Soft creamy potato with ground meat inside a tasty crunchy shell, Korokke (Japanese Potato and Meat Croquettes) is my favorite Japanese food and this is my mother’s recipe.
Before I share my recipe today, I want to apologize for my delayed response with emails and comments lately. I’m usually pretty good at responding to readers’ recipe-related questions in less than 24 hours, but recently I’ve been struggling to find the time. Finally my husband came back from his week-long business trip (thank God!) and my son’s school performance is now over. I have one more week left before my up-coming Japan trip. I’ll be working to catch up on emails and comments this week, and I thank you for your patience.
Now let’s talk about food! When my mom was visiting during last Christmas & New Year, I asked her to make one of my most favorite food that she cooks. I mentioned in my blog a couple of times before but it’s Korokke (Japanese Croquette).
Well, I really wished that I had better pictures of her delicious Korokke, but we were making these during a dark winter afternoon, the quality of step-by-step photos and final shots are not as good as I wanted them to be due to lack of natural light. They are the best Korokke ever, but I guess you will have to take me for my words. 😉
My mom usually makes an extra effort to get the best ingredients when she cooks and she is really good at deep frying any food even without using a thermometer to measure the oil temperature. I think it’s really her magic touch or maybe just years of experience, but I could never replicate her taste even when I use the same ingredients. The recipe is actually very simple and there is no secret hidden ingredient. However, the key for successful Korokke is high-quality ingredients and the cooking technique. Hopefully one day I get better at making these.
I’m going to Japan to visit my family one week from now so I will have another chance to eat these again. I always request my mom to make this dish every time I went home for the past 15 years. I grew up eating these for the first 20 years of my life and since then, I get to eat at least once a year when I go back home or when she visits me. It became a sort of a tradition. Dear readers, do you have food that you always eat when you visit your home?
When we have leftover, we usually make Korokke Sandwich the next day. Add shredded cabbage, put some Japanese mayonnaise and Tonkatsu sauce and sandwich the Korokke with two pieces of bread. Honestly, I never get tired of my mom’s Korokke, and my dad and I always brighten up when we hear she was making Korokke for dinner.
Don’t Like Deep Frying? Try Baked Croquette!
Japanese baked croquette piping hot mashed potato mixed with juicy meat wrapped around a crispy panko shell, no deep frying required!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Soft creamy potato with ground meat inside a tasty crunchy shell, Korokke (Japanese Potato and Meat Croquettes) is my favorite Japanese food and this is my mother's recipe.
- 2 lb russet potatoes (900 g = about 4 potatoes) (peeled and halved)
- ½ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt) (for potatoes)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
- 1 onion
- 1 lb ground beef (454 g)
- ½ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt) (for meat) (¼ tsp table salt)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 ½ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) (125 g)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour) (60 g)
- neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc) (for deep frying)
- Tonkatsu Sauce (See Notes for homemade recipe)
- In a large pot, put water and potatoes and bring it to a boil. Cook potatoes until a skewer goes through the potato easily.
- Remove the potato from the heat and drain the water completely. When you do so, use a lid to partially cover so the potatoes don’t fall out from the pot.
- Move the pot back to the stove. On low heat shift the pot so that remaining moisture will completely evaporate (but don’t burn the potatoes).
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Transfer the potatoes into a large bowl and mash the potatoes while they are still hot. Add salt, pepper, and butter.
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While cooking the potatoes, chop the onion finely.
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In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Sauté onion until tender.
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Add the meat and break it up with a wooden spoon. When the meat is cooked, add salt and black pepper. Turn off the heat.
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Before adding the meat into the mashed potatoes in the bowl, get rid of the juice from the meat. Do not combine the cooking liquid with the mashed potatoes.
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Set aside to let cool a bit and let the moisture evaporate.
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While the mixture is still warm, but not hot, start making Korokke patties (mom made little one for the kids). Let the Korokke patties rest in the fridge for 15-30 minutes. TIP: Resting and cooling down the patties prevents the korokke from exploding while deep frying. The cold patties in the hot oil will not release any steam; therefore korokke will not explode in the oil. It also helps the ingredients to meld together.
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Dredge each ball in flour, egg, and Panko. Put the Korokke back in the fridge till oil is ready for frying (same reason above).
- In a wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Deep fry Korokke until they are golden brown (How To Deep Fry Food). Inside is already cooked, so all you need to do is to make it nice brown color.
- Transfer Korokke to paper towels and let the oil absorbed in the paper. Serve immediately with Tonkatsu Sauce.
