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Introducing my Vegan Katsu Curry recipe! Full of colour, flavour and crunchy tofu, this homemade Vegan and Gluten Free Katsu Curry is going to rock your world. It is easy, versatile, and only about £2.50pp!

Recipe Difficulty – Very Easy
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
When you’re craving some Wasabi or Wagamama katsu curry or another tasty restaurant meal, try this Tofu Katsu Curry instead! It’s really simple to make, healthy, and super tasty. Best of all, this will feed 4 people for roughly £2.50pp, so it’s a lot cheaper than going out!
This vegetarian katsu curry sauce is delicious, colourful, and incredibly easy to make. It only takes about 25 minutes to get ready. It’s also super versatile!
This was inspired by my Vegan Thai Tofu Curry, and pairs well with this amazing Gluten Free Flatbread recipe.
Ingredients to make Vegan Katsu Curry
- Firm Tofu – forms the base of the katsu. If you have some spare then try out my Tofu Fajitas.
- Olive Oil – is used for frying.
- Garlic Cloves – are a staple in many of my recipes as they add a wonderful flavour.
- Carrot – should be finely diced and helps to brighten up the colour.
- Red Onion – also needs to be finely diced. If you have some spare then try out my Vegetable Thai Green Curry.
- Ginger – adds a nice spicy, flavour. It should also be diced.
- Coriander – has a warm flavour.
- Turmeric – is very common in curries as it has a specific flavour and spice to it.
- Paprika – has a great peppery and spicy flavour.
- Chilli Flakes – are another way to add a great spice and flavour to this veggie katsu curry.
- Fennel Seeds – help with digestion and add a sweet, earthy flavour to dishes.
- Gluten Free Flour – I used plain flour for this recipe, but others will work just fine.
- Lime Juice – should be freshly squeezed from a lime.
- Veg Stock – gives a good base and flavour.
- Vegan Milk – I used unsweetened almond milk, but any plant-based milk will work.
- Gluten Free Breadcrumbs – you can buy these or use your own.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Tofu – If you aren’t vegan or vegetarian, you can replace tofu with chicken.
- Olive Oil – Other neutral-flavoured oils would work as well.
- Vegetables – Feel free to mix up which vegetables are used in this vegetable katsu curry.
- Gluten Free Flour – regular flour would also work if you aren’t gluten-free.
- Gluten Free Breadcrumbs – regular breadcrumbs will work if you don’t need it to be gluten free.
- Vegan Milk – if you aren’t vegan, regular milk will work great.
Variations
- Spicy – This recipe is already pretty spicy. Increase the hotter spices for a spicier curry.
- Deluxe – Sprinkle some herbs on top and serve alongside some rice, fresh greens, and lime slices. Or serve it up with my Gluten Free Naan Bread.
- Kid friendly – if your kids are sensitive to spicy food, you may need to cut down on some of the spices. Other than that, this is a delicious curry all will enjoy!
How to make Vegan Katsu Curry
Step 1: In a pot, fry olive oil, garlic, carrot, onion, and ginger for a few minutes. Add in the spices, lime juice, flour, and veg stock and stir together. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes until it starts to thicken. Stir every 5 minutes.
Step 2: Once the tofu is finished draining, slice into about 8 “steaks.” In one bowl, add your vegan milk. In another bowl, add gluten free breadcrumbs. Dip the tofu steaks into milk and then into the breadcrumb bowl.
Step 3: Heat a frying pan with a generous amount of olive oil and fry the tofu for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.
Step 4: When the katsu sauce is ready, strain it through a sieve for it to be smooth or leave it if you prefer it to be chunky.
Hint: Make sure to push the breadcrumbs firmly into the tofu.
Leftovers
Leftover curry sauce can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3 months. The tofu katsu is best fresh when it has been fried. If you do have leftover fried katsu, it will keep for a day or two in the fridge and will be best reheated in an air fryer or dry pan.
Recipe FAQs
Tofu katsu is made from fried tofu covered in breadcrumbs. It is so delicious and a great substitute for traditional chicken katsu.
Recipes vary, but it is an incredibly easy sauce to make vegan! Mine has vegetables, spices, flour, and veg stock. It is so flavourful and colourful!
My favourite way to enjoy katsu curry is with rice and a side salad. It would also be great with udon noodles, cabbage salad, or miso soup.
Yes! Store in an airtight container for up to three months. Defrost and then reheat in a saucepan. You may need to add some water or milk to help thin the sauce.
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Vegan Katsu Curry
Ingredients
- 400 g firm tofu, pressed
- olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- thumb size piece of ginger, finely diced
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp gluten free flour, ( I used corn flour)
- 1 juice of lime
- 500 ml veg stock
- 100 ml vegan milk, (I used almond)
- handful gluten free breadcrumbs , (I bought mine but you can make your own)
Instructions
- Firstly press your tofu to drain out any excess water (5-10 minutes).
- Meanwhile to a pot add olive oil, diced garlic, carrot, onion, ginger and fry together for a few minutes. Now add in the spices, lime juice, flour and veg stock and stir. Reduce to a low heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until it starts to thicken making sure to stir every 5 minutes.
- Once the tofu has drained slice into "steaks" aim for 8 slices. In one bowl add your vegan milk and in another bowl add gluten free breadcrumbs. Dip the tofu steaks into the milk and then into the breadcrumb bowl making sure to push the breadcrumbs firmly into the tofu.
- Heat a frying pan with a generous amount of olive oil and fry the tofu on either side for a couple minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Finally the Katsu sauce should be ready, you can either strain it through a sieve for it to be smooth or just have it slightly chunky (whichever you prefer)
My partner can no longer have katsu curry out due to coeliac’s. Made him this and he said it was amazing.
Thank you very much for making this recipe.
That’s awesome to hear thank you Char 🙂
Very nice recipe.
Easy to do and tasty!
I did not fry the tofu just to make oil free option but i did put in a pan and let it cook a little bit 🙂
Just one suggestion in your recipes you could put the option of oil free. Sometimes I want to do your recipes and as it does not give any oil free tips I just “invent” and it would be easier if you just tell what we should do 🙂
Despite that I love them all!
Hey Mariana, glad you enjoyed this recipe. I will bare in mind for future recipes but as I am not oil free myself it’s unlikely I will test the recipes that way as well.