Japanese Potato Croquette – Korokke (Cheesy!)

CRISPY on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside, this recipe is the ULTIMATE comfort food that you don’t want to miss out on.

Name something better than fluffy potato, stuffed with cheese, and deep-fried with panko, Cheesy Japanese Potato Croquette – Korokke is vegetarian friendly and super easy to make at home.

If you enjoyed my Japanese Fried Pork Chop – Tonkatsu recipe, but you don’t eat meat, this recipe is PERFECT for you. I promise every person in your family will LOVE it, and I promise this is better than Mama! 

When I started my Cooking Mama Series, I know I had to include the most iconic recipe ever, Japanese Potato Croquette.

There are so many different versions, but I love mine with corn, sauteed onions, and cheese. The corn adds a nice texture, while the saute onions provide sweetness and depth. You can also add in ground beef or seafood as well.

I am using a batter method today versus flour and egg to help the panko stick better. Not only does the batter method help with coating, but it also makes the potato croquette EXTRA CRUNCHY! 

You want your Japanese Potato Croquette to be fluffy on the inside and not mushy, which is why it is crucial to boil the potato from water versus adding the potatoes in when it’s boiling.

This method will help prevent the outside of the potato from getting mushy since the potato is cooked evenly. I like to add a generous amount of salt to season the potato and add a few garlic cloves to provide flavor to the potato. 

Japanese Potato Croquette is PERFECT for parents and people on the go since you can make these ahead of time, and they last in the freezer up to one month!

Growing up, my mom used to make Korokke in bulk, and when I come home from school, all I had to do is reheat it in the oven! If you have an air fryer, you can also reheat these in the air fryer for EXTRA crispiness. Fry all of them at once and store them in the freezer for up to one month. When you are ready to eat, defrost the night before and bake at 370F for 15 minutes. 

I am drizzling my homemade Tonkatsu Sauce over my Cheesy Korokke.

The sauce is super easy to make at home, with a perfect balance between savory, tangy and sweet. All you need is ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce, sugar, and soy sauce. 

Do you like JAPANESE RECIPES? Here are more delicious and EASY recipes that you will LOVE! 

• Takoyaki – Japanese Fried Octopus Balls
• Japanese Caramel Custard Pudding – Purin (5 Ingredients!)
• Tonkatsu – Japanese Fried Pork Chops (CRISPY)
• Egg Sandwich – Tamago Sando (CREAMY)

1. In a pot, add in the potato and fill the pot with water. Add in 4 cloves of peeled garlic and 1 tbsp of salt. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes is soft. Keep an eye out to prevent the potatoes from getting soggy. 
2. Meanwhile, in a pan, drizzle in oil and add in chopped onions. Saute for 4-5 minutes until onions are soft, translate, and slightly browned. 
3. Drain the potato, bring it back to the stove to cook for another 1-2 minutes to evaporate all the water. Mash the potato while it is hot and keep mashing until the potato is 90% mashed. I like to have some texture, but if you like it entirely soft, you can also mash it 100%.
4. Add in onions, sweet corn, and season with salt and pepper. Mash everything together. Set is aside for it to cool down slightly and is safe to touch with hands. 
5. Form 3-4 tbsp of potato into a ball, in the middle of the ball, press in a piece of cheese cube, and using the palm of your hand, tightly close the potato again. Toss the potato between two hands 3-4 times to ensure no air bubbles, the cheese is fully covered, and the potato is packed tight. This is super important to prevent the potato from exploding when frying. Let the potato rest in the freezer for 10-20 minutes until the potato is FULLY cooled down. 
6. In a bowl, add in egg, water, and flour, mix till it becomes a thick batter. Dip the potato in the batter and coat it with panko. Pat the panko tightly to prevent it from falling off. 
7. In a pan, add in enough oil, so the potato is fully covered. Turn the heat to medium-high, and once the oil is hot (350F), add in 2-3 of the potato croquette. Make sure not to overcrowd it as this can prevent it from getting crispy. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden brown. 
8. Drizzle with homemade tonkatsu sauce and served with a side of salad. 
9. To freeze, wait until the potato is thoroughly cooled down and add the potato into a container and freeze up to one month; when you are ready to eat, defrost overnight and bake at 375F for 15 minutes. 

