Simmered in sweet and savory dashi-based broth, Inari Age is seasoned deep-fried tofu pockets used for making Inari Sushi and Kitsune Udon Noodle Soup.
These wrinkly, nut-brown looking parcels are called Inari Age (稲荷揚げ, いなりあげ). They are basically deep-fried tofu pockets or Aburaage (Abura Age) that have been seasoned in a dashi-based broth.
Savory, sweet and full of juicy mouthfeel, Inari Age is the key ingredient to make Inari Sushi and as a topping for Kitsune Udon. Let’s learn how to make them at home!
4 Simple Ingredients You’ll Need:
I often find the store-bought Inari Age too sweet to my liking, so I like making my own. It is very simple and only takes 15 minutes! Here is exactly what you need:
- Aburaage (fried tofu pouch) – A popular ingredient in Japanese cooking, Aburaage are deep-fried tofu pouches made from soybean. This is a great pantry item to stock up on, especially if you enjoy vegetarian/vegan Japanese dishes. You can learn more about how they are made here.
- Dashi – There are a few methods to make the Japanese soup stock. For this recipe, you can use either Kombu Dashi which is vegan or use a convenient dashi packet.
- Soy Sauce – The most basic but compulsory flavoring that gives the broth its salty and savory taste.
- Sugar – You’ll need sugar to balance the flavor, but feel free to adjust the amount.
A Quick Tip on Simmering
In this recipe, I used an Otoshibuta (落し蓋), or a drop lid, when I simmer the tofu pouches in the pot.
Otoshibuta is a tool that we commonly use when making simmered dishes as it helps to distribute heat evenly and prevent evaporation. If you don’t have an otoshibuta, you can substitute it with a sheet of aluminum foil (see this post).
There’s also an adjustable Otoshibuta which can change the size of the drop lid based on different pot sizes.
As the tofu pouches cooked gently in the dashi broth, they absorb the amazing umami flavor and capture some of the juices for the best enjoyment.
How to Store Inari Age
I like to make a big batch and freeze them for later use! You can store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and the freezer for up to 2-3 weeks.
Delicious Recipes Using Inari Age
Stuff your homemade Inari Age with vinegared rice and make Inari Sushi! The sushi rice contrasts beautifully with the well-seasoned tofu pouches and you can never get enough of each bite!
Top your udon noodle soup with Inari Age for the classic Kitsune Udon!
Homemade or Store-Bought Inari Age
As I mentioned earlier, I often find the store-bought Inari Age too sweet to my liking. Therefore, if you can find Aburaage in your Japanese grocery store, I highly recommend making your own Inari Age.
However, I’ve heard it’s very difficult to find Aburaage. In that case, you may find the store-bought Inari Age very convenient when you want to make Inari Sushi and Kitsune Udon.
Typically you can find it in the refrigerator or freezer section at Japanese or Korean grocery stores. You may find a canned Inari Sushi which is also available on Amazon.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Homemade Inari Age
Ingredients
- 6 aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch)
- 1 cup dashi (Japanese soup stock; click to learn more) (use kombu dashi for vegan/vegetarian)
- 5 Tbsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Use kombu dashi for a vegan/vegetarian version.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, cover the aburaage with plastic wrap and gently roll it over with a rolling pin (I used a pestle). This step helps to open the pouch easier.
- Cut the aburaage in half.
- Put the aburaage in boiling water and cover with otoshibuta (drop lid). Boiling for 3 minutes to reduce the unwanted smell and oil from the aburaage.
- Discard the water and quickly rinse the aburaage under cold water. Squeeze the excess water out.
- In a large pot, combine dashi, sugar, and soy sauce and bring to a boil.
- Add the aburaage in the pot and place the otoshibuta (drop lid).
- Cook the aburaage on medium-low heat for 15 minutes until the liquid is 90% evaporated and absorbed into the aburaage. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.
- Gently squeeze out the liquid (but not completely) and keep the liquid in an airtight container. You will need this liquid to make Inari Sushi. Keep the inari age in an airtight container and use it for or Kitsune Udon. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and the freezer for up to 2-3 weeks.
So much better than the already prepared ones.
Thank you for the tip of first rolling for later ease.
Hi Carolai! Yes, homemade inari age offers more complex flavor than simple sweet flavor from store-bought kind. The rolling does help a bit. Hope you will give it a try. Thank you for your kind comment!
Inari is one of my absolute favorites . My granddaughter who is three has been eating inari since she was one and loves it. Another of her favorites is tomago. My grandson always orders maguro and dips it in soysauce with a bit of wasabi. It is easy to take them to a Japanese restaurant.
Hi Nancy! I’m really happy to hear your granddaughter loves Inari Sushi. It’s sweet and little bit tangy from the sushi rice and I really love the combination.
