Vegan Takoyaki Recipe - Veganiac (2024)

by Emily

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Vegan Takoyaki Recipe – Have you ever considered you can enjoy in Vegan version of this Japanese Takoyaki recipe? I’ve always liked vegan takoyaki, and now I’m sharing how I’ve made this popular Japanese streetfood vegan!

Vegan Takoyaki Recipe

A traditional snack from Japan, takoyaki is a ball-shaped dumpling with a piece of octopus inside. The food is usually served with a takoyaki sauce, similar to a Worcestershire sauce, and mayonnaise, although some serve the dish with a different variety of sauces.

In this article, I’ll share a recipe for a vegan version of traditional Japanese food. Also, be sure to check the whole article for the best results in preparing Vegan Takoyaki Recipe. Enjoy reading!

Vegan Takoyaki Recipe - Veganiac (1)

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Preparation Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 15 min

Total Time: 30 min

Servings: 16 pieces

Ingredients

Ingredients of Vegan Dashi:

  • Kombu – 3 pieces (2–inch)
  • Dried Shiitake Mushrooms – 4 pieces
  • Mushroom Seasoning – 2 tsp
  • Water – 2 cups

Ingredients for Vegan Takoyaki recipe:

  • All-purpose flour – 1 cup
  • Vegan dashi – 1 ¼ cup
  • Rice vinegar or White Vinegar – ½ tsp
  • Baking Powder – 1 tsp
  • Soy Sauce – 1 tsp
  • Green Onion
  • Beni shōga (red pickled ginger)
  • Shiitake dashi

Ingredients for Sauce toppings:

  • Vegan mayonnaise
  • Vegetarian Bull-Dog Sauce

Directions

Instructions to prepare the dashi:

  1. Take a saucepan and put in dried kombu, dried shiitake mushrooms. Add water and switch on medium flame. When it comes to boil (slightly), give it 10 more min to cook.
  2. Use a mesh sieve and drain the water. Separate the dashi in a bowl. Take out kombu and keep it aside for another recipe.
  3. For takoyaki fillings, use rehydrated shiitake mushrooms.

Instructions for preparing the takoyaki

  1. Bread the rehydrate shiitake mushroom into small chunky pieces. Chop the green onions and Beni shōga. Keep it aside for later use.
  2. Take a bowl, add flour, baking powder, vegan dashi, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Mix them well until they are well incorporated. Make a thin batter.
  3. On medium flame, preheat the takoyaki pan. Brush the pan with oil.
  4. On the heated pan, pour the batter in the cavities. If it overflows, it is fine.
  5. Add two to three pieces of shiitake mushroom in the cavities filled with batter. Sprinkle some green onions and Beni shōga. You may sprinkle them all over the pan.
  6. For three to four minutes, cook the downsides. With the help of a wooden skewer, cut the connections among batters.
  7. Using the same wooden skewer, change the side and stuff the edges. Cooking time at this step is one to two minutes. Keep repeating the process until it is all cooked and turns crispy.
  8. Empty these takoyaki balls on the serving plate and top it with Bull-Dog sauce, mayonnaise, and aonori.
  9. Serve it hot and eat it carefully as it may burn your tongue.

Cooking Tips & Recipe Variations

  • Use mayonnaise while filling it in the squeezy bottle. So, you can pour it a little easily.
  • All the ingredients can easily be hopped from local stores, if not any, found at Asian grocery stores.
  • Use wooden skewers for flipping the takoyaki as they make it easy. Don’t use Chopsticks as they make it hard.
  • Don’t use a special pan for the takoyaki. Find the takoyaki pan in the nearby Japanese store. You may shop online.
  • Cooking takoyaki on medium heat will allow it to cook properly.
  • Using a lot of oil is good for making the outsides crispy.

FAQs

Which sauces are recommended for Takoyaki?

Takoyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise are well suited with takoyaki, however, those are not vegan. You can use regular vegan mayonnaise or this amazing Vegan Tartar Sauce and Bull-Dog sauce.

Is Takoyaki a Japanese food?

Yes, it is Japanese food. Street foods are always trendy. ‘Tako’ stands for octopus and ‘yaki’ refers to grill or fry.

They are round in shape and crispy in texture. Pan used for cooking takoyaki is a special pan designed for it.

How does Vegan Takoyaki differ from original takoyaki?

The Vegan Takoyaki recipe differs in many ways like the original recipe contains katsuobushi. Also, the instant takoyaki batter contains non-vegan dashi in it.

You have to replace eggs while making the batter for vegans. And of course, Octopus is used in the traditional takoyaki and here you use mushrooms or other alternatives.

Nutritional Value

You will get 170 kcal of calories, 28 grams of carbs, 4 grams of sugar, 5 grams of protein, and 2 grams of fat per serving.

Conclusion

The vegan takoyaki recipe is a fun, delicious, and super simple dish to serve at any party. This recipe is very easy to follow, and you can have it in the oven in no time!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and you’ll give it a try and let us know how it goes by leaving a comment! If you try them, be sure to tag us on social media.

We enjoy scrolling your feedback and replying to you. Feel free to suggest us recipe for the next article.

