Tamago Sando (Japanese Egg Salad Sandwich)

Tamago sando is a Japanese egg salad sandwich made of sweet milk bread, soft boiled eggs, and tasty Japanese mayo. It’s very quick and easy to make, and you’ll learn how to make this at home in about 20 minutes!

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What is a tamago sando?

Tamago sando is an egg salad sandwich that tastes nicely creamy and sweet.

The egg salad is enhanced with just the right amount of milk and sugar, and is made with eggs cooked to different doneness.

In this way, the richness and creaminess of the egg salad varies in every bite – some bites are soft and runny while others are firmer and slightly harder.

The milk bread is soft and sweet, sopping up the egg salad and leaving no crumbs behind.

This sandwich is light and refreshing, and it’s perfect in the summer!

It makes a great snack for when you’re on the go, and is a great alternative to more traditional sandwiches, like tuna salad. It’s also perfect for a picnic lunch, and makes a great addition to a bento.

Tamago sando is widely known around the world because of its high quality yet affordable pricing at Japanese convenience stores (konbini).

It is also served at many Japanese restaurants and grocery stores, such as Marukai and Mitsuwa. This sandwich usually costs around a couple dollars at most konbinis; however, quality variations can vary from place to place.

If you’d like to make your own version at home, you can find egg salad ingredients at your local supermarket or Asian market and then follow our recipe.

What are the ingredients in a tamago sando?

Tamago sando has two main elements: sweetened egg salad and soft, milky white bread.

The egg salad is typically made with boiled eggs, Japanese mayonnaise, sugar, milk or cream, and herbs such as green onion or dill.

For a contrast in egg texture, there is a soft boiled egg in the center of the sandwich, which releases its runny yolk once you slice the sandwich open.

Kewpie mayo is a special Japanese mayo that can often be found at Asian markets (H Mart, 99 Ranch Market, Mitsuwa, Marukai, Greenland Supermarket, Uwajimaya, etc.), but also it’s sometimes found in larger chains like Walmart.

It’s a key ingredient for tamago sandos, but if Kewpie is not available to you, feel free to use American mayo with this recipe (please note that the results will taste different). It’s still mighty delicious, though!

What to eat with a tamago sando?

Tamago sando is usually eaten on its own as a snack or as a side dish at lunch. It’s perfect if you’re looking for something simple and light. In the meal pictured in this post, we enjoyed tamago sando with grapes and ume (plum) potato chips. Yum!

As for drinks, it tastes amazing paired with iced tea, coffee, or green tea.

How to store a tamago sando?

You can store the egg salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. It keeps well that way.

For an assembled sandwich, you can wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container in the fridge for one or two days. When you’re ready to serve, you can slice the sandwich in half.

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1 splash white vinegar for boiling water
• 3 tbsp kewpie mayo
• ¼ cup green onions chopped
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 splash half & half or cream or milk
• salt & pepper to taste
• 4 slices shokupan (Japanese milk bread)
• margarine or unsalted butter

Recipe

Boil and peel the eggs

1. Fill a pot with water and add a splash of white vinegar. Bring to a rolling boil.
2. Add the eggs into the boiling water. Cook for 6 minutes, then remove 2 eggs and place in an ice bath. Continue to cook the rest of the eggs for an additional 2 minutes (8 min total cooking time.) Remove the eggs from heat and place them in the ice bath. Make sure to take note of which ones are the 2 soft boiled and 4 medium boiled eggs.

3. Once the eggs are cooled down enough to touch, gently crack the shells and place them back in the ice bath for 10 minutes.
4. Peel the eggs.

Make egg salad

1. In a bowl, combine 4 medium boiled eggs, kewpie, green onions, and mustard. Mash with a fork. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Sandwich assembly

1. Spread margarine or butter on both slices of milk bread.

2. Slice the soft boiled egg in half and place face down in the center of the sandwich. Add egg salad and close the sandwich.

3. Cut in half to reveal the gooey egg yolk!

Final Thoughts

Rich and creamy egg salad and sweet milk bread make this a sandwich unlike any you have tried before. Use our recipe to make this delicious snack at home!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July 2019. It has been updated with new photos and content in August 2020 and August 2022.