Korokke (or Japanese potato croquettes) are a popular Japanese street food that makes a delicious snack or appetizer! Mashed potato cakes are coated in Panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried until golden and crispy! They are so easy and tasty that you'll always be making them!
Japanese Potato Croquette Recipe
These croquettes are so delicious that you won't even believe how easy they are to make! You can make them completely from scratch or use your leftover mashed potatoes to whip them up in a snap (but I strongly recommend making them from starch to finish for the best texture)!
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If you have a craving for some delicious croquettes, make sure you also check out my recipes for potato croquettes and cheese croquettes!
🥘 Korokke Ingredients, Notes, & Substitutions
You'll need a delicious potato-based filling as well as some ingredients to make a crispy coating. Even though these are Japanese, there are no hard-to-find ingredients needed!
Japanese Potato Croquettes
- Potatoes - 1¼ pounds of starchy potatoes (such as Russets).
- Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil for sauteing your vegetables.
- Onion - ½ of a small white or yellow onion, finely diced.
- Carrot - ½ of a small carrot, washed, peeled, and finely diced.
- Salt & Pepper - ¼ teaspoon of both salt and pepper (to taste).
- Cooking Oil - Enough oil for deep frying your croquettes.
Coating
- Eggs - 1-2 large eggs, beaten.
- Flour - 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
- Panko - 2 cups of Panko breadcrumbs.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Korokke
There's absolutely nothing challenging about making these flavorful Japanese croquettes! You are going to need a skillet, a deep pan, a knife, a cutting board, a potato masher, and a few mixing bowls.
This recipe will make 8 potato croquettes, but you can easily make more if you like! Just make sure to fry them in batches if needed.
Make The Potato Filling
Step 1: Prepare potatoes. Peel and dice 1¼ pounds (567 grams) of potatoes. Place them into a pot of water, bring it up to boiling, and cook them for about 10 minutes.
Step 2: Saute. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan and add your finely chopped ½ of a small white onion (35 grams) and ½ of a small carrot (25 grams). Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Season with ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) of both salt & pepper, and then set the vegetables aside.
Step 3: Mash. Once the potatoes are fork-tender, strain the water and place them back into the pot. Give them a good shake to rough up the outsides and fry off excess moisture. Then, use a potato masher to mash them while still warm.
Step 4: Combine. Add your sauteed onion and carrot to the mashed potatoes and mix until well combined. Then, divide the mixture into 8 portions and form each one into a flat oval.
Coat & Fry The Croquettes
Step 5: Prepare the dredging station. Make your dredging station by setting up one bowl with 1-2 large eggs (beaten), one bowl with 4 tablespoons (30 grams) of all-purpose flour, and another bowl with 2 cups (216 grams) of Panko breadcrumb.
Step 6: Heat the oil. Add enough oil to a deep pan for deep frying. Heat it until the temperature reaches 350°F (175°C).
Step 7: Dredge. Coat each potato oval with flour, then dip it into the beaten egg, and finally coat it with Panko bread crumbs.
Step 8: Fry. Place your coated potato ovals into the hot oil and fry until they are crispy and golden brown in color (about 2-3 minutes).
Step 9: Serve. Remove the croquettes to a wire rack placed over a paper towel to drain any excess oil, and then serve immediately while warm.
🍴 What To Serve With Korokke
Korokke is traditionally served with tonkatsu sauce (a combination of stir-fry sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and ketchup) or kewpie mayo. Of course, they'll also taste great with some ketchup or your favorite type of dipping sauce!
Try them with some bacon aioli, chipotle aioli, or Cajun dipping sauce! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- 1¼ pounds of potatoes should make about 2½ cups of mashed potatoes.
- You'll want to use a starchy type of potato, such as Russets.
- Shaking the cooked potatoes is a technique called “Kofuki imo”. It helps to remove extra moisture in the potato in order to make the specific texture that Korokke is known for, called “Hokku, Hoku”.
🥄 Make Ahead Options
You can make these in advance by preparing them completely and then freezing them before they are fried! Wrap each croquette in plastic wrap and then place them all into a storage bag.
They can be frozen for up to 1 month and can be deep-fried straight from frozen. There's no need to thaw them out first!
🥡 Storing & Reheating
These are so tasty that I highly doubt you'll have any leftovers! However, if you do, you can keep any leftovers stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Reheating Croquettes
Reheat your korokke either in an air fryer or on a baking sheet in the oven at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) until heated through and crispy.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Feel free to customize these as much as you like! Try adding some ground pork, shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, corn, or diced mushrooms!
While you technically could use any kind of potato, it is strongly recommended that you opt for a variety that is high in starch. This will help to achieve the perfect texture (and keep them from falling apart when forming your ovals). Russets are a perfect choice, but feel free to experiment with your favorite types!
The key aspects of what makes korokke special are a) using a type of potato high in starch, b) shaking the potatoes after boiling in order to fry off excess moisture, and c) using Panko breadcrumbs for the perfect coating!
Other potato croquettes could use any type of mashed potatoes (containing milk, butter, etc.), while korokke uses these specific things in order to get its unique hokku hoku texture.
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📖 Recipe Card
Korokke
Ingredients
Croquettes
- 1¼ lbs potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin, for sauteing the vegetables)
- ½ small white onion (finely diced, or use yellow onion)
- ½ small carrot (washed, peeled, and finely diced)
- ¼ teaspoon each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- Oil (for deep frying)
Coating
- 1-2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups Panko breadcrumb
Instructions
- Peel and dice 1¼ lbs potatoes. Place them into a pot of water, bring it up to boiling, and cook them for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan and add your finely chopped ½ small white onion and ½ small carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Season with ¼ teaspoon each, salt & pepper, and then set the vegetables aside.
- Once the potatoes are fork-tender, strain the water and place them back into the pot. Give them a good shake to rough up the outsides. Then, use a potato masher to mash them while still warm.
- Add your sauteed onion and carrot to the mashed potatoes and mix until well combined. Then, divide the mixture into 8 portions and form each one into a flat oval.
- Make your dredging station by setting up one bowl with 1-2 large eggs (beaten), one bowl with 4 tablespoon all-purpose flour, and another bowl with 2 cups Panko breadcrumb.
- Add enough Oil to a deep pan for deep frying. Heat it until the temperature reaches 350°F (175°C).
- Coat each potato oval with flour, then dip it into the beaten egg, and finally coat it with Panko bread crumbs.
- Place your coated potato ovals into the hot oil and fry until they are crispy and golden brown in color (about 2-3 minutes).
- Remove the croquettes to a wire rack placed over a paper towel to drain any excess oil and then serve immediately while warm.
Notes
- 1¼ pounds of potatoes should make about 2½ cups of mashed potatoes.
- You'll want to use a starchy type of potato, such as Russets.
- Shaking the cooked potatoes is a technique called “Kofuki imo”. It helps to remove extra moisture in the potato, in order to make the specific texture that Korokke is known for, called “Hokku, hoku”.
- Keep any leftovers stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- Reheat your korokke either in an airy fryer or on a baking sheet in the oven at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) until heated through and crispy.
- You can make these in advance by preparing them completely and then freezing them before they are fried. Wrap each croquette in plastic wrap and then place them all into a storage bag. They can be frozen for up to 1 month and can be deep-fried straight from frozen.
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