panko

noun

pan·​ko ˈpaŋ-(ˌ)kō  ˈpäŋ- 

plural panko

: crustless wheat bread made into crisp dry crumbs and used especially as a topping or coating for food

Panko turns a beautiful golden brown when it's cooked, and adds its crisp-sweet characteristics to foods that are pan-fried in shallow oil too.

—Sarah Fritschner

While run-of-the-mill bread crumbs are basically ground-up dried bread, panko is specially produced to turn out more like a coarse white flake than a crumb.

—Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat

Japanese panko … create a crunchy coating for fried dishes. They do so without giving a very "bready" or heavy taste since the panko crumbs are made with just the bread and not the bread crusts.

—Monica Bhide

The patty is breaded on one side with panko and sauteed before being presented with spring onions, green garlic and fava beans.

—Michael Bauer

Panko bread crumbs make an extra-crispy crust for breaded chicken or veal.

—Marlene Parrish

Examples of panko in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The secret is that the chicken is baked on a wire rack so that the panko breading gets perfectly crisp on both sides. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2025

Pour panko onto a shallow plate. —Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Nov. 2025

Baking or air-frying onions with alternative breading (such as panko, almond flour, flaxseeds, or a blend of cottage cheese and egg) can improve their nutritional value. —Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 2 Nov. 2025

The tomatoes deflate and collapse, becoming a little saucy, as the panko and Parmesan layer on top of the chicken crisps and melts. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese, from pan "bread" (borrowed from Portuguese pão, going back to Latin pānis) + ko "flour, powder" — more at food

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for panko

• banco
• blanco
• manco