Taiyaki
Fish-shaped cakes filled with sweet red bean.
About Taiyaki
A waffle-like batter is baked in a fish-shaped mould around a filling of sweet red bean paste, custard or chocolate. Sold hot from street stalls, it is a nostalgic Japanese treat.
🏛️ History & Culture
Taiyaki, literally meaning "baked sea bream," is a fish-shaped Japanese confection that emerged in Tokyo during the early 20th century, likely around the 1910s. Its origins are sometimes traced to a shop in the Nihonbashi district, but the exact creator is not definitively documented. The design was inspired by the prized and expensive tai (sea bream), making the affordable treat a playful nod to luxury for common people.
Classically filled with sweet red bean paste (anko), taiyaki has expanded to include custard, chocolate, sweet potato, and even savory fillings. While it is a nationwide street-food staple, regional variations exist—such as a thinner, crispier style in some areas and a thicker, cake-like batter in others. Culturally, taiyaki is synonymous with winter festivals and nostalgic childhood memories, often enjoyed hot off the griddle from mobile stalls.
🍳 How to make Taiyaki
AI-assisted, not kitchen-testedTaiyaki (Fish-Shaped Red Bean Cakes)
A nostalgic Japanese street-food classic: a crisp, waffle-like pancake shaped like a fish and filled with sweet azuki red bean paste. Traditional taiyaki is cooked in a cast-iron fish mould over a gas flame, but a non-stick waffle iron or aebleskiver pan works at home.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
Recipe ingredients
- 200 g (1¼ cups) plain flour, all-purpose
- 2 g (½ tsp) baking powder
- 1 g (¼ tsp) salt
- 1 large egg
- 120 ml (½ cup) whole milk
- 60 ml (¼ cup) water
- 30 g (2 Tbsp) caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 15 g (1 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted, for greasing the mould
- 300 g (10½ oz) anko (sweet azuki red bean paste), tinned or homemade; smooth (koshian) is most traditional
Steps
- 1 Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the sugar until pale, then beat in the milk, water and vanilla.
- 2 Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk gently until you have a smooth, lump-free batter with the consistency of single (light) cream. If too thick, add 1 tablespoon more milk; if too thin, 1 teaspoon more flour.
- 3 Lightly grease the inside of your taiyaki mould (or non-stick waffle/aebleskiver iron) with melted butter and preheat it over medium-low heat until a drop of batter sizzles gently on contact — about 3–4 minutes.
- 4 Spoon roughly 1 heaped tablespoon (about 25 g) of batter into the lower half of each fish cavity and spread it to the edges.
- 5 Scoop about 2 tablespoons (40 g) of anko onto the centre of each mould, keeping it away from the very edges so the top layer seals cleanly.
- 6 Top with another tablespoon of batter (about 20 g) and immediately close the mould. Press gently and cook for about 2 minutes, then flip the mould and cook a further 2 minutes on the other side.
- 7 Open briefly to check: the taiyaki is done when the surface is a deep, even golden brown and pulls away from the mould cleanly. Total cooking time is usually 4–5 minutes per fish.
- 8 Remove to a wire rack (not a plate, or the underside will go soggy) and repeat with the remaining batter and anko. Serve warm; taiyaki is best eaten within 20 minutes of cooking.
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✅ Before you go to Japan
Round out your trip — most travellers book these alongside their trip.
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