
Say hello to Yuba Katsu! A variation of katsu made with tofu skin instead tofu for a chicken-like texture. This yuba katsu is crispy on the outside and so meaty and juicy on the inside! Serve with rice or with curry rice, in sandwiches or for katsu don (rice bowl).

More Katsu Recipes to Try:

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Yuba Katsu
Ingredients
- 1 package of frozen yuba (4 pieces total)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (15ml)
- 1 garlic clove, minced (5g)
- 1 tsp vegan bouillon powder (3g)
- 1 ½ tbsp cake flour (or all purpose flour // 22g)
- ¼ + 2 tablespoon flour (45g)
- ¼ - ⅓ cup water (70ml)
- ½ cup Panko (40g)
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Into a shallow dish add water, soy sauce, garlic clove and bouillon powder and mix to combine. Place the yuba pieces inside, cover and allow it to sit for 15 minutes (or overnight).
- Add panko breadcrumbs to a shallow dish. Add the cake flour and water to another shallow dish and mix to make the dredge.
- Remove yuba from the marinade and let excess liquid drip off. Place on a cutting board and then open the top and bottom folds. Sprinkle a bit of flour and then layer the yuba (as thick as you like, I used two pieces per cutlet).
- Add oil to a pot / deep pan (you can either shallow fry or deep fry).
- Dip the yuba into the dredge and then coat with panko breadcrumbs. Fry on both sides until golden brown (about 1 ½ minutes on each side).
- Place on a wire rack to allow excess oil to drop off. Serve with shredded cabbage, fresh vegetables and tonkatsu sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- Helpful Equipment: wire rack, tongs
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
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Meg says
This recipe was super easy and fun to make and the results were delicious!
★★★★★
Michelle Ocfemia says
So crunchy and so tasty 😋 You have to try if you are a katsu lover.
★★★★★
Ratna S. Taming says
I've already rebake this receipe, simple but yummy.. Thank you so much Lisa for sharing your receipes
★★★★★
Ratna S. Taming says
I've already rebake this receipe, so simple but yummy thank you so much Lisa for sharing receipes
★★★★★
Valene says
Simply delicious !!!
★★★★★
Cel says
Tried this and my family was blown away! Dredging in flour and water was a great idea — kept the yuba well coated so the outside remains crisp and the inside was juicy but not oily.
★★★★★
Christina says
I recently decided to go vegan so my friend showed me Lisa's IG account for some food inspo and she does not disappoint!! This katsu recipe is better than any meat katsu i've ever had. I was blown away and made extra for the next few days (and it was still crunchy!)
★★★★★
Natalie says
i’ve never thought to use yuba in this way and the results were delicious! it really does stay juicy and the layers add such a great textural experience. i served it as a sando and will definitely make again!
★★★★★
ria says
SOO good i cant believe how addicting this is
★★★★★
Didi schaller says
New family favourite! Loved the creativity in making this dish. First time using yuba! Love love love!
★★★★★
Stephanie says
This was literally so fun for me to make!! So delicious!!! I’m a girl that doesn’t really cook or do well at it, but mannn Lisa’s recipes are easy to follow and it came out so gooood! Thank you Lisa for sharing your talent and love for coooking!!
★★★★★
Giorgia says
I already tried some recipes, and I will try this one too! I love vegan/asian food, and this blog is a truly source of information! Thanks
★★★★★
Rosie says
Hi, I have a packet of dried yuba sheets, bought from the shelf. They are large sheets. Can I use these ?
Lisa Kitahara says
I would use frozen for this one! You could try but the texture will be very different.
Laura says
Wow! This recipe was so flavorful, crunchy, and delicious. I found the Yuba in the freezer section of my local Asian food market as “bean curd paper”. I rehydrated it with a bit of water as it was dry, then marinated it as directed. I will absolutely be making this again and sharing it with friends.
★★★★★
wongette says
I can't stop making this! It is simple to make and soooooooo yummy! I ove the texture of it! My non-vegan family members enjoyed this as well! Thank you so much for making food like this so accessible!
★★★★★
Vicki says
I have been a follower on IG for some time now. I just recently tried this recipe. It was amazing, the instructions were clear and easy, but it think it was all in the crunch to me. Thank you Lisa, you rock
★★★★★
Vicki says
I have been a follower on IG for some time, drooling over the recipes. I made this Yuba Katsu and it was everything and then some. The crunch is magical and all the recipes are so easy to follow. Thanks Lisa, YOU ROCK!!!
