Japanese fruit sandwiches, also known as fruit sando, can be found in bakeries all over Japan but they can also be easily made at home. The unique sandwiches are made with pillowy bread, filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit.
I love Japanese-style sandwiches, like their egg salad sandwich and fruit sandwiches. It may be a while before I can visit Japan again, but luckily I can recreate the colorful unique fruit sandwiches at home.
What is a Japanese Fruit Sandwich?
Japanese fruit sandwiches (fruit sando) are sweet sandwiches made with Japanese milk bread (shokupan), whipped cream and fresh seasonal fruit. They can be found at bakeries or convenience stores in Japan. Some of the fruits the sandwiches are typically made with include strawberries, kiwi, mango, oranges and grapes.
Bread for Japanese Fruit Sandwiches
Japanese fruit sandwiches are typically made with shokupan, which is a Japanese-style milk bread. The bread is known for its pillowy soft texture.
You can make your own milk bread, buy it from Japanese grocery stores or bakeries, or you can also substitute for regular white bread.
The crusts are always cut off the sandwiches, so that you only have soft and fluffy bread.
Fruit for Japanese Fruit Sando
You will want to stick to seasonal fresh fruit, so that the fruit is sweet.
You also want to use fruit that is soft and easy to bite into and isn’t too watery as that will make the bread soggy.
Strawberries are a popular fruit to use in these sandwiches and you’ll often find ones with only strawberries as the fruit filling.
Another popular variation is to use three different colored fruits, typically red, green and orange.
red: strawberries or large red grapes
green: kiwi, honeydew, large green grapes
orange: oranges, mangoes, cantaloupe
How to Assemble Japanese Fruit Sandwiches
The sandwiches are easy to make, but they do need to be made ahead of time and you need to arrange the fruit a certain way so that when they are cut in half, they showcase the fruit in the best way.
- When making the sandwiches, you want to first spread a layer of whipped cream on one slice of bread. Then arrange your fruit. The sandwiches will be sliced down the middle diagonally, so you want to place three fruit strategically where you will be making your cut. More fruit should be added to the sides to fill the sandwich. In the photo below, the top sandwich is how I arranged the fruit when using 3 different fruit. The bottom sandwich is how I arrange a sandwich with only strawberries.
- Then, add more cream to fill in the gaps between the fruit and to cover the top of the fruit. Place a slice of bread on top.
- Wrap the sandwich in plastic wrap. This will help compact your sandwich. Use a marker to draw a line on the plastic wrap indicating where you should slice.
- The sandwiches need to be chilled for at least 2 hours before cutting. The chilling time will allow the whipped cream to firm up and the sandwiches to condense slightly. Because the weight of the sandwich will flatten the bottom bread, I recommend flipping the sandwiches after one hour so that the top slice will be at the bottom and get weighted down, evening out both the top and bottom slices of bread.
Japanese Fruit Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 6 slices shokupan (milk bread) or regular white bread
- 16 oz (2 cups) heavy cream
- 2-3 tbsp sugar
- 6 small strawberries stems removed
- 1 navel orange peeled
- 2 kiwi peeled
Instructions
- Slice orange and kiwi to be about the same thickness as the strawberries.
- Add heavy cream and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Using a spatula, spread a thin layer of whipped cream across one slice of bread.
- Assemble fruit on the bread slice. Start with placing three fruit pieces in the center of the bread, aligned with where you will be cutting when slicing the sandwiches in half. Then add more pieces to the rest of the bread to fill the bread slice evenly with fruit. See photo in post for reference.
- Add whipped cream to cover any gaps between the fruit and a thin layer to cover the tops of the fruit. Place a second slice of bread on top to create a sandwich. Repeat to make the rest of your sandwiches.
- Wrap finished sandwiches in plastic wrap. Use a marker to draw a line on top of the plastic wrap marking the direction you will be slicing.
- Refrigerate the sandwiches for at least 2 hours or overnight. After 1 hour, flip the sandwiches over. This will help make sure that both the top and bottom slices of the bread will be the same since the weight of the sandwiches will slightly flatten the bottom slice of bread.
- Remove sandwiches from fridge when ready to serve. Using a sharp bread knife, first slice of the crusts, then slice the sandwiches in half. Serve right away.
Notes
- Depending on how large your bread slices are, you may need additional fruit.
- For the bread, you can make your own milk bread, buy it from Japanese bakeries or supermarkets or substitute with regular white bread.
- The strawberries are placed into the sandwiches whole, so you want to choose smaller strawberries for the center. You can slice up larger strawberries to fill the sides of the sandwich, like I did in the photo in post.
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
