An easy breakfast sandwich to make at home: Korean Street Toast! Also known as Gilgeori Toast, it’s a popular Korean street food that’s delicious, filling, healthy and packed full of veggies. A 10-minute recipe full of flavor and so much fun to eat!
Table of contents
What is Korean Street Toast?
Korean Street Toast is a unique breakfast sandwich and popular Korean street food. Thick slices of buttered toast contain a veggie-packed omelet, smoky ham, melty cheese and generous drizzles of mayo and ketchup. A sprinkle of sugar gives it that special tang. The combination of sweet and savory flavor makes it so special. And delicious!
Basically, Korean Street Toast is an egg sandwich. However, the eggy filling is loaded with vegetables. The shredded green cabbage and carrot keeps it fresh and light. And filling!
In South Korea, Gilgeori Toast is sold by street vendors. School children and business people alike will line up to buy a sandwich from a street cart. There’s even a Korean bakery chain (Isaac Toast) with over 800 locations devoted to these classic Korean breakfast sandwiches.
Korean Street Toast makes a great breakfast. But it also makes a fantastic snack or anytime light meal. In Korean cuisine, it belongs to the category of easy snack foods (like Spam Gimbap or Gireum Tteokbokki) that’s sold on a street cart of convenience shop.
Love Korean food? Make sure to check out Korean Food for Beginners.
*Thanks to Conestoga Farms for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.*
Ingredients:
- Eggs. Fresh, local, organic eggs taste best. For this recipe, I used Free Run Omega-3 eggs from Conestoga Farms, a local farm here in Ontario.
- Cabbage + Carrot. A mix of finely shredded green cabbage and carrots keeps the sandwich fresh and crunchy. Use pre-shredded to make it even faster and easier.
- Green onion. For color and subtle onion flavor.
- Ham + Cheese. Smoky, thin-sliced ham and sharp cheddar cheese add so much flavor.
- Unsalted Butter. Toasting the bread with butter is essential!
- White Bread. Thick and fluffy Japanese-style Milk Bread is ideal. But any kind of thick, sandwich-style bread will work. Brioche, Texas Toast, or any kind of Multi-grain, whole wheat, are all good options, too.
- White Sugar. Adds a very necessary Korean flavor! More tangy than sweet, the sugar is sprinkled directly on top of the eggy filling.
- Mayonnaise. Kewpie Mayo is a sweet Japanese mayo that adds richness and flavour.
- Ketchup or Sriracha. A traditional ingredient is ketchup. But I like sriracha for that little bit of extra heat and modern twist of spice. Ketchup adds more of a sweet tang. Sriracha adds smoky heat!
How to make Gilgeori Toast:
- Toast bread. Head a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp of unsalted butter. In the melted butter, toast bread on both sides until golden brown. Set the toasted bread aside to cool.
- Prep egg mixture. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg with a pinch of salt and few cranks of black pepper. Add finely shredded cabbage, carrots, and green onion. Mix well. The egg should completely coat the veggies.
- Cook. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Pour egg mixture into the pan. Press into a square shape with the edge of a spatula, about the same size as the toast. Flip and cook on the other side.
- Add sugar. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle sugar directly on top of the egg mixture.
- Add ham and cheese. Add ham and slice of cheese on top. If you prefer, briefly heat the ham on the skillet (to warm it as the cold ham can be jarring) before transferring to the vegetable mixture.
- Add Mayo and Ketchup and/or Sriracha. Be generous! Add thick drizzles!
- Assemble sandwich. Transfer to buttered toast, adding more cabbage on top for freshness. Top with the remaining slice of bread. Cut in half and enjoy!
PRO Tips:
- Make sure the egg mixture is fully cooked. Cook the egg mixture longer than you think, about 3-4 minutes per side over medium to medium-low heat. Look for the egg mixture to be fully cooked all the way to the middle, not just on the edges. Otherwise, it will be raw in the middle.
- Add lots of veggies. My recipe uses a ratio of 1 large egg for 1.5 cup veggies. That’s for 1 serving. But adjust the egg-to-vegetable ratio to your liking. The egg should barely hold all the vegetables together.
- For 2+ servings, use a grill pan. This recipe is easy to multiply. If cooking multiples, I recommend using a large, rectangular grill pan for faster cooking.
Watch how to make it:
Helpful Kitchen Tools:
- Large Skillet. A large-sized skillet (at least 11″) makes it easier to cook everything in one pan. Stainless steel, carbon steel, or non-stick skillets (like cast iron or teflon-coated skillets) all work great.
- Large Spatula. Makes shaping and flipping the egg filling easier. The larger, the better. I recommend the Oxo fish spatula (affiliate), which is an essential cooking tool in my kitchen.
- Cooling Rack. Transfer toasted bread slices to a cooling rack. Prevents bread from becoming too soggy. Or, make a tent out of the bread by leaning two pieces against each other so the steam can escape.
- Vegetable Shredder/Julienner. Not necessary but helpful to quickly and finely shred cabbage and carrots. I recommend the Oxo Julienne Peeler (affiliate) to make quick work of hard vegetables such as carrots.
