Easy Yaki Onigiri
Yaki Onigiri are crispy grilled Japanese rice balls with a savory soy glaze, perfect as a quick snack or side dish. This easy recipe brings authentic flavor with minimal ingredients.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Snack
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups Japanese short-grain rice, cooked
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Optional: sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the Japanese rice according to package instructions and let it cool slightly.
- With wet hands, shape the rice into triangular or round balls, about 3 inches in size.
- Mix soy sauce and mirin in a small bowl to create the glaze.
- Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Place the rice balls in the skillet and cook until the bottoms are golden and crispy, about 3–4 minutes.
- Brush the tops with the soy glaze and flip to cook the other side, brushing more glaze as you go.
- Continue grilling until both sides are crispy and caramelized, about 8–10 minutes total.
- Remove from heat and optionally sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.
Notes
For extra flavor, try stuffing the rice balls with a small amount of miso paste or pickled plum (umeboshi) before grilling.