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What I miss most about summertime in Japan is the astonishing array of Japanese street foods offered by vendors at the hundreds of festivals (matsuri) that take place across the country. The choices are endless! Hands down, one of the must-try street snacks is taiyaki (鯛焼き).
Fish-shaped, waffle-like taiyaki filled with sweet red bean paste is the stuff of my childhood dreams! Just the thought of fresh, warm taiyaki brings an intense craving and smile to my face. With the right pan, it’s easy to make taiyaki at home, too!
What is Taiyaki?
Taiyaki (鯛焼き) is a warm, waffle-style snack cake. Tai means “sea bream” and yaki means “grilled/baked.” It’s made in a cast iron mold shaped like an auspicious fish called red sea bream. Sweet red bean paste (anko) is the typical filling, but custard filling is also quite popular. You can also find it filled with chocolate, Nutella, or even cheese.
Taiyaki is one of the quintessential summer festival foods in Japan. There, you can also find taiyaki shops that specialize in making the fish-shaped pastry. Most recently, trendy shops across the world have reimagined this traditional treat.
In Tokyo, there is “croissant taiyaki” that combines croissant dough with tasty fillings. In New York, you can find the specialty shop Taiyaki NY that serves taiyaki as a soft serve ice cream cone. You choose your soft-serve flavor and finish with red bean filling, a wafer stick, and mini mochi.
Why is Taiyaki Shaped Like a Fish?
Its origins trace back to the Edo Period over 300 years ago. Before taiyaki took its fish shape, it started as imagawayaki, a warm, round-shaped cake that is filled with sweet red bean paste.
During the Meiji era (1868–1912), tai (sea bream) was considered a highly prized fish and only eaten for special celebrations. The fish became a symbol of luck in Japan’s way of life and culture. Some enterprising pastry makers decided to refashion the round imagawayaki into a brand new fish shape. With that, taiyaki was born and it became a huge hit.
Special Tool: Taiyaki Pan
Taiyaki is not taiyaki without its iconic shape! Since I know I’ll make it every summer as a tradition for my children (and myself), I decided to purchase a fish-shaped taiyaki mold/maker from Amazon.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Taiyaki
We only need simple pantry ingredients to make this classic recipe:
- cake flour – store-bought or you can make homemade cake flour
- baking powder and baking soda
- large egg
- whole milk
- sugar
- filling of your choice – red bean paste (anko), Nutella, chocolate, and custard are popular choices
- neutral oil
How To Make Taiyaki
- Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add the sugar and whisk well.
- Whisk the wet ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
- Refrigerate the batter for at least one hour.
- Heat the taiyaki pan over medium-low heat. Brush the mold with neutral oil.
- Pour the batter (I use a large measuring cup) until the mold is about 60% full.
- Spoon the filling into the center of the mold and pour more batter on top. Close the lid and immediately flip. Cook, then flip again to cook the other side. It’s done when the taiyaki is golden brown.
Serve the taiyaki warm. You can reheat a cold taiyaki in the toaster oven until it’s crispy on the outside.
Cakey vs. Crispy Taiyaki
Each shop and family has its own recipe and style of taiyaki. My taiyaki recipe leans toward a cakey, fluffy pancake texture as my kids prefer it that way. I actually like mine to be on the crispy side, like waffles.
If you also like a crispy texture, omit the egg and adjust the liquid amount for the taiyaki batter. I have a recipe for Crispy Taiyaki with an eggless batter that you can follow.
Types of Taiyaki Filling
Making taiyaki is very similar to a waffle making. The only extra touch is the filling. What kind of filling should we prepare?
Without a doubt, sweet red bean paste (anko) is the most classic and popular choice of filling. When I don’t have time to make my homemade red bean paste, I buy a can of ogura-an. The texture of the red bean paste is very smooth and easy to use.
You can find other sweet and savory options as well:
- Custard cream (recipe)
- Chocolate
- Nutella
- Cheese
- Sweet potato paste, and more!
My Childhood Memories of Taiyaki
When taiyaki is freshly made, the crispy exterior surrounding the warm soft cake with anko filling is delectable. I would toss it between my hands to avoid getting burnt and slowly bite into the steaming hot cake. I usually start eating from the head side and the tail last (how about you?).
When I was young, I sometimes had to share a taiyaki with my younger brother and I always fought for the head side because taiyaki shops do not always fill the red bean paste all the way to the tail. I was always really disappointed when they don’t!
More Japanese Street Snacks You’ll Love
- Imagawayaki (Obanyaki)
- Manju
- Dorayaki (Japanese Red Bean Pancake)
- Baked Japanese Sweet Potatoes (Yaki Imo)
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Taiyaki (Japanese Fish Shaped Waffle)
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups cake flour (weigh your flour; click Metric button for weights; you can make homemade cake flour)
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
- ¾ cup whole milk (plus more; see my Tips in the instructions)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 8 Tbsp sweet red bean paste (anko) (divided; see Notes)
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil (for cooking)
Instructions
Before You Start
- The batter requires a resting time of 1 hour. I highly encourage you to weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale. Click the Metric button above for weights. If you don't have a scale, here's how to measure flour with a measuring cup to avoid scooping too much: Fluff the flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into the measuring cup, and level it off.
- Gather all the ingredients. You will need a taiyaki maker. Each brand comes with a different-sized mold. If you are using the maker for the first time, consider this a trial run for how much batter to measure for your particular maker.
To Make the Batter
- Sift 1¼ cups cake flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp baking soda into a large bowl.
- Add 3 Tbsp sugar and whisk to combine.
- Whisk 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) in a medium bowl. Add ¾ cup whole milk and mix together until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth and combined. Refrigerate the batter for at least one hour to relax the gluten and hydrate the flour.Nami's Tip: Add 1–1½ Tbsp milk if the batter is too thick. The batter should be smooth and pourable—thicker than pancake batter, thinner than waffle mix, and similar to melted ice cream.
- Pour the batter into a spouted measuring cup or jug.
To Cook the Taiyaki
- Preheat the taiyaki maker over medium-low heat. When it's hot, brush the pan with neutral oil.
- Pour batter into each mold until they're 60% full.
- Spoon 1 Tbsp anko paste into the center of each mold. Pour more batter on top to cover it.
- Nami's Tip: Here, I use Nutella instead of anko as a filling.
- Close the lid and immediately flip the pan over.
- Cook for 2–2½ minutes. Flip and cook the other side for another 2–2½ minutes. It's done when the taiyaki is golden brown. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Cook the remaining taiyaki.
To Serve
- Serve warm. If the taiyaki get cold, heat them in a toaster oven or oven until they're crisp on the outside.
To Store
- Keep in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat, toast them in the toaster oven or oven until crisp on the outside.
Notes
- Anko: Use a store-bought can of Ogura-an, or make my homemade Anko recipe or Pressure Cooker Anko recipe. Substitute anko with Nutella, custard cream, chocolate, cheese, sweet potato paste, or your favorite filling.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts shown are generated by an online calculator and are estimates only. Please consult a professional nutritionist for specific dietary needs.
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