Japanese Egg Sandwich (Tamago Sando) | Sift & Simmer (2024)

This easy recipe for Japanese Egg Sandwich (Tamago Sando) features a rich and creamy mashed egg salad in between soft and fluffy shokupan milk bread.

What is tamago sando?

In Japanese, tamago refers to "egg" and sando refers to "sandwich."

Similar to an American egg salad sandwich, tamago sando is a simple Japanese egg salad sandwich consisting of a rich mixture of mashed eggs and kewpie mayonnaise in between slices of Japanese milk bread (shokupan).

In Japan, you can find sandwiches like katsu sando, fruit sando and tamago sandoeverywhere, even in convenience stores (konbini) such as 7-Eleven.

What gives it its rich, buttery, creamy taste is egg yolks, combined with the kewpie mayonnaise.

What is kewpie mayonnaise?

Kewpie mayo is a rich, creamy and tangy Japanese mayonnaise made with egg yolks, vegetable oil and apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar, for a little tang.

It's different than regular American mayonnaise, which is made with whole eggs, vegetable oil and white vinegar.

Why you'll love this recipe

Instead of using hard-boiled eggs, the eggs are in between a soft-boiled and hard-boiled texture, which adds additional creaminess.

Quick: You can make this sandwich in less than 15 minutes, perfect for lunches or a snack.

Delicious: The flavors from the sandwich are comforting and

Easy: This homestyle recipe is truly easy to make, with the only cooking being boiling the eggs.

Ingredients you'll need:

• shokupan (milk bread): you can use white bread, or any soft bread; you can find it in Asian bakeries
• large eggs
• kewpie mayonnaise: you can find it in Asian grocery stores or Japanese supermarkets; if you can't find Japanese mayonnaise, you can substitute with regular mayonnaise, but the flavor can be quite different
• Dijon mustard: for a little acidity to balance out the richness from the mayo; optional
• salt & black pepper: to your taste; if you don't like the visual of black pepper, you can use white pepper instead
• green onions/scallions: optional; adds a little contrasting flavor

You can find shokupan or milk bread in Asian bakeries.

How to choose eggs

Eggs are the key ingredient in this recipe.

If possible, choose quality, organic (or free-range) clean eggs, with no cracks in the shell.

Don't buy eggs with cracks or breakage in the shells it can be a risk for salmonella.

For this recipe, slightly older eggs are better as they will peel easier than fresh eggs.

How to make Japanese egg sandwich

Add eggs into a small saucepan or pot and cover with water.

Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to minimum and cook for 7 minutes.

Drain the eggs and immediately rinse with cold water (to stop the cooking).

Gently tap all over the surface of the egg and peel off the egg shell. (Tip: I find it easier to do this under running cold water, or in an ice bath).

Repeat with the remaining egg.

Add the peeled eggs into a medium bowl.

Use a fork to mash the eggs.

Add kewpie mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper (to your taste), green onions and give it a mix to combine thoroughly.

Spread the egg salad mixture evenly onto a slice of white bread.

Add the second slice of bread on top and gently press down.

Slice in half and serve.

If you prefer, you can trim off the crusts prior to serving.

How to serve

Serve the tamago sando freshly made or store in the fridge.

You can enjoy the egg sandwich warm (freshly made) or chilled.

How to store

You can store already-made Japanese egg sandwiches well-wrapped or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

FAQs

Can I double the recipe?

Absolutely. Double or triple the recipe to make more egg sandos.

Can I make the sandwiches ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the egg sandwiches up to 2 days in advance.

Be sure to store the sandos in the fridge and keep them cool at all times.

Can I use hard-boiled eggs instead?

You can definitely use hard-boiled eggs and add a little more mayonnaise.

Other Japanese recipes you may like

Be sure to check out these recipes:

Easy Japanese Terimayo Hot Dogs (Japadog-Inspired)

Katsu Sando (Pork Cutlet Sandwich)

Matcha Strawberry Fruit Sando

Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!