Free Plush Pufferfish Amigurumi Crochet Pattern

Last Updated on October 2, 2026 by Holly Lanier

I’m thrilled to be sharing yet another plush sea creature design with you today! This free plush pufferfish amigurumi was an instant favorite when I first shared it with my followers on Facebook and Instagram, so I’m excited to finally post the pattern here.

This pattern is perfect for experienced beginners to intermediate crocheters. It includes video tutorials for all the tricky parts!

Meet Poppy the Pufferfish! Pufferfish may look cuddly and huggable, but they’re actually one of the deadliest fish in the sea! Thankfully, this soft, plush version is very unlikely to harm you. Unless, of course, she kills you with cuteness!

If you’re looking for more plush sea creature patterns, check out my FREE Plush Rainbow Fish Amigurumi and Plush Manatee Amigurumi patterns!

You can purchase a printable, ad-free, beautifully formatted, concise version of this pufferfish crochet pattern in my shop HERE. Otherwise, please keep scrolling down for the free version!

Disclaimer: Some links in this free plush pufferfish amigurumi pattern may be affiliate links. Affiliate links are a way for me to make a small commission on certain products at no extra cost to you!

Materials You Need to Make This Free Plush Pufferfish Amigurumi

• #6 super bulky yarn. I used Parfait Chunky by Premier Yarns in the colors “White” and “Summer Squash” (for the pink fish, I used the color “Coral”).
• I (5.5 mm) crochet hook
• 15 mm black safety eyes
• Fiberfill (or your stuffing of choice) 
• Bent tip tapestry needle
• Scissors 
• Stitch marker 
• Straight pins
• A small square of any color of felt or fabric

Abbreviation Key

Abbreviations are in U.S. terms.

• sc – single crochet
• st/sts – stitch(es)
• sl st – slip stitch
• dec – decrease (join the next 2 stitches together)
• inc – increase (2 single crochet in the next stitch)
• bs – berry stitch
• BLO – back loops only
• R1 – round 1
• rep – repeat
• ** – repeat the group of instructions between the asterisks the number of times indicated.

Note:  All rounds are worked continuously (that is, vs. joined rounds.) 

The finished size is approximately 5 in. (13 cm) long from mouth to tail. (Please be aware that your personal gauge, tension, hook size, and the brand of yarn you decide to use will all impact the finished size.)

The pattern and images in this post are the sole property of Storyland Amis. This written pattern is for personal use only. Please do not share, sell, or redistribute it in whole or part.

You MAY sell the finished product, but please credit Storyland Amis as the designer. If you sell your finished items online, I would appreciate it if you could link them to my blog! You may not mass-produce items made from this pattern. Thank you for your understanding and respect.

Important Additional Info

Starting round: When starting my crochet pieces in the round, I always use the “ch 2 method.” That is perfectly fine if you prefer to start your pieces using the magic circle/ring instead. These two methods are interchangeable, and the end result will be the same regardless of your choice. Watch this short video to learn how to make the “ch 2 method”.

Right vs. wrong side: When working in the round, I always crochet with the “right” side of the stitches facing out. Watch my short video to see the difference between the “right” and “wrong” side of crochet stitches.

Yarn under vs. yarn over: I always yarn under (YU) instead of yarn over (YO) for all my amigurumi. Doing YO might make your amigurumi slightly larger than mine, so keep that in mind if you prefer YO. Watch my video on the differences between yarn under and yarn over.

Sewing pieces together: I sew all my pieces together using the whipstitch unless otherwise specified.

Stuffing: Check out my short video on how to stuff pieces properly here.

Color changes: Insert hook into last st of round or section with old color, yarn over & pull hook through st. Take your new color of yarn, yarn over & pull hook through remaining 2 loops on hook. Now you’re ready to start the new round or section. Check out my video on color changes here.

Note on Sewing With Plush Yarn

Sewing with certain brands of plush yarn can be tricky, as it will often shed and split while you are sewing. To avoid this issue, I like to use worsted-weight yarn in the same color as the plush yarn to sew with. For this pattern, I sewed all of the pieces together using the original plush yarn tails left on each piece. If you know the yarn you are using has a tendency to shed and split, however, I would recommend you do this for all sewing in this pattern. Plush yarn hides the worsted-weight yarn remarkably well, so it won’t be noticeable if you decide to go this route. 

Free Plush Pufferfish Amigurumi Pattern

Body (Starting in Yellow Yarn)

(We are starting at the top of the head). We will be using the berry stitch (bs) to make the “prickles” on the puffer fish body.

Berry Stitch: To make the berry stitch, insert your hook into a stitch, yarn over and pull through. Now, working with only the front loop on the hook, ch 4. Now yarn over and pull through both loops on the hook. Your berry stitch is completed. We abbreviate the berry stitch as “bs”. Watch this video to learn how to make the berry stitch.

R1: ch 2, starting in the 2^nd ch from hook, sc 8 (8 sts) (you can use the magic circle if you prefer, as it won’t make a difference in the end. In that case you will make a magic circle and make 8 sc in the magic circle. Watch this video to see how to start crocheting in the round using the “ch 2 method”.)

R2: *inc* rep 8 times (16 sts)

R3: *bs 1, sc inc* rep 8 times (24 sts)

R4: *sc 3, inc* rep 6 times (30 sts)

R5: *sc 4, inc* rep 6 times (36 sts)

R6: *sc 1, bs 1, sc 2, bs 1, sc inc* rep 6 times (42 sts) (see pic. #1)

R7-8: sc in all 42 sts (2 rounds total at 42 sts each)

For extra help with the mouth, starting from R9 until the mouth section, watch this video HERE.

