My Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce recipe uses only four simple ingredients and is so quick to make! With savory, sweet, and tangy notes, it tastes just as amazing as Japan’s famous Bull-Dog Tonkatsu sauce. Serve it with tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlets), chicken katsu, or my favorite korokke (potato and beef croquettes).
Open my refrigerator, and you’ll find a stash of Japanese condiments and sauces—a mix of store-bought and homemade goodies. Among them is Tonkatsu Sauce (とんかつソース). This condiment is mandatory when it comes to serving Tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlet), Chicken Katsu, and more.
In today’s recipe, I’m sharing a simplified version of Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce using only four ingredients. You most likely already have them in the pantry, so you can whip up tonkatsu sauce anytime you need it. The great thing about making your own is that you can also adjust the sweetness to your liking.
Table of Contents
What is Tonkatsu Sauce?
Tonkatsu sauce (とんかつソース) is served with Tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlet) and is often used for other deep-fried dishes like Korokke or to make Hambagu sauce.
Tonkatsu sauce mainly consists of vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, prunes, dates, apples, lemon juice, carrots, onions, and celery. It also includes more than 10 kinds of spices along with soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. It’s a lot of work to make it from scratch, so most Japanese people would use the store-bought versions.
However, if you don’t live near the Japanese/Asian grocery stores or prefer to make your own, you can always count on my easy homemade recipe.
The Most Popular Tonkatsu Sauce Brand
The most popular tonkatsu sauce is the Bull-Dog Vegetable & Fruit Sauce (Tonkatsu Sauce). It’s easy to recognize the signature bulldog logo on the bottle. You can purchase it on Amazon and Japanese or Asian grocery stores.
Ingredients for Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce
- Worcestershire sauce – I use Lea & Perrins brand. If you’re vegan, use vegan Worcestershire sauce.
- Sugar
- Ketchup – The sweetness of the ketchup varies, so adjust the amount of sugar based on the ketchup taste.
- Oyster sauce – Use Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce if you’re vegetarian or allergic to shellfish.
How to Make the Best Tonkatsu Sauce
- Mix all the condiments together. I usually start by combining the Worcestershire sauce and sugar. Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved before adding the rest of the condiments.
- Yes, that’s it! The main flavor of tonkatsu sauce comes from Worcestershire sauce and ketchup. Since every brand of ketchup has a different level of sweetness, you may need to adjust the flavor with sugar.
Okonomi Sauce and Yakisoba Sauce
We have different sauces for okonomiyaki and yakisoba although these three sauces are quite similar.
- Homemade Okonomiyaki Sauce (Okonomi Sauce)
- Homemade Yakisoba Sauce
Recipes Using Tonkatsu Sauce
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Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 4½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (use vegan Worcestershire sauce for vegan)
- 2 Tbsp sugar (plus more to taste)
- 5 Tbsp ketchup
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce (use Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce for vegetarian or if you‘re allergic to shellfish)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. I included a bottle of Bull-Dog Tonkatsu Sauce in the image, but it‘s not needed for this recipe.
- In a jar or small bowl, combine 4½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 2 Tbsp sugar. Whisk well until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Then, add 5 Tbsp ketchup and 2 Tbsp oyster sauce and whisk until combined. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. Some ketchup is sweeter than others, so please adjust the amount of sugar to taste. Your Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce is ready to use.
To Serve
- Enjoy this Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce as a condiment for breaded and/or deep-fried Japanese foods like Tonkatsu, Chicken Katsu, and Korokke (Potato and Meat Croquette) or their baked versions Baked Tonkatsu, Baked Chicken Katsu, and Baked Croquette. Tonkatsu sauce is also an ingredient in recipes like Japanese Hamburger Steak (Hambagu), Keema Curry, and Meat Doria (Rice Gratin).
To Store
- Store in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 weeks or freezer for 3–4 months.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on January 27, 2014, and was updated with more helpful content and new images in February 2023. It was republished with a new video on February 16, 2024.
