Gilgeori Toast: OG Korean Street Toast Recipe

Name: Gilgeori Toast: OG Korean Street Toast Recipe
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 slices sandwich bread; 1 slice cheese; 1 slice ham; 2 eggs; 10 g carrot; 5 g green onion; 30 g butter ((15g for toasting the bread, 15g for cooking the egg)); 1 pinch salt ((for the egg)); 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp ketchup; 1 tbsp mustard

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Gilgeori toast is OG Korean street toast, and this post will show you exactly how to make the classic version of Korean toast at home. With simple ingredients like cabbage, eggs, and buttery toasted bread, you can recreate the true Korean street flavor in just a few minutes. Follow the step by step recipe below for the most authentic gilgeori toast.

gilgeori toast, Korean street toast — gilgeori toast recipe

What Is Gilgeori Toast?

Gilgeori toast is called Korean street toast in English. “Gilgeori” means street. It is called this because it is one of Korean street foods. It is a very classic Korean street food, with toasted bread in butter or margarine filled generously with a cabbage, carrot, and egg mixture. You can also pay extra to add cheese and ham. For the sauce, a generous amount of sugar is added first, followed by ketchup and mustard, creating a sweet Korean style toast.

Why Gilgeori Toast Is Loved Worldwide

Nutritious: With plenty of vegetables and eggs in the bread, it is a perfectly balanced meal of carbs, protein, and fat.
Affordable: Despite having many ingredients and being very filling, it only costs about 2–3 dollars, making it a cost-effective favorite.
Delicious: The rich buttery flavor, combined with soft eggs and the sweet-and-savory ketchup and mustard, makes it irresistibly tasty and loved by many.

Gilgeori Toast vs Other Toasts

How Korean Street Toast Is Different from Other Korean Toasts

Korean street toast’s main ingredient is eggs mixed with shredded cabbage, cooked in butter, and you can optionally add ham and cheese according to your preference. On the other hand, what you may know as so-called Korean toast, such as the “Egg Drop” chain style, uses scrambled eggs instead of the cabbage-egg mixture, and you can choose various fillings like bacon or avocado. For sauces, Korean street toast mainly uses ketchup and mustard, whereas Egg Drop-style Korean toast can include sweet mayonnaise, sriracha mayo, and other sauces.

How Korean Street Toast Is Different from Western Toast

Korean street toast contains a lot of shredded cabbage. It is characterized by a strong ketchup flavor and a sweet and sour taste. Western-style toast, on the other hand, tends to focus on saltiness, usually with more ham, and often adds salad and mayonnaise. Another difference is that street toast uses soft sandwich bread, while many European countries use hard baguettes to make sandwiches.

Gilgeori Toast: OG Korean Street Toast Recipe — baguette sandwich: tesco

Why Sugar Is Used in Korean Street Toast

Koreans love the balance of sweet and salty flavors. If you try Korean chips for the first time, you might be surprised. Most Western chips are only salty, but Korean chips are both sweet and salty. This balance of sweet and salty is deeply embedded in many traditional Korean foods. For example, bulgogi is made by adding sugar to salty soy sauce, creating a perfect sweet-and-salty harmony.

Koreans often use this combination in many foods. For instance, in sandwiches with salty ingredients like ham and cheese, it’s common to add a sweet mayonnaise sauce or jam such as strawberry or fig. Just like the basic sauce for Korean corn dogs is sugar, ketchup, and mustard, the classic sauce for Korean street toast is also sugar, ketchup, and mustard.

Most Famous Korean Street Toast in Seoul

Changdong Grandma Toast 창동 할머니 토스트

Changdong Grandma Toast is considered the original Korean street toast. The grandmother’s philosophy was to prioritize people over profit. She passed away in 2021, but her daughter in law continues her legacy by selling street toast at the Changdong alley market in Dobong-gu, Seoul. The price used to be around 2,000 KRW, and due to inflation, it is now around 3,000 KRW, but it is still an incredibly affordable way to enjoy street toast.

Isaac Toast 이삭 토스트

Isaac Toast is a chain that sells classic Korean street toasts. Like the original street toast, eggs are placed inside the bread, but Isaac Toast offers various menu options with additional ingredients such as ham, cheese, bacon, and fried potato. The founder’s philosophy focuses on collaboration and mutual growth, reducing corporate profit to grow alongside franchise owners while spreading positive social impact. Isaac Toast is loved for its unique signature sauce, and the most classic menu item is the Ham & Cheese Toast.

What Is Korean Gilgeori Toast Made Of?

Classic Gilgeori Toast Ingredients

Sandwich bread
Eggs mixed with cabbage, carrot, and green onion

Optional Toppings

At Korean street toast shops, the basic menu only includes the egg and cabbage mixture, but you can pay extra to add ham and cheese.

Sauces

Sugar, ketchup, and mustard
You might think, “Sugar?” but try it! It makes the toast much more delicious. Sugar is essential for authentic OG Korean street toast.

Ingredient Alternatives

The sliced ham used in Korean street toast may be hard to find. In that case, you can use thin sandwich ham available at most grocery stores.

Gilgeori Toast Recipe (Step by Step)

Thinly slice the cabbage and carrot. Finely chop the green onion.

