This breaded pork cutlet may resemble my Pork Schnitzel, but there are a couple of things that make it katsu. The thick, sweet and savory sauce served over the cutlet, steamed rice, and shredded fresh cabbage served on the side.
Much like the pork schnitzel this recipe is very basic and simple and comes together pretty quickly. You end up with crunchy panko crumbs on the outside and tender and delicious pork inside.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
What Is Katsu?
Katsu is a Japanese dish that gets breaded with panko and deep fried. When it’s specifically pork katsu, it’s known as tonkatsu. For this tonkatsu recipe though, we’re skipping the mess of the deep fryer and making it in the air fryer instead!
For the pork, you need thin pork cutlets. I like to use pork sirloin, but you can also use pork tenderloin, the important thing is that they are turned into cutlets. You can try another version with this Breaded Pork Cutlets in the Air Fryer recipe too.
Making Pork Katsu
You can purchase pork cutlets or prepare them yourself by pounding pork sirloin chops to 1/4-inch thickness. If you’re not entirely sure how to do this, don’t worry. I have a tutorial for making your own chicken cutlets over here, and it’s the same process. After flattening the meat, you’ll bread it by dredging each cutlet in flour, dipping it in an egg wash, and then coating with panko bread crumbs.
I love using panko bread crumbs when I’m breading meat, but this recipe requires panko. It just wouldn’t be katsu without them. For this recipe, olive oil is combined with the panko to aid in the browning in the air fryer.
I prefer to season the cutlets with salt and pepper prior to breading rather than seasoning the breadcrumbs. I feel like they are more evenly seasoned that way.
Make sure that there’s enough room around the cutlets when you place them in the air fryer. If there isn’t enough room, the breading will not crisp up and the whole point of a katsu – or any breaded cutlet – is to get the crispiest, crunchiest crust.
You may need to work in batches to accomplish this. If so, pre-heat your oven to 180˚F to keep the cooked katsu warm and crisp while the remaining cutlets are cooking.
How To Serve Pork Katsu
Traditionally, katsu is cut into thin strips before serving and the sauce is spooned over the top. You can purchase katsu sauce in most grocery stores or if you prefer, you can make it at home. It’s kind of a Japanese BBQ sauce with ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and a few other ingredients. Serious Eats has a simple recipe that utilizes things that you’re likely to have in your pantry.
A side of steamed rice and shredded cabbage or a simple cabbage salad and you’ll have dinner on the table in no time at all.
More Air Fryer Pork Recipes
You can browse all my delicious air fryer recipes, but get started by trying out some of my favorite air fried pork dishes.
- Air Fryer Bone-in Pork Chops
- Pork Tenderloin in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Pork Loin
- Air Fryer Stuffed Pork Chops
Podcast Episode About Making Air Fryer Pork Katsu
Listen to me explain briefly about how this Air Fryer Pork Katsu, along with some other great tips, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
PrintAir Fryer Pork Katsu Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Japanese
DESCRIPTION
Juicy, tender pork cutlets wrapped in a crispy layer of breadcrumbs with a sweet-and-savory sauce drizzled over the top makes this Air Fryer Pork Katsu an easy dish to fall in love with.
Serve with homemade or store-bought Katsu sauce, shredded cabbage, cooked rice, and lemon wedges.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork chops (sirloin or loin)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
Instructions
- Place one pork chop between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4-inch thickness. (See how in the post). Repeat with remaining cutlets. Season both sides of each of the pork cutlets with salt and pepper.
- On your work surface, line up three shallow bowls, cake or pie pans are perfect. In the first, place the flour. In the second, whisk together the eggs. In the third, combine the breadcrumbs and olive oil. Mix to coat all bread crumbs with the oil.
- Dredge both sides of a pork cutlets in the flour, then dip both sides into the eggs, and then coat with the breadcrumb mixture.
- Preheat oven to 180˚F, which will be to keep cooked katsu warm as you work in batches.
- Working in batches if necessary, place the breaded pork cutlets into the air fryer basket without overlapping. Set the temperature to 360˚F and cook for 5 minutes. Turn cutlets over and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove from air fryer basket and keep warm in the pre-heated 180˚F oven. Repeat until all pork cutlets are cooked.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
This post originally appeared in January 2020 and was revised and republished in August 2023.