Toasted Panko Breadcrumbs

If you’re looking for the perfect crunchy and delicious finishing touch for a dish, you want Toasted Panko Breadcrumbs.

Video: How To Toast Panko

What Are Panko Breadcrumbs?

Panko is the Japanese style of bread crumbs. They are large, flaky, and wonderfully crunchy, especially when toasted or fried. You might be familiar with them as the crispy coating for Pork Katsu, but they can be used in all sorts of dishes when you need some extra texture and crunch.

What is Panko Made Of?

Panko breadcrumbs are made from a special kind of crustless white bread that is processed into large flakes and then dried. 

Panko Versus Regular Breadcrumbs

Now that you know what panko breadcrumbs are, you’re probably wondering what makes them different from regular breadcrumbs. There’s a few things that set them apart. 

1. Appearance and Texture: Panko crumbs are larger and more jagged. Regular breadcrumbs are ground from regular bread and are much smaller crumbs. Panko has a lighter, more airy texture which leads to its characteristic crispy bite.
2. Flavor: There isn’t much flavor difference between the two types of breadcrumbs. They can both be found in stores plain or with seasonings added.
3. Absorption: Japanese breadcrumbs absorb less oil than standard breadcrumbs. The oil around them crisps them up, but doesn’t soak in as much, and so the result is mush flakier. This makes them the best choice for coating meats or vegetables before frying, like with this Panko Fried Chicken.
4. Binding: Breadcrumbs are a popular ingredient choice as a binder in recipes like meatloaf or meatballs. Both panko and regular breadcrumbs work here, but I usually use the regular ones. They absorb more and so are better for keeping in moisture.

Why Toast Panko Breadcrumbs

Panko breadcrumbs are so great already, why are we toasting them? Because when you’re not using it as a coating and frying it in recipes like Deep Fried Shrimp, you still want to get the best possible flavor out of them. And the best possible crispiness too.

By adding in some seasonings and quickly toasting them in butter, you get beautifully browned crumbs that are bursting with flavor. It’s the perfect topping for a wide variety of dishes. And since they’re cooked and crisped, you add them on to finish the dish after it has cooked, making it a great little garnish. Add in garlic or onion powder, Italian herbs, red pepper flakes, or whatever makes sense for the dish you’re using it on.

Panko Substitute

Nothing is going to be exactly like panko, but if you’re in a pinch and need a crunchy coating, there are several things that work. My favorites are:

• crushed melba toast
• crushed pretzels
• crushed tortilla chips
• crushed crackers
• crushed unsweetened cereal

Storing Panko Breadcrumbs

Store unopened panko in its original sealed, unopened container in the pantry until the use-by date indicated on the box. Once you open the panko box, if you haven’t toasted it or added anything to it, it can be kept in a sealed container or in a sealed ziptop bag for up to 6 months. If they are no longer crunchy, seem stale, or have any smell, discard them.

As to toasted panko, you can store it in a sealed container in the fridge for 1 week. It will stay crisp and ready to use. But I’ll tell you that I often make a double batch and the store it in the freezer. It keeps for a good month or two in a sealed container before getting freezer burnt.

To use frozen toasted panko, open the container and tap the crumbs with a spoon to separate them from each other. Transfer the amount you’d like to use to a bowl, put the lid back onto the freezer container and put that back into the freezer. Let the panko in the bowl sit at room temperature just until it’s no longer cold, about 10 minutes, and then use it as instructed belowl.

How To Use Panko Breadcrumbs

The possibilities are pretty endless! I can’t wait to hear all your creative uses for them. My favorite ways to use them is to add crunch to a dish that is cooked in a way where a crisp coating isn’t easily achieved. For instance, when cooking foods in the Instant Pot or slow cooker, there’s a lot of moisture going on and not a chance for crunch. When the dish is finished cooking and you’ve divided it onto dinner plates, simply sprinkle each serving with some of your toasted panko, and voila!

For instance, we all know that Chicken Parm is supposed to involve some crispy pan-fried breaded chicken, right? But if you make chicken Parmesan in the slow cooker, any attempt at breading will be soft. Instead, I don’t bread the chicken at all but cook it in there in sauce and add cheese. Then that crispy sprinkle of crumbs goes on at the end to approximate the more traditional version’s crunch. Get the idea?

Similarly, baked spaghetti, mac n’ cheese and other casseroles are often topped with something that will crisp up at the end of baking in the oven. But if you make yours on the stove and don’t want to have to transfer it to a casserole and then bake it to crisp up, just scoop it from the pot to the plate and then add on those crispy toasted panko breadcrumbs. Next time you make this delicious cheese sauce to mix with pasta, go ahead and top the finished result with the crumbs. And if making this one-pot pasta dinner, make it extra special with some panko added right before serving.

Toasted Panko is also perfect on top of veggie casseroles and dishes too, like this Butternut Squash Casserole or Brussels Sprouts Gratin.