Let’s make Korean salad bread (salad ppang 샐러드빵), a favorite food of Koreans, in just 5 minutes – no cooking required! All you need are rolls and cabbage to whip up this super easy recipe. For extra crunch and a healthier, tastier twist, add carrots and cucumbers. But even with just cabbage, you’ll still have a delicious Korean-style cabbage salad sandwich!
What is Korean Salad Bread?
Koreans call this Salad Ppang (샐러드빵)—where ppang means bread in Korean. This sandwich features a soft, fluffy bun filled with a crunchy cabbage salad. It’s a nostalgic snack that every Korean has enjoyed since childhood. For my parents’ generation, it was a classic treat sold at local bakeries near schools.
You don’t need fancy sauces—just two simple ingredients: mayonnaise and ketchup. Even with just cabbage, you can make a delicious and healthy salad bread. For extra crunch and flavor, Koreans often add cucumber and carrot.
This sandwich is great as a snack or picnic lunch, but it’s also a quick and easy breakfast or light meal. It has also been a popular Korean street food for decades!
If you’re curious about real Korean street food that locals actually eat—not just tourist spots—check out my blog below. This list features hidden gems that many foreigners don’t know about. Share it with a friend traveling to Korea soon. They’ll love it!
Why is Korean Salad Bread So Popular?
- Quick, Nutritious, and Filling: Korean Salad Bread is an easy-to-make meal packed with protein, vitamins, and nutrients—perfect for a quick bite!
- Affordable & Accessible: In Korea, you can buy this sandwich for just 3,000–4,000 KRW($ 2~2.7), making it a budget-friendly option for everyone.
- Crispy Veggies + Ketchup & Mayo = A Flavor Everyone Loves: The combination of crunchy vegetables, creamy mayonnaise, and a hint of ketchup creates a balanced flavor that people of all ages enjoy.
Popular Korean Sandwiches
Korea has a wide variety of sandwiches, quite different from those in Europe, in Belgium, where I live. One key difference? Korean bread is usually soft. That’s why Koreans often use rolls or milk bread for sandwiches. The fillings range from classic potato salad and egg to bulgogi and beyond. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular Korean sandwiches.
1. Egg Drop Sandwich
This is one of the most famous Korean-style sandwiches, and now it’s popping up all over Europe! It’s made with thick, buttery brioche-style bread that’s toasted with butter and sliced open to reveal a generous filling of eggs, cheese, bacon, avocado and more. With its rich flavors and balanced nutrients, this sandwich makes a perfect meal on its own.
2. Korean Street Toast (Gilgeori Toast)
This sweet and savory toast is a classic Korean street food. It uses two slices of thin, buttery milk bread grilled in margarine until golden. The main filling? Egg-coated cabbage piled high, often with cheese or ham. One thing that surprises foreigners is how sweet this sandwich is! Many of my non-Korean friends have asked, “Why is Korean bread so sweet?” Koreans love sweet bread, and in many street stalls you’ll see a generous sprinkling of sugar on top. Don’t be shocked – it goes great with ketchup!
3. Potato Salad Bread
This is Korean potato salad sandwich. Similar to today’s cabbage salad bread, but instead of cabbage, it’s filled with creamy potato salad. The potato salad is made by mixing mashed potatoes, boiled eggs, and mayonnaise, often with cucumber and carrots for crunch. If you ask Koreans about their most nostalgic childhood sandwich, many will say potato salad bread!
Differences Between Korean Salad Bread & European Sandwiches
There are many differences between Korean salad bread and European sandwiches. Korean sandwiches are soft and slightly sweet, while European sandwiches typically feature crunchy bread, fresh vegetables, and little to no sweetness. Let’s break down the differences by bread, filling, and sauce.
Bread
- Korean Salad Bread: Soft and slightly sweet milk bread, brioche, or dinner rolls.
- European Sandwiches: Uses crispy, chewy bread like baguette, ciabatta, or sourdough to enhance texture.
Fillings
- Korean Salad Bread: Typically filled with potato salad or cabbage salad or egg salad, with additional ingredients such as cucumber, carrot, ham, or cheese.
- European Sandwiches: Focuses on fresh ingredients such as lettuce, arugula, tomato, and cucumber, often paired with ham, cheese, smoked salmon, or chicken.
Sauce
- Korean Salad Bread: Mayonnaise-based, often mixed with ketchup or sweet mustard for a mildly sweet flavor.
- European Sandwiches: While mayonnaise is sometimes used, lighter sauces like olive oil, balsamic vinegar, whole grain mustard, or basil pesto are more common.
How is Korean Salad Bread Different from Korean Street Toast (Gilgeori Toast)?
