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Pork Tonkatsu and Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce

This Pork Tonkatsu is super easy to make, delicious and satisfying. Tonkatsu is a Japanese dish which consists of a pork cutlet coated in Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) fried, then topped with Tonkatsu sauce. This homemade sauce is tangy and delicious.

Tonkatsu is often served with shredded cabbage but we like it much better with broccoli slaw or coleslaw. You can also use boneless chicken instead of pork in this recipe.

Need a dessert to go with it? Try this Red Velvet Cake for Two or these Individual Strawberry Cobblers.

a graphic of Pork Tonkatsu with Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce.
Pork Tonkatsu with Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce

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How to make Tonkatsu Sauce

Stir the ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, ginger, and garlic together in a bowl. Set aside or in the fridge.

homemade Pork Cutlet Sauce whisked in a bowl.
Pork Cutlet Sauce

How to make Tonkatsu

Gently pound the pork between two slices of plastic wrap until about 1/2 inch thick.

two bonless pork chops pounded flat between sheets of plastic wrap.

Season the pork with the salt and pepper.

Gather 3 wide dishes and fill the first dish with the flour. Fill the second with the egg and whisk until beaten. Fill the third with the Panko bread crumbs. Set them side by side.

Coat the pork chops on both sides with the flour.

3 dishes side by side with Panko bread crumbs, a beaten egg, and flour with a pork chop in it.

Dip them in the beaten egg on both sides.

3 dishes side by side with Panko bread crumbs, a beaten egg with a pork chops in it, and flour.

Then coat well in the Panko bread crumbs.

3 dishes side by side with Panko bread crumbs with a pork chop in it, a beaten egg, and flour.

Preheat the oil about 1/4 inch deep in a large frying pan over medium heat or to 350 degrees F. in an electric skillet. Click for a non-stick frying pan.

Fry the Tonkatsu until golden brown on each side about 4 – 6 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.

Japanese Pork Cutlet frying in oil in a pan.
Japanese Pork Cutlet

Drain briefly on a wire rack.

Japanese Style Pork Chops draining on a wire rack.
Japanese Style Pork Chops

Serve the fried Pork Tonkatsu topped with the homemade Tonkatsu sauce and a side of shredded cabbage (or broccoli slaw or coleslaw).

Japanese Fried Pork Cutlet on a plate with Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce drizzled on top.
Japanese Fried Pork Cutlet

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Yield: Serves 2

Pork Tonkatsu with Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce

Pork Tonkatsu on a plate with a side of Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce and broccoli slaw

This Pork Tonkatsu is super easy to make, delicious and satisfying. Tonkatsu is a Japanese dish which consists of a pork cutlet coated in Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) fried, then topped with Tonkatsu sauce. This homemade sauce is tangy and delicious.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon jarred minced garlic

For the Pork Tonkatsu:

  • 2 boneless pork chops or loins
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup Japanese Panko bread crumbs
  • Cooking oil for frying

Instructions

How to make Tonkatsu Sauce:

  1. Stir the ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, ginger, and garlic together in a bowl. Set aside or in the fridge.

How to make Tonkatsu:

  1. Gently pound the pork between two slices of plastic wrap until about 1/2 inch thick.
  2. Season the pork with the salt and pepper.
  3. Gather 3 wide dishes and fill the first dish with the flour.
  4. Fill the second with the egg and whisk until beaten.
  5. Fill the third with the Panko bread crumbs. Set them side by side.
  6. Coat the pork chops on both sides with the flour.
  7. Dip them in the beaten egg on both sides.
  8. Then coat well in the Panko bread crumbs.
  9. Preheat the oil about ¼ inch deep in a large frying pan over medium heat or to 350 degrees in an electric skillet.
  10. Fry the Tonkatsu until golden brown on each side about 4 – 6 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.
  11. Drain briefly on a wire rack.
  12. Serve the fried Pork Tonkatsu topped with the homemade Tonkatsu sauce.

Notes

    • Tonkatsu is often served with shredded cabbage but we like it much better with broccoli slaw or coleslaw.
    • You can also use boneless chicken instead of pork in this recipe.

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As an Amazon Associate I may make a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you make a purchase through product links in this post.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 524Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 1730mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 42g

Nutrition information is a guideline only, is calculated automatically by third party software, and absolute accuracy is not guaranteed.

Did you like this recipe?

Please leave a comment on this post and pin this recipe on Pinterest.

Japanese Pork Chop with Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce on a plate.
Japanese Pork Chop
Tonkatsu Pork with a side of coleslaw.
Tonkatsu Pork

Sylvia W

Saturday 27th of July 2019

Not sure how I stumbled upon this recipe - probably Pinterest. It caught my attention immediately as I had just made an impulse buy of lovely pork cutlets and had no idea what to do with them, as I don't eat pork regularly and have had poor experiences with dried out pieces of leather LOL Anyway, serendipitously, I had all the ingredients on hand except the coleslaw. My usual weekend get together with my BFF for pool time and movies was coming and it was my turn to cook. We are both having a blast learning international dishes by attempting to make them at home. This was a perfect fit so I did it up at my place to avoid making the mess at hers (flour + me = mess) Packed it up in foil, snagged some slaw on the way and feasted! It was a resounding success! I always try to follow a recipe as written the first time, and experiment later, and this was lovely as written! Next time I may add grated fresh ginger with the garlic instead of powder, maybe a bit of horseradish. I may play with the proportions in the sauce (even with a really good quality ketchup it still was just a little too ketchupy for me. I might even try my hand at homemade catsup for the sauce base next time. There will be next times however, as this is a keeper! Thank you so much for saving my pork chops and my weekend, and introducing me to a new favorite way to get tender, juicy pork in minutes!

Zona

Sunday 28th of July 2019

Hi Sylvia, that sounds like a super fun activity to do with your BFF, learning new international dishes! I'm so glad everything worked out for you to make this one and that you enjoyed it. This is one of our all time favs! Thank you :)

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