Best Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce (3 ways)

Name: Best Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce (3 ways)
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 2 tbsp tomato ketchup; 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu); 2 pinches light brown sugar; 2 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds; 100 ml dashi stock (or water); 2 tbsp red miso paste; 1 tbsp sake; 1 ½ tbsp mirin; 1 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu); 2 tbsp light brown sugar; ½ tbsp toasted white sesame seeds; 4 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds; 4 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu); 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 2 tbsp tomato ketchup; 2 tsp sugar; 2 ½ tbsp water

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What is Tonkatsu Sauce?

As the name suggests, tonkatsu sauce is a type of sauce you use for Japanese deep-fried pork cutlet, also commonly known as as “tonkatsu”. However, in Japan, the definition is a little more than that.

First of all, the word “sauce” (ソース) on its own mostly refers to Worcestershire sauce base sauce and is generally served with deep-fried dishes such as korokke, menchi katsu, and tonkatsu.

3 kinds of tonkatsu sauce in small glass bowls

There are 3 main types of sauce:

Worcestershire sauce (ウスターソース): Originated in England and the thinnest of the three is characterized by its smooth texture and slightly sour and spicy flavor. It is used to season deep-fried and stir-fried food and is often used as a secret ingredient in Western-style Japanese cooking (yoshoku) in things like Japanese-style curry and Hayashi rice.
Chuno sauce (中濃ソース): This sauce is thick, somewhere between Worcestershire sauce and tonkatsu sauce, and has both the slight tanginess of Worcestershire sauce and the mild taste of tonkatsu sauce. Again, it is often used for fried foods and as a secret ingredient in dishes. You can say it sits between Worcestershire sauce and tonkatsu sauce.
Tonkatsu sauce (とんかつソース): Also known as “thick sauce” (濃厚ソース), it has a thick and glossy texture, rich taste, and fruity sweetness. It is sweeter than the other two and has a soft, easy-to-eat flavor with reduced acidity and spiciness.

However, this is the “technicality” of sauces in Japan. In this recipe, when I say tonkatsu sauce, that means sauce to use for tonkatsu specifically. I just wanted to be clear on that technicality first.

A piece of tonkatsu dipped in Nagoya style red miso sauce

Visual Walkthrough & Tips

Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make 3 different Katsu Sauces at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.

If you prefer to watch the process in action, check out my YouTube video of this recipe for a complete visual walkthrough!

1. Classic Tonkatsu Sauce (2 minutes)

The quickest and easiest of the 3 only requires mixing in a bowl. You can whip it up in a couple of minutes!

2. Nagoya Style Red Miso Sauce (10 minutes)

Red miso sauce is also easy to make, but it needs to be cooked down a little. This is mainly to thicken the sauce and make it glossy, but also to cook off the alcohol in the sake and mirin. I simply add all the ingredients to a saucepan and heat it for 5-10 minutes while stirring occasionally!

3. Sesame Tonkatsu Sauce (10 minutes)

This one requires the most steps, but it’s worth it if you’re looking for a tonkatsu sauce with a nutty twist!

The first step is to toast the sesame seeds. Simply take a dry frying pan (no oil) and pour the sesame seeds in. Heat the pan on medium and keep stirring the sesame seeds around to stop them from burning. They’re done when the color has changed slightly, and you can smell the sesame aroma. This should only take a few minutes.

Next, I grind the toasted sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle. Try and make them as fine as possible to release the flavor thoroughly. Because it’s for a small batch, usually a food processor is too big for this. A spice blender would work great, though!

Toasted sesame seeds ground with a Japanese mortar and pestle

Finally, just mix the ground sesame seeds with the other ingredients, and you’re done!

Homemade katsu sauce in a small white and blue stripy jug

FAQ

Is tonkatsu sauce the same as teriyaki sauce?

No, they are very different in terms of the ingredients, use, and flavor.

Is tonkatsu sauce brown sauce?

They are similar to some extent, but the brown sauce is richer than tonkatsu sauce, and tonkatsu sauce has more acidity.

What is tonkatsu sauce supposed to taste like?

When a restaurant makes its tonkatsu sauce from scratch, the flavor can vary from restaurant to restaurant. Some places use classic Worcestershire sauce-based tonkatsu sauce, and others might use a sesame-based one (which I will also explain). Some might make a sweet one; others might make a savory or even spicy one. It really depends.
But to explain the taste of a classic and basic tonkatsu sauce, it can be described as a very fruity, yet tart with a slightly thick texture and mild flavor.

What is the best tonkatsu sauce to buy online?

I know this is kind of breaking the essence of this post, but seeing as a lot of people in Japan just buy tonkatsu sauce in the supermarket rather than make it at home, I thought it would be helpful to know what kind of brand has the most authentic flavor.
The brands that you should look for are generally these three:
Kagome (カゴメ)
Bulldog (ブルドッグ)
Kikkoman (キッコーマン)
Out of these 3, the one I see most often is definitely Kagome’s tonkatsu sauce. It’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of store-bought tonkatsu sauce.

Are there any Substitutes for tonkatsu sauce?

Even though I’m going to show 3 ways to make homemade tonkatsu sauce soon, you might be looking for substitutes. Maybe you want to look for an easier alternative or change the flavor slightly. Here are some popular examples of alternative tonkatsu sauce in Japan:
Worcestershire sauce: It’s a bit too thin for tonkatsu sauce, but this is the easiest option to recreate the flavor.
Ponzu: A sour sauce made with soy sauce and citrus. Great for a refreshing kick.
Demi-glace sauce/brown sauce: Slightly different taste, but it goes well with tonkatsu!
Okonomiyaki sauce: Sweeter than tonkatsu sauce, but the overall flavor is similar.
Oyster sauce: It has a completely different flavor, but the texture is similar and goes well.
Worcestershire sauce + Ketchup: If you have these two ingredients in your pantry, mix them with a half-and-half ratio!
Of course, it’s best to use tonkatsu sauce for tonkatsu, but sometimes it’s good to change things up!

I hope you enjoy these Tonkatsu Sauce recipes! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!