 2026. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” 2024. www.fda.gov
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Eggs.” The Nutrition Source. 2024. nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet.” Mayo Clinic. 2025. mayoclinic.org
