Tofu Katsu Burger with Togarashi Fries (Vegan & Crispy)

Name: Tofu Katsu Burger (Vegan Japanese Burger Recipe)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 90 ml soy sauce; 90 ml sake; 90 ml mirin; 1 Tbsp brown sugar (optional); 4 cloves garlic (crushed); Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger (grated and squeezed); 2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 4 tablespoons tomato ketchup; 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 Tbsp brown sugar; 1 tsp yellow mustard; 1/8 tsp onion powder; 1/8 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 tsp ground ginger; 1/8 tsp of allspice; Optional Tabasco or Frank’s Red-Hot (to taste); 1 1/5 tablespoons mayonnaise; 2 teaspoons white miso paste; 2 Tbsp mayonnaise; 1 Tbsp tonkatsu sauce; 1 Tbsp roasted and crushed white sesame seeds; 100 g white cabbage; 50 g red cabbage; 200 g extra-firm tofu (marinated for tofu katsu); 120 g flour (plain); 100 g panko breadcrumbs (or regular if preferred); 100 ml oat milk (barista style works well); Neutral vegetable oil (sunflower or canola) (enough for 1/2 inch frying depth in your pan); 2-3 medium potatoes (Maris pipers or any good chip potatoes); 1 Tbsp oil

Tofu is a blank canvas, and this breaded tofu katsu burger brings it to life: crispy outside, tender inside, layered with miso-mayo, watercress, pickles, and sesame slaw. Serve with oven-baked togarashi fries and homemade tonkatsu sauce. Try my vegan fried chicken or sticky tofu for more tofu favorites.

Deep fried, breaded tofu burger in a bun, with miso mayonnaise, pickles and crunchy, asian coleslaw

This vegan Japanese burger came about on a whim, leftover teriyaki tofu steaks turned into a burger experiment. It worked, but I wanted more crunch, so next time I coated the tofu in panko and deep-fried it. That's when it became a proper katsu burger, and now one of our favorite dinners.

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Tofu Katsu Burger – At a Glance
Ingredients & Substitutions
How to Make Tofu Katsu Burger
Substitutions
Top Tip for the Best Tofu Katsu Burger
Tofu Katsu Burger FAQs
Other popular recipes
📖 Recipe

Ingredients & Substitutions

Tofu marinade

Item	Swap out
Soy sauce	Tamari (gluten free)
Sake	Dry sherry or omit
Mirin	Sweet sherry
Brown sugar	Maple syrup
Garlic	Garlic powder
Ginger	Ground ginger

Miso mayo

Item	Swap out
Vegan Mayo	Vegan kewpie mayo
White miso paste	Yellow miso (slightly stronger flavour)

Coleslaw

Item	Swap out
Mayonnaise	Vegan kewpie mayo
Tonkatsu sauce	Homemade tonkatsu sauce (see recipe above)
Roasted white sesame seeds	tahini
White cabbage	Any pale cabbage variety
Red cabbage	Omit, or use extra white cabbage

Tonkatsu sauce

Item	Swap out
Homemade vegan tonkatsu sauce	'Bulldog' tonkatsu sauce (store bought)

How to Make Tofu Katsu Burger

Serves 2 | Prep time 30 minutes, + overnight to marinate the tofu | Cooking time 15 minutes

1. Marinate the tofu

Plant based burger teriyaki marinade simmering in a pan over heat to reduce.

Teriyaki marinade cooling off in a pan, with crushed garlic and ginger on the surface, ready to flavor tofu for a plant based burger.

A good tofu katsu burger starts with flavoring the tofu itself. We use a simple teriyaki-style marinade of soy sauce, mirin, and sake simmered together with a touch of sugar until slightly reduced. Once it has cooled, add fresh garlic and ginger juice, then pour it over thick slices of tofu. The longer you leave the tofu to marinate, the better. Overnight is great, but up to three days will give an even deeper flavor.

2. Make the sauces and burger fillings

Tonkatsu sauce, a brown thick, ketchup like sauce, prepared and whisky up in a bowl

While the tofu is soaking up that sweet-salty Japanese base, you can get ahead with the sauces and sides. Vegan tonkatsu sauce is quick to whisk together at home. Ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, and a few spices create something tangy, sweet, and savory, almost like a Japanese take on steak sauce. If you do not feel like making it from scratch, you can use a bottled version (Bull-Dog is the gold standard), but homemade always has a fresher taste.

Toasted sesame seeds ground down into a powdery paste in a pestle and mortar

Tonkatsu sauce and mayonnaise combined together in a bowl. A silver desert spoon resting in the centre of it post mixing

That tonkatsu sauce also gets folded into the sesame coleslaw. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden, then crush them to bring out their nutty flavor. Stir them through vegan mayo with a spoonful of tonkatsu sauce.

