Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, this Baked Tonkatsu recipe is a total game changer. All you need are the right techniques and tips to achieve perfection. Served with a special sesame tonkatsu sauce, you can now enjoy this popular dish at home.
Tonkatsu (とんかつ) or Japanese pork cutlet is one of the well-loved dishes on the Japanese menu. Imagine taking a big bite of tender juicy pork chop encased in crispy panko that is deep-fried to perfection. That alone will make anyone’s mouth water.
Since tonkatsu requires deep frying, it’s understandable why this delicious pork cutlet is not a common dish to make at home. Most people prefer not to deep fry food at home because of the grease and the smell. So today I’m going to show you how you can make Baked Tonkatsu that’s juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside!
Table of Contents
What is Tonkatsu?
Tonkatsu (豚カツ) is one of the top popular Japanese foods consisting of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. It’s crunchy and juicy and typically served with shredded cabbage and a drizzle of a savory sauce.
You can read about the origin and background of tonkatsu here!
As a purist and a true foodie, I’ve always made my tonkatsu the original way, that is to deep-fry the cutlet. All for the love of good food! When I received requests for a non-fried version, I was rather hesitant but once I perfected this oven-baked technique, it completely changed my mind. The baked version of tonkatsu is just as good, and to be honest, so much more crunchier!
Now, I have two options for you when you wish to make tonkatsu at home: Original Tonkatsu (Deep-Fried) and a baked version.
Why You’ll Love Oven-Baked Tonkatsu
- Bake, instead of deep-frying. Such a wonderful healthier alternative! If you don’t want to deep-fry, this recipe is for you!
- Easy to make. The cooking process is very easy. You can even have your children to help out.
- Perfect texture. The crust is unbelievably crispy, and the meat inside tender and juicy. A foolproof oven-baked technique!
- Easily adaptable. If you don’t like pork, use chicken, shrimp, salmon, or firm tofu.
Ingredients for Baked Tonkatsu
- Boneless pork loin chops – It should be half an inch thick. Pork loin chops
- Flour
- Eggs
- Panko – Make sure to get Japanese breadcrumbs called panko.
- Cooking oil
- Tonkatsu sauce – You can always make my Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce, if preferred!
How to Make Baked Tonkatsu
- Toast the panko till golden brown in an ungreased pan.
- Prepare the meat by making slits on the connective tissue and fat, pounding the meat, and seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Dredge the pork in the flour, egg, and toasted panko.
- Bake in the oven until the pork is cooked through.
- Cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick pieces and serve.
Cooking Tips
1. Use panko (Japanese breadcrumbs).
Don’t use regular breadcrumbs when you make tonkatsu. Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) have larger flakes and stick better to the cutlet, yielding a light yet ultra-crispy texture for your tonkatsu.
2. Toast the panko in a frying pan before breading.
Just like how I prepared the Crispy Baked Chicken Katsu recipe and Crispy Salmon recipe
The key for panko to stay crispy and golden brown is to pre-cook panko before breading the pork. With the pre-cooked panko, you don’t have to worry about taking too much time to brown the crust and this helps to prevent the pork loin from overcooking.
3. Use 1/2-inch thick pork loin chops.
Please use only thin slices of pork loin when baking the cutlet so it cooks fast and evenly. The thickness of pork should be no more than 1/2 inch (1.2 cm).
Remember to use good quality meat and pound it so that the pork loin will be nice and tender after it’s been cooked. When the food is as simple as this, the quality of the ingredients speaks for itself.
4. Make slits on the connective tissue.
Red meat and fat have different elasticities, and they will shrink and expand at different rates when they are cooked. Making a few slits will allow the tonkatsu to stay nice and flat and prevent the cutlets from curling up.
5. Use a wire rack when baking.
The panko-coated pork loin should be placed on a wire rack over a baking sheet. This way, the air circulates underneath the pork so the panko underneath will be crispy.
How to Serve Tonkatsu
Enjoy the baked-to-perfection tonkatsu with tonkatsu sauce and freshly ground sesame seeds (I like to use both black and white sesame seeds).
In Japan, panko-breaded cutlet dishes are commonly served with shredded cabbage salad, along with a dressing of your choice.
I use this cabbage slicer to thinly shred the cabbage head. You can use a sharp knife, but it’s a lot easier to use this slicer. Unlike a typical mandoline, the cabbage slicer is wide enough for a small head of cabbage to fit.
Prefer Classic Deep-Frying Method?
Here’s my regular deep-fried tonkatsu recipe, which I do indulge in occasionally. Both versions bring different enjoyment, but for a healthier alternative, this baked tonkatsu is AWESOME!
