Kitsune Udon is a Japanese noodle soup in dashi broth topped with seasoned fried tofu pouches, pink-swirl narutomaki fish cake, and sliced scallions. This comforting udon soup is one of the most popular and classic Japanese noodle recipes of all time.
If you’re looking for the ultimate Japanese comfort food that can lift up your mood any time of year, I can’t recommend enough cooking this bowl of Kitsune Udon (Noodle Soup) (きつねうどん). It’s a humble dish, yet so comforting and satisfying.
The rich broth, chewy noodles, and fried tofu pouches—everything comes together so nicely that you just want to hold your face above the bowl and let the aroma envelop you. It’s so simple and quick to make this kitsune udon recipe, so there is no excuse not to try it!
Table of Contents
What is Kitsune Udon?
Kitsune udon is a traditional Japanese noodle soup of chewy and thick udon noodles, light and flavorful dashi broth, and deep-fried tofu pouches (aburaage) seasoned with soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. We typically served it hot, but in the sweltering summer months, we enjoy it chilled with a few spoonfuls of dashi-based sauce poured on top.
Kitsune means “fox” in Japanese. There are a few theories about why we call this dish “fox udon.” One is that aburaage appears as a fox’s favorite food in Japanese folktales, so people call this dish kitsune udon from the tofu pouches on top. Another theory is that aburaage is called kitsune because it’s the same color as a fox. This makes the most sense to me since Japanese recipes often say to “cook to a fox color” to describe a golden brown color.
3 Key Ingredients for Kitsune Udon
To make the perfect bowl of kitsune udon, you need high-quality ingredients, starting with dashi (Japanese soup stock), udon noodles, and aburaage.
1. Dashi Stock
I can’t stress enough the importance of good-quality dashi. It gives the soup that rich, umami flavor that you’ll want to sip to the last drop. In the past, I’ve shared three ways to make dashi with dashi powder, a dashi packet, or from scratch. For this recipe, I only recommend using homemade dashi or a dashi packet. Dashi powder doesn’t provide enough depth for a flavorful broth.
Please don’t be intimidated by making dashi from scratch. Spend the extra 20 minutes to make a super tasty broth—trust me, it’s worth your time and it’s easy to make! I recommend Awase Dashi (kombu + katsuobushi/bonito flakes) or Katsuo Dashi (just bonito flakes) for udon noodle soup broth. For vegetarian/vegan dashi, use Kombu Dashi.
2. Udon Noodles
Udon noodles are now popular outside of Japan, so you can easily purchase them in regular US grocery stores. However, many products are not very good. The noodles don’t have the right texture and tend to break into pieces.
If your local Japanese or Asian grocery stores carry frozen Sanuki udon noodles in the freezer section or parboiled Sanuki udon noodles, try one of those options. They are chewier and not doughy/floury, and won’t break as easily.
3. Aburaage: Packaged vs. Homemade
Living outside of Japan, I know that raw ingredients can be harder to find than prepackaged foods. Inari age (seasoned deep-fried tofu pouch) is made of aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch). When you want to make homemade Inari age, you need aburaage, but it’s really difficult to find unless you have a well-stocked Japanese grocery store.
Packaged Inari age is widely available even in Asian grocery stores as they are used for making the popular Inari Sushi. If you are lucky enough to find aburaage, try making my Homemade Inari Age! It’s preservative-free and really delicious!
Ingredients for Kitsune Udon
Here’s a complete list of ingredients you’ll need:
- kombu (dried kelp), water, and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) – for the dashi
- dashi, mirin, sugar, salt, and usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce – for the soup broth; you can substitute regular soy sauce
- Inari age (seasoned fried tofu pouch) – canned or refrigerated; or make it homemade
- green onion/scallion
- narutomaki (fish cakes) – optional
- udon noodles
- shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) – optional; sprinkle for a spicy kick
How to Make Kitsune Udon
Here’s a quick overview; see my recipe below for full instructions.
