Yaki Onigiri is a Japanese grilled rice ball flavored with soy sauce. Outside is so crispy and inside is soft and warm. This is a quick dish so when you are hungry and there is no time, I strongly recommend!

What is Yaki Onigiri?

Yaki Onigiri is a type of rice ball that is grilled. “Yaki” means grilled and “Onigiri” means rice ball. They are coated with soy sauce and grilled in a pan. My mom used to cook these for my siblings and I for lunch or after school when we were a little hungry. Some people love to bring them as lunch for school or work because they are so easy to make and eat as well!

Q&A Often asked about making the best Yaki Onigiri

Here are the 4 most common questions about how to make the best Yaki Onigiri!

Q1: What ingredients do I need?

There are a huge variety of customized Yaki Onigiri recipes. In my recipe, there are 6 ingredients to make the best Yaki Onigiri.

Ingredients for Yaki Onigiri

Rice
Dashi
Soy Sauce
Mirin
Sesame oil
White sesame seeds

I will explain how to make in more detail in the recipe below but basically just mix everything, form the rice balls, and grill 🙂

Q2: How can I store?

When you store Yaki Onigiri, use cling wrap and wrap individually and tightly. Then put them into a Ziploc bag and store in the freezer. When you want to eat, you can either cook them again or use the microwave to defrost!

I recommend you eat them within one month after freezing.

Q3: How to make Onigiri in a triangle shape?

First you should make your hands wet to keep the rice from sticking to your hands. Take the rice in your hands, then keep one hand flat and bend your other hand in the shape of a mountain. You shape the onigiri by pressing the rice against your flat hand using your bent hand and turning the onigiri until you have a triangle that holds its shape.

This can be difficult if it’s your first time but when you get used to it, it is so fun and fast to make Onigiri. If you have a hard time making a triangle shape, a lot of people also make round onigiri and that’s also ok! The most important part is to have two flat sides where you coat the sauce and grill.

Q4: How and what to serve with?

Yaki Onigiri is good by itself. As I mentioned, my mom used to prepare some ahead of time and leave them for us kids to eat by ourselves for lunch or after school. But if you wanna eat it with something, here are a few recommendations!

Miso soup
Tamagoyaki

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Yaki Onigiri

Yuka

Yaki Onigiri is a Japanese grilled rice ball flavored with soy sauce. Outside is so crispy and inside is soft and warm.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 8

Course Snack

Cuisine Japanese

Servings people

Calories 278 kcal

Ingredients

▢ 350 g rice If you use a rice cooker measuring cup (1 cup is 150g ), make 1 cup. 1 cup gives you 350g after rice is cooked.
▢ 1 teaspoon dashi powder HERE to buy dashi powder
▢ 1 teaspoon mirin HERE to buy mirin
▢ 1 teaspoon sesame oil
▢ 1 1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce HERE to buy soy sauce
▢ 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds

Instructions

Preparation

Cook ride first. HERE is how to make rice.

Let's cook!

Gather all the ingredients.
Mix dashi powder, mirin, sesame oil, soy sauce, and white sesame seeds in a bowl.
Add the mixture to the warm rice. Mix everything evenly.
Divide into four equal sections.
Form the rice balls in a triangle shape. If you can't make the shape, you can make them in a circle but two sides should be flat.
Heat a pan on medium. When it gets warm, add the 4 onigiri to the pan.
Cook until the surface gets brown and looks crispy. Flip the Onigiri to the other side and cook the same. (It depends on how crispy you want them, but it's usually about 3-5 minutes each side.)
Let's serve! Yaki Onigiri is good by itself.