Japanese Fried Egg Salad Sandwiches

These fried egg salad sandwiches are a popular street food in Tokyo, and now you can make them at home. The shokupan gets fried until golden and crispy, then stuffed with a soft, creamy egg salad that’s just tangy enough from the Kewpie mayo. Simple ingredients, but the fried bread makes all the textural flavor difference. Let’s get into this goodness!

What Makes This One Special

If you’ve been down the Tokyo food rabbit hole on TikTok, you’ve probably seen these everywhere. They’re inspired by Age 3, a small shop in Ginza, Tokyo that’s become famous for its fried stuffed sandwiches. People wait in long lines just to try a taste. The concept is simple: shokupan or fluffy Japanese milk bread fried until deeply golden, then split open and packed with a filling.

Age 3 does both sweet and savory versions:

• The savory options include things like egg salad and katsu.
• The sweet cream version is the one everyone loses it over and is most viral. Picture a simple whipped cream filling inside that same fried, crackly bread, and it’s become something so simple but so good that people wait in line for.
• They also do a crème brûlée version, with that same torched, caramelized sugar top you’d find on the classic dessert.

If you’re craving the sweet side, I already have a recipe for that here. This recipe is my take on the savory side, with a soft, creamy egg salad that plays off the crunch of the bread the same way. The eggs are boiled just until the yolks are set but still soft, so the filling stays rich and almost mousse-like instead of dry. And Kewpie mayo brings a tang you just don’t get from regular mayo. It’s a handful of ingredients, but every one of them is doing something.

How To Make It

Boil the Eggs

Bring a pot of water to a boil, then gently lower each egg in with a spoon. Reduce the heat to medium and let them cook for 8 minutes. That timing is what gives you a yolk that’s fully set but still soft and creamy, not chalky. Once the timer goes off, transfer the eggs straight into a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes to stop the cooking.

🤎 TIP: Don’t skip the ice bath. It makes the eggs so much easier to peel and ensures the yolk doesn’t come out overcooked.

Peel the Eggs

Once the eggs are cooled, tap each one gently on the counter to crack the shell all over, then roll it gently on a cutting board to loosen it. Peel starting from the wider end, and the shell should come away cleanly and easily!

Make the Egg Salad

Slice each peeled egg in half long ways, scoop the yolks into a large/medium bowl, and set the whites aside on your cutting board. Chop the whites into small chunks. To the yolks, add the Kewpie mayo, salt, black pepper, sugar, mustard, and heavy cream or milk, and mash it all together with a fork until smooth and creamy. Then fold in the chopped egg whites until combined but still a little chunky. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble.

Fry the Bread

Heat one to two inches of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it hits 350°F. Fry each slice of shokupan for one to two minutes per side, until deep golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a wire rack set over a tray to drain.

🤎 TIP: Keep an eye on your oil temp. If it’s too hot, the outside will brown before the bread is fully crisp. If it’s too cool, the bread will become a towel for oil and soak too much so becareful.

Assemble the Sandwiches

Once the fried bread is cool enough to handle, cut each slice in half and use a paring knife or any small sharp knife to open a pocket inside each piece. Spoon the egg salad generously into each pocket, then top with a sprinkle of sliced green onions before serving. I also like to add more fresh cracked black pepper and a tiny pinch of flakey sea salt but add salt after tasting.

Where To Buy Shokupan

I picked mine up at Ginza Nishikawa in Orange County (could not recommend more if you’re in the area, but if you don’t have that nearby, here are a few other places to check:

• Japanese or Asian grocery stores — most carry shokupan in the bakery section, either pre-sliced or in a whole loaf.
• Local Japanese bakeries — a lot of them bake it fresh in-house.
• Weee! — the Asian grocery delivery service, which carries shokupan and ships it right to your door if you don’t have a store nearby.

Tips & Variations

• Boil your eggs a day ahead so they’re ready to go when you want to make the sandwiches.
• If you like a little heat, add a small pinch of togarashi, sriracha, or chili oil to the egg salad.
• Shokupan is best here, but any soft white sandwich bread will fry up nicely.
• Serve right away for the best contrast between the crispy bread and creamy filling.

Make Ahead & Storing

The egg salad can be made up to a day in advance and kept covered in the fridge. Just give it a stir before using. The bread is best fried fresh right before serving, since it loses its crispness as it sits. If you have leftover fried bread, store it in an airtight container at room temperature and re-crisp it in a dry skillet or air fryer for a minute or two per side before assembling.

Craving more eggs? Try these recipes out!

• Folded Spiral Eggs — silky scrambled eggs folded into a rose-like spiral, finished with chives and cracked black pepper.
• Egg Patties — soft, custardy baked egg squares that slice up perfectly for meal-prepped breakfast sandwiches.
• Dippy Eggs and Soldiers — a classic British breakfast of soft-boiled eggs with buttery toast strips made for dipping.
• Eggs en Cocotte — a French baked egg dish with creamy, just-set yolks made right in a ramekin.
• Turkish Inspired Eggs – Cilbir — poached eggs nestled in creamy garlic yogurt and topped with chili oil.

If you make this recipe, make sure to leave a comment below and let me know how it turns out — I love hearing from you! And if you snap a photo, don’t forget to tag me over on Instagram or TikTok so I can see your creations too. 

You can also find this recipe and so many more on my Pinterest — perfect for saving to your board for later. And if you’re more of a visual learner, check out my YouTube channel, where I walk you through recipes step-by-step just like this one.