Lightly brushed with savory soy sauce, these grilled Japanese rice balls are simply irresistible. It requires only rice, salt, and sweet and soy sauce (or my take, delicious Unagi Sauce! It can be a store-bought or my homemade recipe on the blog). You can make them plain or stuffed them with fun fillings such as canned salmon. They are so easy to make that you want to grill them up at home!

Substitutions: Check your fridge to see other seasonings that you can brush on – Mentsuyu (Japanese noodle soup base) works too! Make sure you use Japanese short-grain rice to make these rice balls. Other types of rice will not be sticky enough to make onigiri.

Variations:

Miso Yaki Onigiri – Tired of soy sauce flavor? Try it with miso.

Eggs, ham, sushi rice, and nori sheet. That’s all you need to make this yummy Spam Onigirazu. I used a special mold to create a perfect shape for the rice sandwich, but you really don’t need one. Follow my diagram and tips in making onigirazu here.

Substitutions: You’ll need to use Japanese short-grain rice for the sticky texture, but feel free to keep the filling simple. You can use only the ham or eggs to make a quick lunch if that’s all you have.

Variations:

Ginger Pork Onigirazu – Make extra Ginger Pork for the onigirazu next day!
Teriyaki Salmon Onigirazu – Make extra Teriyaki Salmon for the onigirazu next day!
Bulgogi Onigirazu – Make extra Bulgogi for the onigirazu next day!