- You can store the leftover in an airtight container and freeze up to a month. To reheat, put frozen or half defrosted korokke on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper and bake at 350 ºF (180 ºC) for 15 minutes or until inside is warm.
Tonkatsu Sauce: Homemade recipe, click here.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Hi Nami,
For the Croquette recipe, can i replace potato with pumpkin and can i omit the meat? Without the meat, how much more of potato (or pumpkin) should i add? Thanks.
Cheers,
Esther
Hi Esther! Sure, there is Kabocha Korokke (pumpkin korokke) in Japan too. 🙂 I make Kabocha Korokke but haven’t written up a recipe. I usually add meat and 1/4 or 1/2 kabocha for my family.
Hope this helps!
I cooked this recipe perfectly for the first time and it was so good! I will cook it again. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Rosemarie! Yay I’m so glad you liked this recipe! Thank you so much for your feedback. 🙂
I’ve only been able to make these once because they take time and I have a toddler who doesn’t like when I focus on anything other than her lol. I unfortunately made mine a little too thick ^^; . But they were yummy anyway!! I can’t wait to be able to make them again! (Maybe during a daddy daughter trip day lol)
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂 love!
Hi Tarin! I went through the similar stage too, and that time it was very hard for me to deep fry… I just couldn’t focus. Now that the kids are older, I got busier and have less time to make this, but my kids and I love love love korokke… I actually bought a bag of potatoes thinking of making this. 🙂 Thank you so much for trying this recipe!!
Hi Nami,
These look soooo good! I had one question though: if I make these over night can I eat them in my bento the next day (no reheat)?
Also, is it possible to store these after making them? Like, refrigerating and then reheating later?
Thanks in advance, and great recipes as always!
Hi Tom! I love these korokke and thanks for your interest in making these. 🙂
When I make korokke for dinner and try to pack next day for kids’ lunch, I usually use a toaster oven to reheat (for food safety reason) and make the panko crunchy for better texture.
Then I cool it down on wire rack completely (so bottom side don’t get soggy) before packing into bento so that condensation won’t make the korokke soggy..
It looks complicated, but it’s not that hard or time consuming. I usually reheat before kids wake up and then let cool while they are eating breakfast. 🙂
For storing, I keep (already fried) korooke in air tight container and freeze it (even if you are eating that same week – taste better). Then defrost and bake in toaster oven.
Hope that helps!
Hi Nami,
Thank you so much for sharing this.
I cooked this the other day and they are awesome. My family loves it very much.
From now on this dish will appear on our dinning table very often. 😀
I have just post my korokke in my blog too 🙂
Thanks again.
mui
Hi Doreen! Thank you so much for trying this recipe. I just saw your post – they look so delicious! Now it’ll be my turn to make this. It’s hard to just look at them and not being able to eat. 😉 Thank you for your feedback!
A great way to use up left over mashed potatoes. Thank you 🙂
Hi Mark! That’s true! Maybe I should promote this recipe before Thanksgiving. 😀
Hi Nami, I’m fairly new to your website stumbling upon it by chance and I couldn’t resist making these delicious looking treats! I cooked them for lunch today and my family and I weren’t disappointed, they were delicious 🙂 I haven’t had much Japanese food before, but I’ll definitely try cooking it more often now with the help of your recipes. Keep up the great work with the blog!
Hi Jeana! Thank you for trying out my recipe and I’m so glad you liked Korokke (my favorite food!). Thanks so much for your kind words. 🙂
My mom makes these identically! And she is the same way about deep fried food; always perfect tempura, french fries, korokke, shrimp balls…honestly I do not even try because it can never compare to Mom’s!
oh and we never made korokke sandwiches with leftovers, what a great idea.
Hi Julie! I’m so happy to hear your mom make korokke same way! These are so delicious! And yes, do make sandwich next day. I look forward to it every time I make it. 🙂
Wow! These were wonderful, simple ingredients but still delicious. Thank you and your mom for this tasty dish 🙂
Hi Dalila! Thank you for reading my post. 🙂
I forgot to ask, can I prepare these a day ahead ( without egg, flour and panko) and deep- fry them the next day?
Hi Dalia! I’ve never tried prepping the day before, so I did some research. I found some good suggestions a lot of people talk about.
Option A
1) Finish until Step 11 (until putting panko).
2) Then pack in air tight container and freeze.
3) Next day in the morning you move it to refrigerator (to defrost)
4) Dredge in panko again
5) Deep fry
Option B
1) Finish until Step 11 (until putting panko).
