Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Singaporean · Malaysian

Kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Thin toast sandwiched with homemade coconut-egg jam (kaya) and a slab of cold butter, served with barely set eggs seasoned with soy sauce and white pepper — the classic kopitiam breakfast.

Kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs is a Singaporean sandwich, ready in about 45 minutes and made with coconut milk, white bread and egg. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Top view of a breakfast plate featuring soft boiled eggs and toast, ideal for a nutritious meal.
Photo: Krisztina Papp / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
10 min
Cook
35 min
Total
45 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
517

Ingredients

4 servings

For the kaya

For the toast

For the soft eggs

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    For the kaya, whisk (opens in a new tab) the eggs (opens in a new tab), coconut milk (opens in a new tab) and sugar (opens in a new tab) in a heatproof bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the pandan (opens in a new tab), set over a pan of barely simmering water and stir constantly until thick like custard.

    Caramelise 1 tablespoon of the sugar first for the darker Hainanese-style kaya.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Remove the pandan (opens in a new tab) and cool the kaya; it thickens further as it cools.

    • 5 min

  3. Step 3

    For the soft eggs (opens in a new tab), put the eggs in a pan, pour over just-boiled water to cover, put the lid on and leave for 6–7 minutes off the heat.

    • 7 min

    Food safety: Soft-set eggs are not recommended for pregnant people, young children or anyone vulnerable unless pasteurised eggs are used.

  4. Step 4

    Toast the bread until crisp, spread with kaya and sandwich with slices of cold butter (opens in a new tab). Cut into fingers.

    • 4 min

  5. Step 5

    Crack the soft eggs (opens in a new tab) (whites barely set, yolks runny) into small bowls, season with soy sauce (opens in a new tab) and white pepper (opens in a new tab) and stir. Dip the toast fingers into the eggs.

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Commonly attributedAssociated with Hainanese-run coffee shops (kopitiam) in both Singapore and Malaysia.Also popular in Singapore, Malaysia
Dish
Breakfast · Sandwiches · Egg dishes
Cooking method
Toasted, Poached
Taste
sweet & savoury, buttery, creamy
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Coconut milk · White bread · Egg · Sugar · Butter · Soy sauce
Techniques
Toasting · Simmering · Poaching · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom white bread, butter
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg, white bread
  • Contains: Wheatfrom white bread, soy sauce
  • Contains: Glutenfrom white bread, soy sauce
  • Contains: Soyfrom white bread, soy sauce
  • May contain: Sesamefrom white bread

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

517 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 236 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 17%
  • Carbohydrate 36%
  • Fat 47%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy517 kcal219 kcal
Protein21.5 g9.1 g
Carbohydrate47 g19.9 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars17.5 g7.4 g
Fibre——
Fat27.1 g11.5 g
Saturated fat14.1 g6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol487 mg206 mg
Sodium675 mg286 mg
Salt equivalent1.7 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
312 mg
Calcium
159 mg
Iron
5.1 mg
Magnesium
42 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
268 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
2.5 µg
Vitamin B12
1.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
159 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: pandan leaves.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Leftover kaya keeps in the fridge for about a week.

Common mistakes

  • Heating the kaya too fast scrambles the eggs — keep the water just simmering.

Serve with

  • Serve with strong kopi (coffee with condensed milk) or teh tarik.

Storage

  • Refrigerate kaya in a clean jar for up to 1 week.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

For the soft eggs

Used in steps 1, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like