This Japanese egg salad sandwich, or tamago sando, is the perfect grab-and-go meal with an extra creamy filling and soft pillowy slices of bread - it'll make you wonder if you've just taken a bite of heaven! Plus I'm spilling all the secrets to getting SUPER easy-peel eggs in seconds!
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What is Tamago Sando?
In Japanese, "tamago" translates to eggs, and "sando" means sandwich.
This Japanese egg sandwich is made of hard-boiled eggs mixed together with creamy Kewpie mayo between two pillowy soft slices of bread. These Japanese egg salad sandwiches are super popular in Japan and sold at convenience stores and grocery stores.
They're cheap to buy or make and the perfect quick meal when you're on the go! Even the great Anthony Bourdain was known to love Lawson's egg salad sandwich, describing it in a Tweet as "inexplicable deliciousness".
What's in a Japanese Egg Salad Sandwich
To make this deliciously creamy sandwich, you only need a few ingredients! Since there are only a handful of ingredients though, I highly recommend being selective for the best sandwich.
It goes well with a refreshing Korean Cucumber Salad, crispy Seaweed Chips, or Furikake Kale Chips!
The Ultimate Bread: Shokupan
This egg salad sandwich is notorious for having super soft pillowy bread which is typically Japanese milk bread, of shokupan.
The texture of the shokupan bread accents the super-rich egg filling!
You can find shokupan or milk bread in local Asian markets, but if you have trouble, you can use the softest, fluffiest white bread you can find.
Eggs
For this recipe, I'm using large brown eggs, so the cooking time may vary slightly if your eggs are a different size. Ideally, the fresher the eggs the better since that is the star ingredient for egg salad sandwiches.
Some recipes recommend using slightly older eggs for easy peeling, however, with the few tips I'll share, the shells come right off with fresh eggs too!
What is Kewpie Mayo?
Kewpie mayo is an absolute must for this recipe! Can you make it with American mayo? Yes, but it will not taste the same.
Kewpie is a Japanese mayonnaise made with only egg yolks with a bit of rice vinegar. This makes for a much richer, creamier, and slightly tangy mayonnaise, compared to American mayo which is made of whole eggs. You can easily find it at local Asian or Japanese markets and have been growing in popularity.
Trust me, you don't want to skip this ingredient! Once I tried Kewpie mayonnaise, I rarely use my American mayo now and add Kewpie mayo to anything I want extra creamy, like a Fresh Spicy Tuna Poke Bowl, Bulgogi Nachos, Crab Rangoon Dip, or hot gooey Corn Cheese!
How to Make It
Step 1: Boil & Peel the Eggs: Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil then add vinegar and salt to make the eggs much easier to peel. Carefully add the eggs and boil for 10 minutes, then transfer the eggs into an ice water bath to cool for 10 minutes.
The cold water stops the cooking process and is another way to help make the eggs easier to peel because the eggs retract from their shells while cooling down.
The combination of boiling the eggs in salted vinegar water and allowing them to cool in an ice bath makes the shells easily come off the eggs!
For extra help, you could even use a teaspoon to slide along the side of the egg to remove the shell.
Step 2: Make the Filling: Separate the egg whites from the yolks, then mix together the yolks, kewpie mayo, and cream until smooth. Quickly chop the egg whites then toss them together with the yolk mixture.
Step 3: Assemble the Tamago Sando: Lightly butter one side of each slice of bread. Add the egg filling on top of a buttered slice, then top with the other buttered slice of bread. Slice in half with a bread knife and enjoy!
Tips for the BEST Egg Salad Sandwich
- Create the Creamy Filling First: To create that extra creamy texture, first mix together the egg yolks, milk, and mayo before adding the egg whites. This extra step is what creates that signature smooth and creamy filling.
- Cool Filling for Easier Cutting: If you have the extra time, allow the egg mixture to chill in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up before adding the filling to the bread. This will make it much easier to manage when cutting.
- Prevent the Filling From Drying Out: To ensure the sandwich doesn’t dry out, spread a thin layer of butter on the sides of the bread between the egg salad. This acts as a protective layer to prevent the moisture from soaking into the bread, instead of staying in the filling. It also helps ensure the bread doesn’t become soggy.
FAQ's
Tamago sando is a rich and creamy egg salad sandwich that's accented with two incredibly soft slices of milk bread that hold everything together. It's a simple meal perfect when you're on the go!