2) Place korokke in single layer on a plate and lightly wrap with plastic wrap (to keep it dry, instead of moist – Korokke may get soggy a little bit).
3) Dredge in panko again
4) Deep fry
Option C
1) Finish making korokke.
2) Refrigerate or freeze korokke in an air tight container.
3) Use toaster oven (or oven) to re-heat. Do not use microwave because it’s not going to be crispy outside.
Actually I always enjoy eating leftover next day… .and use Option C (use freezer method). It’s still tasty! 🙂 Hope this helps!
What a coincidence! My son just told me to make this last week!
Can you please teach us how to make cream korokke, I haven’t tried and seems difficult?!
Hi Sandy! I do have Creamy Crab Croquette recipe on my blog. I have to say it’s a bit difficult as it’s hard to shape the creamy filling… it’s not as solid as Korokke. But that’s how you make it creamy and soft inside…. Hope you give it a try someday!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/creamy-crab-croquette/
Hi thank you Nami for lots of wonderful Japanese cuisine that I have not tried before. Love the tonkatsu, ebi fry, korokke recipes and will be trying it pretty soon. Just want to know can I bake all these recipes mentioned above instead of frying? As the family is on low Carb and low fat diet. In the past I have cooked yakitori, tamagoyaki, they were a lovely addition in me cooking a be to box meal..thanks to my hubby for introducing me 2nd time to Japanese food which was a be to box meal in a food court…Since then I loved it and even tried okonomiyaki in a restaurant only think I disliked was the bonito flakes…planning to make it but can you suggest a not fishy substitute? Thanks once again looking forward to read your reply in this site.
Hi Anju! First of all, please understand that “traditional/authentic” recipes ALWAYS use deep frying for those recipes with the right deep frying technique. The result is simply amazing that sometimes you don’t even feel oily.
Yet, at home, we try to eat healthy and there are some “baked” version available. I have baked chicken katsu recipe (it’s called “Crispy Baked Chicken”) and the same method can be used for pork, shrimp, and korokke.
The result is pretty close to deep frying and I’m very happy with this recipe. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/crispy-baked-chicken/
Now for Okonomiyaki, you can simply omit katsuobushi for topping. No need to substitute, because that is unique ingredient that is hard to replace. But you will need “dashi” for okonomiyaki recipe, which contains bonito flakes. If you really don’t like the bonito flakes, you can use “kombu dashi” instead of regular dashi. Hope this helps!
Mecha umai!! 🙂
These were so great! Thank you for sharing! Everyone loves them!
(^-^) mmmm!
Hi Theresa! So happy you tried this recipe! It’s my #1 recipe that I love from my mom’s cooking… Thanks for trying this recipe and writing feedback. xo 🙂
Hello! This recipe looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try it! By any chance, is it possible to bake or toast them rather than frying them? Thank you an I love your recipes! (⌒▽⌒)
Hi Connie! I haven’t done it, but it’s possible if you use my method on Baked Crispy Chicken or Baked Tonkatsu recipes.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/baked-tonkatsu/
Hope you enjoy! 🙂
I guess I’m stuck not really having a favourite food from growing up that I can eat now… My parents weren’t especially good cooks (I have been cooking for myself for a long time) but my grandmother was. But she’s passed, and none of her recipes were handed down… :/
Oh well, I make pretty good foods, and your site helps me to make more. XD
These look amazing. Do you think it would work if one skipped the frying and put them into the oven? It wouldn’t be quite the same, I know, but fried foods upset my digestive system.
Hi Kai! Make sure to document your recipes! 🙂
I haven’t tried, but I’m pretty sure we can do this with the same technique as Baked Tonkatsu and Baked Chicken Katsu recipe.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/baked-tonkatsu/
Hope you enjoy! 🙂
I noticed that your other Korokke recipe you put egg in the mixture, while this has no egg as a binder.. Would it make any difference?
Have you tried putting this on an oven?
Ahh..just read the other replies to use the Baked Tonkatsu technique..
Yes, you probably saw the comment above. I haven’t tried it yet but I’ll test it next time I make Korokke. Theoretically it should work as everything is already cooked inside. 🙂
Hi Onio! It’s up to you. My mom never puts an egg in it (which is this recipe) and it still tastes amazing. Some recipes use an egg, some don’t. Not a big difference, I’d say. It adds more flavor and keep it moist.
I made them last night for family dinner, and although mine didn’t look as good as yours
they had everyone ask for seconds (and thirds)
Thank you
Hi Martijn! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! 🙂 I really love this food and I’m so glad to hear you and your family enjoyed it too! Thanks for your kind feedback! 🙂
Made these last night and they were yummy! I used pork instead of beef though cause my grandma can’t eat beef.
