Easy Homemade Katsu Sauce

By: MeganPosted: 04/11/2022 Updated: 06/10/2024
Prep 5 minutes
Total 5 minutes

This 5-ingredient homemade katsu sauce is the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and full of flavor—and it only takes 5 minutes to make! This katsu sauce recipe is the perfect dipping sauce to serve with your Japanese katsu.

Easy Homemade Katsu Sauce

This 5-ingredient homemade katsu sauce is the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and full of flavor—and it only takes 5 minutes to make! This katsu sauce recipe is the perfect dipping sauce to serve with your Japanese chicken katsu or tonkatsu.

Dipping chicken katsu into homemade katsu sauce.

What is Katsu Sauce?

Katsu sauce, also known as tonkatsu sauce (とんかつソース), is an essential dipping sauce in Japanese cuisine. It’s the classic sidekick dipping sauce for your homemade chicken katsu or tonkatsu. This Japanese-style barbecue katsu sauce recipe has a balanced sweet and tangy flavor that also pairs great with deep-fried dishes.

The best part about this homemade katsu sauce recipe is that you can make it with 5 ingredients in under 5 minutes! Serve this tonkatsu sauce recipe with my chicken katsu or air fryer chicken katsu for the ultimate weeknight meal.

Smothering a chicken katsu with homemade katsu sauce.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Bursting with umami. This homemade katsu sauce is sweet, salty, savory, tangy, and delicious. It’s umami flavor brightens up deep-fried dishes.
  • 5 Ingredients. This homemade tonkatsu sauce recipe only requires 4 easy to find pantry staple ingredients.
  • Make ahead. You can double or triple this katsu sauce recipe and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. It is perfect for making ahead or meal prepping!
A chicken katsu topped with homemade katsu sauce and toasted sesame seeds.

Kitchen Equipment

  • Mixing bowl: all you will need is a single medium-sized mixing bowl to make this katsu sauce recipe.
  • Airtight jar: if you have any leftover homemade katsu sauce, you will need an airtight jar to store it in.

Ingredients

All of the ingredients for this homemade tonkatsu sauce recipe can be found in the condiments aisle of your local grocery store. No hard-to-find ingredients here!

  • Ketchup: there’s a reason why ketchup is so popular, it hits all of the 5 basic tastes: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami.
  • Oyster Sauce: oyster sauce is a sweet and salty condiment made from oyster juices, salt, and sugar. It has an umami, savory and tangy flavor.
  • Worcestershire Sauce: Worcestershire sauce has a powerful umami flavor that is sour from tamarind and vinegar yet sweet from molasses and sugar and has a bit of a spicy finish.
  • Sugar: adds sweetness while balancing out the strong flavors
  • Dijon Mustard: dijon mustard adds a tangy, sharp, and strong flavor with a bit of spice to the tonkatsu sauce recipe.

Substitutions

Since this homemade tonkatsu sauce recipe only requires 4 ingredients, there really is very little room for substitutions. However, there is one substitution that you can make which I listed below.

  • Soy sauce: soy sauce has a salty umami flavor that is similar to oyster sauce. Keep in mind if you substitute soy sauce for the oyster sauce you may need to adjust the proportions of the other ingredients to taste.

How to Make Katsu Sauce

You can make this easy katsu sauce recipe in under 5 minutes by mixing all the ingredients together in one bowl!

  1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and dijon mustard together.

Tips for the Best Katsu Sauce

  • Adjust to taste! This is your homemade katsu sauce. That means you should adjust it based on your taste preferences. If it is too tangy, add a pinch of more sugar. Want more of a kick, add a little more mustard sauce. Need it to be saltier, add more oyster sauce. The options are endless.
  • Double the recipe to save for later! The best part about a 4 ingredient homemade tonkatsu sauce recipe is that you can easily double the recipe to save for later.

Storage Instructions

You can store this homemade katsu sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Alternatively, you can freeze this katsu sauce recipe in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Q’s & A’s

What is katsu sauce?

Katsu sauce, also known as tonkatsu sauce (とんかつソース) is a sweet, tangy, and bold condiment that is typically used as a dipping sauce for Japanese deep-fried tonkatsu or chicken katsu. It typically consists of tomatoes, prunes, dates, apples, lemon juice, celery, onions, and celery along with spices, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar.

What does katsu sauce taste like?

Katsu sauce can be compared to a Japanese-style barbecue sauce that is a bit more tangy and savory and less sweet than the traditional Western American barbecue sauce.

How do you make katsu sauce?

Traditionally, it is pretty complicated to make katsu sauce from scratch. However, you can make your own homemade tonkatsu sauce by simply mixing together ketchup, oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and mustard together.

What goes well with katsu sauce?

Tonkatsu sauce is most commonly used as a dipping sauce for tonkatsu (pork cutlet) or chicken katsu. However, you can also use it as a spread for a katsu sandwich, a topping for Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki, or a dipping sauce for chicken tenders, potstickers, or potato croquettes!

Where to buy katsu sauce?

If you simply want the quickest and easiest method, you can buy tonkatsu sauce at your local Japanese or Asian supermarket. The most popular tonkatsu sauce brand is Bull-Dog.

Did you make this Tonkatsu Sauce?

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Recipe

Up close of chicken katsu being dipped into homemade katsu sauce.

Homemade Katsu Sauce

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
This 5-ingredient homemade katsu sauce is the perfect balance of sweet, tangy and full of flavor. This katsu sauce recipe is the perfect condiment to serve with your Japanese chicken katsu or tonkatsu.
Servings: 4 servings
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine. In a small mixing bowl, combine the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and dijon mustard together.

Notes

  • Adjust to taste! This is your homemade katsu sauce. That means you should adjust it based on your taste preferences. If it is too tangy, add a pinch of sugar. Want more of a kick, add a little more mustard sauce. Need it to be saltier, add more oyster sauce. The options are endless.
  • Double the recipe to save for later! The best part about a 4 ingredient homemade tonkatsu sauce recipe is that you can easily double the recipe to save for later.

Nutrition:

Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 369mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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