★★★★★
Cece says
Absolutely delicious! First time trying and it was so much easier than expected!
Definitely going to make it again in the future
★★★★★
Bête comme chou - Mathilde says
Very crunchy and taste so good, thank you !
★★★★★
Leah says
How many servings does this make? I'm excited to make this! Going to try it out on some friends tomorrow!
Lisa Kitahara says
two! I hope you enjoy 🙂
al may says
I just made this3 today and am so happy with how delicious it turned out! I can't wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Livvy says
Amazing recipe!! I love the texture of the yuba, I was worried the crumb wouldn't stick well to the layers of the tofu skin but it works super well
★★★★★
Anneke Hielkema says
This recipe is on my favorites list, and for good reason! It is so warm, rich and comforting - I really loved the techniques in this recipe - my only (personal) downside is I had dried yuba, and I didn't love the texture I ended up with. It reminded me a bit much of chicken skin and I couldn't disassociate, and the flavour wasn't there for me either, perhaps if I can find frozen yuba it may yield a different result? I retried it with frozen, thawed and pressed tofu.... and that was a winner!! The crispy crunchy katsu was beauuuutiful with the warm rich hug of the curry.. might just make it again this week, thanks heaps!!
Anneke, NZ
★★★★
Charisse Jan Santillan says
this is SO GOOOOD!!!! quite tedious for me to make but it was all worth it!!! very comforting as it reminded us of our fave katsu meals.... and the it was filling too. love love this recipe! Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Nicole says
This was soooooo good!
★★★★★
Delores says
Wow wow wow I was so impressed with this recipe I think this is my new favorite food. Super simple and fun to make. 12/10
★★★★★
Jaime Rivera jr. says
This was absolutely amazing, the texture and overall seasonings was great. Would definitely make again and again and again and again
★★★★★
Onwdis says
I had a yuba package for years and didn't know how to use it, this recipe is perfect.
It's easy and fun, the result is the best. Love the texture.
Thanks for the recipe!!
★★★★★
Sylvian says
Ahhhhh!!! So freaking good!!! What I love about this was it soo easy and yet soo freaking delicious. The ingredients are affordable, something that we all need because vegan meals are so expensive so homemade recipes like this is a great help.
Sooo flavourful and very crispy as well. Hubby was almost in tears, he said he can eat this everyday!
★★★★★
Vivian says
This recipe looks so good! Going to give it a try this week. Do I have to defrost the bean curd?
Lisa Kitahara says
Yes 🙂
LAURA says
I've tried it and it tastes incredibly good. I love all your recipes. Thanks so much for sharing them 🖤
★★★★★
Brandie says
I’ve never made katsu before! Even adapting this to be gluten free, it was tasty! Thank you for the recipe and inspiration!
★★★★★
Ashley says
This recipe is such a quick, easy, and delicious way to prepare yuba!
★★★★★
Caitlin says
SO GOOD. first time pressing tofu (and I was successful without the press). A lot of work, not a recipe I repeat often. Definitely resemebles chicken fingers!!!
★★★★★
Beverly says
I would never have tried cooking with yuba if it weren’t for this recipe and now I’m a huge fan! Super easy to follow and so delicious with rice and Lisa’s Best Japanese Curry recipe. I could eat this by itself too - such good flavor!
★★★★★
Andrea Thompson says
This recipe was quick, easy, and so crunchy yum. I had never cooked with yuba before and I am glad I started with this recipe!
★★★★★
Andrea Thompson says
This recipe is a winner! Quick and easy but tastes like it took bourse to make! It was my first time cooking with yuba and I definitely picked the right recipe to start with.
★★★★★
Samantha says
This is a great recipe! I've made it several times. At my HMart they had yuba sheets refrigerated, not frozen. So they were dried. But it worked fine actually, I just mixed warm water with the soy, garlic, and boullion to rehydrate them while marinating. This worked great. So delicious, the leftovers are even better (reheated in the toaster oven to restore crispness). I made sandwiches with tonkatsu sauce, mayo/sour cream sauce, and cabbage slaw for my husband and he gobbled them up! I will say I find the recipe a bit hard to follow (and maybe because I was working with different sheets), but after making it a few times, we're all good 🙂
★★★★★