Kimchi, Egg and Cheese Sandwich

By Ali Slagle

Published January 22, 2025

  • Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
15 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(713)
Comments
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For heat, crunch and a jolt of brightness, add kimchi to your breakfast sandwich. Most classic egg sandwiches, like sausage or bacon, lack the necessary acidity to balance out the richness of the other ingredients, which is why we often slather on ketchup — it’s sweet, but also tart. By replacing the meat with kimchi, the flavors in the sandwich are awakened. If your fridge isn’t always stocked with kimchi, you can also use another pickled vegetable, like sauerkraut or chopped pickled peppers or dill pickles.

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Ingredients

Yield:1 sandwich

  • 1 large egg

  • ½ teaspoon soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for toasting

  • 1 brioche or potato bun, or 2 slices milk bread, brioche or white sandwich bread

  • 2 tablespoons chopped kimchi

  • 1 slice Cheddar

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

31 grams carbs; 41 milligrams cholesterol; 224 calories; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 7 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 378 milligrams sodium; 9 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small bowl, beat together the egg and soy sauce with a fork until combined. Set by the stove.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium (10-inch) nonstick skillet, melt a little butter over medium. Add the cut sides of the bun and toast until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate, cut-sides up. (If using bread slices, toast just one side of the slices and transfer to a plate toasted-sides down.)

  3. Step 3

    To the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter and the kimchi over medium. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid has evaporated and the red color has darkened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the egg and swirl the skillet so the egg coats the bottom of the skillet. Add the cheese on the top, tearing into smaller pieces for even coverage. Cook, undisturbed, until the top of the egg is matte, less than 1 minute. Remove from heat, fold the egg in half and then in half again. Transfer to the bottom bun, then add the top bun. Let sit for about 30 seconds to allow the cheese to melt before digging in.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
713 user ratings
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Comments

Steven

This is a worthy replacement for bacon/sausage/ham in a classic “egg and cheese” sandwich. I suggest: use kimchi that you have had for a while, sauté it well done- aim for a bit of char. Also, use american cheese rather than cheddar- the melty creaminess balances well with the salty-umami flavor of the kimchi.

T

I'm definitely not a health nut, but between the sodium in kimchi, cheese, and bread, adding soy sauce to the egg seemed like overkill. I omitted it and don't think I missed anything. I will be making this for my WFH lunches as often as possible. I love cheddar cheese, and I'm sure it's good here, but we keep American cheese stocked in our fridge and I do think that is superior for this recipe as someone else recommended.

Adrienne

This was easy and delicious

Julia

Made on spelt sourdough and added coriander and spring onion for freshness - very good but spelt/coriander quite strong flavours so would like to try recipe as is recommended with white bread in future. Had a danish with kimchi and Brie once in Sweden so wouldn’t mind trying this with Brie on a toasted croissant too. Not sure what’s going on with the nutritional analysis though - definitely not 225 calories unless they’re assuming half a sandwich?

Sam

This was a bit bland for us, and it felt like the bread to filling ratio was too high. we modified it by making this an open sandwich, without the soy sauce, and by keeping the kimchi raw when folding at the last minute. Served on mayo, arugula, and sprinkled with gochugaru..

EA

So, so yummy. I served it to a group of high school students on a camping trip and it was unexpectedly a huge hit.

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