Easy Yaki Onigiri
Easy Yaki Onigiri are delicious Japanese grilled rice balls with a crispy, savory soy glaze perfect as a snack or side dish.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Snack
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or sesame oil
- Optional: toasted sesame seeds for garnish
- Optional: pickled ginger or seaweed for serving
Instructions
- Wet your hands with water and shape the cooked rice into triangular or oval rice balls.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Place the rice balls in the skillet and cook until the bottom is golden brown and crispy, about 3–4 minutes.
- Flip the rice balls carefully and cook the other side until crispy.
- Mix soy sauce and mirin in a small bowl.
- Brush the soy sauce mixture over each rice ball and cook for another 1–2 minutes, allowing the glaze to caramelize slightly.
- Remove from heat and optionally sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
- Serve warm with pickled ginger or seaweed if desired.
Notes
For extra flavor, try adding a small filling like miso paste or umeboshi inside the rice balls before grilling.