Enjoy this Quick and Easy Takoyaki Recipe you can cook in minutes with just one chopstick. Made with a takoyaki pan and topped with homemade takoyaki sauce, kewpie mayonnaise, aonori and katsuobushi.

Why We Love This Takoyaki Recipe
Crispy golden takoyaki taste amazing when prepared with traditional ingredients and toppings. But they’re also super easy to tweak to your preferences. If you don’t like octopus, you can substitute with your favourite proteins, or experiment with sweet ingredients for something completely different!
It’s also a fun way it’s a great way to get creative in the kitchen and try your hand at mastering the takoyaki cooking technique.

What is Takoyaki?
Takoyaki is one of the most popular street snacks in Japan, aside from yakisoba noodles and onigiri rice balls. Little roadside stalls can be found everywhere, ready to serve up a batch of takoyaki when you need it most. But for the freshest, tastiest takoyaki, the best thing to do is to make it yourself.
Where We Learned This Recipe

We learnt this Quick and Easy Takoyaki recipe while staying in a cool surfie-style guesthouse in Hyuga, Japan. (It’s also where we first discovered Chicken Nanban too!) Our wonderful host Masa-san and his lovely wife were keen to share their recipe. Even better, they showed us their handy technique to make takoyaki using just one chopstick.

What are the main Takoyaki Ingredients?
- Batter: It’s is a surprisingly simple mix of plain flour with a hint of dashi stock
. But according to Masa-san, the secret to that golden crispy crunch is to add cornstarch to the mixture.
- Fillings: Traditional takoyaki ingredients include octopus (the ‘tako’ in takoyaki), spring onion, red pickled ginger (beni shoga) and tenkasu
(crispy fried tempura batter)..

How to Make Takoyaki
- Slice the octopus (or chicken, if substituting) into bite-size pieces then pop aside.
- Combine the plain flour and cornflour in a bowl, then in a separate bowl whisk the egg. Add the egg to the dry mixture, then slowly pour in the dashi stock or water and whisk it all together. You’re aiming for a thin, runny consistency here, so if it’s too thick just add more water or dashi.
- Now, heat the takoyaki pan over a medium high heat and brush oil over the entire surface. Pour the batter into the centre of the pan and keep pouring until all the wells are full and the batter covers the entire plate.

- Place one piece of octopus or chicken into each well, then scatter the spring onion, ginger and tempura crumbs across the lot. When the bottom of the batter starts turning crispy, use a chopstick to cut out a square shape around each takoyaki well.
- Next comes Masa’s fancy technique. Move your chopstick in an ‘L’ shape around the each well, then immediately push down into the well to flip the batter, forming a rough ball shape as you go. It might take a few tries, but keep going and you’ll quickly get the hang of it.
- Continue flipping each ball occasionally as the batter becomes crispy and golden brown on all sides. The easiest way to do this is to pierce the takoyaki ball with the chopstick and pull upwards to flip. A few more rotations and your batch of takoyaki will be glorious, crispy and golden.
- Pop your cooked takoyaki onto serving platters and top with your favourite topping combinations (see topping inpso in the next section). Feel free to experiment and let us know how you go!
Takoyaki Recipe Topping Combinations
- Traditional: Japanese BBQ sauce
, or takoyaki sauce
+ Kewpie mayonnaise
+ aonori seaweed flakes
+ bonito flakes
- Intriguing: Japanese curry powder
+ Kewpie mayonnaise
+ parmesan cheese
- Hyuga Style: Kewpie mayonnaise
+ aonori seaweed flakes
+ salt
- Wandercooks Style: Japanese Matcha Green Tea Salt
- Cheesy Goodness: Yep – cheese! Sprinkle on top and broil for a couple of minutes until melty and delicious.
Which takoyaki ingredients do you love? What’s your favourite combo?

