Tonkatsu

4.65 from 28 votes
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Tonkatsu is crispy and crunchy Japanese fried pork cutlet with panko bread crumbs. This homemade tonkatsu recipe is so easy and tastes like restaurants.

Tonkatsu chicken.
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I love Japanese food especially bento boxes. One of my favorites is Tonkatsu which is crispy fried pork cutlet coated with Japanese panko breadcrumbs and a thick Tonkatsu sauce.

Tonkatsu bento box usually comes with steamed rice, Japanese salad, miso soup and tastes absolutely delicious!


Difference Between Katsu And Tonkatsu

Japanese konkatsu chicken recipe.

Tonkatsu is part of the katsu family in Japanese cooking. Katsu means fried cutlet of meat or seafood made with panko breadcrumbs so Tonkatsu is a katsu of pork cutlet.

Chicken katsu or torikatsu is fried chicken cutlet while Katsudon means katsu with rice as “don” means rice in Japanese.


Tonkatsu Sauce

Tonkatsu sauce in a bottle.

You can buy Tonkatsu sauce in a bottle at Japanese or Asian restaurants but homemade sauce is very easy to make. It calls for the following ingredients:

  • Ketchup
  • Worchestershire sauce
  • Soy sauce
  • Mirin
  • Sugar

Tips On How To Cook Tonkatsu

My homemade Tonkatsu recipe is very simple. It calls for a few basic ingredients.

  • Use panko which is available at supermarkets in the International food aisle. Panko is lighter in texture and will be very crispy after deep frying. If you can’t find panko, you may use regular breadcrumbs.
  • Deep-fry the pork cutlet at 350 degrees F for extra crispy, light and airy texture like Japanese restaurant.
  • Don’t be afraid of deep-frying as panko breadcrumbs are dry, the oil won’t splatter.
  • Drain the excess oil of the pork cutlets on paper towels.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is only 257 calories per serving.

Easy konkatsu chicen, ready to serve.

What To Serve With Tonkatsu

This meal is best served with a bowl of steamed white rice. For a wholesome Japanese meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

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4.65 from 28 votes

Tonkatsu

Tonkatsu is crispy and crunchy Japanese fried pork cutlet with panko bread crumbs. This homemade tonkatsu recipe is so easy and tastes like restaurants.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3 people
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Ingredients  

  • oil, for deep-frying
  • 2-3 boneless pork cutlets
  • salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 cup Japanese panko, preferred or regular breadcrumbs
  • shredded cabbage
  • bottled tonkatsu sauce

Instructions 

  • Heat up a small pot of oil for deep-frying, at 350°F (176°C).
  • Rinse the pork cutlets with cold water, pat dry with paper towels, and season with salt and black pepper. Arrange the cornstarch, egg and panko in three separate containers, next to each other.
  • Coat a piece of the pork cutlet lightly with some cornstarch. Shake off the excess. Dip the pork cutlet into the egg, then immediately onto the panko.
  • Make sure the pork cutlet is evenly coated with a layer of panko. Set aside for deep-frying. Repeat the same to the remaining pork cutlets.
  • Deep fry the pork cutlets until they turn golden brown. Remove using a strainer and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Slice the Tonkatsu into pieces and serve immediately with some shredded cabbage and Tonkatsu sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 3people, Calories: 257kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 121mg, Sodium: 215mg, Potassium: 408mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 90IU, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Bee Yinn Low

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





36 Comments

  1. Carole yu says:

    Hi Bea ,what part of meat do you use for tonkatsu?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Tonkatsu consists of tender pork loin.

      1. janmaus says:

        5 stars
        Use boneless pork chops and trim them well. I’ve been making this dish for about 50 years–it was a fave with my kids and a real winner with my grandkids, probably the single thing they asked for most when eating at my house. I pound and tenderize like crazy and these days have a non-Japanese twist–half panko, half grated parmesan cheese. That combo makes a crunchy piece of pork that exceeds the output of any restaurant I know.

        Which brings up another issue! Why is something compared to restaurant output something to brag about–most home cooks can do better than anything other than highly rated and very expensive restaurants. I would hate to be compared to Olive Garden for instance–just about anything I serve is better quality, better prepared, and cheaper.

  2. Cecilia Kok says:

    Hi Bee! Thank you so much for creating especially this one! It was scrumptious ? Please continue to do recipes! It will be nice indeed!!??โ€?

    1. Admin says:

      Thanks.

  3. Paul says:

    Hello Bee, I noticed that for the Tonkatsu ingredients you had cornstarch on the list but for the chicken katsu recipe you do not have the cornstarch on the ingredient list. What this a typo? was there suppose to be cornstarch too since the only difference between both recipes is the pork and chicken and the cooking results come out the same? Thanks

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Either recipe works. Cornstarch will make the meat a bit tender as I think pork is tougher.

      1. Lynn says:

        I usually give pork cutlets a bit of a bash before crumbing them to tenderise.

  4. Yeh Ximin says:

    5 stars

  5. Neli Howard | Delicious Meets Healthy says:

    5 stars
    You got me craving for a good Tonkatsu โ€” It is one of my favorite Japanese food! thank you for sharing lots of tips!

    1. Andrew says:

      I LOVE your recipes! Always tasty, different and EASY! I’ll be making this tonight…. Thanks for all the Great ideas

      1. Robin says:

        I wish I had all ingredients or I would make it tonight also.

  6. James McNulty says:

    โ€ข 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
    โ€ข 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
    โ€ข 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    โ€ข 1 tablespoon mirin
    โ€ข 1 tablespoon sugar
    โ€ข 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

    Katsu Sauce from Rasa Malaysia. So crunchy & delish. Spend the money and buy some Panko.

  7. CHOOI LING CHIN says:

    Hi, thanks for the recipe. Can it be air fried instead of deep fried?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes, you can try.

    2. Dorothy says:

      I oven baked it (toasting the panko in a frying pan was nice). If you have an air fryer or convection oven it works great. But I would do 450 degrees (425 on convection) and 15 minutes.