A simple recipe on how to make Takoyaki Sauce from scratch that is as close as the Otafuku’s Takoyaki sauce. So delicious when drizzle over Takoyaki, the crunchy Japanese octopus balls!
Takoyaki Sauce is mostly used for seasoning Takoyaki (Japanese octopus balls/dumplings). One of Japan’s best-known street food snack originated in Osaka, the delicious octopus ball is crunchy on the outside and flavorful on the inside. To enjoy, they are then brushed with takoyaki sauce and a squirt of Japanese mayo.
To Make Takoyaki Sauce at home:
For a simple Takoyaki sauce, you need Worcestershire sauce, mentsuyu, sugar and ketchup. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk well together. Adjust the sauce to your liking. It’s really easy!
You can also purchase Takoyaki Sauce like below in a Japanese grocery store.
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- 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (Usutah So-su)
- 1 tsp mentsuyu (noodle soup base) (See Notes for homemade recipe)
- ¾ tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp ketchup
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Adjust the sauce according to your liking.
Mentsuyu (noodle soup base): Homemade recipe, click here.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
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Raja Joko
Hi
Any substitute for mentsuyu?
tq
Nami
Hi Raja! You can just omit it, if you like. It’s too little to make homemade Mentsuyu. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to/mentsuyu-noodle-soup-base/
santi
Basic ingridient for takoyaki sauce is rather difficult to find in indonesia,what is an alternatif ingridient for mentsuyu and worcestershire sauce?
Nami
Hi Santi! It’s actually a little too complicated to make this sauce from scratch… 🙁 Wish it was easy. Most Japanese household buy Takoyaki sauce instead of making it from scratch. If you can get Tonkatsu Sauce which should be easier to find in Indonesia, you can use it instead. 🙂
alifa
hello
what kind of taste if i make takoyaki sauce without Mentsuyu?
is it any difference taste with the original?
i’ve already read the mentsuyu recipe. it contains sake. sake is forbidden to become ingredients at our food.
thank’s 😀
Nami
Hi Alifa! Well, definitely missing dashi and soy sauce flavor which is kind of like umami flavor… Sake and mirin can’t replace perfectly with something else but you can use sugar and water as mirin has sugar in it. I tried to make this recipe comparing with the takoyaki sauce I use…and this is the best I could reach by using other condiments (instead of making it all from scratch – which is kind of not easy to do…). Hope this helps. 🙂
consuelo s de larna
hi can I have the ingredients how to make takoyaki sauce also can I know if here in philippines have japanese store or supermart where I can buy all product of japanese items thank you
Nami
I’m sorry but I don’t live in the Philippines so I am not sure where you can find Japanese ingredients. Try Japanese or Chinese or Korean grocery stores. 🙂
Vanessa Nguyen
Hello Nami,
When you put the mentsuyu in it, is it the concentrated kind or do I have to dilute the mentsuyu first? We have a Mitsuwa and Nijiya market in my city, so I have easy to Japanese cooking ingredients. Would it be cheaper to just buy takoyaki sauce or buy the concentrated mentsuyu and make it at home? My sisters and I used your okonomiyaki + okonomiyaki sauce recipe yesterday. It was delicious! We’re going to try your takoyaki recipe this weekend and even bought the special pan for it. Thanks for the great recipes!
Nami
Hi Vanessa! It’s concentrated kind. It’s 1 tsp, but dashi and soy sauce in the mentsuyu gives a really nice kick. Honestly, since you live so close to Mitsuwa and Nijiya, you can buy Takoyaki sauce…. I made it for readers who can’t get it but I actually love homemade version too and it’s pretty close to store bought Takoyaki Sauce! For convenience, I’d say buy one… LOL.
I’m so happy to hear you liked Okonomiyaki and Okonomiyaki Sauce! Thanks for trying these recipes, and hope Takoyaki will come out well!
Amy Escobar
How bitter is this supposed to taste?
Nami
Hi Amy! Hmmm I wouldn’t say this is a bitter taste though????
Konrad Naszynski
Perhaps you could specify which Worcestershire sauce you used because using the British Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce with the stated proportions does not produce anything close to Otafuku’s Takoyaki sauce.
The Worcestershire sauce is so strong it completely overpowers the other ingredients to the point it’s difficult to even notice them.
After some experimentation I found 5 Tbs Mentsuyu, 2 Tbs Ketchup, 2 Tbs Sugar, 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce produced something a lot closer, but even then the Worcestershire sauce flavour felt too strong.
Nami
Hi Konrad! I think I used that same brand though I am not 100% if we were using a different brand when I made this recipe. This British brand is our favorite for some time.. I’m glad you could figure out what works for your Takoyaki! 🙂
Pazila
Hey Nami, I think u should show with we all how to make takoyaki sauce with another ingredients the meaning is easy to find the ingredients. 🙂
Nami
Hi Pazila! Which ingredient is hard for you to find? Maybe Mentsuyu bottle (store bought) or homemade Mentsuyu ingredients like Katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and kombu? They are pretty essential ingredients for a lot of Japanese recipes (because we need to use them to make dashi).
I understand Takoyaki sauce can be hard to find, but I believe bonito flakes or kombu are still easier to find…? I’m not sure where you’re located, but they are on Amazon US, Japan Centre (EU), or other online shops. Let me know how I can help! 🙂