Hi Sujitra! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
Hi Nami-
Can this recipe be baked and not deep fried?
Thank you?
Sandra
Hi Sandra! The baked version will be on the blog soon! I still need to edit the video and pictures… 🙂
My mom used to make korokke and I loved them. She did show me how to make these but step #3 and #11 are not steps she used so I will have to try that. I don’t have a recipe as she did the “little of this and a little of that” (oyoso). Thanks for sharing.
Hi June! I can imagine your mom’s korokke is so delicious!!! The step #3 and 11 are good to have. You can always make it without those steps, but just a tiny thing that helps to improve… 🙂 My mom’s cooking is the same way, which is why I started this site for my kids. 😀
Hi Namiko, I like to make a big batch of these up to stage 10. Then I arrange them on a baking try and individually freeze them. After that I just defrost as many as I need when I need them, and continue from step 11-13. That way it’s a great “meal in a minute”. I like to serve with steamed brussell sprouts. Yum!
Hi Mark! I’ve never stopped preparing korokke at Step 10, so thank you so much for your feedback and share your method! I am always worried about freezing & defrosting them when it comes to deep frying, but it’s good to know it works! Thank you very much! I usually make A LOT (till last step) and freeze them, and reheat in the toaster oven to enjoy. 🙂 Thank you again!
Hi Nami,
As i was searching for something for dinner today, i ran across “Mom’s Korokke” in a google search lol. Out of curiousity, i ended up here and just wanted to thank you for this recipe. Always looking for new korroke recipes. This looks just like my moms recipe, which i should have gotten years ago, but things you tend to forget when they start getting elderly and sick. I think she used about half the meat/onions though, she was very health conscious, but the overall is exactly like how she used to make them. One thing i can’t forget is helping her make them, dipping them in the, flour, egg and bread crumbs, while she fried them up. She would line them up on a grate with paper towels as well and I would always beg and steal one before dinner with some bulldog (japanese brand) sauce. Today i still crave a good korokke and these i will make tonight, as i know they will be delicious. Thanks again for bringing back memories of mom, and a delicious korokke recipe, appropriately named “Mom’s Korokke”! Next will be the matsutake chawan mushi, another one of those dishes i miss.
Hi Mark! Welcome to my blog! What a wonderful surprise that my mom’s Korokke recipe lead you here. It’s my most favorite Japanese food! I’m actually in Japan right now and already asked my mom to make this korokke on the last day of my stay. 🙂
My mom use more beef in the korokke. I always felt store korokke is not good enough as it’s mostly potato. I thought they don’t put it to cut down on cost, but realized later on that that’s the normal korokke. I’m so used to eating my mom’s korokke that I make my own just like hers.
We were actually traveling together when I saw your comment and she was happy to hear you like your mom’s Korokke. 🙂
Thank you for your sweet comment. Hope you enjoy my blog and recipes!
Hi Nami,
Just wanted to say how lucky you are to have your mom’s korokke freshly made for you! Oh, i understand the extra ground beef, and i made it your mom’s way as well and it is delicious.. No store bought korokke ever compared to home made like this, that’s why korokke always has to be made fresh. It’s just not the same, and you’re right, store bought never has any meat!
Well, hope you had a great time in Japan, and wish you and your mom well! I do look forward in trying more recipes from your website, so thanks again!
Hi Mark! I appreciate even more now as I know it takes time to make this dish. My mom is better at deep frying, so it tastes better (and she uses good beef!).
Thank you so much for your kind words once again! 🙂
Easy to make and delicious! I’m learning to cook and this recipe’s a keeper.
Thanks so much!
Thank you! I’m glad to hear you like my recipe! 🙂
Just made this tonight, WOW it was great, even for the first time making it. Never will I make Sheppard’s Pie as this is much better!
Hi Michael! Yay! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. It’s really my favorite Japanese food (probably because of my mom’s homemade version – never really liked the store bought or restaurant version)! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi, can you make the korokke by baking instead of deep frying?
Thanks.
Hi Joyce! Yes, I have the recipe! 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/baked-croquette/
I remember tasting similar in Japan
Hi Maggie! There are so many kinds in Japan! 🙂
I always enjoy your recipes. One of these days I will be able to make one of these and proudly present them to my family. Thank you or the videos… Keep up the good work.
