Japanese egg sandwich, or tamago sando, is one of those recipes that proves simple food can be completely irresistible. It’s made with soft Japanese milk bread, a creamy egg salad filling, and just enough Kewpie mayo to make every bite rich and tangy.
Tamago sando is the kind of sandwich I always go for whenever I need something quick and satisfying. In Japan, it’s sold virtually everywhere – in bakeries, supermarkets, coffee shops, family restaurants, and convenience stores such as 7 Eleven, Lawson, and Family Mart. The same goes for Japanese potato salad sandwich and tuna sandwich.
The good news is that you don’t need to fly to Japan to enjoy one. This homemade version is easy, quick, and comes very close to the soft and creamy tamago sando you can find at a Japanese konbini.
If you like Japanese konbini food, check out my post on Japanese Convenience Store Foods You Can Make at Home.
About This Recipe
Tamago sando, or たまごサンド, is a Japanese-style egg salad sandwich made with shokupan, also called Japanese milk bread, and a creamy egg filling seasoned with Japanese mayonnaise.
What makes it different from a classic American egg salad sandwich is how simple it is. There are no crunchy vegetables, no lettuce, and little added seasonings. The focus is on the soft bread, natural flavor of the eggs, and the use of Kewpie mayonnaise, which is more tangy and savory than regular mayonnaise.
It’s a very simple sandwich, but the details matter. The bread should be soft and fluffy, the eggs should be mashed but with some bigger pieces left, and there should be a very generous amount of filling tucked between the sliced bread.
Table of contents
Ingredients Needed
- Japanese milk bread: Shokupan is the best bread to use for tamago sando because it’s soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet. You can find it in Japanese grocery stores, Japanese bakeries, some Korean bakeries, or you can make it from scratch using my shokupan recipe. If you can’t find it, use the softest white sandwich bread you can get.
- Butter: A thin layer of butter keeps the bread from getting soggy and makes each bite slightly creamier. Salted or unsalted butter both work for this recipe.
- Eggs: Hard-boiled eggs work best because they are firmer, have less moisture, and give the filling structure. Medium-boiled or jammy eggs taste delicious, but they can make the egg salad too loose and wet if they are mashed into the filling.
- Japanese mayonnaise: This is the ingredient that gives the sandwich its signature Japanese flavor. Kewpie mayo is richer, tangier, and more eggy than regular mayonnaise. I highly recommend using it for this recipe. If you can’t find it, make it from scratch using my homemade Kewpie mayo recipe.
- Salt: I’m using kosher salt. Use a little less if you are using table salt, since the grains are smaller and it tastes saltier by volume.
- Mustard: Yellow mustard makes the flavor pop a little more. Dijon mustard can also be used.
- Ground black pepper: A small pinch is enough. You can also leave it out if you prefer a cleaner, more classic taste.
Recipe Variations
- Make it creamier: Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk or cream to the egg salad. This makes the filling softer and closer to the texture of some convenience store egg sandwiches.
- Make it a little sweeter: Add 1/4 teaspoon of granulated sugar. This gives the filling a subtle sweetness that works well with the milk bread.
- Add a jammy egg center: For a more dramatic and super eggy sandwich, add a jammy egg (soft boiled egg). Start by spreading the egg salad normally, and cut a jammy egg in half. Add it in the center before closing the sandwich.
- Use other types of bread: If you can’t find shokupan, use soft white sandwich bread, hot dog bread, or challah. The texture won’t be exactly the same, but the sandwich will still be delicious.
How to Make Japanese Egg Sandwich
- Gather all of your kitchen tools and ingredients.
- Place the eggs in a bowl and use a fork to mash them.
- Stir in the Kewpie mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper, and continue mashing until the bits of eggs are all about the same size.
- Slice your bread and spread butter on all four slices.
- Spread egg salad on 2 slices and top with the other 2 slices of bread.
- Cut each sandwich in half and serve.
Cooking Tips to Remember
- Use hard-boiled eggs for the filling. Soft or medium-boiled eggs can make the egg salad watery when mashed, which will result in a runny filling. Hard-boiled eggs give the filling a creamy texture that holds it shape.
- Don’t over-mash the eggs. The filling should be creamy but not pasty. Leaving small whole pieces of egg white and yolk gives the sandwich a softer, fluffier bite.
- Butter the bread lightly. This adds flavor and helps protect the bread from getting soggy, especially if you’re making the sandwich a little ahead of time.
- Trim the crusts for the classic look. You don’t have to remove the crusts, but Japanese egg sandwiches are usually crustless. It makes the sandwich softer from edge to edge.
- Use soft bread. Avoid using crusty bread such as a baguette, or toasted bread. The soft texture is part of what makes tamago sando so comforting.
Storage
To make ahead: Keep the egg salad and bread separate until you are ready to assemble the sandwiches. Store the egg salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Leftovers: Wrap the sandwiches in plastic wrap or save them in a storage container with a lid. They will keep for about 24 hours. After that the bread might be too soggy to enjoy.
Best texture: Tamago sando tastes best the day it’s made, especially if you are using soft milk bread.
What To Serve With A Japanese Egg Salad Sandwich
Tamago sando can be served for breakfast, lunch, or as a snack. It’s high in protein and filling enough on its own. But I often like to eat with a small side dish, light or savory, to complement the sandwich. Some of my favorites are:
- Green salad with carrot ginger dressing or sesame dressing
- Miso soup
- Edamame
- Chicken karaage
- Furikake fries
- Japanese macaroni salad
- Kani salad
- Japanese potato salad
A Word On Konbini Food
Japanese convenience stores, called konbini, are famous for their quick meals and snacks. The food is simple, affordable, and surprisingly good, which is why so many people fall in love with it when they visit Japan.