Japanese egg sandwiches have fewer ingredients and are slightly creamier. Unlike American sandwiches with various mix-ins, spices, or vegetables (like lettuce, tomato, etc.), tamago sandos stick only to the core ingredients to create a pure egg salad sandwich.
Japanese milk bread, or shokupan, is typically used for Japanese egg sandwiches. It's notorious for its pillowy soft texture that compliments the richness of the egg filling.
You can find shokupan at local Asian or Japanese markets, however, if you have any trouble, you can swap it out for the softest fluffiest white bread you can find.
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Japanese Egg Salad Sandwich (Tamago Sando)
Ingredients
To Boil the Eggs:
- 6 eggs
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Sandwich:
- 3 tablespoons Japanese mayo
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pinch black pepper
- 4 slices Shokupan milk bread*
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
Instructions
- Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a rolling boil (there should be enough water to fully submerge eggs), then, add in the vinegar and salt (The vinegar and salt will help make it easier to peel the eggs). Gently add in eggs and boil for 10 minutes
- Transfer the eggs to an ice-water bath to cool completely for 10 minutes - this helps the eggs retract from the shell to make it even easier to peel. You can even run a teaspoon along the side of the egg to help remove the shell.
- Once the eggs are peeled, separate egg whites from the yolks. Combine the yolks, Japanese mayo, and cream until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, roughly chop the egg whites then fold them into the yolk mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Optional, cut the crust off from bread.
- Spread softened butter onto the bread, one side per slice. Add egg mixture on top of the buttered side of bread, then gently press the two pieces of bread together. Use a bread knife to cut in half, then enjoy!
Notes
- Japanese Mayo: I HIGHLY recommend using Japanese mayo - Kewpie is the most common brand that can be found at local Asian or Japanese markets. It has become increasingly popular, sometimes it's available in the Asian aisle of grocery stores. Swapping it for American mayo will alter the flavor of the sandwich.
- Bread: Shokupan, or Japanese milk bread, is a super fluffy and soft bread that's typically used for Japanese egg sandwiches. It can be found a local Asian or Japanese markets. If you can't find it though, you can substitute it with white sliced bread.
- Unsalted Butter: I don't recommend skipping this! Aside from the reason that butter making everything better, it also creates a barrier between the bread and egg filling so the bread doesn't become soggy over time.
- Key Tips:
- Create the Creamy Filling First: To create that extra creamy texture, first mix together the egg yolks, milk, and mayo before adding the egg whites. This extra step is what creates that signature smooth and creamy filling.
- Cool Filling for Easier Cutting: If you have the extra time, allow the egg mixture to chill in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up before adding the filling to the bread. This will make it much easier to manage when cutting.
- Prevent the Filling From Drying Out: To ensure the sandwich doesn’t dry out, spread a thin layer of butter on the sides of the bread between the egg salad. This acts as a protective layer to prevent the moisture from soaking into the bread, instead of staying in the filling. It also helps ensure the bread doesn’t become soggy.
Nutrition
Exact calculations may vary. For the most accurate nutritional information, use your preferred nutrition calculator, actual ingredients, and quantities used for the recipe. Please consult with your physician or registered dietitian if more precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
HEY, I'M MIKHA!
...A fellow food lover who believes anyone can whip up a delicious meal - no matter your skill level! These quick & easy Asian recipes will help you transform simple ingredients into a drool-worthy meal for you & the people you love most - without spending all day in the kitchen.
Now come on - Grab a seat & let's eat!
HW
Great recipe but instead of a 1/2 tsp of salt, it should say "salt to taste". That was too much salt and I almost can't eat it.
mikhaeats
Thanks for trying my recipe & your feedback!
Mary
Hello, May you please specify what kind of cream do you use to make it. Looking forward to your response. Thank you!
mikhaeats
Hi Mary! I used heavy cream & just updated the recipe to reflect that. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Natasha
This is now my go-to egg salad recipe! I had a bunch of kewpie mayo left over from another recipe and I’ve been wanting to try tamago sando for awhile - I added a diced shallot for a bit of crunch and it came out perfect. Thanks v much 🙂
Mikha S.
oh yay! Thanks for sharing, Natasha. So glad you enjoyed it 🙂