10 Best Tried and True Japanese Frozen Takoyaki in 2022 (Nissui, Nissin Group (Shikoku), and More)

We picked out some of the most popular products and taste-tested them. Then we ranked the top 14 Japanese frozen takoyaki available online in Japan.

Japanese prices for some of the products are given, but they've been converted into US dollars to make it easy for you.

And why they didn't quite make it.

Creamy Takoyaki from Family Mart convenience stores comes in a 6-pack that you can microwave. They're medium-sized and have a decent amount of octopus. 

The taste is good; however, rather than being creamy and gooey like the package says, they're more sticky and dense. But the sauce is amazing! It's tangy and sweet with a sour aftertaste that we loved.

Eemon Takoyaki from Kanemasu Foods are small-sized in a microwaveable 8-pack. The dough is delicious, but... there's hardly any octopus! We sometimes couldn't tell if it was there or not, and some of the balls didn't seem to have any. Although the cabbage is crunchy, the dough is light, and the flavor is good, it's hard to call it takoyaki.

Nissui's regular takoyaki aren't as good as the green onion and soy sauce ones we chose as our top winner. They do have a nice bite from the pickled red ginger, and the dough melts in your mouth at the first bite. They're small, and the seasonings make them a good snack for adult palates.

TopValu Dashi Flavor Takoyaki from Aeon supermarket are bite-sized and flavored with kombu seaweed and bonito stock. The texture is slightly firm and hard, but actually we liked that. We didn't taste the dashi stock, though! Because the flavor is weak, you need to add a lot of sauce or mayo.

Hacchan's Big Takoyaki are indeed big, but the octopus pieces aren't. Also, some people liked the fluffy dough, but others thought it was too mushy and grainy. We do give it props for using only Japanese ingredients, though.

These takoyaki are produced with domestically-grown ingredients by Okamoto Foods. They're not round like all the others, but football-shaped, so they don't roll around and are easy to cook. Their dashi flavor is tasty, but they don't have enough octopus in them.

Maruha Nichiro's takoyaki are not consistent in their size, which was kind of annoying. Also, the dough is a bit bitter and the texture is dry and too crumbly. Some people also thought the ginger flavor was too strong.

We prepared and ate each product to check how they tasted. We were also concerned with how big the octopus pieces were in the takoyaki, because no one wants to be the one who gets a batter-only ball, no matter how delicious!

First, we tested the most important thing! Is it delicious? Five of us did a blind taste test and rated the takoyaki on a 5-point scale. We prepared all of the products in the microwave to ensure consistency.

We found that the determining the best takoyaki was more about texture than taste. We liked a crispy, crunchy outer skin that was balanced by a creamy, soft, and gooey center. It was important that the ball was plump and the center was well-integrated with the outer shell.

We didn't like ones with dough that had a stiffer texture. Although you'll get stuffed eating them, they can be grainy and dry. And it wasn't the case that a lot of ingredients equaled deliciousness.

We wanted to know if there was a difference in how much "tako" these takoyaki contained! Did one big chunk taste better? Were many little bits just as good? Did any of the balls have no octopus at all?

We gave them a score by taking the octopus out of 2 balls from each product and comparing them.

The takoyaki with the biggest pieces of octopus came from convenience stores, surprisingly! 7-11, Family Mart, and Lawson all contained big, thick chunks which also had a good chewiness. (Unfortunately we aren't sure if Lawson still sells the same one we tested.) If you want to really get the full tako experience, go to a convenience store.

But we also realized that smaller pieces are just as delicious. They're spread out in the batter, so if you take bites of the ball, you have a good chance of getting some octopus in every mouthful.

We recommend thinking about three things before buying frozen takoyaki.

There are basically two sizes available: small and large. Although some fall in between, you should choose based on how you want to eat them.

If you prefer to take bites, get the large size (pictured on the left). Japanese people cut them with chopsticks on a plate too, but a knife and fork is fine! The large ones are plump and should have a creamy texture.

The smaller ones (pictured on the right) are great for snacks. You can serve them with toothpicks as hors d'ouevres or with alcohol. They're also easier for children or people who want to pop them in their mouths whole.

Takoyaki is mainly wheat flour and octopus, but in addition to those staples, there are a lot of variations. If you can't read Japanese, many of the shopping web sites we link to have the English translations of the ingredients.

The Kansai area, home to major cities Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe, is also the birthplace of takoyaki. There it often includes green onions similar to chives. They add a savoriness and aroma that is really irreplaceable. 

For true Kansai-style takoyaki, get ones with green onions. However, be careful if you fry them instead of microwaving! Try not to overcook them as the outer onions can burn easily.

If you want a balance of textures, we recommend takoyaki with tenkasu (fried batter bits) inside. The outside will be crunchier while the center still melts in your mouth. When you microwave takoyaki in search of a crispy shell, sometimes the center gets tough as a result; but with these fried batter bits, the inside will retain its creaminess.

If you are reading the Japanese packages, or if you want to ask at a store, the words 揚げ玉 (agedama) and 天かす (tenkasu) are both used to refer to these fried batter bits.

Pickled red ginger is a common condiment on many Japanese foods, so you've probably tried it before. It's spicy and a little tangy. The flavor goes great with the brown sauce commonly used on takoyaki. We recommend serving them like this as a drinking snack with Japanese sake or other alcohol.

However, a lot of kids don't like spicy ginger. Honestly, since ginger has beneficial effects like warming the body, it's good for them to try it! But if you're having a kids' party with takoyaki, maybe skip the ginger or serve it on the side.

Did you know the package will tell you how much octopus is in the takoyaki? Look for a percentage like the photo above! This one says that at the time of mixing the ingredients at the factory, there was 12% octopus compared to all the other ingredients.

It may not always come out that way in each ball, but as a guide, 10-12% means a lot of octopus, while 5-6% is lots of dough and vegetables.

Here are some tips on cooking methods and condiments. There are a lot of variations on this delicious street food, so no need to stay traditional every time!

When you defrost the takoyaki, the easiest way is to use the microwave, but we recommend heating them up normally without covering them in plastic wrap instead of using the "defrost" setting; this will help the takoyaki retain its inner gooeyness.  

Arrange up to 8 at a time, spacing them apart, and microwave them uncovered according to the manufacturer's instructions. This will give you the best texture.

If you have more time to prepare them, throw them in a pan with a little oil. Thaw them slightly and fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. You can also rub a little oil all over them and bake them in a toaster oven!

Finally, deep-frying is possible, and gives a super-crispy outer skin. But be careful, because frozen foods can cause the oil to spray if you add too many at once.

We already introduced you to some traditional condiments: green onion, pickled ginger, and a brown sauce (look for recipes for takoyaki sauce - some sources say to mix Worcestershire sauce, dashi, sugar and ketchup).

Mayonnaise is very common too. Recently, ponzu (sour, tangy soy sauce) has become popular with takoyaki. Here are some other great ideas for topping and serving.

• Top them with melted cheese
• Mentaiko (spicy fish eggs) mixed with mayonnaise
• Shichimi (Japanese 7-spice powder)
• Pour some white sauce over them
• Put them in kimchee hotpot (chige nabe)
• Top your Japanese curry with them!

One normal-sized takoyaki is about 30 to 40 calories on its own, but obviously if you add a ton of sauce and mayo that goes up considerably. If you want to keep the calorie count down, eat just a few, and serve them with light toppings like ponzu or vinegar.

Writing: Rio Sasaki/Translation: Susan Lucier-Ogawa/Photos: Yasuhiro Shimoya

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