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[…] Okonomiyaki Sauce (お好み焼きソース) is brushed over the popular Japanese savory pancake, Okonomiyaki. Sweet, savory & packed with umami flavor, the sauce is very similar to Tonkatsu Sauce. […]
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[…] Tonkatsu sauce: Homemade recipe, click here. […]
Amazing! Our tonkatsu consumption sky-rocketed after I discovered this sauce recipe. Also the consumption of ketchup, oyster sauce and Worcestershire sauce that used to lie around in the fridge literally for years, and now I even keep back-up bottles in the pantry 🙂 Thank you for sharing it!
Hi Olesya! Haha, Tonkatsu sauce is my favorite. My friend in Osaka told me that people in that region eat fried eggs with Tonkatsu sauce (while we eat a fried egg with soy sauce in Tokyo area). Since then I enjoy tonkatsu sauce on my egg too! 😀 Glad to hear you like this recipe and thank you for your kind feedback!
I absolutely love your recipes, and your tonkatsu and tonkatsu sauce are a big hit at my home. Is there anyway you can make and share Sichuan Cumin Beef? It’s one of my favorites but I can never find a decent recipe with the tingly warmness of the sichuan peppers. Help!
Hi Molly! Thank you so much for your kind words and I’m glad to hear you enjoy Tonkatsu and Tonkatsu sauce recipes.
Unfortunately, I don’t know Sichuan Cumin Beef recipe…. Have you checked my blogger pal Elaine’s site?
https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/
This is a very good and easy substitute for store-bought katsu sauce. I also use with karaage. I won’t be buying store-bought again. Thanks!
Hi Sharon! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. xoxo
I love your Tonkatsu sauce recipe it’s so much better than Bulldog sauce!!
I used it not only on Tonkatsu but on Okonomiyaki and avocado toast with Bonita flake on top it delicious!
Hi Barbra! Aww thank you so much for your kind words! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy this recipe. 🙂
Is it possible to post the ‘complicated’ recipe for these sauces?
Hi Grace! Hmm…. I’ll think about it. It’s pretty easy to get condiment and I haven’t received requests for complicated recipe. If I get enough requests I’ll test recipe and will share! 🙂
I made Tonkatsu, but ran out of the store purchased Tonkatsu Sauce and my local Asian store that carried it was just too far away to drive for that one purchase. I found your recipe for Tonkatsu Sauce and I had all the ingredients. I was pleasant surprised at how good the homemade Tonkatsu Sauce tasted. I’m never going to buy another store purchase Tonkatsu Sauce again. Thank you!!!
Hi Daniel! Aww I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this Tonkatsu sauce! Thanks so much for trying this recipe. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! We really loved it!
Hi Midori! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind feedback!!
Hi, can I substitute something else for the oyster sauce? I’m allergic to seafood. Thanks!
Hi Tabitha! Hmmm either you can use vegetarian oyster-flavored sauce (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014KM7B46?ie=UTF8) or you can just omit it. Slightly different flavor (no salty kick) though.
riight if you cannot find tonkatsu sauce in your local shjop, then just find Worcestershire sauce to make it… thanks, may you tell me, where can i find that?
If there is no local Japanese/Asian grocery store, it’s harder to find Tonkatsu sauce. You can get Worcestershire sauce pretty easily in a regular grocery stores.
Sorry, I should have asked if you’re based in the US (sorry, majority of my readers are from the US, so I assumed)… Is your area hard to find Worcestershire sauce?
This is just the recipe I was looking for. I have a cookbook with a tonkatsu recipe, but no ingredients for the sauce. Thanks!
Hi Amanda! That’s great! Hope you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
超美味しい!
Do you know if this recipe can be made in advance and stored in the fridge? If so, how long would it be expected to last? Love the recipe, but don’t totally fancy having to dirty extra utensils/bowls if I don’t have to! 😛
Hi Daniel! うれしい! I’m so happy you liked this recipe! I think you can keep it up to 4 weeks or so if you keep it in airtight package/jar properly. 🙂