- Make the homemade dashi. Heat kombu and cold water in a saucepan. Before it boils, remove the kombu. Add the katsuobushi, simmer briefly, and turn off the heat. Let the bonito flakes sink, then strain the stock.
- Cook the udon broth. Add the broth ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Then, cover and keep on a low simmer.
- Prepare the toppings. Squeeze the liquid from the Inari age. Thinly slice the green onion and narutomaki.
- Boil the udon noodles in a large pot of water per package directions and drain well.
- Assemble the kitsune udon. Divide the noodles into individual bowls. Pour in the broth and top with Inari age, narutomaki, and sliced scallions.
Vegetarian/Vegan-Friendly Kitsune Udon
There is a misconception that dashi is not vegetarian/vegan, but that’s not completely true. While standard dashi is made with bonito flakes and kombu, we also use which is 100% vegetarian/vegan Kombu Dashi in our daily Japanese cooking.
Use kombu dashi to make vegetarian/vegan kitsune udon and skip those spiral fish cakes as a garnish. And as simple as that, you have a vegetarian/vegan udon!
Did you watch Netflix “Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories” Season 2?
You can find this Kitsune Udon dish featured on the popular Netflix® – Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories (Season 2, Episode 7).
In the show, the master prepares a bowl of Kitsune Udon with a large homemade Inari age. It’s such a humble dish, yet so comforting and satisfying.
Other Hot Udon Noodle Soup Recipes
Kitsune Udon
Video
Ingredients
For the Homemade Dashi
- 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) (2 x 5 inches, 5 x 12 cm per piece)
- 2½ cups water
- 1½ cups katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (packed; ½ oz; skip for vegetarian/vegan)
For the Soup Broth
- 2½ cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi); dashi recipe instructions included below)
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce (can substitute regular soy sauce)
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the Kitsune Udon
- 4 Inari age (seasoned fried tofu pouch) (canned or refrigerated; or make my homemade Inari Age)
- 1 green onion/scallion
- 4 slices narutomaki (fish cakes) (optional; skip for vegetarian/vegan)
- 2 servings udon noodles (1.1 lb, 500 g frozen or parboiled udon noodles; 6.3 oz, 180 g dry udon noodles)
- shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) (optional; or a spicy kick)
Instructions
Before You Start…
- Gather all the ingredients. It‘s really important to have good flavorful dashi for this recipe. Although you can take a shortcut by using dashi powder or a dashi packet, I encourage you to make dashi from scratch because the broth tastes so much better! It only takes less than 30 minutes to make. See my instructions below for Awase Dashi and Kombu Dashi (vegetarian/vegan).
To Make the Homemade Dashi
- Put 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) and 2½ cups water in a measuring cup for at least 30 minutes. If you have time, soak for 3 hours or up to half a day. The kombu’s flavor comes out naturally from soaking it in water. If you don’t have time, skip soaking.
- Transfer the kombu and water to a saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil over medium-low heat.
- Just before the liquid boils (you will see bubbles around the edges of the pan), remove the kombu. If you leave the kombu inside, the dashi will become slimy and bitter. Now, this broth is vegetarian/vegan Kombu Dashi and it‘s ready to use. For non-vegetarian/vegan, add 1½ cups katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and bring it to a boil again.
- Once the dashi is boiling, reduce the heat, simmer for just 15 seconds, and turn off the heat. Let the katsuobushi sink to the bottom, about 10–15 minutes. Strain the dashi through a fine-mesh sieve set over a saucepan. Now you have homemade Awase Dashi.
To Make the Soup Broth
- In a saucepan, add 2½ cups dashi (Japanese soup stock), 1 Tbsp mirin, 1 tsp sugar, 1 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce, and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat or cover and keep on a low simmer. Tip: We use the light-colored usukichi type of soy sauce here so the color of the soup broth doesn‘t become too dark.
