15 Japanese Curry Recipes You’ll Love

Do you love a good curry? Here we’ve rounded up our most delicious Japanese curry recipes you’d want to make over and over again. 

Japanese are obsessed with curry. While it’s not native to Japanese cuisine, Japanese curry is considered one of the nation’s most popular convenience and comfort foods. We even invented a myriad of Japanese curry dishes that are suited to Japanese lighter palette.

Unlike Thai or Indian-style curries, most of the Japanese curry dishes are sweeter and milder in heat and with a stew-like texture. They make a perfect introduction to people who are trying curry for the first time. Which means they are kids-friendly too. Did we mention they are also easy to make and freezer-friendly? Let’s cook up some flavor-packed, comforting curries today!

15 Popular Japanese Curry Recipes to Make at Home

1. How To Make Japanese Curry Roux

Most Japanese curries use readily made Japanese curry sauce mix that come in a convenient package. But you can easily make Japanese Curry Roux from scratch with only 5 ingredients! It’s much more flavorful and free of preservatives. Once you have this nailed down, you can use the curry roux to flavor a great variety of dishes you can think of.

2. Japanese Chicken Curry

This is probably the most popular chicken curry for all generations in Japan! In this recipe, tender pieces of chicken, carrots and potatoes cooked in a rich savory curry sauce. It’s hearty and super comforting. A must-keep for your family meal.

3. Curry Udon

Thick chewy udon noodles soaked in a rich, fragrant curry sauce, this Curry Udon will satisfy your noodles craving in an instant! Bonus: it’s simple enough to throw together on a busy weeknight. You just want to grab your chopsticks and slurp away.

4. Soup Curry

A relatively new addition to the popular Japanese curry scene, Soup Curry hails from Sapporo, Hokkaido. The light curry flavored soup is served with fall-off-the-bone chicken and colorful vegetables that are flash fried to give the vibrant colors. Unlike the typical Japanese curry, steamed rice is always served separately from the curry soup.

5. Katsu Curry

Ultra crispy oven-baked chicken or pork cutlet slathered in a creamy curry sauce served over a bed of steamed rice. Need we say more?

9. Pork Curry Donburi

Looking for a fool-proof and speedy curry? Make this Pork Curry Donburi! With just 5 ingredients, this rice bowl can be put together quicker than you think. No long simmering needed at all.

10. Curry Doria

Similar to lasagna but made with fluffy rice, Curry Doria is Japanese rice gratin topped with flavorful curry meat sauce, cheese and baked into perfection in a casserole.

11. Cold Curry Udon

Cold Curry Udon is chilled udon soaked in a curry soup, topped with sliced pork, boiled egg, sliced onion, julienned cucumber, mizuna leaves, tomatoes, and grilled eggplant. It’s a colorful, nutritious and refreshingly savory summer dish!

12. Pressure Cooker Japanese Seafood Curry

Packed with amazing flavors from shrimp, squid, scallops, spices, and kombu dashi, this Japanese Seafood Curry may sound luxurious but totally doable on a weeknight with the help of an Instant Pot! Use frozen seafood mix for an even quicker version.

13. Pressure Cooker Japanese Curry

Dinner is solved on a busy weeknight with this easy yet delicious Pressure Cooker Japanese Curry. I simply add the ingredients in the pot, set up the timer, go out for my kids’ activity, and come home for a fabulous dinner ready to eat.

14. Curry Bread

Tired of the same old pastries with sweet fillings? Try this savory bread bun with curry filling instead. The exterior is lightly coated with crispy panko, which makes the bread even more delicious and satisfying. This Curry Bread (or Kare Pan) is very popular at Japanese bakery shops, but you can definitely nail the recipe at home with my detailed instructions and video tutorial. What’s hard is to stop yourself from eating more than one when the curry buns are freshly baked out of the oven.

15. Keema Curry

An Indian curry dish that has been adapted to the Japanese palate, Keema Curry is a simple curry with ground meat and minced vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. It’s a curry that you can whip up under 20 minutes.