Hi Froy! This is probably my favorite Japanese food and I hope you give it a try one day. It does take time (which is why I make a lot, deep fry them, freeze a lot of them, and bake in toaster oven to reheat till crispy), but it’s well worth it! Thank you for your support and kind feedback! xo
Hi, you think I can make these and put in dinner rolls and bring to a beach party? Will they stay crispy and nice? Thanks!
Hi Teo! Oh that sounds really nice! Well, the “crispy” part can be tricky. As panko crust gets moisture, it’ll be less crunchy. I guarantee it will be still delicious though. 🙂 When you make it, please cool down completely before you make sandwich. When it’s hot and make sandwich, all the steam will end up moisture inside the bread, and that will make the sandwich soggy. So cool down completely and then make sandwich. No more steam or moisture should go into the sandwich. 🙂 Hope this helps!
Tried your recipe today and it’s yummy! Many thanks for teaching us, Nami! I took a photo of them but not sure I know how to post it though.
Hi Judith! No sugar, just heavy cream and chocolate. If you prefer sweeter taste, use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate. 🙂
Oops I apologize.. I left a comment for someone else in different recipe… Deleting now.
Hi Judith! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy Korokke recipe! I can see your photo on Instagram (please use #justonecookbook), facebook page or twitter. 🙂 I look forward to seeing it!
Lb is not japanese. Noone can use this recipe if you use those unuseful and strange measures. 🙁 You certainly live in the us for far to long. Oh, I normally like your website and your recipes. But this is the first time any japanese person putting recipes on the web in english uses american measurements…. I now see you do this frequently. So I can forget cooking this food. What a pity! 🙁 You should really mention that this is a webpage only for us-people.
Hi Carlotta! I apologize. This post was written in 2012, which was one year later after I started blogging. Majority of my audience was American back then (and right now 60% Americans). If you looked at my new recipes for the past 3 years or more, you see ALL my recipes are written in both lbs and grams. When I recreate my old recipes to re-shoot images or add videos, I ALWAYS add both measurements as I have more audience around the world. I apologize to upset you, and will try to update my older recipes when I have more time or budget to hire someone to go through older recipes.
For your information, I added grams to this recipe. And I personally use grams in my cooking because it’s more accurate, especially baking (unless I follow American cookbooks).
I’m sorry, 🙁 I’m autistic and often I don’t get the right words to say what I mean without being rude. This is no excuse,but a reason. I like your webside very much and I like your recipes! There are so many pictures how to make the food. Thank you for adding grams. I’m really sorry. again. 🙁
Hi Carlotta! Please do not apologize. I want my recipes to be helpful to everyone’s needs and I do my best to help my readers cook Japanese food at their own home. I totally understand the need of metric measurement, as I still don’t have a clue how much one ounce or pound weighs. I struggle myself!
I have received comments from Americans when I only added grams to my baking recipes. So now updated recipes have a cup measurement for those baking recipes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. With a cup measurement, the amount of flour is never accurate depending on how you would scoop, so I started to get comments that the recipe doesn’t work, so I have to tell them to use a gram measurement if they want to be precise. Wish we all use the metric system! 🙂
How long can you store these before frying?
Hi Amanda! If you are going to store it for later, I recommend deep frying all of them, let them cool completely, and pack in an airtight container. You can reheat in the oven without thawing before you enjoy. Hope this helps! 🙂
Hi Nami, Thanks for your reply. My Cousin has a deep fryer so I was thinking of prepping the korokke at home and taking them over to cook there.
Hi Amanda! Ohh, I see! I’d say overnight can be okay, but try to deep fry soon to keep the quality. 🙂
Thank you for replying Nami! I’m really looking forward to making these to share with my cousin ♥
Have fun and enjoy! xoxo
Besides the butter, what is the difference between Mom’s Korokke recipe and your regular recipe?
Hi TK! The overall method is the same; these days I make my mom’s recipe so that became my “regular”… but the other one has carrot and mushrooms (optional), and I also add an egg in the recipe.
Hello Namiko-san 🙂
I am so happy to have found your website and I am so excited to see this recipe! I want to make everything!! 😄❤️ I lived in Japan 25 years ago and ate Korokke at the temple near my apartment many times (the family there are my friends). I can’t wait to make it, it brings back so many memories and is a great favorite of mine too.
I have one question…I think they made it with ham or bacon, and the amount of potato seemed like 90% of the filling… If I try to make it like that, would you recommend adding butter or some other ingredient to make the filling moist or is the potato and onion/meat alone enough?
Thank you so much and thank you for this outstanding work you do!! It is very much appreciated. 🥰