A plate with two slices of thick toast topped with melted cheese, tomatoes, onions, and green peppers. The toast is served on a plate lined with decorative paper, next to a fork, with spices and a drink in the background.

Growing up, my brother and I loved eating Japanese Pizza Toast after school. In Japan, we make it with thick and soft shokupan (Japanese milk bread), which gives you a crispy crust and fluffy inside. Topped with gooey cheese and colorful veggies, it’s the ultimate snack or quick lunch. The best part? You can make it in the toaster oven in 15 minutes, and even kids can help!

If you love Japanese-style Western cuisine, try my Omurice (Japanese omelette rice), Japanese Egg Sandwich (tamago sando), and Japanese Hamburger Steak (hambagu) recipes next!

A slice of toast topped with melted cheese, cherry tomatoes, onions, and green peppers on a decorative plate, served with a gold fork on a wicker tray lined with newspaper-style parchment.

What is Pizza Toast?

Pizza toast (ピザトースト) is a Japanese café classic introduced in the 1960s when pizza was considered a luxury in Japan. A coffee shop or kissaten in Tokyo called Benishika (紅鹿舎) created an easier version using thick slices of Japanese milk bread for the pizza crust. The idea caught on quickly, and today you’ll find pizza toast on the menu at cafes, bakeries, and homes across Japan. With its crisp edges, fluffy center, and cheesy topping, it remains a beloved yoshoku (Japanese-style Western cuisine) dish.

Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Why I Love This Recipe

  • So simple and delicious – My mom used to make this for me when I was growing up, and now she makes it for my son too—he loves her special wafu version topped with seasoned nori. It’s simply delicious!
  • Easy pizza “crust” – I always have Japanese milk bread in the kitchen, so it makes a convenient and fuss-free “crust” that gets perfectly crispy outside yet stays fluffy inside.
  • A nostalgic comfort food – The combo of savory sauce, melty cheese, and crisp shokupan really hits the spot!
Two slices of homemade square pizza bread topped with melted cheese, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, and ham are served on a wooden board lined with newspaper-style parchment. A fork and seasonings sit nearby.
A slice of toast topped with melted cheese, cherry tomatoes, green bell pepper, and onion sits on a plate lined with newspaper-style paper, with a golden fork beside it. In the background are small bowls with condiments.

Ingredients for Japanese Pizza Toast

  • Japanese milk bread (shokupan) – store bought or make homemade Japanese Milk Bread
  • Pizza sauce – store bought or make my quick homestyle sauce (recipe included) with olive oil, crushed red pepper, garlic, ketchup (or canned tomatoes), salt, and black pepper
  • Mozzarella cheese – shredded
  • Sliced ham – or use sausage, salami, or bacon
  • Onion
  • Green bell pepper
  • Cherry tomatoes

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Jump to Recipe
Thick toast topped with melted cheese, cherry tomatoes, and green peppers on a plate lined with newspaper-patterned paper, served with a fork and a drink in the background.
Two slices of toast topped with melted cheese, ham, sliced green bell peppers, onions, and cherry tomatoes, served on parchment paper with a small dish of red pepper flakes and a gold fork nearby.

How to Make Japanese Pizza Toast

Preparation

  1. Slice bread. Cut shokupan loaf into thick slices (or use pre-sliced). For kids, cut each slice in half, but keep the halves together when topping and toasting.
  1. Prep toppings. Thinly slice onion, sweet green pepper, and ham. Slice cherry tomatoes.
A person’s hands are slicing a loaf of fluffy, white bread on a wooden surface. Several slices are already cut and stacked to the side.
A hand holding a knife slices cooked ham into thin strips on a wooden cutting board.

Assemble

  1. Add sauce and cheese. Spread pizza sauce on the bread and sprinkle with a little cheese.
  1. Layer toppings. Add onion, bell pepper, ham, and tomatoes, then finish with more cheese.
A hand spreads bright red jam onto thick slices of white bread with a spoon on a wooden surface. A small bowl of jam is visible to the side.
A hand places a slice of cherry tomato on a slice of bread topped with tomato sauce, green bell peppers, onions, ham strips, and other tomato slices, on a light wooden surface.