R9: *bs 1, sc 2,* rep 6 times, sc 3, ch 4, skip the next 4 sts on this round, then make a sc st in the 5 st, sc 4, *bs 1, sc 2* rep 4 times (42 sts including the 4 ch sts we made) (see pics. #2 and #3)

Switch to white yarn

R10: sc 21, make 1 sc in each of the 4 chs, sc 17 (42 sts) (see pic. #4)

R11: sc in all 42 sts (42 sts)

R12: *sc 2, bs 1* rep 14 times (42 sts) (see pic. #5)

We will now stop and crochet the mouth and add the eyes. Don’t finish off; just place a stitch marker in the loop around your hook so your work doesn’t unravel and you don’t lose your place (see pic. #6).

Mouth (Using Yellow Yarn)

R1: Holding your fish upside down, attach your yellow yarn to the first of the 4 sts you skipped on R9 (see first three images in pic. #7). Make 1 sc in each of the 4 unworked sts (see last image in pic. #7). Continuing in a circle so that the fish is now right side up, make 1 sc in the front loops of each of the 4 ch sts we made during R9 (see pic. #8).

R2: sc in all 8 sts (8 sts)

Finish off neatly using the Invisible Finish Technique (see pic. #9). Weave the remaining tail into the inside of the head and knot it together with the starting tail from the mouth to secure it (see pic. #10).

To ensure that no stuffing pops through the hole of the mouth later, cut a small square from any color piece of felt and glue it to the backside of the mouth (see pic. #11).

Adding the Eyes

Watch this video HERE for extra help on adding the eyes and embroidery.

Insert your 15mm eyes between R9 and R10 of the head. Each eye should be about 2 sc sts away from the mouth (see pic. #12), but wait to secure them with the washer until we embroider the pink stitch along the eyes.

Take some pink yarn and your tapestry needle and embroider a stitch along the side of each eye. Don’t pull the stitch too tightly until we secure the eyes, or the stitch will disappear under the eye. Secure the safety eyes with the washers. You can tighten the pink stitch now, then tie the two pink yarn tails together on the inside of the head to secure the stitch (see pics. #13 and #14).

Body Continued (Continue in White Yarn)

Insert your hook back into the loop your stitch marker was saving and continue with the body.

R13-14: sc in all 42 sts (2 rounds total at 42 sts each)

R15: *sc 1, bs 1, sc 2, bs 1, dec* rep 6 times (36 sts)

R16: *sc 4, dec* rep 6 times (30 sts)

Begin stuffing your pufferfish and continue to stuff until you finish off.

R17: *sc 3, dec* rep 6 times (24 sts)

R18: *bs 1, sc 1, dec* rep 6 times (18 sts)

R19: *sc 1, dec* rep 6 times (12 sts)

R20: *dec* rep 6 times (6 sts)

Finish off and neatly sew the hole closed using your tapestry needle by weaving your needle and yarn through the front loops of the last round and pulling it closed. Watch this video to see how to neatly sew a hole closed (see pic. #15).

Side Fins (Make 2 Using Yellow Yarn)

The side fins are worked in rows instead of rounds, so we will ch 1 and turn at the end of each row. The ch 1 does not count as a stitch, and we will not work into it.

R1: ch 5, starting in the 2^nd ch from the hook, make 1 sc in each of the 4 chs, ch 1, turn (see pic. #16)

R2-3: in BLO sc 4, ch 1, turn (2 rows total at 4 sts each)

Finish off and leave a long tail for sewing (see pic. #17).

Sewing the Fins to the Body

Using your tapestry needle and the long tail we left, fold each fin in half lengthwise and sew the short edges together (see pics. #18 and #19).

Position the folded edge of the fins to either side of the body over R9 and R10. Each fin should be spaced about 3 sc sts away from the eyes (see pic. #20).

Sew the fins to the sides of the body using the whipstitch (see pic. #21). When you are finished, knot the remaining sewing tail and the starting tail from the fin together to secure the sewing. Weave the remaining tails into the body to finish (see pic. #22). See pic. #23 to see both side fins sewn on.

Tail Fin (Using Yellow Yarn)

The tail fin is worked in rows instead of rounds, so we will ch 1 and turn at the end of each row. The ch 1 does not count as a stitch, and we will not work into it.

Start with a long starting tail, as we will use this to sew the tail to the back of the body later.

R1: ch 4, starting in the 2^nd ch from the hook, inc 1, sc 1, inc 1, ch 1, turn (5 sts) (see first three images in pic. #24)

R2-3: sc in all 5 sts (2 rows total at 5 sts each)(see last image in pic. #24)

Finish off and leave a long tail for sewing.

Sewing the Tail to the Body

Position the shorter, starting edge of the tail vertically to the back of the body over R10-R12. The tail should be lined up with the center of the mouth when you look at it from the top (see pics. #25 and #26). Pin the tail into place using straight pins to keep it straight while you are sewing it on.

Using your tapestry needle and the long starting tail you left, sew the edge of the tail to the body using the whipstitch (see pic. #27). When you are finished sewing, weave the remaining finishing yarn tail through the edge stitches of the tail (see pic. #28) and bring it down so it’s beside the sewing tail (see pic. #29). Knot the two tails together, then weave the ends into the body to hide them (see pic. #30).

Congratulations—you’re done! I hope you enjoyed making this free plush pufferfish amigurumi pattern. I would love to see pictures of your finished project!

Please feel free to leave a comment down below with any questions or comments you have about this pattern. I always try to respond personally to all comments!

If you make this free plush pufferfish amigurumi pattern, share your creations with me via social media or email me directly! You can find me on Instagram (@storyland_amis) and Facebook (Storyland Amis).

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, then – stay crafty!