I’m not sure if you have checked my Inari Sushi recipe, but I started to add shiso leaf and nori inside of Inari Sushi. This is truly amazing. I was eating without them for years and loved it, but with shiso and nori… oh my, totally amazing. I hope you will give it a try. It will change your view of Inari Sushi! 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/inarizushi/
I’ve seen Inari-Age often in asian shops, but I just did not what it was and what to do with it. I love tofu and been looking for recipe variations. Today I’ve tried your Inari Sushi. Sooo good! I will try the Kitsune Udon tomorrow. Many thanks for the recipe!
Hi Prisma! I’m happy to hear that you tried Inari Sushi! 🙂 Enjoy Kitsune Udon too! Thank you so much for your feedback. 🙂
Thank you for another great recipe. The store bought inari is just not as good as homemade. (My kids love inari!) My husband’s relatives in Japan always make inari for get togethers.
Happy New Year, Beth! I have some store bought ones for busy day, but they are usually way too sweet for us. I love this homemade version and try my best to make it when I have time to make from scratch. Thank you for your comment!
Hello,
I have just bought frozen Abura Age. How are you meant to defrost it?
Thanks. Great recipe!
Hi Alex! Yes, defrost (naturally) first. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe, my ex is Japanese and his grandmother gave me the recipe which I used to make all the time but I have lost it! I’m so happy to have it again! Thank you. I do love to make Japanese food, most of it is so delicious and interesting.
Hi Anna! I hope you enjoy this inari age recipe! Homemade ones are more delicious than store-bought ones. Enjoy! 🙂
Last week went to LA and “Little Tokyo” and shopped until I dropped. I bought fresh Fried Tofu pouches…going out of town so I’m going to freeze them. How long will they last in freezer? When you return from your trip, I’ll need ideas how to eat them…totally new experience for me. Enjoy your vacation!
Hi Lyn! You can freeze aburaage for a month. 🙂
Here are some recipes that I used aburaage: https://www.justonecookbook.com/tags/aburaage/
Thank you for your kind words!
I recently purchased a pouch of 20 abura age. How would I adapt your recipe to this larger number of pouches? Can I just scale up proportionally? I.e. use 3 times the amount of ingredients?
Hi Stephen! First of all, do you have a big pot that can fit 20 aburaage? If so, you may not need as much as liquid. However, if you don’t have a pot that fits 20 aburaage, then I recommend to use 2 medium size pot and divide into two (10 each). And the recipe x 1.5. Hope this helps. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I see inari age in the Chinese supermarket but it’s in a big packet, maybe 50 pieces. Do you know the best way to store the leftover inari age? Once I cut the bag it can’t be sealed and the liquid will spill out. By the way, I cook from your website all the time. Thanks for your hard work producing the great recipes and videos!
Thanks!
Hi Ker Yng! You can wrap tightly (remove air) with plastic wrap and put in another bag to store in the freezer. I think it’ll last about 3 months. Hope this helps. 🙂 Thank you so much for using my recipes!
Hi, Nami.
Regarding to Step 5:
Discard the water and quickly rinse Abura Age under cold water. Squeeze the excess water out.
I wonder how long and how much cold water? And how long water afterwards the excess water should be squeezed out? I see you squeeze using bear hands. Doesn’t your hand feel hot? I tried rinsing under cold water, but the abura age soon turned hot again. I couldn’t hold them with bear hands.
Hi Shuni! Just run water (through abura age pieces) so you can touch with your hands. That also help rinse off oil. Then squeeze water out completely. Hope that helps?
Do you mean squeezing WHILE letting cold water run through? If that’s what you mean, I would need somebody to pour the cold water as I squeeze — or vice versa — because water tap over here is not drinkable.
Hi Shuni! Basically you want to get rid of the oil from the tofu pouch but if you can’t use tap water, then don’t worry. Just squeeze to drain the water from tofu pouch. 🙂
Hi Nami,
First let me say, I love your website. I’ve been trying out a lot of your recipes and if I follow directions they almost always come out the way I want them to – except it often takes longer than advertised to go from start to finish because I work slow in the kitchen! I also love how your recipes are generally for everyday portions rather than feeding a large crowd; all my family’s Japanese church cookbooks seem to be made for big family gatherings! Anyways, I feel like I have a handle on making dashi weekly now (so easy, its very little extra effort compared to the job dashi powder I grew up with) and make Kitsune Udon whenever I need a quick and easy dinner for 1. I decided to “level up” and make my own Inari Age instead of doing the preseasoned stuff (which is pretty sweet, like you mentioned). Unfortunately my first try was a bust. They came out a very dark brown/black – pretty sure they were not burned, they don’t taste like it, but the color is really off-putting. I’m not sure where I went wrong – maybe my shoyu is too old and thus concentrated and dark? I’ll be trying again – plain age was on sale, so I’ve got plenty to work with. Thank you for all of the wonderful recipes and education on Japanese cuisine!
