A quick and easy version of Melon Pan (メロンパン), this melon pan toast is made with just 4 ingredients in under 15 minutes! The perfect way to switch up your toast toppings. Vegan + healthier & gluten free option.
Melon pan was probably one of my favourite Japanese sweet bread (Kashi Pan) next to Anpan (red bean paste bun) growing up. Every summer when my family and I would go back to my grandmas place in Japan, she would have melon pan on the table ready for us to devour when we landed.
Melon pan can be found everywhere in Japan but living in Canada, there was only one place that had it. My mom went to a couple local Japanese bakery workshops and learned how to make melon pan. On Sundays, she would bake up a batch and I looked forward to it every week.
As we got older, we all got busier and my mom started to make us this melon toast instead. The first time I tried it I was BLOWN AWAY. As much as I love fluffy melon pan, something about the cookie layer over a thick slice of toasty bread… mmm. I recently had a sudden craving for this and was able to easily make it vegan by simply removing the egg yolk and swapping the butter for vegan butter. I am so excited to share this recipe with you so lets get to it!
How to Make Melon Pan Toast
It typically takes about 2-3 hours to make melon pan but with this quick and easy toast version, you can make it with just 4 ingredients in under 15 minutes!
The Ingredients (+ Substitutions)
Original Version: this is the version I grew up eating and is more indulgent but SO worth it.
- Bread
- Cane Sugar
- Vegan Butter: or vegan margarine
- Cake Flour: you can also use AP flour or gluten free all purpose blend.
Healthier Gluten Free Version: I knew I’d get some questions about whether it can be made healthier so I tested a few variations and actually loved how this one came out! Slightly less crispy but still delicious.
- Bread: use gluten free bread
- Almond flour
- Cashew butter: make sure to use one thats runny
- Coconut Sugar: or any dry sugar of choice
- Maple Syrup
The Directions
- Make the cookie dough: mix the cane sugar, vegan butter & cake flour until well combined. Spread over bread and then use a sharp knife to make diagonal hatch marks about 1/4 of an inch (3/4 cm) apart.
- Toaster method: in a toaster oven for about 5 minutes or until slightly golden brown and crispy.
- Oven method: bake at 350 F (180 C) for 8-10 minutes, keeping an eye on it towards the end so it doesn’t burn.
Video Tutorial
Variations
If you want to change up the flavours, here are some more delicious variations to try:
- Pumpkin pie spice: add 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- Matcha: substitute 1/2 tsp of flour with matcha
- Cocoa: substitute 1 tsp of flour with cocoa powder
- Strawberry: substitute 1 tsp of flour with strawberry powder
- Vanilla: add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
- Caramel: add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
- Melon: add 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
If you recreate this Melon Pan Toast recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Melon Pan Toast
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 toasts 1x
Description
Melon Pan Toast — a quick and easy version of melon pan! Sugar cookie topping over a slice of perfectly toasted bread, SO GOOD.
Ingredients
Original Version
- 2 slices of your favourite bread
- 2 tbsp raw cane sugar (24g)
- 2 tbsp vegan butter, melted (32g)
- 4 – 5 tbsp cake flour (36g // or gluten free all purpose blend)
Healthier Gluten Free Version
- 2 slices of gluten free bread
- 1/4 cup fine almond flour (28g)
- 2 tbsp drippy cashew butter (32g)
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar (24g)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (40g)
Instructions
- Mix the cane sugar, vegan butter, and lesser amount of cake flour in a bowl until a sticky cookie dough forms. If the spead is too runny, add remaining flour 1 tsp at a time. Spread over two slices of bread. With a sharp knife, make hatch marks like melon pan. Sprinkle some more sugar on top (optional).
- Toast in a toaster oven for 5 minutes or bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes until crispy and slightly golden brown.
Notes
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer) for the original version.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: breakfast
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 328
- Sugar: 13.7g
- Sodium: 260mg
- Fat: 13.9g
- Saturated Fat: 3.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9.5g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 46.6g
- Fiber: 1.3g
- Protein: 4.6g
- Cholesterol: 0
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
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I had no idea this childhood treat was so easy to make! It’s now become a weekend breakfast staple. Thank you so much for bringing a little bit of my grandma’s love back to me!
Loved making this recipe! It was so, so easy and quick—made it for lunch within 15 minutes, which I call a lunch win. Will definitely be making this again when I’m craving melon pan but am too lazy to actually go out and buy one!
I’m a big fan of melon pan so when I saw this recipe I HAD to try it!
I went with the matcha variation and it was soo good 🙂 It was very easy to make!
Love the recipe. The Melon Pan Toast reminds me the same taste & texture like the Melon Pan at Kaminarimon Tokyo.
I made this recipe like the next morning after I saw her video. It was so good and easy to make! Melon pan always reminds me of Mexican Concha that my husband and I always eat when we’re with family in Dallas. Like her Eggplant Kabayaki recipe, I’d probably be making this every week! Thank you for sharing these awesome recipes!
When I was in Japan, I really loved melon pan but it was difficult to find vegan ones. This melon pan toast does not only taste exactly like melon pan, I also love how easy and quick I can make it at home whenever I feel like it. I will definitely make it again☺️
This is so good it could be a new addition to my breakfast 😍 I made it with coconut sugar so naturally it turned out a little darker but it tasted amazing! 🙂
Made the matcha and vanilla melon pan toast variations for my siblings and I! Love that there are variations that can be easily mixed and match with one another. Recipe is also very easy to double. Will definitely make again trying the other variations because the ones I tried were a huge hit! 🥰❤️
Matcha is so good! Thank you so much for trying the recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed!
I really loved how quick and easy this recipe is! It’s truly just made with things you have lying around in your kitchen, and before you know it you have a quick treat that transports you to Japan. Definitely making this whenever I feel like I deserve to treat myself 🙂
Made these and it’s super good ! I ended up burning the bread but I don’t rlly taste the burnt bread coz of how sweet it is. I LOVE IT✨
So happy to hear you enjoyed Mariam!! What method did you use? A toaster oven or oven? If its toaster oven, it may have just been too strong– sometimes I forget to turn the dial down and it burns my bread faster too. You want it about 325-350 F heat when toasting 🙂