In a bowl, mix the sliced cabbage, carrot, and green onion. Take out 1/3 of the mixture and set it aside. Add 2 eggs and a pinch of salt to the remaining 2/3 and mix well.

Melt butter in a pan and toast both sides of the 2 slices of bread until golden brown.
Remove the toasted bread from the pan. Add butter to the same pan and pour in the egg vegetable mixture.
When the egg vegetable mixture is partially cooked, place the remaining 1/3 vegetables on top and cook together.

Place one slice of toasted bread in the pan and put the cooked egg vegetable mixture on top of it.
Sprinkle sugar on top, then add cheese and ham.
Drizzle ketchup and mustard.

Cover with the remaining slice of toasted bread.

Kitchen Tools Needed

Cutting board & Knife
Mixing bowl
Steel frying pan: Unlike regular pans, the coating won’t peel off, making it healthier and better for creating rich flavors.
- Silit Wok on Amazon

Vegetable peeler: You can slice cabbage with a knife, but using a peeler allows you to make much thinner slices. Thinner slices cook faster and more evenly with the eggs.
- Victorinox Peeler on Amazon

Spatula, measuring spoons
Julienne slicer: Great for slicing carrots and cabbage. Vegetables added to the egg mixture should be thinly sliced for perfect cooking.
- Mandoline slicer on Amazon

Tips for Making the Best Gilgeori Toast

How to Control Heat for Perfect Toasting

When toasting the bread, it can burn easily, so cook it over medium-low heat. Adding plenty of butter and toasting until golden brown is the key to the rich, nutty flavor of authentic OG Korean street toast.

How to Keep Vegetables Crunchy

After cooking the egg mixture with vegetables, add a layer of raw vegetables on top. This is the secret to keeping the toast vegetables crunchy.

Best Bread Type for Korean Toast

In Korea, milk bread (soft sandwich bread) is commonly used. However, in many European countries, it can be hard to find this Japanese style bread. In that case, you can use sliced brioche or thinly sliced sandwich bread, like I do.

Other Korean Street Food Recipes

Mozzarella Korean Corn Dog

The most famous Korean street food in the world is the Korean corn dog. Here’s a recipe to make a crispy, cheesy corn dog filled with lots of mozzarella right at home. This mozzarella corn dog recipe doesn’t require corn dog batter or yeast, but just use bread. It’s the easiest corn dog recipe in the world, and it tastes even better than shops.

15Min Korean Mozzarella Corn Dog Recipe: No Yeast, No Batter

Skip the dough and make this Korean mozzarella corn dog with simple bread slices. No yeast or batter required, yet perfectly crispy and cheesy in 15 minutes.

Check out this recipe

Gyeran Ppang

Gyeran ppang (Korean egg bread) was selected as one of the Top 50 breads in the world by CNN in 2025. Sweet, soft bread with a whole egg inside creates a savory, protein-packed traditional Korean street food. This Gyeran Ppang recipe makes it easy to make gyeran ppang at home. It’s simple, delicious, and perfect as a snack for kids.

Gyeran Ppang (Korean Egg Bread): CNN 50 Best Breads

CNN highlights Gyeran Ppang, one of the world’s top 50 breads. Try this easy recipe to enjoy Korea’s beloved egg bread street snack at home!

Check out this recipe

Why You Need to Try Gilgeori Toast at Home

Simple, Cheap, and Authentic Korean Breakfast

Most of the ingredients are already at home and very affordable to buy. Once you have them, you can make 8–10 toasts. Even if you haven’t been to Korea, you can enjoy the most authentic Korean breakfast at a very low cost.

Perfect for Busy Mornings

Even on busy mornings, if you pre-prep the vegetables, you can make it in just 3 minutes the next day. Without prep, it only takes about 5 minutes. It’s perfect for breakfast or quickly making a lunch to take with you.

FAQs about Korean Street Toast

What is gilgeori toast?

Gilgeori toast is a classic Korean street toast made with toasted bread, eggs mixed with shredded cabbage and carrots, and a sweet-and-savory sauce of sugar, ketchup, and mustard. You can also add optional toppings like ham and cheese. It’s one of Korea’s most beloved street foods.

How is gilgeori toast different from other toasts?

Gilgeori toast is unique because the main filling is eggs mixed with shredded cabbage, lightly cooked in butter. Other Korean toast variations, like those from Egg Drop, use scrambled eggs instead and offer a wider variety of fillings like bacon, avocado, or potatoes, with different sauces such as sweet mayonnaise or sriracha mayo. Compared to Western toast, gilgeori toast emphasizes shredded vegetables, soft sandwich bread, and a sweet-and-salty flavor balance.

What is the famous street toast in Seoul?

The most famous street toast in Seoul is Changdong Grandma Toast, known as the original Korean street toast. Another popular chain is Isaac Toast, which offers classic egg and cabbage toast along with many variations with ham, cheese, bacon, and their signature sauce.

What is Korean toast made of?

Classic Korean street toast consists of soft sandwich bread, eggs mixed with shredded cabbage, carrots, and green onion. Optional toppings for gilgeori toast include ham and cheese, and the signature sauce is a combination of sugar, ketchup, and mustard. If certain ingredients like sliced ham are hard to find, thin sandwich ham works as a convenient substitute.

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