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Vegan Takoyaki Recipe - Veganiac (2024)

FAQs

What are the main ingredients in takoyaki? ›

Takoyaki (Japanese: たこ焼き or 蛸焼) is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus (tako), tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger (beni shoga), and green onion (negi).

What is the moving ingredient in takoyaki? ›

Bonito flakes - known as katsuobushi in Japanese - are a strange food upon first sight. They are known to move or dance when used as a topping on foods such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki. It can be an odd sight upon first viewing if moving food makes you squeamish. However, it is nothing to be alarmed about.

What does takoyaki mean in Japanese? ›

Takoyaki (たこ焼き, literally “grilled octopus”) is a dish made of wheat batter and filling, usually octopus or a similar type of seafood.

What is the brown thing in takoyaki? ›

Katsuobushi (Japanese: 鰹節) is simmered, smoked and fermented skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis, sometimes referred to as bonito). It is also known as bonito flakes or broadly as okaka (おかか).

Are takoyaki healthy? ›

Takoyaki or “octopus balls”, are not an especially healthy snack compared to other snacks of the region. They are generally high in carbs and deep-fried, causing a dual dietary dilemma to healthy eaters everywhere.

What makes good takoyaki? ›

Takoyaki is typically crisp on the outside, and a little creamy on the inside, with chewy chunks of octopus. It's often served drizzled with a thick sweet-savory sauce and Japanese mayonnaise, and sprinkled with bonito flakes.

Why is my takoyaki not crispy? ›

When all your takoyaki are ball-shaped, pour a drizzle of oil onto the hotplate in-between the takoyaki - enough that the oil goes into the holes under the takoyaki. This makes the surface of the takoyaki crispy as they actually fry in the oil. Keep turning balls until they are crispy and golden.

What are bonito flakes made of? ›

What are bonito flakes? Bonito flakes, or katsuobushi, are tissue-paper thin fish shavings with an intense umami flavour. Bonito flakes come from a tuna-like fish which is dried, fermented and then smoked. Bonito flakes are used alongside dried kelp to create the base of Japanese dashi stock.

What is takoyaki sauce called? ›

Tako-yaki sauce is a very popular sauce in Japan. Tako-yaki sauce is called "okonomi sauce" because it is used for okonomiyaki in Japan. Okonomi sauce is a sweet and thick sauce of Worcester sauce.

Should takoyaki be gooey? ›

When people eat takoyaki, they are often surprised by its texture: is takoyaki supposed to be mushy? The answer is yes, it's supposed to be a little runny and gooey inside. The gooeyness is what most vendors strive for because it adds to the uniqueness of takoyaki.

What is the sauce on takoyaki? ›

Takoyaki sauce is sold online and in Asian grocery stores. If you need to make a sub at home, make this easy version: mix together 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon mirin, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon ketchup, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, and 1 teaspoon sugar.

What is a fun fact about takoyaki? ›

Takoyaki is a dish that originated from the Nishinari Ward (西成区 Nishinari-ku), Osaka Prefecture (大阪府 Ōsaka-fu) in 1935, and is said to have been inspired by Hyogo Prefecture's akashiyaki (明石焼き), a round omelette containing octopus eaten with dashi soup.

What are the flakes on takoyaki? ›

Its name is Bonito Flakes. Bonito flakes are loved by many due to its deliciousness, especially when eaten with takoyaki (octopus balls). Some of you may not know this. But, bonito flakes are actually made from fish, specifically skipjack tuna.

How much does takoyaki cost in Japan? ›

Most shops sell 6 – 10 Takoyaki balls in a rectangular, boat shaped dish for about 300 – 500 yen (less than $5 USD).

What's on top of takoyaki? ›

What goes on top of takoyaki? After the sauces, a handful of katsuobushi and a sprinkle of aonori are added for the finishing touch. Katsuobushi is dried bonito flakes and they're those little whisps that look like they're dancing when your takoyaki is hot. Aonori is a powdered seaweed.

What is bonito flakes made of? ›

What are bonito flakes? Bonito flakes, or katsuobushi, are tissue-paper thin fish shavings with an intense umami flavour. Bonito flakes come from a tuna-like fish which is dried, fermented and then smoked. Bonito flakes are used alongside dried kelp to create the base of Japanese dashi stock.

Are there takoyaki without octopus? ›

Japanese takoyaki balls are a streetfood made from stuffed, fried, dough balls. Traditionally made with octopus, this vegan version instead uses king oyster mushroom.

What types of takoyaki are there? ›

TAKOYAKI
  • ORIGINAL. Tanota Sauce, Mayo, Bonito Flakes, Green seaweed.
  • JALAPENO. Jalapeño Mayo, Jalapeño Slice, Bonito Flakes, Green seaweed.
  • PONZU. Citrus Soy Sauce, Bonito Flakes, Green onion.
  • WASABI. Wasabi Mayo, Tanota Sauce, Seaweed, Wasabi Flakes.
  • MENTAIKO. ...
  • GOMA. ...
  • P.T (PARMESAN TRUFFLE) ...
  • 4*4 w/namasu pickles.

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