At first glance, Korean Salad Bread and Gilgeori Toast may seem similar since both use cabbage as a key ingredient. However, they have distinct differences.
- No Eggs & No Cooking: Unlike Gilgeori Toast, which contains egg-battered cabbage and is cooked on a griddle, Salad Bread contains no eggs and requires no cooking. Instead, it’s made by mixing raw cabbage with mayonnaise to create a simple, creamy vegetable salad.
- Quick & Easy: Gilgeori Toast is cooked street food, but Salad Bread is a no-fuss sandwich that can be made in 5 minutes—just mix, fill, and eat!
- A Nostalgic Comfort Snack: Korean lettuce bread has been a favorite childhood snack for generations, enjoyed by many since their parents’ days. It’s a true comfort food that brings back memories of classic Korean bakeries.
Is Korean Salad Bread Healthy?
Korean Salad Bread has both nutritional benefits and downsides, depending on how it’s made. Let’s break it down.
Health Benefits
- Rich in Fiber & Vitamins: Cabbage, cucumber, and carrots provide fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants.
- Good Source of Protein: Adding eggs, ham, or cheese boosts protein, making it a more balanced meal.
Potential Health Concerns
- High in Fat: Traditional recipes use mayonnaise, which is high in fat and calories.
- High in Sugar: Ketchup and added sugar can increase the sugar content.
How to Make It Healthier
- Reduce Sugar: Use no sugar or switch to low-sugar ketchup.
- Low Sugar Ketchup: https://amzn.to/4c17wo8 (US), https://amzn.to/4hGQJb9 (NL), https://amzn.to/4iV0PWS (DE)
- Lighten Up the Mayo: Use less mayonnaise or a low-fat alternative.
- Light Mayo: https://amzn.to/4kTSV1E (US), https://amzn.to/4lblPdZ (NL), https://amzn.to/4bUICq1 (DE)
- Choose Healthier Bread: Instead of sweet dinner rolls, opt for whole grain bread, sourdough, or baguette for more fiber and less sugar.
Viral Sandwich Recipe in Korea
Recently, a viral sandwich recipe has been making waves in Korea. The recipe uses Korean corn dogs as a base, combining their crispy batter and sausage with cabbage salad inside. The result? A delicious, crispy Korean-style sandwich!
But if you live abroad, like me, and don’t want to visit an Asian mart just for Korean corn dogs—don’t worry! The original version of this sandwich actually uses dinner rolls, just like the one I’m showing you today.
Best Drinks to Pair with Korean Salad Bread
- Banana Milk: A classic Korean convenience store drink that pairs perfectly with the sandwich. This combo is so sweet and nostalgic, I’d call it a “Sweet Combo.”
- Americano: Koreans can’t live without Americano coffee. The bitterness of Americano balances the sweetness of the sandwich, making it a great light meal.
Get Ingredients Here
1. Vegetable Slicer: You can slice vegetables with a knife, but using a vegetable slicer makes it so much easier and quicker. In Korean cuisine, many dishes like bibimbap, japchae, and kimchi use mandoline-sliced vegetables. It’s definitely a handy tool to have in the kitchen—it really saves time and ensures uniform slices.
2. Dinner Rolls
3. Ketchup
- https://amzn.to/4hIsNUL (US), https://amzn.to/4bUK9wh (NL), https://amzn.to/41Tw1yN (DE)
4. Low Sugar or No Sugar Ketchu
5. Light Mayonnaise
- Light Mayo: https://amzn.to/4kTSV1E (US), https://amzn.to/4lblPdZ (NL), https://amzn.to/4bUICq1 (DE)
5 Minute Korean Salad Bread (Cabbage Salad Ppang)
Equipment
- 1 vegetable slicer (for easy slicing of vegetables)
- 1 Knife & cutting board
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 dinner roll
- 1 handful cabbage
- 3 slices cucumber
- 1/4 carrot
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp sugar (you can reduce)
- 1 tbsp ketchup (to drizzle)
Instructions
- Shred the cabbage and carrot. You can use a knife, but a vegetable slicer makes it much easier.
- Slice the cucumber thinly (about 0.2mm).
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cabbage, carrot, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, and 1 tbsp sugar. Mix well. You can reduce the sugar to your taste, but if you skip it entirely, the sandwich won’t have the classic Korean salad bread flavor.
- Cut the dinner roll in half, like a hot dog bun.
- Add the cabbage salad and cucumber slices inside the roll.
- Drizzle ketchup on top. You can also add sweet mustard sauce for extra flavor, if you like.
Korean Salad Bread 샐러드빵
- 잘 먹겠습니다! Jal meokgetseumnida!
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @blondekimchi_ on Instagram and hashtag it #blondekimchi.