Yaki Onigiri (Japanese Grilled Rice Balls) | 3 Flavors in a Frying Pan

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About This Recipe

This recipe shows three ways to make yaki onigiri, Japanese grilled rice balls: soy sauce yaki onigiri brushed with soy sauce, miso yaki onigiri brushed with miso, and seasoned rice yaki onigiri, where the rice itself is seasoned with soy sauce and other seasonings before grilling.

Grilling turns the surface toasty, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Adding soy sauce or miso makes the grilled aroma even richer, and the toasty fragrance of grilled soy sauce combined with the natural sweetness of rice is a flavor unique to yaki onigiri. Even though all three are yaki onigiri, where the seasoning goes changes the aroma, texture, and taste.

No special ingredients are needed. Everyday rice and seasonings, plus the simple step of grilling, turn an ordinary rice ball into something quite different. From the sizzle of the surface and the aroma of grilling soy sauce or miso to the fluffy rice inside when you break one open fresh from the pan, this simple dish lets you fully enjoy good rice and the appeal of Japanese seasonings.

 

What Is Yaki Onigiri?

Yaki onigiri are Japanese rice balls grilled until the surface turns golden and crisp, while the inside stays soft and fluffy. They are often brushed with soy sauce or miso as they grill.

In Japan, you can find yaki onigiri at places like izakaya (Japanese pubs), but they are also eaten at home as a light meal or late-night snack. These days, frozen yaki onigiri are popular too.

One well-known root is kensan-yaki, a local dish of Niigata Prefecture. According to legend, the samurai warlord Uesugi Kenshin toasted cold, hardened rice balls on the tip of his sword during his military campaigns.

In Japan, rice has long been enjoyed in many forms, not only freshly cooked. Rice that has gone cold and hard is grilled, seasoned, or turned into another dish so it can be enjoyed again. This reflects the wisdom of Japanese home cooking, which makes the most of everyday ingredients and creates good food with a little ingenuity. Yaki onigiri are part of that food culture.

 

Soy Sauce Yaki Onigiri

 

Ingredients (Makes 4 rice balls)

 

Instructions

1	Divide the warm rice into 4 portions. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and shape it into a triangle or round, pressing a little firmly. Tip Pressing firmly helps the rice balls hold their shape while grilling.
2	Leave the rice balls in the wrap for about 10 minutes. Remove the wrap just before grilling. Tip Letting them rest allows the rice to settle, so the rice balls are less likely to fall apart while grilling.
3	Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat and lightly coat it with oil. Place the rice balls in the pan and grill both sides for 3–4 minutes each, until the surface firms up and turns lightly golden. Grill the sides too, if you like, for an even toastier finish. Tips Wetting your hands with water before handling the rice balls keeps the rice from sticking and makes them easier to work with. Grilling the surface before adding soy sauce is the key. Soy sauce brushed on from the start burns easily and makes the rice balls more likely to fall apart. Firming up the surface first gives a toasty outside and a fluffy inside.
4	Brush a thin layer of soy sauce (mixed with mirin, if using) on both sides of the rice balls. Tip Mirin adds a gentle sweetness to the saltiness of soy sauce and makes the grilled flavor richer. Soy sauce alone gives a simpler, cleaner taste.
5	Grill one side at a time. Once the soy sauce dries and turns a toasty brown, flip the rice ball over. Brush on another thin layer of soy sauce and grill both sides until fragrant.