Baking

  1. Toast. Place on a wire rack and bake in a toaster oven until cheese is melted and golden, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.
A thick slice of bread topped with tomato sauce, shredded cheese, sliced ham, green peppers, and onions sits on a wire rack lined with foil inside an oven, ready to be baked.
A thick slice of bread topped with melted cheese, tomato slices, green bell pepper, and onions, placed on a wire rack over foil in an oven.
A slice of thick toast topped with melted cheese, sliced onions, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, and sausage, served on a plate lined with printed paper, with a gold fork on the side.

Nami’s Recipe Tips

  • Thinly slice toppings. This helps the vegetables cook through and keeps every bite balanced.
  • Add cheese in layers. A little cheese under the toppings helps them stick, then more on top for a melty pull.
  • Cut for kids. Slice the bread in half before adding toppings—it makes a smaller portion that’s easier to hold and eat.
  • Use a wire rack. This allows air to circulate for crispier toast. Place foil or a tray underneath to catch drips.
  • Make your own sauce. A quick mix of olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, ketchup (or whole canned tomatoes), salt, and black pepper makes a super easy and flavorful base.

Variations and Customizations

  • Add your favorite toppings. Corn, mushrooms, and olives are popular veggies for pizza in Japan, while common protein options include sausage, salami, and bacon. Feel free to use what you like and make it your own.
  • Sprinkle herbs and greens. Add freshness before serving with torn basil or arugula.
  • Make it vegetarian. Leave off the ham and add mushrooms for vegetarian.
  • Try white pizza toast. Skip the tomato sauce and use béchamel, garlic olive oil, ricotta, or Alfredo sauce.
  • Spread pesto. Basil pesto is another wonderful option to replace pizza sauce.
  • Use ketchup. Growing up in the 1980s and 90s, a convenient jar of pizza sauce was not available in Japan, and my mom used ketchup instead.
A slice of toast topped with melted cheese, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, and onions sits on a plate lined with decorative paper, placed on a woven tray with a gold fork beside it.
A plate with two slices of thick toast topped with melted cheese, tomatoes, onions, and green peppers. The toast is served on a plate lined with decorative paper, next to a fork, with spices and a drink in the background.

What to Serve with Japanese Pizza Toast

  • Soup – Serve a bowl of comforting Corn Potage (Japanese corn soup).
  • Green salad – Drizzle with refreshing Wafu Dressing (Japanese salad dressing).
  • Chicken wings – Add a protein boost with delicious Teba Shio (salted chicken wings).
  • Appetizer – Blistered Shishito Peppers with ginger soy sauce are so smoky and addicting.
Black bowls containing Japanese corn potage.
Japanese salad dressing (Wafu Dressing) over the iceberg salad.
Japanese Salted Chicken Wings (Teba Shio) on the Japanese plate.
A white plate containing Blistered Shishito Peppers With Ginger Soy Sauce.

Storage and Reheating Tips

To store: Wrap leftover pizza toast (cooked or uncooked) tightly in plastic. Refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze for 2 weeks.

To reheat: Warm in a toaster oven straight from frozen or after thawing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use regular bread instead of shokupan?

Yes, but shokupan is best for the soft, fluffy interior texture that makes Japanese pizza toast so special.

What other toppings work well?

Corn, mushrooms, olives, bacon, sausage, and salami are popular toppings in Japan. Pepperoni not a common topping in Japan, but that said, use whatever you enjoy on pizza.

I’d love to hear how yours turned out! 💛 Please leave a star rating and comment below to share your experience. Your feedback not only supports Just One Cookbook but also helps other home cooks discover recipes they can trust.