Thinly sliced red and white cabbage that has been combined with Tonkatsu mayonnaise in a white mixing bowl.

Shred your cabbage finely, and mix everything together. This slaw is not just a side. It is a big part of what makes this vegan Japanese burger feel layered and crunchy.

Mayonnaise and miso paste mixed together in a bowl forming a smooth light brown thick sauce.

Next, make the miso mayo. All it takes is stirring a spoonful of miso paste into vegan mayo until smooth. It brings a deep umami richness that ties the burger together and balances the crisp tofu and tangy pickles.

3. Bread and fry the tofu

Breaded tofu resting on a plate, ready to be deep fried for the Japanese burger filling.

Tofu katsu steaks, for a Japanese burger, being deep fried in bubbling hot oil in a pan over heat.

For the tofu, the breading is where the magic happens. Set up three plates: flour, oat milk, and panko breadcrumbs. Double-dip your tofu steaks so they are completely coated. Panko is the key here. It gives that unmistakable katsu crunch and makes this a truly crispy tofu burger. Fry the cutlets in shallow oil until golden, then let them rest on a rack so they stay crisp.

4. Assemble the burgers and serve

Halved buns, being toasted in a large frying pan, slightly charred and toasted ready to use for the Japanese burger.

Finally, it is time to stack. Toast your buns for extra crunch, spread the miso mayo on the base, add watercress, pile on the tofu cutlets, then pickles, a big scoop of sesame slaw, and a drizzle of tonkatsu sauce. Cap it with the top bun, and serve with togarashi fries and extra sauce for dipping.

Tofu Katsu burger, in a bun with toppings, on a marble plate.

The result is a towering vegan katsu burger that is crunchy, juicy, and messy in all the right ways. It is the kind of burger you need two hands for, with napkins close by, which is exactly how it should be.

Vegan tofu recipes collage featuring agedashi tofu, sticky tofu, kake udon and tofu noodles

Love this recipe?

Check out my other vegan tofu recipes for more ideas.

Substitutions

Here are a few easy ways to make this tofu katsu burger your own:

Buns: If you can find vegan brioche buns (or bake a batch yourself), they give a soft, rich texture that works beautifully with the crispy tofu cutlet.
Coleslaw: Swap half the cabbage for grated carrot if you like a slightly sweeter slaw. It keeps the crunch but adds a little extra color and balance.
Pickles: There are endless options here. Use your favorites or try making your own. We love beetroot, red onion, cauliflower, carrot, and dill pickles for a tangy contrast to the katsu.

Top Tip for the Best Tofu Katsu Burger

Marinating the tofu is the secret to getting the most flavor into your burger. Give it at least 12-24 hours in the fridge if you can. The longer you leave it, up to 72 hours, the more that sweet-salty teriyaki base will soak into the tofu, making your cutlet even tastier. If you enjoy this kind of preparation, you might also like our Teriyaki Tofu Steak, which uses a similar style of marinade and is just as satisfying. And if you ever have leftovers from that recipe, they can easily be repurposed into this burger for a quick and delicious meal.

Tofu Katsu Burger FAQs

How to make a vegan burger taste good?

The secret is layering flavor and texture. In this tofu katsu burger, we start with marinated tofu for depth, then add crispy panko for crunch, miso mayo for umami, sesame coleslaw for freshness, and pickles for acidity. A good vegan burger should have contrast in every bite: soft bun, crunchy filling, creamy sauce, and something tangy to cut through.

What are the best vegan burger toppings?

It depends on the style of burger you are making. For a Japanese-inspired burger like this one, we love sesame coleslaw, miso mayo, and plenty of pickles. Other toppings that work well include avocado, shredded lettuce, grilled mushrooms, or even a drizzle of tonkatsu mayo if you want something extra rich.

Can you bake tofu katsu instead of frying it?

Yes, although you will not get quite the same shatteringly crisp coating as you do with frying. To bake, place the breaded tofu cutlets on a lined tray, spray or brush lightly with oil, and bake at 200℃ (390℉) for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway. It is lighter and still gives you a good crunch, though pan-frying or shallow frying makes the most authentic crispy tofu burger.

Can I make tofu katsu gluten-free?

Definitely. Use tamari instead of soy sauce in the marinade, and swap regular panko for gluten-free breadcrumbs. Most of the other elements are naturally gluten-free, so with those two changes you will still have a delicious vegan katsu burger with all the crunch and flavor.

What sauces go with tofu katsu burgers?

Tonkatsu sauce is the classic choice, and we drizzle it straight onto the burger and serve extra for dipping the fries. Miso mayo adds a creamy, umami note, and sesame coleslaw gives freshness. You could also try our vegan tonkatsu sauce for a fuller flavor, or add a touch of chili sauce if you like extra heat.