This Japanese Egg Sandwich, traditionally made with shokupan (Japanese milk bread), is great for breakfast, brunch or lunch!
Easy Japanese egg salad sandwich
If there’s beauty in simplicity, then the Japanese Egg Salad Sandwich is a beautiful thing. This Japanese egg sandwich has been making the rounds in the US, and when I came across this sandwich at Konbi in Los Angeles, I knew I had to make it at home. It’s a simple mayo egg sandwich that’s very common and very popular in Japan, where they sell it at convenience stores like 7-Eleven. It’s also another reason why I need to visit Japan soon! Oh and the ramen too, of course. And the sushi. And the sashimi. Of course the omelet rice. Well, let’s just say allllll the foooood. Since K and I love eggs for breakfast (this sausage frittata, quiche lorraine, scrambled eggs, bacon and egg pie, breakfast egg muffins etc. are a few of our favorites!) and egg salad, this had to be done at home. I combined flavors from a classic Japanese egg sandwich and the Konbi egg salad sandwich to make my own version of a homey, flavor-packed egg salad sandwich. Call it an upgraded mayo egg sandwich!
What is a Japanese egg sandwich?
All you need to make a Japanese egg sandwich is,
Hard boiled egg Kewpie mayonnaise (Japanese mayonnaise) or regular american mayonnaise Scallions Salt and pepper
The Konbi egg salad sandwich adds a little mustard and a special “potato salad dressing” to their egg salad, which I left out in this recipe. But I do love the flavor of mustard, so I incorporated that into this mayo egg sandwich. But you’re welcome to leave it out if you like, however. Kewpie mayonnaise is the king of mayonnaises. It’s so freaking good! It’s creamier and richer in taste since it’s made with egg yolks. This also makes it more yellow in color too. Plus, it has MSG in it, which really ramps up the flavor with a little sweet, savory, umami action.
What if I don’t have kewpie mayonnaise, or don’t like using MSG?
No worries. You can skip the kewpie, and it’ll still taste like the best egg salad sandwich you’ve ever had.
Here’s my version of the Japanese egg salad sandwich
It’s not that different from the original Japanese version. I’m also sharing options for those who don’t have Japanese/kewpie mayonnaise (a key ingredient in the Japanese sandwich). This Japanese egg salad sandwich is made with,
Hard boiled eggs Soft boiled eggs (for the center, but you can leave it out if you like) Mayonnaise (or kewpie mayonnaise) Salt and white pepper (and a touch of sugar, if using regular mayonnaise) Scallions Mustard
Super easy. Super tasty!
How to make Japanese egg salad sandwich (step by step)
Cooking the eggs
First and most important step is cooking the eggs. For this mayo egg sandwich, you need two types of cooked egg.
Hard boiled eggs Soft boiled eggs
For this, I like to bring a pot of water to a boil, and then cook all the eggs at the same time.
Set the timer for 6.5 minutes for soft boiled eggs. Set the timer for a further 4 minutes for hard boiled eggs.
Keep all the eggs in cold running water to help them cool down quicker. The eggs are ready to be handled as soon as they’ve cooled down. If you’re not making the sandwiches right away, you can keep the eggs in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Cutting the eggs
The eggs need to be chopped into small pieces for the egg salad filling. There are several ways to do this.
Food processor – I don’t like this option personally, because it’s easy to over-process the eggs and end up with a smooth paste instead. I prefer to have little egg white pieces in my egg salad for some texture. Fork – An easy way to crush the eggs. Knife – I like using the old fashioned way of chopping eggs. Egg slicer – Use the egg slices to get evenly cut, strips of eggs.
Usually, I use the knife. First, I slice the eggs thinly, in one direction. Then I lay the cut slices flat on my work surface, and cut them again in one direction. Then I slice them across one more time (please see pictures below). This third cut is optional however. A more convenient way is to use an egg slicer (see pictures below). Konbi uses this method to chop their eggs and it makes life so much easier. This way you end up with evenly cut strips of hard boiled eggs. Next, you can also peel the soft boiled eggs and keep them aside until you’re ready to make the sandwiches.
Egg salad filling
Place the chopped eggs in a bowl. Mix with mayonnaise, sugar, salt and white pepper, and stir until well mixed. Make sure you add the minimum amount of mayonnaise first, and then add more as needed. For the consistency and creaminess that I like, a total of 6 eggs only requires about 2 – 2 1/2 tbsp of mayonnaise. I also like to finely chop the green parts of spring onions and add that to the salad as well. I usually add the green parts of 2 spring onions, but for the pictures in this post I added less (to make the eggs stand out more). To store the egg salad filling – I like to make the egg salad filling the day before, and keep it in a bowl in the fridge, covered with a lid or plastic wrap.
Choosing the bread
Shokupan (milk bread) is the traditional bread that is used to make Japanese egg salad sandwiches. This bread is also known as Japanese milk bread. It’s a much fluffier and softer (and milkier) bread than the white bread you find here. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to Shokupan bread where I live now (which is Ottawa, Canada now by the way!) – unless, I make it myself, of course. So instead, I use soft white sandwich bread that I can find readily in the supermarket. You could also use a really soft, fluffy brioche instead too.
Preparing the egg salad sandwich
When you’re ready to make the Japanese egg sandwiches, have these ingredients ready.
Bread slices Butter or mayonnaise (or kewpie) Dijon mustard Extra salt Soft boiled egg Egg salad filling
Cut the edges off your bread slices. Or not. It’s up to you. Sometimes I cut all the edges, sometimes just two (like I’ve done in these pictures above), sometimes I don’t at all. Then spread a thin layer of dijon mustard on one slice, and a thin layer of butter or mayo (or kewpie) on the other slice. Next, cut the soft boiled eggs in half. The yolk should be nice and jammy, so it’s important to use a sharp knife. Sprinkle a little salt over the eggs. Place the soft boiled egg on the sandwich slice, in the middle, with the egg yolk down. I only add one half of the egg, right in the middle (mainly because the sandwich bread I use isn’t big enough for two egg halves). However, if you’d want to skip the soft boiled egg in the middle, that’s fine too. It’ll still be a great mayo egg sandwich. After the soft boiled egg, it’s time to add the egg salad filling on top and spread evenly around the soft boiled egg. With a soft boiled egg in the center, the egg salad filling can be thick and filling. However, without a soft boiled egg in the middle, you can have a thinner spread of egg salad. Finally, place the other slice of bread on top and use a sharp bread knife to cut the sandwich along the middle (i.e. through the middle of the soft boiled egg and yolk). And there you have it. A pillowy soft Japanese egg sandwich, with a rich, creamy, flavor-packed egg salad filling! Beauty in simplicity. If you liked this Japanese egg sandwich recipe, don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes by entering your email address in the subscription box below the recipe card (and get all these recipes delivered straight to your inbox), so you don’t miss out on a thing. You can find me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, and YOUTUBE too.
If you liked this recipe, then you may also like,
How to make ramen eggs Cheesy potato and bacon scotch eggs Raspberry ham and egg sandwich How to make easy scrambled eggs Egg in a hole
Equipment I use for this recipe
Egg slicer – Makes it easier to slice the hard boiled eggs for the egg salad. Kitchen timer – I use a kitchen timer that is part of my cooking thermometer. It functions both as a timer and temperature measuring probe.