A slice of toast topped with melted cheese, cherry tomatoes, onions, and green peppers on a decorative plate, served with a gold fork on a wicker tray lined with newspaper-style parchment.
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4.54 from 13 votes

Japanese Pizza Toast

by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Chunky slices of Japanese milk bread topped with homemade pizza sauce, salty ham, fresh veggies, and melty mozzarella cheese. This Japanese Pizza Toast is the epitome of deliciousness and nostalgia! No wonder it makes a popular lunch and snack item among children and adults in Japan!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 3 slices

Ingredients  

For the Quick Pizza Sauce

  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (red pepper flakes) (plus more for serving, to taste)
  • 1 clove garlic (minced or crushed)
  • 3 Tbsp ketchup (or 2 whole tomatoes, canned)
  • ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the Pizza Toast

  • 3 slices shokupan (Japanese milk bread) (¾ inch, 1.5 cm thick per slice)
  • ⅛ sweet onion
  • ⅛ green bell pepper
  • 4 cherry tomatoes
  • 3 slices ham
  • 6 Tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese (or more, if you'd like)

Instructions

  • Gather all the ingredients.
    A top-down view of sandwich ingredients on a wooden surface: a loaf of bread, ham, green pepper, onion, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese, ketchup, olive oil, a garlic clove, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.

To Make the Quick Pizza Sauce

  • Heat a small frying pan or saucepan on medium low. When the pan is warm (not hot), add 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (red pepper flakes), and 1 clove garlic (minced or crushed). Sauté gently for about 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant but not burned.
    A two-panel image shows a frying pan on a stove with oil, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes. In the second panel, a blue spatula stirs the ingredients as they cook.
  • Once fragrant, add 3 Tbsp ketchup. Stir to combine all the ingredients together.
    Two-panel image: Left, minced garlic and red pepper flakes are sautéing in oil in a pan while ketchup is being poured in. Right, a hand stirs the ketchup mixture with a blue spatula, blending the ingredients.
  • Add ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper to taste and stir to combine. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside to cool.
    Two side-by-side images show hands adding spices and salt into a pan of red tomato sauce cooking on a stovetop. The sauce is simmering in oil, and ingredients are being poured from small glass bowls.

To Prepare the Bread and Toppings

  • Using a bread knife, cut 3 slices shokupan (Japanese milk bread) ¾ inch (1.5 cm) thick, if it's not already sliced.
    A close-up of hands slicing a loaf of white bread on a wooden cutting board, shown from two different angles.
  • Using a sharp knife, thinly slice ⅛ sweet onion and ⅛ green bell pepper. Cut the 4 cherry tomatoes into three slices each (if possible). Then, cut 3 slices ham into thin, short strips.
    Four side-by-side images show hands slicing an onion, a green bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and ham on a wooden cutting board.

To Make the Pizza Toast

  • Set the shokupan slices on your work surface. Leave whole or cut in half (I like to cut diagonally) if serving to children. Place the two halves back together so they look like one slice.
    Next, spread about 1 Tbsp homemade pizza sauce on top of each slice and sprinkle with a small pinch of shredded mozzarella cheese—once melted, it helps keep the toppings in place.
    A three-step sequence shows: slicing white bread, spreading red jam on it, and sprinkling shredded cheese on top with hands, all on a light wooden surface.
  • Next, scatter some onion slices, green pepper slices, and ham strips. Finally, add the tomato slices and sprinkle all over with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese, about 2 Tbsp per pizza toast.
    Three side-by-side images show hands preparing toast with tomato sauce, sliced onions, bell peppers, and halved tomatoes, then topping it with shredded cheese on a wooden surface.
  • Adjust the toaster oven rack to the middle position. Place the pizza toast directly on the rack, making sure the toppings don’t hang over the edges. Toast on High setting (450ºF or 230ºC) until the edges start to brown and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
    Nami's Tip: I set a tray underneath the rack to catch any melted cheese. The bottom may not crisp as well, but it keeps the oven clean.
    Two photos side by side: On the left, an uncooked French bread pizza with cheese, peppers, and pepperoni; on the right, the same pizza baked with melted cheese and browned toppings, both on a foil-lined oven rack.

To Serve

  • Serve hot immediately. Sprinkle more red pepper flakes on top, if you‘d like.
    A slice of toast topped with melted cheese, cherry tomatoes, onions, and green peppers on a decorative plate, served with a gold fork on a wicker tray lined with newspaper-style parchment.

To Store

  • Wrap leftover pizza toast (cooked or uncooked) tightly in plastic. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Reheat in the toaster oven straight from frozen or after thawing.

Nutrition

Calories: 275kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 769mg, Potassium: 241mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 426IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 214mg, Iron: 2mg

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on July 6, 2022, and republished on October 12, 2025, with a new video and additional cooking tips.