Simmered in a sweet and savory dashi-based broth, Inari age (“ee-NAH-ri ah-geh“) are seasoned deep-fried tofu pockets used to make Inari sushi and kitsune udon. You can follow my delicious and easy recipe to make homemade Inari age with just 5 ingredients.
What’s Inari Age
Inari Age (稲荷揚げ, いなりあげ), pronounced as [Ee-NAH-ri ah-geh], are deep-fried tofu pockets (or sometimes called “pouches”) called aburaage that are cooked in dashi based broth, sugar, mirin, and soy sauce.
Savory, sweet, and full of juicy mouthfeel, Inari Age is the key ingredient to make Inari Sushi and as a topping for Kitsune Udon.
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!
How to Make Inari Age at Home
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Aburaage (fried tofu pouch/pocket) – 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 in your freezer, especially if you enjoy vegetarian/vegan Japanese dishes. You can learn more about how they are made here.
- Dashi (Japanese soup stock) – There are a few methods to make the Japanese soup stock. For this recipe, I used Awase Dashi made with katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and kombu (dried kelp). However, if you are vegetarian/vegan, you can make Kombu Dashi. Dashi is very easy to make, but you can also use a convenient dashi packet (I don’t use dashi powder).
- 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 salty flavor from soy sauce, but feel free to adjust the amount.
- Mirin – It adds mild sweetness and umami.
Overview: Cooking Process
- Blanch the aburaage in a boilin gwater to remove the (factory) oil for a cleaner taste. Drain well.
- Combine the ingredients for the sauce for aburaage.
- Cook the aburaage in the sauce until the sauce is almost gone.
- Set aside and let cool. The aburaage will continue to absorb more flavors.
- If you’re not using the inari age right away, you can keep them in an airtight container and store in the fridge/freezer.
How to Store Inari Age
I like to make a big batch and freeze them for later use! You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
An Important Cooking Tool for Making Inari Age
Because the aburaage (tofu pouch) is lightweight and floats on the liquid, you will need a drop lid called Otoshibuta (落し蓋) when you simmer them in the pot.
The otoshibuta is a tool that we commonly use when making simmered dishes as it helps to distribute the simmering broth evenly and prevent evaporation. If you don’t have an otoshibuta, you can make it with a sheet of aluminum foil (see this post).
I use an adjustable stainless steel otoshibuta, which can change the size of the drop lid based on different pot sizes.
As the tofu pouches are cooked gently in the savory dashi-based broth, they absorb the amazing umami flavor and capture some of the juices for the best enjoyment.
Homemade vs. 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 the 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 as the majority of Asian grocery stores don’t carry it. 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.
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!
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Homemade Inari Age
Ingredients
- 6 pieces aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch)
- 1½ cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp mirin
- 3 Tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Before You Start: I want you to consider doubling the ingredients, especially if you‘re making Inari Sushi. Why? The aburaage is very fragile and you may end up breaking the pouches and making holes. It‘s always nice to have backup pouches! Now, gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Aburaage
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut 6 pieces aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch) in half crosswise. Gently open the aburaage pouches all the way to the bottom. It‘s easier to separate the skin at this step than trying to open it after simmering.
- If a pouch is hard to open, gently roll it with a chopstick. This rubbing helps to separate the two sides and make it easier to open the pouch.
- When the water is boiling, cook the aburaage for 2 minutes while pressing them down into the water and turning them over. This helps to remove the factory oil used for deep-frying.
- Drain the aburaage into a sieve and rinse the saucepan. Gently press the aburaage with a ladle to squeeze out the water. Do not press hard as the aburaage tears easily.
To Cook the Inari Age
- In the same saucepan, combine 1½ cups dashi (Japanese soup stock), 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 3 Tbsp mirin, and 3 Tbsp sugar. Bring it to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the aburaage to the saucepan. Layer them in a flower petal-like shape around the pan. This makes it easier to flip the aburaage later.
- Place an otoshibuta (drop lid) directly on the surface of the aburaage (you can make your own drop lid with aluminum foil). Cook on medium-low heat for 30–40 minutes. Flip the aburaage occasionally to make sure they‘re simmering evenly. If the cooking liquid reduces rapidly, your heat is probably too high, so turn down the heat to low.
- When there is ¼–½ inch (1 cm) of cooking liquid left in the saucepan, remove it from the heat. Let the aburaage soak in the cooking liquid until it cools completely.
To Serve
- Your homemade Inari age is now ready to use in recipes like Inari Sushi and Kitsune Udon.
To Store
- Transfer the Inari age and cooking liquid to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for 3 days and in the freezer for 3 weeks.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on March 6, 2013. The post has been updated with new images and a revised recipe in December 2021.
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!! 🙂
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!
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! 🙂
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.
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. 🙂
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,
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!
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. 🙂
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!
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! 🙂
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 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!
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. 🙂
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/
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!