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This easy, 3-ingredient tonkatsu sauce (とんかつソース) is full of flavor and ready in just 1 minute! Ketchup, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce are all you need for a flavorful katsu sauce that’s a delicious copycat of Bulldog Tonkatsu sauce, also known as Bull-Dog sauce.
This easy tonkatsu or katsu sauce (とんかつソース) is made with just three ingredients and is ready in only a minute! It’s the perfect balance of sweet, salty, savory, and umami flavors that make this an excellent dipping sauce for pork cutlets, chicken katsu, and any other fried dishes.
What makes this the best tonkatsu sauce recipe is how balanced the flavors are without being overwhelmingly sweet. I found a few recipes online to be too sweet with too much ketchup. You’ll find this recipe is most similar to Bull-Dog tonkatsu sauce which has a savory, umami flavor with just a hint of sweetness.
This katsu sauce is simple and easy to prepare with just a few accessible ingredients that are available in any grocery store. The three ingredients you need are ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. Note: For a vegan or vegetarian-friendly version, opt for vegan Worcestershire sauce.
What is Tonkatsu (Katsu) Sauce?
Tonkatsu sauce, or katsu sauce for short, is a popular Japanese condiment that’s typically served with tonkatsu, chicken katsu, and any other fried cutlet.
It’s a thick, brown sauce that tastes savory, slightly tangy, and sweet, most closely resembling a Japanese-style barbecue sauce. It was first introduced in 1948 in Japan and is flavored with Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, and various fruit and spices.
Katsu Sauce Ingredients
Three simple ingredients are all you need with two optional ingredients to level up your homemade katsu sauce.
- Ketchup – Ketchup adds a sweet, tomato base that adds both flavor and thickness to the sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce – Worcestershire sauce lends a smokey, savory, and slightly tangy taste to the sauce for depth of flavor.
- Soy sauce – Soy sauce adds the perfect amount of umami and salinity.
- Sugar – Sugar is optional and I recommend you start with less and add more to taste, especially if you’re looking for a Bulldog sauce copycat.
- Garlic and onion powder – Garlic and onion powder are also optional but great for adding more flavor, similar to that of Bulldog sauce.
How to Make Tonkatsu Sauce
Simply combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce together in a bowl. Taste and add sugar and spices to your liking.
Bull-dog Sauce Copycat
When making a side-by-side comparison of Bull-Dog tonkatsu sauce and our homemade katsu sauce, you can see the color and consistency are very similar.
Tastewise, Bull-Dog sauce is not that sweet and has a savory, complex, umami flavor from its fruit and spice blend. Some recipes online are too heavy on the ketchup giving the sauce an overwhelming tomato taste that’s too sweet, which is why our recipe lists the sugar as optional and has less ketchup to avoid a strong tomato flavor.
To make a tonkatsu sauce recipe similar to Bull-Dog sauce, I recommend adding spices like garlic powder and onion powder for more flavor and starting with little to no sugar. You can always add some later and adjust to taste.
Although Bull-dog sauce has a pretty complex, umami flavor, I’d say our homemade version of tonkatsu sauce makes an excellent substitute considering it’s made with just a few ingredients. Feel free to experiment and add more flavors and let us know what works for you! Enjoy and happy cooking!
What to Serve with Tonkatsu Sauce
Tonkatsu sauce can be used as a dipping sauce or condiment for any of the following meals:
- Tonkatsu (fried Japanese pork cutlet)
- Chicken katsu
- Ebi fry (Japanese fried shrimp)
- Korokke (Japanese croquettes)
- Tempura
- Takoyaki
- Okonomiyaki
- Omurice
- Chicken tenders
- Furikake Fries
- Burgers
- Sandwiches
Katsu Sauce Tips
- Start with less sugar and adjust to taste. Ketchup is already sweet so you may or may not want more sweetness.
- For a bulldog sauce copycat, add spices like garlic and onion powder to add more flavor.
- For a vegan or vegetarian katsu sauce, opt for vegan Worcestershire sauce as regular Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies.
More recipes:
3-Ingredient Tonkatsu (Katsu) Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon sugar, (optional) adjust to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic and onion powder, (optional)
Instructions
- Mix the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce together. Taste and add sugar to your liking. Serve and enjoy!Note: For a Bull-dog sauce copycat, I recommend starting with less sugar and adding garlic and onion powder for more flavor.¼ cup ketchup, 2 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ tablespoon sugar, ⅛ teaspoon garlic and onion powder
- Serve with our chicken katsu recipe.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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The balance of flavors is perfect. This tastes just like real tonkatsu sauce and isn’t too heavy on ketchup or sweetness. Leave out the sugar if you want the real deal.
Very tasty and authentic. Just what I would expect tonkatsu sauce to taste like.
Yummy! I use this as a dipping sauce for everything.
I could eat this on EVERYTHING! It turns out so good. It was super simple and easy to make.
This added so much flavor to my chicken katsu! Made extra to go with chicken strips later in the week. Thank you!
I never realized how easy it was to make katsu sauce at home! I never get enough from the restaurant so I made this and it was so good! Perfectly thick and tangy. Amazing recipe!
I love this tonkatsu sauce! The ingredients are easy to find at home and it’s so easy to make. Thanks for this recipe. Will definitely make this again.
This sauce was excellent with chicken katsu!
So good! I made this and served it with some chicken tenders! It was easy to make and is the perfect dipping sauce! I didn’t have to change a thing – incredible!
This sauce couldn’t have possibly been easier or tastier! Served this with katsu tonight and it was a hit all around the table!
This tastes just like the katsu sauce from the restaurant and it was so easy to make! I dipped my chicken karaage in this. Amazing!
This has always been one of my favourite sauces, and I had no idea how easy it was to make at home! I gave this recipe a try last night, and it was five stars all round. My Mum absolutely loves Tonkatsu, and hasn’t had it since we returned from Japan a few years ago, so I will be making this for her soon. Next time, I will make a double batch and I really love it that much!
I had no idea tonkatsu sauce was this easy to make. Will be making this from scratch from now on. It was great on my hamburger steak!
I am a huge fan of Tonkatsu! I love it on both chicken and pork and had no idea it was so easy to make. Now, I will be putting it on everything. The Worcestershire is a must for this recipe, adds a nice smoky flavor to the background and makes it taste way more complex than it is. Great recipe!
This katsu sauce is the best! We enjoy it at our favorite Japanese restaurant, and it’s great that we can now make it at home with only few ingredients!
This was so easy and so delicious! We had it with shrimp tempura and everyone loved it.
Oh wow, I never knew it was so easy to make this sauce at home! I’m never buying one from the shops again!
I already have all of these ingredients in my pantry so I’m definitely gonna have to try making this sauce recipe. Sounds tasty.
Yum!! This sauce is absolutely delightful. The perfect texture and flavor! Can’t wait to try on other dishes.
What an easy to make tonkatsu sauce. Perfect way to season my pork chops