 

Miso Yaki Onigiri

 

Ingredients (Makes 4 rice balls)

 

Instructions

1	Divide the warm rice into 4 portions. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and shape it into a triangle or round, pressing a little firmly. Tip Pressing firmly helps the rice balls hold their shape while grilling.
2	Leave the rice balls in the wrap for about 10 minutes. Remove the wrap just before grilling. Tip Letting them rest allows the rice to settle, so the rice balls are less likely to fall apart while grilling.
3	While the rice balls rest, make the miso glaze. Add the mirin to the miso and mix. For a sweeter miso yaki onigiri, add a little sugar. Tip Miso varies in saltiness, sweetness, and firmness depending on the type, so adjust the amounts of mirin and sugar to taste.
4	Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat and lightly coat it with oil. Place the rice balls in the pan and grill both sides for 3–4 minutes each, until the surface firms up and turns lightly golden. Tips Wetting your hands with water before handling the rice balls keeps the rice from sticking and makes them easier to work with. Like soy sauce, miso burns easily. Grilling the plain rice first to firm up the surface, rather than brushing on miso from the start, is recommended.
5	Brush a thin layer of miso glaze on the top of each rice ball, flip it over, and grill the glazed side. Once the glaze dries and turns fragrant, brush a thin layer on the top side too, flip again, and grill it the same way.
6	Adjust the heat so the miso does not burn too much, and grill until the surface is fragrant. Tip A thick layer of miso tends to burn on the surface. Brushing it on thinly, then adding another thin layer as needed, lets you enjoy the toasty miso flavor with a beautiful finish.

 

Seasoned Rice Yaki Onigiri

 

Ingredients (Makes 4 rice balls)

 

Instructions

1	Mix the soy sauce and mirin to make the seasoning. Set aside 1 tbsp of the seasoning for finishing.
2	Add the remaining seasoning to the warm rice and mix until evenly seasoned. Add the katsuobushi or dashi powder, if using, and mix. Tips Mix with a rice paddle in a slicing motion, turning the rice over from the bottom. Stirring or mashing breaks the grains and makes the rice gummy. Katsuobushi adds the savory umami and aroma of bonito to the soy sauce. Dashi powder is an easy way to add dashi flavor.
3	Divide the rice into 4 portions. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and shape it into a triangle or round. Tip Seasoned rice falls apart a little more easily, so press it slightly more firmly than a regular rice ball.
4	Leave the rice balls in the wrap for about 10 minutes. Tip Letting them rest allows the rice to settle, so the rice balls are less likely to fall apart while grilling.
5	Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat and lightly coat it with oil. Remove the wrap and place the rice balls in the pan. Grill one side for about 3–4 minutes. Once it turns golden, flip and grill the other side the same way. Tip Wetting your hands with water before handling the rice balls keeps the rice from sticking and makes them easier to work with.
6	Once both sides are grilled and the surface has firmed up, brush a thin layer of the reserved seasoning on top. Flip, brush a thin layer on the other side, and grill without letting it burn. Brush on another thin layer if needed, and lightly grill the sides too, if you like. Tips Seasoning both the rice itself and the surface is what makes this version special. The rice is flavorful all the way through, with the toasty aroma of grilled soy sauce on the surface. The sugar in the mirin makes the seasoning burn easily, so brush it on thinly as you grill.

 

Variations

Once you know the basic method, yaki onigiri can be varied in many ways by changing the seasonings and ingredients.

Simply swapping the neutral oil for sesame oil or butter changes the aroma and richness. Use gochujang instead of miso for a spicy kick, or mentsuyu (Japanese noodle soup base) instead of soy sauce to add savory dashi flavor.

Mixing ingredients into the rice works well too. Corn, edamame, cheese, or bacon make heartier yaki onigiri. Cheese can be mixed into the rice or placed on top and grilled until toasty.

You can also wrap the rice balls in thinly sliced pork or beef and grill them, to enjoy the savory meat together with the toasty rice. When wrapping them in meat, shape the rice balls a little smaller so they are easier to wrap and less likely to fall apart while grilling.

Start with the three basic flavors, then add your favorite ingredients to create your own yaki onigiri.

 

Storage

Yaki onigiri are great for making ahead and can be frozen. Let them cool completely, wrap each one in plastic wrap, and place them in a freezer bag.

To eat, warm them through in the microwave, then lightly re-grill the surface in a frying pan or toaster oven if needed to bring back the toasty aroma.

Make a batch in advance and warm up just what you need for breakfast, a snack, a late-night bite, or a quick meal on busy days.