Aside from onigiri (rice balls), tamago sando is one of the most iconic konbini foods. It’s soft, creamy, neatly packaged, and easy to eat anywhere. It doesn’t try to be fancy, and that’s exactly what makes it so good. Other popular konbini dishes are yakimeshi (fried rice), zaru soba (chilled soba noodles), kitsune udon, oden, cabbage salad, boiled kabocha squash, and curry rice.
Konbini foods are part of the Japanese culture. They feed the industrious crowds and college students. They help busy and sometimes overwhelmed parents put comforting food on the table. They make it possible for minimum wage workers to eat healthy. And they are so much fun to visit!
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
PrintJapanese Egg Sandwich (Tamago Sando)
Tamago sando is a soft and creamy egg sandwich made with shokupan, hard-boiled eggs, and Kewpie mayonnaise.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 sandwiches 1x
- Category: Sandwiches
- Method: N/A
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 4 slices shokupan (Japanese milk bread, also called Hokkaido bread) – if you cannot find shokupan you can make it from scratch using this recipe
- Butter
- 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled
- 5 tablespoons kewpie mayonnaise – if you cannot find kewpie mayo you can make it from scratch using this recipe
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (use a little less for table salt, since the grains are smaller)
- 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mash the eggs: Put the hard boiled eggs in a bowl and mash with a fork.
- Add the seasonings: Add the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper, and stir. Continue mashing until the mixture is creamy, but not completely pasty. Leave some parts of the eggs not mashed to add texture and volume.
- Make the sandwich: Butter each slice of bread and spread the egg salad on two slices.
- Serve: Top with the other slice and cut the sandwich in half.
Notes
Storing egg salad: Put the egg salad in an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For the best texture, keep the egg salad and bread separate until it’s time to serve them.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 596
- Sugar: 4.6g
- Sodium: 951.9mg
- Fat: 44.2g
- Saturated Fat: 11.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 30.1g
- Fiber: 1.6g
- Protein: 18.2g
- Cholesterol: 402.8mg
Frequently Asked Questions
Tamago means egg in Japanese, and sando is the shortened Japanese word for sandwich. So tamago sando means egg sandwich.
Challah bread or or supermarket white bread. Between the two I would recommend challah bread first because it’s fluffier and thicker.
For the most authentic flavor, yes, I recommend using Kewpie mayonnaise. It has a richer, tangier, and more savory taste than regular mayonnaise. If you can’t find it, you can use regular mayonnaise or follow my homemade recipe for Kewpie mayo.
No, you don’t have to. But if you want the sandwich to look and feel more like the ones sold in Japan, trim the crusts before slicing.
I don’t recommend using medium boiled eggs if you are planning to mash them into an egg salad. This will make the texture very runny. If you want to use a softer egg, add it separately in the center of the sandwich instead of mashing it into the egg salad.
Yes, but the butter adds richness and helps keep the bread from getting soggy. If you skip it, I recommend eating the sandwich right away.
The eggs may have been too soft, or too much mayonnaise or mustard was added. Use hard-boiled eggs and add the mayonnaise and mustard a little at a time.
Japanese Egg Sandwiches are amazingly compared to the regular egg salad sandwich most of us were used to and/or making. But after our visit to Japan I find those boring in comparison. The tip to use some mustard is a good one which I’ve always done to give my sandwiches an edge. However, the Kewpie mayo makes the biggest difference and should not be substituted if anyone is making this Sando! I loved these sandwiches for breakfast and/or lunch when we were in Japan and they were ideal to enjoy with a beer while travelling from city to city on the fantastic Japanese high speed trains! Glad you posted this recipe and that of the mayo–thanks!
Hi Bill, egg sandos are the best! If you can get your hands on real Kewpie mayo, please share where you were able to find it. I know that in the US and Canada, Kewpie mayonnaise lacks the msg element and sugar as well – so it doesn’t taste the same as the one you get in Japan. But I know that it’s possible to find the real thing, I think it’s even available on Amazon 🙂
Fingers get very messy from the butter. But it’s still very good.
With the exception of the use of shokupan, this is exactly the recipe that my daughter and I developed a few weeks ago. We started using Kewpie Mayo about a year ago. Here in Hawaii, it’s readily available at Walmart. Anyway, we love these sandwiches. Next time I am at Don Quijote, Marukai, or at Ala Moana where they have two Brug Hokkaido bakeries, I’ll grab some shokupan to see if we can make it even better!
I’m so envious of you Frank! I love Don Quixote in Honolulu! ❤️
If you can get shokupan or make it, you will get the authentic taste. But a word to the wise. This surprised me the most! I went to my local grocery store and was glad to see that they were selling Kewpie mayonnaise. When I made my egg sando, there was something missing in the taste. Lo and behold, the Kewpie mayonnaise was made in USA not Japan! Tasting the mayo on it’s own, there was the culprit to may odd taste. Just an FYI, when you buy Kewpie mayo, make sure it’s made in Japan or follow Pickled Plum’s recipe.
Good point Margaret! I think American Kewpie mayo doesn’t contain any msg and that’s why it tastes so different. Thanks for sharing your tip, I will also make sure to double check where it’s from next time I buy it! 🙂
After you guys mentioned that the American Kewpie is different than the Japanese Kewpie, I took a look at what I had. Interestingly, the Kewpie I bought at Costco (little bottles shaped like the traditional Kewpie bottles but much firmer plastic) says that it’s made in America but the Kewpie I bought at Walmart (larger bottle made of thinner, floppier plastic) says “Product of Japan”. So, look around, different places might have different Kewpies!
I love to cook
But i really need to eat more healthy foods.
And i always have been drawn to Asian way of cooking or any meal cooked full of flavor and more vegetables.