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takoyakiis a Japanese snack made famous by its squid filling. It is a round dough made of wheat flour, cooked in a specially shaped pan.
This Japanese snack is a ball of mixed ingredients, including 'tako' (octopus, usually diced, but can also be minced), 'tenkasu' (these are tempura pieces), often adding spring onions and pickled ginger to the filling. , on request. to pimento or flavor.
But you can get a lot of amazing flavor variations by making these different types of fillings!
In this article, you will learn 7 takoyaki recipes and additional fillings that you can use as an alternative to squid meat.
17 Easy Recipes Anyone Can Make
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In this post we cover:
- 1 Best Homemade Takoyaki Recipe Variations
- 2 Other tools and skills needed to prepare takoyaki
- 3 sauces for takoyaki
- 4 takoyaki-toppings
- 4.1 Popular alternative takoyaki fillings
- 5 3 tips for the perfect Takoyaki
- 5.1 Grease the frying pan well
- 5.2 Generously fill the dough
- 5.3 Rotate the balls 90 degrees
- 6 Why is Takoyaki so good?
- 7 Can you use store-bought takoyaki mix?
The Best Homemade Takoyaki Recipe Variations
Check out more takoyaki topping ideas, or here are some more recipe variations for you:
Easy and authentic takoyaki (octopus balls) recipe.
Note: You can also buy prepackaged takoyaki flour from any Asian grocery store if you're too lazy to cook it the traditional way. All that is needed for cooking are just eggs and water.
look at this recipe
Receita de takoyaki sem polpa: Mentaiko Takoyaki
If you like the idea of squid fritters but don't mind fish, mentaiko or salted haddock roe are also a great option.
look at this recipe
Takoyaki vegano com Shiitake
With shiitake instead of octopus, this takoyaki recipe is still delicious and vegan.
look at this recipe
chicken takoyaki recipe
Takoyaki comes in all kinds of creative and exciting fillings and combinations. Today we are going to learn how to make an easy chicken takoyaki.
look at this recipe
Matcha Adzuki Takoyaki Cake Balls Recipe
Takoyaki but made into delicious matcha and adzuki cake balls. This is an amazing dessert that you wouldn't expect from "octopus balls".
look at this recipe
Chocolate Takoyaki Dessert Balls Recipe
If you're craving a little sweetness at the end of your meal, this is the perfect addition and you'll amaze your guests when they see these Takoyaki chocolate balls.
look at this recipe
Omurice Takoyaki Mini Balls Recipe
The perfect alternative to takoyaki balls, these mini omurice egg balls are delicious and look great.
look at this recipe
Keep reading:If you like Japanese food, you'll love these dishes.

you still haveall those takoyaki variations without octopus like with chicken
Do you know how to make takoyaki? If not, check out this How to Make Takoyaki (Recipe) on YouTube:
You don't necessarily need the skills of a world-class chef to cook takoyaki; However, you need some basic knowledge and a lot of practice!
The only thing to think about when cooking takoyaki is how to turn the dough correctly.
popular asian recipes
popular asian recipes
Because if it's done poorly, the dough can be shaped differently than a ball and you'll ruin the takoyaki completely.
It's a tricky task, as the dough can burst and the raw part can end up spread all over the pan instead of the skillet, so it takes the chef's refinement to turn the dough and place it perfectly in the desired location.
A small metal or bamboo skewer should suffice, although you'll still need to use your hands to help successfully flip the takoyaki.
salsa for takoyaki

Takoyaki-Toppings
You probably don't have all of these ingredients, but I've listed them here so you can easily buy them online if you're missing any:



Of course,You can see my full post on the best takoyaki pans and how to make takoyaki.
Popular alternative takoyaki fillings
- Particle
- Wurst
- mentaiko
- cheese
- Shrimp
- Dust
- mochi
- Avocado
- green peas
- edamame
- Kimchi
- More
- crab skewer
- fish cake
- pollo
you must checkIn this post, I wrote about the exact taste of takoyaki and all the alternative stuffing ideas.to learn EXACTLY how to make delicious variations on this Japanese favorite.
3 tips for the perfect Takoyaki

Difficult to get the recipe right the first time. But that's because people don't follow the top three tips.
They're so simple, yet essential to getting perfect takoyaki balls every time.
Grease the frying pan well
People think that adding a small teaspoon of oil is enough. The secret to delicious, crispy takoyaki is to use a lot of oil. Apply the oil generously all over the body.
Fill in the holes in the shape and even add some in the surrounding area next to the shapes. You must fill the holes with at least 5mm of oil. The oil makes the takoyaki crispy and makes turning the balls easier.
Pour too generously
The secret to making a round takoyaki ball is to completely fill the pan with the batter. It should be overflowing with dough, so don't worry if it looks too full.
Fill the entire grid with the dough after placing the squid and the rest of the ingredients.
Rotate balls 90 degrees
While the pasta is cooking, open it with a toothpick or skewer to allow the liquid to drain. When the bottom is browned, turn the balls 90 degrees and let the raw dough drain. You havea special selection of Takoyakiyou can use for that.
Now push the dough into the ball and shape it. This will help you cook a perfect round takoyaki.

Why is takoyaki so good?
Takoyaki is avery popular street food in japan. That's because it tastes delicious. The taste is described as umami or savory.
It's so good because the cooked squid stuffing melts in your mouth and has a traditional seafood flavor. Plus, the round dumplings come out crispy and crunchy. They are easy to eat as small snacks.
Just remember to pay attention, they come piping hot off the special cast iron grill!
Can you use store-bought takoyaki mix?
If you don't want to make your own dough and dough from scratch, you can buy ready-made mixes at some Asian grocery stores, but certainly online. However, making your own pasta is so much tastier and easier if you have the right ingredients.
Check out our new cookbook
Bitemybun family recipes complete the meal planner and recipe guide.
Try it free with Kindle Unlimited:
Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun, is a content marketer, father and loves to try new foods, with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he creates in-depth blog articles to help his loyal customers readers since 2016 recipes and cooking tips.