Variations:
- Make it vegan. Leave out the ham and cheese. Swap out the egg with egg substitute and Kewpie mayo with vegan mayo. A complete plant-based meal.
- Make it sweeter. For a sweeter variation, add drizzles of sweetened condensed milk (from a can) instead of the mayonnaise.
FAQ
Can I make this without the sugar?
The sugar adds a special tangy sweetness that makes Korean Street Toast unique. However, if you’d prefer, you can leave out the sugar.
Can I make Gilgeori Toast with regular bread?
Thick slices of milk bread are ideal, but any kind of sandwich bread tastes good. I prefer Japanese milk bread, which I buy from a local Asian bakery. Or Korean thickly sliced multi-grain bread, which can be found in the bakery section at the Korean grocery store. But Texas toast and even regular white or multi-grain bread work as well.
More easy recipes
- Korean Egg Drop Sandwich
- Air Fryer Hong Kong French Toast
- Cinnamon French Toast
- Crispy Fried Fish Sandwich
Korean Street Toast (Gilgeori Toast) Recipe
An easy breakfast sandwich to make at home: Korean Street Toast! Also known as Gilgeori Toast, it's a popular Korean street food that's delicious, filling, healthy and packed full of veggies. A 10-minute recipe full of flavor and so much fun to eat!
Equipment
- Skillet (cast iron, non-stick, stainless steel, carbon steel)
- Large metal spatula
- Large Bowl
- Mandoline or Cabbage shredder *optional but makes shredding the cabbage easier
Ingredients
Toasted Bread:
- 2 thick slices milk bread (Japanese Milk Bread preferred but Texas style toast also works, as well as regular white or multi-grain sandwich bread)
- 1-2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Eggy Filling:
- 1 large egg preferably organic
- salt + pepper
- 1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced (preferably Korean cabbage but green cabbage or savoy also works)
- 1/2 cup carrot, grated or julienned
- 1 green onion, chopped
Additional Toppings:
- 1-2 tsp sugar (to taste)
- 1-2 slices ham
- 1 slice cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup cabbage, shredded (optional)
- drizzle mayonnaise (I use Kewpie mayo)
- drizzle Sriracha (optional; ketchup is a good non-spicy substitute)
Instructions
- Make egg mixture. In a large bowl, add egg, salt, and pepper. Whisk well with a fork. Add shredded cabbage, julienned carrot, and chopped green onion. Mix well until the egg coats all the veggies.
- Toast bread. Heat skillet to medium heat. Melt 1 Tbsp butter and toast bread on one side. If needed, add 1 more Tbsp of butter and flip, toasting bread on other side. Set aside on a wire rack to cool slightly or tent bread against each other so the steam can escape.
- Cook egg mixture. In the same skillet, carefully add eggy mixture in a square-ish mound about the same size as the bread. Using a metal spatula, shape the eggy filling into a square. Cook until the eggy edges look firm and the veggies have wilted a bit, about 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook until the mixture is completely cooked through, another 3-4 minutes. Lower heat to medium low, if the egg is burning or cooking too quickly.
- Add sugar. Turn off the heat. Add 1-2 tsp sugar (to taste) directly over the cooked egg mixture.
- Add ham and cheese. Add ham and cheese on top fo the cooked egg mixture. If you prefer, briefly heat the ham on the skillet before transferring to the vegetable mixture.
- Add mayo and ketchup or sriracha. Be generous!
- Assemble. Make the sandwich, starting with one slice of buttered toasted bread then the egg mixture topped with ham and cheese. Add more cabbage on top, if desired, for added crunch and freshness. Top with remaining slice of bread. Cut in half and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Tips:
-
- Make sure the egg mixture is fully cooked. Cook the egg mixture longer than you think — about 3-4 minutes per side over medium to medium-low heat. Look for the egg mixture to be fully cooked all the way to the middle, not just on the edges. Otherwise, it will be raw in the middle.
-
- Add lots of veggies. My recipe uses a ratio of 1 large egg for 1.5 cup veggies. That’s for 1 serving. But adjust the egg-to-vegetable ratio to your liking. The egg should barely hold all the vegetables together.
-
- For 2+ servings, use a Grill Pan. This recipe easily duplicates. If cooking multiples, I recommend using a large, rectangular grill pan for faster cooking.
- Make it vegan. Leave out the ham and cheese. Swap out the egg with egg substitute and Kewpie mayo with vegan mayo. A complete plant-based meal.
- Make it sweeter. For a sweeter variation, add drizzles of sweetened condensed milk (from a can) instead of the mayonnaise.
Nutrition
Calories: 512kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 23gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 250mgSodium: 816mgPotassium: 611mgFiber: 5gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 11688IUVitamin C: 38mgCalcium: 324mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Although I was born and raised in Korea, but I never had this toast until just a few years go. It was an unusual taste sensation for me. My daughter loved it, though. You made it beautifully. Love all the fillings you put in.