Wandercooks’ Tips
- For a crunchier texture and deep golden colour, add extra oil while flipping the takoyaki.
- Japanese ingredients such as dashi stock
, aonori flakes
, bonito flakes
, tenkasu
and takoyaki sauce
can be found at your local Asian grocery store or online via Amazon.
- You can easily make tenkasu (crispy tempura crumbs) at home, simply splatter some tempura batter in hot oil and cook until crispy. Remove from the oil and allow to drain on paper towel.
FAQs
If you top your takoyaki with katsuobushi (aka bonito flakes – thinly shaved dried fish) – you’ll find that it reacts with the heat from the fresh takoyaki which makes the bonito ‘dance’ on top of your takoyaki as it begins to absorb moisture. Cool huh!
To make takoyaki at home you’ll need a proper takoyaki plate. They come in all shapes and sizes, like this cast iron takoyaki plate and this electric takoyaki pan
, but the well shape is essential when cooking. You’ll also need a takoyaki pick
or chopstick to flick the takoyaki into shape while grilling.

Variations & Substitutions
- If you don’t like octopus, feel free to substitute your own favourite fillings. How about crispy fried bacon pieces, prawns, chicken, tofu or cheese?
- If you don’t have takoyaki pan, why not make this into a giant takoyaki pancake with a regular frying pan.
- For something completely different, ditch the savoury ingredients and go for a sweet version! Why not try adding chocolate for ‘chokoyaki’! Jams or other sweet ingredients would also work well. You might like to replace the dashi in the batter with water. Our favourite dessert is making poffertjes in the takoyaki pan afterwards!
Have you made these popular Japanese recipes?




★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and star rating below!
Ingredients
For the batter
- 450 ml dashi stock
- 140 g plain flour / all purpose flour
- 10 g cornstarch / cornflour or cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 100-140 g octopus pieces chopped into 2cm pieces (or substitute with chicken, ham, bacon or cheese)
- 1/2 cup spring onion / green onion chopped
- 1-2 tbsp pickled ginger chopped
- 1/2 cup tenkasu crispy tempura crumbs
For the toppings
- Takoyaki Sauce or okonomiyaki sauce
- kewpie mayonnaise we recommend kewpie mayo for the most traditional flavour
- seaweed flakes / aonori dried green seaweed powder
- bonito flakes / katsuobushi dried bonito flakes
- Salt
- Parmesan
- Curry powder
- Cheese
Instructions
- Slice the octopus (or other protein, if substituting) into bite-size pieces then pop aside.100-140 g octopus pieces
- Combine the plain flour and cornstarch in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg. Add the egg to the dry mixture, then slowly pour in the dashi stock or water and whisk it all together. You're aiming for a thin, runny consistency here, so if it's too thick just add more water or dashi.140 g plain flour / all purpose flour, 10 g cornstarch / cornflour, 1 egg, 450 ml dashi stock
- Now, heat the takoyaki pan over a medium high heat and brush oil over the entire surface. Pour the batter into the centre of the pan and keep pouring until all the wells are full and the batter covers the entire plate.
- Place one piece of octopus or chicken into each well, then scatter the spring onion, ginger and tempura crumbs across the lot. When the bottom of the batter starts turning crispy, use a chopstick to cut out a square shape around each takoyaki well.100-140 g octopus pieces, 1/2 cup spring onion / green onion, 1-2 tbsp pickled ginger, 1/2 cup tenkasu
- Next comes Masa’s fancy technique. Move your chopstick in an ‘L’ shape around the each well, then immediately push down into the well to flip the batter, forming a rough ball shape as you go. It might take a few tries, but keep going and you’ll quickly get the hang of it.
- Continue flipping each ball occasionally as the batter becomes crispy and golden brown on all sides. The easiest way to do this is to pierce the takoyaki ball with the chopstick and pull upwards to flip.
For The Toppings:
- Pop your cooked takoyaki onto serving platters and top with your favourite topping combinations. Feel free to experiment and let us know how you go.
- Classic: Top with bbq sauce (or takoyaki sauce or okonomiyaki sauce) and Kewpie mayonnaise in a zigzag pattern. Dust with aonori powder and katsuobushi (bonito flakes).Takoyaki Sauce, kewpie mayonnaise, seaweed flakes / aonori, bonito flakes / katsuobushi
- Hyuga Style: Top with Kewpie mayo, aonori and a sprinkling of salt.kewpie mayonnaise, seaweed flakes / aonori, Salt
- Masa-san's Recommendation: Top with parmesan, salt and a light dusting of curry powder.Salt, Parmesan, Curry powder
- Wandercooks style: Sprinkle with your very own homemade matcha green tea salt.
- Cheesy Goodness: Sprinkle cheese on top and grill (broil) for a couple of minutes until melty and delicious.Cheese
Video
Recipe Notes
- For a crunchier texture and deep golden colour, add extra oil while flipping the takoyaki.
- Japanese ingredients such as dashi stock
, aonori flakes
, bonito flakes
, tenkasu
and takoyaki sauce
can be found at your local Asian grocery store or online via Amazon.
- You can easily make tenkasu (crispy tempura crumbs) at home, simply splatter some tempura batter in hot oil and cook until crispy. Remove from the oil and allow to drain on paper towel.
- What do you need to make this takoyaki recipe? To make takoyaki at home you’ll need a proper takoyaki plate. They come in all shapes and sizes, like this cast iron takoyaki plate
and this electric takoyaki pan
, but the well shape is essential when cooking. You’ll also need a takoyaki pick
or chopstick to flick the takoyaki into shape while grilling.
- Why is my Takoyaki moving? If you top your takoyaki with katsuobushi (aka bonito flakes – thinly shaved dried fish) – you’ll find that it reacts with the heat from the fresh takoyaki which makes the bonito ‘dance’ on top of your takoyaki as it begins to absorb moisture. Cool huh!
- If you don’t like octopus, feel free to substitute your own favourite fillings. Why not try it out with prawns, chicken, tofu or cheese?
- For something completely different, ditch the savoury ingredients and go for a sweet version! Why not try adding chocolate for ‘chokoyaki’! Jams or other sweet ingredients would also work well.
Nutrition