To Prepare the Toppings
- Squeeze the excess liquid from 4 Inari age (seasoned fried tofu pouch) (or you can keep the liquid as is, if you prefer). Cut 1 green onion/scallion into thin slices. Cut 4 slices narutomaki (fish cakes) into ⅛-inch (3-mm) slices.
To Cook the Udon Noodles
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for 2 servings udon noodles. My favorite udon is frozen Sanuki udon. Reheat the frozen udon noodles in boiling water for 1 minute (no need to defrost). If you use dry noodles, follow the package instructions.
- Pick up the noodles in a strainer or drain the hot water. Make sure to shake off the excess water (which will end up diluting your soup).
To Serve
- Divide the drained udon noodles into individual serving bowls. Pour the hot broth over the noodles to cover. Top with the Inari age, narutomaki, and green onions. Sprinkle shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) on top (optional).
To Store
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on May 25, 2011. Pictures were updated in November 2017. The new video was added in April 2018. The post has been updated in May 2020.
Hello! I made this recipe last week and it was delicious. I noticed though that the ingredient quantities for the dashi are different in this recipe and in the separate awase dashi recipe page. Which should I be using? Does it make a big difference? Thanks so much!
Hi Martin! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
For a simple, delicate dish like this, we recommend using the listed ingredient quantities for the Dashi. It will bring more Umami and flavor to this simple dish.
We hope this helps!
Hi Nami,
I was able to find Ajitsuke Inari in the refrigerated section of our local Japanese supermarket here in Brisbane. It’s made in Japan and is fresh in liquid and vacuum sealed in a package with 40 pieces.
Is it okay to freeze the leftovers in freezer bags for future use as there is no way we would use 40 pieces in one sitting with just the two of us.
If so how long can they last for before having to discard?
Thanks for any info
Cheers Alastair
Hi Alastair, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
The unopened vacuum-sealed package (some of them come in a few vacuumed packs in the bag) should last till the exploration date (賞味期限) on the back of the package. However, if you had open the vacuum-sealed, we recommend storing them in an air-tight container and freeze them. It will be good for about one week. If you want to make it last longer, you can warm up/heat through the Inari and let it cool to store. It should be good for 2~3 weeks.
We hope this helps!😊
Hi Nami, Japanese food is one of my comfort foods and it’s been so difficult finding ways to recreate my favourite dishes as I don’t have access to Asian markets and restaurants. I managed to order some bonito flakes online to make this (so tasty I cooked it twice 😛 ). It tasted delicious and warmed my soul. I was very surprised at the umami and savoury broth, it tasted like the shop bought ones but I can’t believe it has no added MSG! :O
Thank you again for sharing your love and all your helpful tips for Japanese cuisine! Am so very grateful to you that there is a way for me to enjoy these foods again. ^_^ Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes!
Hi Stella,
We couldn’t be happier to hear how much joy and excitement Nami’s recipe has brought to you!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and your sweet feedback. We hope Asian markets open soon in your area, and you can easily access many Japanese ingredients. Happy Cooking!
Hi,
Great recipie ! I can’t easily get ingredients for homade dashi and packet dashi is hard to find where I live so I used Dashi powder mixed with hot chicken broth instead to give a bit of depth. I must say it was a success so I wanted to let you know. Thank you for your amazing blog !
Hi Diane!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear it turned out great and you enjoyed it!😊
sorrry i havent rate 5 stars for every recipe. i really love ur blog. its the best japaanense recicpe blog there is. this comment is short but i want you to know KEEP IT UP!!!!!! amazing content.
Hi Ktleen!
We are so glad to hear you enjoyed many of Nami’s recipes.
Thank you for your support and your kind feedback.
-From the JOC team 😊
Thanks for sharing your recipes and your cooking videos are also very well made. Have tried the Kitsune Udon recipe and my family loves it. Looking forward to try the other recipes.
Hi Ginny! So glad to hear that. Thanks so much for trying my recipe!!
