grilled japanese rice ball on a white plate

Yaki Onigiri (焼きおにぎり) are Japanese grilled rice balls coated in a sweet & savoury soy sauce with a crispy smoky crust on the outside. Learn how to make this popular Japanese dish easily at home. They’re freezer friendly, portable and great for packed lunches too!

grilled japanese rice ball on a ceramic white plate with soy sauce on it

Today I’m finally getting around to sharing my absolute favourite variation of Japanese rice balls: Yaki Onigiri!

Yaki onigiri is one of the most popular food items in Japan. You’ll see them everywhere: convenient stores, department stores, little pop up shops on the street, carts, at izakayas and many other restaurants.

What is Yaki Onigiri?

Directly translating: yaki (焼き) = grilled & onigiri (おにぎり) = rice ball, so you get grilled rice ball. They have a crispy outside that is almost burnt giving it a ton of flavour and on the inside, you have fluffy soft rice that is typically flavoured with a soy sauce based sauce.

These simple grilled rice balls have a special place in my heart. My mom would make them regularly for lunch and pack them in our bento boxes every Saturday for Japanese school. And during the summer when we were in Japan, we would stop by our favourite store right outside of our apartment that made the most delicious smoky Yaki Onigiri.

rice in a pink bowl with soy sauce in a yellow bowl

Sauce for Yaki Onigiri

The most common sauces used for Yaki Onigiri is simple soy sauce or miso, which is what you’ll also find in convinient stores in Japan. Each household and recipe has their own spin to it by adding in mirin, sake, dashi and sugar. My mom would often switch it up by using terriyaki sauce, unagi sauce or mentsuyu too because they tend to be sweeter which we loved as kids.

step by step how to make grilled japanese rice balls

How to Make Yaki Onigiri + Tips

Yaki Onigiri in Japan

Traditionally, Yaki Onigiri is grilled over charcoal outside, giving it its distinct smoky-grilled flavour. At home in Japan, my mom used to use a mini kitchen safe grill that also worked wonderfully. I haven’t yet gotten my hands on one for my home in Canada so we’ve been making it on the stove because setting up our large BBQ grill can sometimes be a hassle. Although you don’t get that smoky flavour to the rice balls, you’ll still be able to achieve a similar crispiness. If you do have access to a grill, I highly encourage you to use it!

How to Make it Home

It starts with Japanese short grain rice. I highly recommend using a Japanese rice cooker as it produces the most consistent results and perfect rice for onigiri.

Forming the rice balls, is the most intimidating part for most people but with practice, you’ll be able to form the rice balls quite easily and quickly. The trick is to rub your hands with vinegar and salt so they don’t stick to your hands. Be sure to firmly press the rice without actually squishing the grains. I’ve shared how to make onigiri step by step both from scratch and using molds in my Ultimate Guide to Onigiri.

Once you’ve completed making your rice balls, all there left to do is grill both sides , brush with the sauce and grill one last time to let it crisp up.

Because the sauces contain sugar, it tends to burn very quickly. Each side only needs seconds to crisp up so don’t leave them unattended. If using only soy sauce, you won’t run into this problem as much.

Moms tip: If using a non non-stick pan or an older pan, she recommends placing parchment paper between the rice ball and the pan. We do this with Japanese Pancakes too, to prevent them from burning. This way, the sugars are less likely to over burn.

grilled japanese rice balls on a white ceramic plate

Yaki Onigiri is best served fresh but can also be made ahead of time and be placed in the freezer for meal prep. To freeze, wrap each onigiri with cling wrap or reusable wrap. Then place them into a freezer safe bag, removing all the air inside before sealing.

When ready to serve or pack, reheat the onigiri in the microwave for 30-50 seconds until warm. Do not let them thaw in the fridge or room temperature as that causes the rice balls to turn gritty, hard and in-edible. With freezing, you do lose the crispiness but the flavour is still bold and delicious.

single onigiri with soy sauce on it on a white plate

Pair onigiri with…

Vegan Gyoza
Miso Soup
Corn Soup
& these are a great addition to bentos and packed lunches too!

I hope you try and enjoy making and eating Yaki Onigiri as much as my family and I do!

2 japanese rice balls with a bite taken out of the one on the bottom

If you recreate this Yaki Onigiri recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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