30 Comments
Maksud Mammadbayli
02/02/2021 at 2:37 amHello! My name is Max! This seems like a great recipe ! Thank you! But I don’t have certain ingredients in my country to make exactly this type of Takoyaki balls. We don’t have the Takoyaki sauce and the bonito flakes. Is there anything I can do?
Wandercooks
02/02/2021 at 10:18 amHey Max, you could try making your own takoyaki sauce, we have a recipe for that here: Homemade Takoyaki Sauce.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a substitute close enough for the bonito flakes, so you would have to omit these. Is there any way you could source the ingredients online and have them delivered? Possibly from overseas? We’ve bought some ingredients before directly from Japan when we could not source them in Australia.
Hope this helps! 🙂
Gabriella
11/10/2020 at 3:17 amTastes just like the authentic takoyaki I’ve gotten at Japanese festivals
Wandercooks
12/10/2020 at 10:36 amYay! Amazing Gabriella, hope you enjoyed reminiscing about the festivals as you ate them hehe thanks so much for the feedback. 🙂
SHANIKA
12/07/2019 at 7:32 pmI’ve never tried Takoyaki balls, but these look so crispy and delicious! I so need to try these!
Wandercooks
17/07/2019 at 4:35 pmOh you must! They’re usually piping hot and go perfect with a ice-cold glass of beer.
Michelle Miller
12/07/2019 at 4:59 pmI love a good Japanese recipe. These balls look absolutely amazing!
Wandercooks
17/07/2019 at 4:35 pmThanks!
Cathy
12/07/2019 at 4:54 pmTakoyaki is one of the most tastiest street foods and you have pulled it off here!!! Cannot wait to try your version of this this deliciousness, with yesss octopus!!!
Wandercooks
17/07/2019 at 4:34 pmHaha love it! Thank you – hope you enjoy giving it a go too. 😀
Farah Maizar
12/07/2019 at 4:36 pmI am completely craving now. This looks so umami and delicious! Thanks for the recipe
Wandercooks
17/07/2019 at 4:34 pmAll of the umami! 🙌
Sophie
12/07/2019 at 1:24 pmGosh! That looks so delicious. This is a very new recipe for me and I feel so happy coming across your site. Beautiful collection of recipes.
Wandercooks
17/07/2019 at 4:34 pmThanks Sophie! It’s definitely a different style of recipe, but loads of fun to make at home. 🙂
Thomas Coleman
13/09/2016 at 8:21 pmI will definitely try this recipe. I have just got a new pan and I am very excited to see if I can use it for Takoyaki as well. Thank you !
Wandercooks
13/09/2016 at 8:23 pmYou’re welcome Thomas, thanks for stopping by! Good luck and hope you get to enjoy some piping hot Takoyaki. 😀
Daniela Apostol
10/06/2016 at 5:07 pmA lovely recipe. I do love Asian cuisine, it has a unique flavours and superb dishes. I have never tried this one before, I would love to.
Wandercooks
10/06/2016 at 5:32 pm100% agree! That’s why we love doing what we do so much. Experimenting with unique ingredients and flavours makes for some very fun times in the kitchen!
Valentina
10/06/2016 at 2:51 pmWhat a fun recipe to try. I’m loving the ingredient list!
Wandercooks