More Katsu Recipes
- Baked Chicken Katsu
- Gluten-Free Baked Chicken Katsu
- Chicken Cheese Katsu
- Ebi Katsu (Shrimp Cutlet) Burger
- Crispy Salmon Baked Nuggets
What to Serve with Baked Tonkatsu
- Rice: Steamed Rice
- Soup: Tonjiru (Pork and Vegetable Miso Soup), Clam Miso Soup
- Sides: Simmered Kabocha, Spinach Ohitashi
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Baked Tonkatsu
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
- 2 boneless pork loin chops (½-inch thick) (½ lb, 227 g)
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
- ½ Tbsp neutral oil
- tonkatsu sauce (or make my Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce)
For the Sesame Tonkatsu Sauce (Optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). For a convection oven, reduce the temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with an oven-safe wire rack as it allows hot air to circulate around the cutlets and prevents the panko underneath from getting crushed.
To Toast the Panko
- Add ¾ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) and 1 Tbsp neutral oil to a frying pan.
- Turn on the stove‘s heat to medium and stir the panko and toast until golden brown. Transfer the toasted panko to a shallow dish and allow it to cool.
To Prepare the Pork
- From 2 boneless pork loin chops (½-inch thick), cut off the extra fat and make several slits on the connective tissue between the meat and remaining fat. Tip: Red meat and fat have different elasticities, and they will shrink and expand at different rates when they are cooked. Making a few slits will allow the Tonkatsu to stay nice and flat and prevent the cutlets from curling up.
- To tenderize the meat, pound both sides of the cutlets with a meat pounder; if you don’t have one, then use the back of the knife. Mold the flattened meat back into the original shape with your hands.
- Sprinkle the cutlets with ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Beat 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) and ½ Tbsp neutral oil in a shallow dish.
- Next, add 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) to a shallow dish.
- Dredge each pork piece in the flour and pat off the excess. Next, dip the cutlets into the egg to coat them completely.
- Then, cover completely with the toasted panko. Press on the panko flakes to make sure they adhere to the pork. Place the pork cutlets on the oven-safe wire rack (so the air can circulate underneath) or parchment paper in the prepared baking sheet.
To Bake
- Bake at 400ºF (200ºC) until the pork is no longer pink inside, about 20 minutes. Once it's done, remove it from the oven.
- Rest the Tonkatsu for 3 minutes on the countertop. Then, cut the Tonkatsu into 1-inch pieces (so you can eat them with chopsticks) by pressing the knife directly down into the cutlets, instead of sawing back and forth. This way, the panko crust will not come off.
To Serve
- Flip the middle piece to show the interior of Tonkatsu as some restaurants would do. Transfer to individual plates and serve immediately.
- Drizzle tonkatsu sauce as you like at the table.
To Make the Sesame Tonkatsu Sauce (Optional)
- I recommend making this Sesame Tonkatsu Sauce. It's easy to make and delicious! Grind 2 Tbsp toasted white and black sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle, add the tonkatsu sauce, and mix it all together. Dip your tonkatsu pieces to enjoy!
To Store
- You can freeze the fried and cooled baked cutlets in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to a month. To reheat, bake it at 375ºF (190ºC) on a wire rack until the inside is warm.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 11, 2014. It’s been republished with a new video, new step-by-step and final images, and more helpful content on September 29, 2023.
My family lost their minds over this recipe! So good! Thank you!
Hi Jen!
We are so happy to hear your family enjoyed this Tonkatsu!
Thank you for trying this recipe.😊
Holy heck this recipe is amazing. I made it for the first time tonight and it was my first experience with tonkatsu. It was even a success with my father who is very picky about food. I may be a bit biased but I think the use of Iowa pork really makes a difference. We are known for our pigs. Will absolutely be making this again in the future.
Hi Beth!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your feedback.
We are so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed this Baked version of Tonkatsu!
We tried this today and it worked perfectly! Thank you for this baked recipe, I’m not a massive fan of deep frying but this way I can still have good tonkatsu. My partner loved it too, we will definitely be making this again!
Hi Lindsay,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you and your partner enjoyed this Baked version of Tonkatsu! 🙂
We love tonkatsu and this is a great alternative to frying, thank you! Can I bake the panko crumbs instead of frying them?
Hi Gina,
Yes. You may bake the panko crumbs in the oven.
Thank you for trying this recipe!☺️
What a great recipe! I served it w/the homemade Tonkatsu sauce, steamed green beans & basmati rice (which I prefer) & everyone loved it.
The only thing I’d do differently is salt & pepper both sides of the meat.
Thanks to your recipes, I’m pulling off excellent Japanese dishes I never thought I could make well. So, many thanks!
Hi Trey,
Wow! Thank you for trying this recipe! We are so happy to hear that you and everyone enjoy it with Tonkatsu sauce, green beans, and rice!
