Kaya Toast

4.67 from 9 votes

Kaya toast is all about crispy toasted bread, rich butter, and creamy homemade coconut jam (kaya). It’s a must-have breakfast in Malaysia and Singapore. I’ll show you how to make the perfect kaya butter toast at home with my video guide and tips to get it just right!

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Malaysian Recipes

Keyword: Kaya Toast

Servings: people

Author: Bee Yinn Low

Ingredients

1 slice bread
1 tablespoon coconut jam
1 slice butter salted or unsalted

Instructions

Toast the bread in a toaster. Cut the bread into two pieces and spread the kaya jam on top.
Cut a thin slice of cold butter and place it on top of one of the pieces of bread.
Stack the other half of the bread on top.
The warmth of the freshly toasted kaya toast melts the butter, blending it with the kaya as they ooze together. This is how the perfect kaya toast should be. Bon appétit!

Video

Notes

Serve your toast with a half-boiled egg and a cup of dark coffee, preferably Malaysian kopi-O.

I recommend going for soft, fluffy white bread. Traditional choices include Hainanese bread or milk bread, but regular sandwich bread or Japanese shokupan also work really well.
I like to toast my bread until it’s golden and crispy on the outside, but still soft and pillowy on the inside. While charcoal grilling is the traditional way, a toaster or skillet works just as well to get that perfect crunch.
Homemade kaya makes all the difference. The fresh coconut-pandan flavor is so much more aromatic than store-bought versions. (Check out my Coconut Jam Kaya recipe!)
For that perfect melt, I always use cold butter. Slice it thinly so it melts right into the warm toast, giving you that creamy contrast with the kaya. Trust me, avoid room temperature butter—it’s too soft and a bit tricky to work with.

Nutrition