Are Panko And Breadcrumbs Interchangeable?

Panko is a type of Japanese breadcrumb that's known for having a signature flaky consistency. It's airy and light, which makes it a good candidate to coat things with if you want a delicate and crackly coating, such as chicken katsu or crunchy air-fried deviled eggs. You can both fry and bake with it, and the light texture makes panko distinctly different than regular breadcrumbs.

Standard breadcrumbs are naturally much tighter and granular in nature, since they consist of bread that's been essentially broken down into tiny particles. This type of breadcrumb creates more of a shell-like texture when cooked with, like the classic coating for crispy chicken parmesan. Since these types of breadcrumbs also commonly come pre-seasoned, you can also choose a product's flavor to match the other ingredients in your desired dish.

So really, it depends on what kind of texture you're going for in your final product. If you're looking for something light and lacy, go with panko. If you're looking for something heartier and dense, such as schnitzel, you'll probably want to reach for standard breadcrumbs. Nothing's stopping you from swapping one for the other if you're in the mood to experiment, though. You can use either breadcrumbs or panko to top dishes such as casseroles or the crunchiest possible mac and cheese, for example. And they can both be used in other ways, too.

As well as producing crispy coatings and toppings, breadcrumbs of any sort can also be used as a binder for dishes like meatloaf and meatballs. That means you can also use panko in place of breadcrumbs in those cases, and your finished dish will be the same as if you'd used the other ingredient. I can attest to this; I hadn't realized I'd run out of breadcrumbs while making meatloaf recently, so I simply tossed in panko. Everything turned out perfectly fine. Switching to panko may even deliver a lighter result.

If you're that concerned about matching the density of panko to breadcrumbs and how it will affect your recipe, you can simply run some panko through a food processor to turn the bread into finer particles. However, it's important to note that most panko typically doesn't come seasoned, though I'm seeing seasoned varieties occasionally at the store now. It's also easy to add extra flavor by mixing it with herbs or spices, if that's what your recipe calls for. 

Both panko and regular breadcrumbs are available at most major supermarkets, usually located in or around the packaged bread aisle, or you can make your own. But if you haven't cooked with panko yet, I highly recommend you do. There's a reason why everyone loves its fried texture in dishes like panko-crusted fish with Key lime butter.