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HomeFood16 Panko Recipes, From Meatballs to Mac and Cheese

16 Panko Recipes, From Meatballs to Mac and Cheese



Panko is America’s favourite breadcrumb for a cause. These Japanese-style breadcrumbs are prized by cooks and residential cooks alike for the lightness and crunchiness they create to breaded, fried dishes like schnitzel, katsu, hen nuggets, and crab desserts.  

Why panko is completely different from different breadcrumbs

Panko outperforms different breadcrumbs for breading and frying due to how it’s made: Relatively than being created from baked bread, panko is produced from bread that has been cooked through electrical present. That course of provides panko its uniformly white colour, as there isn’t any browning and no formation of a crust.

The way in which panko is created additionally provides it a porosity that limits the quantity of oil the breadcrumbs will take in throughout frying, leading to a light-weight, crunchy chew. After cooking, the bread loaves are shredded, which provides panko breadcrumbs an elongated form, and the various flakes create a texture that’s crispy however not arduous when fried.

A flexible ingredient

Panko is beneficial for way over breading and frying. It delivers a satisfying crunch in toppings for casseroles and pasta dishes, imparts tenderness to meatballs, and might even guarantee an extra-light crumb in baked items. Whether or not you’re within the temper for extra-juicy meatballs, a luxurious casserole, or a fast and satisfying spaghetti dinner, there’s a panko recipe for you.  

Hen Tenders with Dill Pickle Ranch

Meals & Wine / Picture by Greg DuPree / Meals Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox


A fast pickle brine lends tons of taste to those oven-baked hen tenders. The panko breading contains dried dill, garlic powder, paprika, and salt, delivering deliciousness in each chew.

Portuguese-Fashion Meatballs

Greg Dupree / Meals Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox


These jumbo-size meatballs are stored mild and certain collectively by utilizing panko. Oven-browned and simmered in a tomato sauce flavored with garlic and coriander, this dish is an easy path to a hearty dinner.

Melted Leek Pasta with Lemon-Dill Breadcrumbs

Greg Dupree / Meals Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox


The shiny sauce that adheres to this pasta is constructed round leeks that slowly prepare dinner in butter till they’re delicate and candy. Garlic, purple pepper, and lemon zest convey a contrasting sharpness, whereas a nutty panko topping provides a crisp end.

Mini Wedge Salads with Anchovy Dressing

Greg DuPree


Tiny wedges of Little Gem lettuce are brushed with Caesar-style dressing and dredged in lemony herbed panko for a enjoyable salad you may eat together with your arms. It additionally makes an incredible cocktail occasion appetizer.

Lentil and Mushroom Gratin

Greg Dupree / Meals Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox


This vegetarian casserole options lentils and mushrooms in a creamy sauce underneath a golden and crisp panko crust. It’s hearty sufficient to face by itself as a essential dish, but in addition makes a wonderful facet for hen or fish.

Lemongrass Salmon Muffins with Garlic-Basil Aioli

Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless


Panko helps to bind these barely spicy, crispy salmon desserts. Serve them as a hearty appetizer, or tuck them into sandwiches, utilizing the aioli as a selection.

Lemon Panko Cookies

Greg Dupree / Meals Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox


These mild, lemony cookies are a playful riff on basic shortbread and Mexican marriage ceremony cookies. Panko is utilized in each the dough and coating for a fragile crunch.

Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Kelsey Hansen / Meals Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Lexi Juhl


This one-pot, weeknight-friendly mac and cheese comes collectively on the stovetop. A Parmesan–panko topping provides the dish a gratinéed texture, with no baking required.

Panko-Breaded Pork Chops

Picture by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Meals Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

These pan-fried breaded pork chops prepare dinner shortly and preserve a moist inside whereas the outside develops a pleasant, flavorful crunch, because of a mix of panko, Parmesan, and minced sage.

Fried Pickle Dip

Meals & Wine / Picture by Robby Lozano / Meals Styling by Melissa Grey / Prop Styling by Tucker Vines


Pickles, pickle brine, bitter cream, and ranch dressing seasoning mix to create a tangy, creamy dip that is impressed by fried pickles. Toasted panko is stirred into the dip and sprinkled on prime.

Cacio e Pepe Potato Croquettes

Meals & Wine / Picture by Morgan Hunt Ward / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Meals Styling by Emily Nabors Corridor


Pecorino cheese, black pepper, and garlic give mashed potatoes a cacio e pepe spin. Formed into croquettes, chilled, then breaded in a panko crust, they fry up shatteringly crisp on the surface and creamy on the within.

Italian Marriage ceremony Risotto

Picture by Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Panko, eggs, Parmesan, parsley, and floor pork mix to make the tender, garlicky meatballs for this Italian marriage ceremony risotto — a riff on the basic soup.

Honey-Pepper Coconut Shrimp

Picture by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Christine Keely / Meals Styling by Chelsea Zimmer

Sweetened shredded coconut and panko mix to create the shaggy, crunchy breading for these party-ready shrimp. Serve them with a mango-habanero aioli for dunking.

Vegetarian Cassoulet

Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell


A mixture of dried and contemporary mushrooms and canned white beans simmer to good tenderness on this hearty vegetarian essential. A beneficiant topping of panko and cheese provides a wealthy, crunchy end.

Parmesan-Panko-Crusted Baked Zucchini

Jen Causey

This crispy zucchini appetizer takes lower than half-hour to make. A tacky, herbaceous panko breading, adhered to the zucchini with melted butter, provides every spherical an extra-crispy crust.

Hamburger Helpa

Greg DuPree

This genius one-skillet recipe is produced from scratch with floor beef, spices, and a mix of American and cheddar cheeses. Panko and sliced scallions add crunch and a contemporary pop of taste.

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