This Japanese Fruit Sandwich is a sweet and fruit-filled sando. It features homemade honey whipped cream and ripe fruit nestled between fluffy shokupan (Japanese white bread). All you need is 15 minutes and 4 ingredients to make this sweet treat!
Fruit sandwiches are one of our go-to summer snacks and sweet breakfasts. We love to try them with different seasonal fruits, like sweet strawberries, grapes, kiwi, oranges, and more. They are surprisingly light and will satisfy your sweet tooth!
Whip up this vibrant fruit sando and enjoy it with a Matcha Lemonade or Iced Vanilla Matcha Latte for an invigorating boost!
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About These Japanese Fruit Sandwiches
- Taste - This fruit sando is a blend of sweet fruit, rich whipped cream, and lightly sweet Japanese white bread. It's reminiscent of a strawberry shortcake.
- Texture - The whipped creamy is thick and creamy, the fruit is ripe but not juicy, and the bread is airy yet firm.
- Effort - This recipe is super easy. All you need to do is cut the fruit, make the easy whipped cream, then put the sandwiches together.
- Time - It takes just 15 minutes to make the homemade whipped cream and assemble the sandwiches.
Ingredients
- Fruit - We love strawberries, kiwi, and mandarins because they are delicious Spring and Summer fruits (when we usually make these sandwiches). We prefer mandarins over oranges because they are smaller and easier to fit into the sandwiches and they are also easier to peel.
- Homemade whipped cream - Our homemade whipped cream is thick, creamy, and tastes much better than anything store-bought.
- Shokupan - Shokupan is Japanese milk bread. It is fluffy white bread that compliments the fruit and whipped cream perfectly.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
- Store-bought whipped cream - You can use store-bought whipped cream instead of homemade if you want to save time. Just note that store-bought whipped cream may not have the same thick texture of our homemade whipped cream (which helps to keep the sando together).
- Strawberry Shortcake With Homemade Cream - If you want something similar to these sandwiches, but prefer savory biscuits over bread, checkout our Strawberry Shortcake.
- Bread - While we love this recipe with shokupan, it will also be tasty with regular white bread. Toasting the bread will also add a a nice crunch.
Variations
- Fruit - We love these sandwiches with strawberry, kiwi, and mandarins. But you can also use any other berries, sliced banana, mango, grapes and most other fruit.
- Vanilla - Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste to the whipped cream for a delicious vanilla flavor.
- Matcha - Add sifted matcha powder to the whipped cream for a green tea twist.
Instructions
- Prepare fruit - Wash and thoroughly dry fruit. Remove the peels and stems.Fruit of choice
- Make whipped cream - Place a glass or metal mixing bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes. Then place the heavy whipping cream and sugar in the bowl and whisk by hand or using an electric mixer until the cream forms stiff peaks.
- Make sandwiches - Place a dollop of whipped cream on each of the bread slices.
- Assemble sandwich - Spread the whipped cream to make a layer about a ½-inch thick on each slice. Then layer the fruit so it creates a design when cut on a diagonal. For instance, to reveal the center of a strawberry or kiwi, place a whole strawberry and/or whole kiwi on the cut line/cross section where you will cut the sandwich in half. Finally, place the top slices on top of the fruit, gently press down on the top slice, cut off the crust, and slice in half to reveal the fruit pattern.
Pro tip - Use fresh fruit but make sure it isn't too ripe or it will be too juicy and make the sandwiches soggy.
Storage
Fruit sandos are best enjoyed fresh. If possible, store leftover whipped cream, fruit, and bread in separate air-tight containers for up to 2 days, then assemble it when you are ready to eat. This way the bread won't get soggy.
Top Tips
- Cut the fruit and make the whipped cream ahead of time for quick assembly when you want to enjoy them.
- Don't spread the whipped cream too close to the perimeter of the bread or it will be hard cut off the crust.
- If you want to reveal the middle of your fruit, be sure to place your fruit carefully and follow your cut line when you cut your sandwich in half.
- Keep the crust on if you like it!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, sando is short for sandoitchi, the Japanese word for sandwich.
It is pronounced sahndo.
The origin of the fruit sando is unclear, but many believe that it started in Kyoto in the 1920s when it appeared on menus at local cafes. The other theory is that it started at fruit shops at Sembikiya in Tokyo.
While we wouldn't consider them healthy because of the whipped cream, it does feature fresh fruit which is rich in vitamins and minerals.
Yes, they can be made the day before you want to enjoy them. After that, the bread will get soggy and the texture won't be as good.
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Fruit Sando (Japanese Fruit Sandwich)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon honey or granulated sugar
- 4 slices shokupan or white bread
- fruit of choice strawberries, oranges, kiwi, grapes
Instructions
- Prepare fruit - Wash and thoroughly dry fruit. Remove the peels and stems.fruit of choice
- Make whipped cream - Place a glass or metal mixing bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes. Place the heavy whipping cream and sugar in the bowl and whisk by hand or using an electric mixer until the cream forms stiff peaks.1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon honey or granulated sugar
- Assemble sandwich - Place a dollop of whipped cream on each slice of bread and spread the whipped cream to make a layer about a ½-inch thick on each slice. Then layer the fruit so it creates a design when cut on a diagonal. For instance, to reveal the center of a strawberry or kiwi, place a whole strawberry and/or whole kiwi on the cut line/cross section where you will cut the sandwich in half. Finally, place the top slices on top of the fruit, gently press down on the top slice, cut off the crust, and slice in half to reveal the fruit pattern.4 slices shokupan or white bread
Notes
- Fruit sandwiches are best enjoyed fresh. If possible, store leftover whipped cream, fruit, and bread in separate air-tight containers for up to 2 days, then assemble it when you are ready to eat. This way the bread won't get soggy.
- Make sure the fruit it isn't too ripe or it will be too juicy and make the sandwiches soggy.
- Cut the fruit and make the whipped cream ahead of time for quick assembly.
- Don't spread the whipped cream too close to the perimeter of the bread or it will be hard cut off the crust.
- Place your fruit carefully and follow your cut line when you cut your sandwich in half to reveal the middle of your fruit.
- Keep the crust on if you like it!
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