Homemade Panko Breadcrumbs

Making airy and fluffy panko breadcrumbs at home is super quick and easy!

Panko (パン粉 or “bread powder”) is a type of breadcrumbs used in Japan. The difference between “regular” breadcrumbs and panko breadcrumbs is the size of the crumbs. Panko breadcrumbs are chunkier but very light.

You can buy ready-made panko breadcrumbs from a store, but I like to make them at home because I can…

• Make it really fresh and not just airy but also FLUFFY since it’s not dried like the store-bought kind
• Decide the type of bread I use – white, wholewheat or even gluten-free!
• Make just the amount I need (usual breadcrumbs come in such a big package and I can never finish it!)
• Control the “size” of the crumbs
• Use leftover bread to good use:)

AND most of all, it’s super quick and easy to make! All you need to do is tear up the bread of your choice and put the pieces in a blender or food processor. Pulse few times until the bread pieces become crumbs.

In Japanese cooking, we use panko breadcrumbs extensively for yoshoku or Japanese “Western” dishes (oxymoron, I know…) like fried foods and meat balls/loafs.

One example of a dish using panko breadcrumbs can be found here:

Koya Dofu Cutlet (Japanese dried tofu cutlet)