Thank you for writing to us!☺️
We got a grocery order we weren’t supposed to a while back (they couldn’t take it back, so they let us keep it) which contained some “pork sizzle steak” (also known as “minute steak” in most places I think; I live in Australia, and couldn’t find a reference to the name anywhere else). It’s basically a thin pork cut. I had no real idea what to do with it, so it sat in the freezer for quite some time.
While it’d make a better story for me to have taken it out when I discovered this recipe, sadly I hadn’t discovered this site when I decided to make use of it; we were running low on other stuff, so I basically just used a meat rub and pan-cooked them. That said, that worked out well enough that we decided to buy some more of the steaks in future, and I did want to find something else to do with them so it wasn’t the same thing all the time.
This is the point at which I discovered this site, and decided to give this recipe a go. It was a tad salty (completely my fault; I overused a spice mix) but otherwise worked out really well! I was surprised because I figured a lack of kitchen experience would lead to problems, but other than the salty thing it went great. Even served it up with some of the miso from the homemade miso recipe on here. Really felt like I’d made a proper meal; very satisfying.
I honestly never imagined really cooking anything before I came here (store-bought chicken schnitzel, microwave steamed vegetables, and other one- or two-step things were about my limit), but the way everything’s been explained has really helped me out a lot. I don’t think my partner has had to cook dinner in weeks, and I’d always kind of put it on them to do it; I think it’s really helped us that I’ve been able to do this, and it’s been surprisingly fun. Kind of wish I’d started earlier now, honestly.
Anyway, I’m gonna go give this another shot without drowning it in sodium chloride this time; wish me luck!
Hi DC,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. We couldn’t be happier to hear how much joy and excitement Nami’s recipe has brought to you!
Thank you for writing to us from Australia. ☺️
Fantastic recipe. Thank you, thank you!
I sous-vide the pork chop instead of cooking in the oven to ensure I didn’t overcook the pork (I used a thicker piece of pork). Then I followed your recipe.
Everyone thought it was absolutely delicious. No need to go out for Tonkatsu now 🙂
Hi Frank,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. We’re so glad to hear everyone enjoyed the dish!
Using the Sous-vide technic is a great idea!
Thank you for sharing your cooking experience/tips with us! 😊
I’m so happy I found your website! This Baked Tonkatsu recipe is not only yummy, but also a healthy alternative to the fried version. I prepared this tonight and my family loved it. A few weeks ago, I followed your recipe for Okonomiyaki and my family enjoyed it too. I’m not an experienced cook, but with the help of your recipes, I feel so accomplished in the kitchen. Thank you!!!
Hi Mylene,
Thank you so much for trying many of Nami’s recipes and for your kind feedback.
We’re so glad to hear you and your family enjoyed the dish! 🤗
Just amazing, tastes just as crispy as the deep fried one but lighter. Thanks for a wonderful recipe, I have made this many times already!
Hi Ada,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.
We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed the baked version!
very delicious
Hi Hillary! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Just made this tonight & it was fantastic! I used a meat thermometer to tell me when to pork was cooked to the right temperature & my cutlets took 17 min but I probably was a little too over aggressive with the pounding. Thanks for great authentic recipes!
Hi Crystal! Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! xo
What temperature and time would you suggest this to be made in a toaster oven?
Hi Naomi! I would use the same temperature. 🙂
Hello Nami,
Thanks so much for sharing your recipes! I’ve tried a number of them and they always turn out great! I made this Tonkatsu tonight for Mid-Autumn Festival dinner using my air fryer instead, I set it at 190 degree Celsius, fried for 8 mins on one side and 6 mins on the other side. The Tonkatsu turned out moist in the inside and very crispy on the outside, and it went so well with your Tonkatsu sauce! The toasted panko made all the difference. My partner said my version is better than the one we tried at our local Japanese restaurant! I’m so happy! Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Jessica,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. We’re so glad to hear you and your family enjoyed the Tonkatsu!
Thank you for sharing your cooking experience and tips with us!
We have been craving for Katsu, but not ready to eat out during this pandemic. I made it tonight, it was delicious! Your homemade sauce was awesome. Kids said it taste just like the restaurant in Japan. Love this bake version, like another review… I added extra oil to brown the panko. They tasted just like the restaurant deep fried version but no oily mess. I triple the sauce, everyone was dipping in it and goes well with the cabbage.
We had green tea ice cream for dessert, also from your recipe. My son favorite!
Thank you so much for these wonderful recipes!
Hi Josephine! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m so happy to hear you made this Baked Tonkatsu, Tonkatsu Sauce, and Green Tea Ice Cream and enjoyed them. Thank you!!!
Bake at what temperature for 20 minutes?
We didn’t have any panko so I crushed some rice krispies instead. It worked just as well and was delicious! I also tried using chicken instead of pork and it was just as good! Baking them in the oven made the cleanup much easier as well. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Hi Chloe! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