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Cheesy Japanese Potato Croquette – Korokke

CRISPY on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside, this recipe is the ULTIMATE comfort food that you don’t want to miss out on. Name something better than fluffy potato, stuffed with cheese, and deep-fried with panko, Cheesy Japanese Potato Croquette – Korokke is vegetarian friendly and super easy to make at home. If you enjoyed my Japanese Fried Pork Chop – Tonkatsu recipe, but you don’t eat meat, this recipe is PERFECT for you. I promise every person in your family will LOVE it, and I promise this is better than Mama!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Active Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Asian, Japanese

Keyword: Asian Food, Asian Recipes, cheese, Easy, Easy Recipes, Japanese Food, potato recipe, VEGETARIAN, Vegetarian Recipes

Yield: 12 Croquette

Materials

• 2.5 lb of Russet Potatoes peeled and cut into chunks in similar size
• 1 tbsp of Salt
• Four cloves of Garlic
• 1.5 onion chopped
• 1 cup of Sweet Corn
• 2 cup of Mozzarella Cheese cut into cubes
• Salt and Pepper

Batter

• 1 cup of Flour
• ½ cup of Cold Water
• 2 Eggs
• 2 cups of Panko

Tonkatsu Sauce

• 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp of Ketchup
• 3 tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1.5 tbsp of Sugar

Instructions

• In a pot, add in the potato and fill the pot with water. Add in 4 cloves of peeled garlic and 1 tbsp of salt. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes is soft. Keep an eye out to prevent the potatoes from getting soggy.
• Meanwhile, in a pan, drizzle in oil and add in chopped onions. Saute for 4-5 minutes until onions are soft, translate, and slightly browned.
• Drain the potato, bring it back to the stove to cook for another 1-2 minutes to evaporate all the water. Mash the potato while it is hot and keep mashing until the potato is 90% mashed. I like to have some texture, but if you like it entirely soft, you can also mash it 100%. Add in onions, sweet corn, and season with salt and pepper. Mash everything together. Set is aside for it to cool down slightly and is safe to touch with hands.
• Form 3-4 tbsp of potato into a ball, in the middle of the ball, press in a piece of cheese cube, and using the palm of your hand, tightly close the potato again. Toss the potato between two hands 3-4 times to ensure no air bubbles, the cheese is fully covered, and the potato is packed tight. This is super important to prevent the potato from exploding when frying. Let the potato rest in the freezer for 10-20 minutes until the potato is FULLY cooled down.
  
• In a bowl, add in egg, water, and flour, mix till it becomes a thick batter. Dip the potato in the batter and coat it with panko. Pat the panko tightly to prevent it from falling off.
• In a pan, add in enough oil, so the potato is fully covered. Turn the heat to medium-high, and once the oil is hot (350F), add in 2-3 of the potato croquette. Make sure not to overcrowd it as this can prevent it from getting crispy. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden brown.
• Drizzle with homemade tonkatsu sauce and served with a side of salad.
• To freeze, wait until the potato is thoroughly cooled down and add the potato into a container and freeze up to one month; when you are ready to eat, defrost overnight and bake at 375F for 15 minutes.

Video

Notes

Japanese Potato Croquette is PERFECT for parents and people on the go since you can make these ahead of time, and they last in the freezer up to one month!

Growing up, my mom used to make Korokke in bulk, and when I come home from school, all I had to do is reheat it in the oven! If you have an air fryer, you can also reheat these in the air fryer for EXTRA crispiness.

Fry all of them at once and store them in the freezer for up to one month. When you are ready to eat, defrost the night before and bake at 370F for 15 minutes.