Hi ktoyoko! Thank you so much for your kind feedback and I’m really happy to hear that you enjoy my recipes! I noticed that many recipes here in the US are for a large crowd too, compared to typical Japanese recipes. I try to make my recipes 2 or 4 servings so it’s easy when you want to double or half the portion. 🙂
I’m glad you’re making dashi from scratch! The flavor and fragrance retain better than dashi powder. And the real ingredients are good for you (no chemicals!).
As for the Inariage, the only question I have is that if you put the otoshibuta when cooking. Maybe the water evaporated too fast? I did not use Usukuchi soy sauce (light color) for this recipe, as you can see in the ingredient picture. I’m not sure if old soy sauce would affect the color or not, but I’m curious too why yours turn much brown. Was it too salty? How was your soy sauce color at Step 6 after combining all the ingredients? Let me know how it goes, and if the same thing happens, take a picture and email me. Hope next time will be a successful one. 🙂
I don’t have an otoshibuta, so I used a plate. The pot I used has one of those dark nonstick linings in them, so it’s always challenging to see if my liquids have the right color in them…I will try mixing my wet ingredients in a separate bowl next time before putting it in the pot so I gauge the color better!
Hi ktoyoko! Next time make your own (https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-otoshi-buta/) as the plate might be quite heavy on food below. 🙂
please – how do you make the actual tofu pouch ? or do you have to buy them already made ? I live in the uk so not much chance of buying them ….
thank you
Hi Kathleen! In Japan, we have various types of tofu products, and aburaage is something we buy as it is time-consuming to make at home. I plan to test and try making aburaage at home one day. I think Japan Centre in London carries it, but they are usually refrigerated or frozen, which can be hard to buy online.
Please = I live in a desert where obtaining Japanese ingredients are concerned. Pickled daikon is very expensive, but I find I can get Mooli fresh from asian grocers sent to me. Is this a good substitute for daikon, as I am dying to use it in recipes on your site. I would be most grateful. Many sites seem to think the two are interchangeable.
Hi Cathleen! Yes, I think you can use Mooli. From the pictures I searched on the internet, it looks just like daikon. Hope you enjoy cooking! 🙂
Hi Nami. I stubbled upon your blog a few days ago and I’ve already done 3 of your recipes. I love them. I was wondering if you have a recipe to make the deep fried tofu yourself instead of buying the pouches or if you have experience doing that. Thanks 🙂
Hi Marissa! Wow 3 recipes, already!!! Thanks for trying them. 🙂 I’ve tested a few times to make Aburaage but it’s really hard to do it… here in the US, the tofu texture comes in 2 types, and both of them are not an ideal hardness/softness to make aburaage. I am really hoping that I can make it one day…. thanks for your request!
Hi Nami!
Adriano from Brasil here.
When I went to Tokyo I tried the most delicious inarizushi ever, with hijiki, carrot (and maybe shiso? but not sure… there was something green though)
Could you please post a recipe for this inarizushi variation?
Thank you very much! Big fan here!
Hi Adriano! Okay, I’ll keep that in mind! And I think the green one that was included are snow peas or green beans cut into thin threads. Typically one of those. You can make hijiki salad and add to the sushi rice too.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/hijiki-salad/
Hi Nami! Thanks for the reply. I did make inarizushi with hijiki no itame simmered with carrots and added aoshiso and it went brilliant. Everyone liked it! I’ll try next time with peas or green beans for sure. Thank you so much for the always awesome recipes.
Also made kitsune udon with the leftover inari age and it was delicious!
Hi Adriano! Wow, I’m hungry hearing about the dishes you made (I love shiso and hijiki….)! So glad to hear it was successful! Thank you so much for your update!! 🙂
This is a great recipe. Big hit with the fam. When I removed & cooled the aburaage then squeezed out the liquid I had roughly a cup leftover. Can I use this for my next batch to flavor the Aburaage for Inari sushi?
Hi Steve! Thank you for trying this recipe! I wouldn’t use this same marinade as it’s diluted (flavor is used for making this batch). You can use this sauce to sweeten other dishes. Like noodle soup, simmered dishes, etc.
おいしいですね! I can’t get enough and these are flavorful with the vegetarian dashi.
こんにちは、ハモンドさん！ So glad to hear you enjoy this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback!
Hey there!
Polish guy again XD
I have a question about aburaage… or rather how can you make those at home – I could not find them at any store (including Asia/Japan specializating)…
Well… I’ve found some recipes about making those at home, but still justonecookbook is definitly the best site with japanese recipes I’ve ever tried recipes from. So the big question for trusted master: Will recipe for homemade Aburaage show up on the site?
Hi Bauaser, We currently don’t have the recipe on the site, but here is the post link where Nami explains how to make it. https://www.justonecookbook.com/aburaage/ Please read “What is Aburaage?” We hope this helps!