Hi Nami, I haven’t made this yet, but am getting ready for it. My boyfriend is vegetarian and as much as I love bonito flakes and the fish cake I will have to leave them out. For the Dashi i will use your Kombu + dry shiitake dashi that I use for my very successful vegetarian ramen (love them!), as toppings, anything else you could suggest together with the Inari Age? Perhaps ramen egg or mushrooms? Any tip is welcome! I love Japanese food, thanks a lot, I have always found it difficult for the number of ingredients to have in the cupboard, but somehow you manage to make it very easy. thanks, Ilaria
Hi Ilanria! In Japan, Kitsune Udon is a very simple dish (like Margherita – I love your site!).
See? Just Inari Age and green onion in most Kitsune Udon images: https://www.google.com/search?q=%E3%81%8D%E3%81%A4%E3%81%AD%E3%81%86%E3%81%A9%E3%82%93&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS727US727&sxsrf=ALeKk000fzOCfAyB2BK9qkA3WDnAhJTW2g:1590345522853&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizs9bfks3pAhUhGDQIHVy9A-0Q_AUoAXoECAwQAw&biw=1331&bih=1100
So… it’s up to you if you want to add ramen egg or mushrooms. Traditionally we don’t, but anything possible? Hope you enjoy the recipe!
We are on lockdown here in New Delhi, India but luckily I had all the ingredients in my pantry to make this yummy and comforting soup. The only change I made was to add thinly sliced fried tofu. Delicious!
Hi Smruti! I hope you’re safe and healthy. We have to use what we have at home, especially this unusual time. Please take good care! Thank you for trying this recipe. xoxo
How can you make this a complete balanced meal? The green onions seem more like a garnish than a vegetable although I use a lot, and the inariage is a tofu type protein to me. Is that wrong? I had this again today (yum!) and had some kimchi for more vegetables.
How long does narutomaki keep after it’s opened? Can I freeze it? I love this recipe but I make it for just myself so there are leftover ingredients and I don’t want to get tired of it by having it too often.
Hi Doreen! You can freeze the narutomaki or keep in the fridge for up to a week or so once you open it.
Now for a complete meal, we usually have a small bowl of Japanese side dishes to accompany a noodle soup bowl. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/categories/recipes/side/
Hello Nami. How to make this using your leftover mentsuyu? Thanks.
Hi Juliana! Mentsuyu is noodle soup base, so all you need to do is to dilute the base to your liking. Usually 1 part mentsuyu : 2-3 parts water. 🙂
Thanks! I’ll try that tomorrow. I have leftover mentsuyu after making your yaki udon.
Wonderful! Enjoy! 🙂
Nami,
Another wonderful recipe, thank you! I’ve made this before with the udon but tonight I only have soba on hand – do you think that would work okay? Thanks!
Alex
Hi Alex! Thank you so much for your kind comment. I’m sorry for my late response. Yes, we do make/eat both Kitsune Udon and Kitsune Soba. 🙂
Hi I’m from Malaysia, my girls love udon. Just made this last night, it was good but I need more practise.
Hi Hazarina! I’m so happy to hear your girls enjoy udon! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! 🙂
Good Afternoon,Nami I just finished cooking Kitsune Udon.It was delicious.Like you said it comes well together.I loved the tofu pouches.Which I found in Manhattan Japanese grocery store.I also purchased red yuzu kosho.I wanted to try this kosho as opposed to the green one.Thanks for your great website.
Hi Ramon! I’m so happy to hear you tried this recipe! And you found red yuzu kosho! How did you like it compared to the green one? Thanks so much for trying this recipe! 🙂
If I make the dashi using packets, how many, and how long to steep (or simmer) to replicate this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Tom! Do you mean dashi packet (like tea bag)? You will need 2 ½ cups water and drop one bag in the water and boil. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes and remove the packet. Hope that helps!
Hi Nami,
Your udon recipe says two servings. Should I double the amount of water that is used to soak the khombu if I want to have four to five servings of dashi?
Hi Aurora! Yes, you will need the right amount of kombu dashi for cooking. 🙂