10/06/2016 at 5:30 pmFantastic to hear, hope you have fun with them and enjoy your takoyaki!
Ludmilla
10/06/2016 at 12:51 pmI’ve never had takoyaki before!! I love the explanation for this recipe. Looks so interesting!!
Wandercooks
10/06/2016 at 5:29 pmThanks Ludmilla, I think this would have to be the quirkiest recipe we’ve come across so far, and that’s definitely saying something! 🙂
Renee
10/06/2016 at 12:05 pmI suddenly have a craving for Japanese food. I’ve never tried takoyaki, but definitely want to try it now!
Wandercooks
10/06/2016 at 5:29 pmJapanese food is the beeeesssst. Get on it! 🙂
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
10/06/2016 at 11:50 amOh man.. Somehow I have NEVER heard of this, and I LOVE octopus!! I’m drooling a little now.. I just cooked octopus but there was no fried batter making it even more delicious!
Wandercooks
10/06/2016 at 5:28 pmOh you’ll just have to cook up some more then 😛 Would love to hear what you think of Takoyaki!
Jolina - The Unlikely Baker
02/05/2016 at 11:26 amWe always order takoyaki! We just have no idea where to buy octopus. Or how to handle them. This is so delicious it’s worth the effort of finding all the ingredients. Maybe we’ll treat it like a treasure hunt. Looking forward to your chocoyaki though!! 🙂
Wandercooks
02/05/2016 at 4:16 pmIf only we lived in Japan – fresh octopus is readily available in every supermarket! Back at home we can buy octopus from the supermarkets in a couple of varieties, both pickled, and in seafood marinara mixes (which would be okay if you wanted to use the rest of the seafood in something too). Maybe you could try along those lines? Otherwise, feel free to get creative and substitute the octopus for another of your favourite ingredients! 🙂
Gab
21/06/2015 at 9:05 amHi! I tried the takoyaki batter recipe cooked in cast iron takoyaki pan but my takoyaki outsides came out too chewy, not soft. It almost resembles a hard boiled egg. (Weird). What do you think caused this?
Wandercooks
21/06/2015 at 5:01 pmHi Gabrielle, nice to hear from you! Thanks for your feedback and glad you gave our recipe a go. This one may take a bit of practice so here are some tips for your next go. 🙂
There are a few things that could cause chewy batter. The first is the heat source which needs to be extremely high, such as a wok burner. Make sure the cast iron is nice and hot! Second, ensure the pan is well oiled, there should be almost a little pool of oil in each takoyaki well before you add the batter. Third and lastly, the heat will be so high that the takoyaki cooks very quickly; you want to start flipping into balls as soon as the batter is on the pan and repeat once you get to the bottom to ensure all sides are cooked evenly. That should hopefully result in a crispier outer shell and a soft, gooey inside. If you can’t obtain the heat, still try to heat the oil as much as possible and try making the mixture a little thicker to compensate.
We hope this helps, let us know how you go!
Sarah and Laura 🙂