Name: How to Make Yaki Onigiri (Japanese Grilled Rice Balls Soy Sauce & Miso Recipes)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 400g Rice (for the soy sauce version); 2 Tbsp Amakuchi Shoyu (Sweet Soy Sauce) or Dark Soy Sauce; 1 Tbsp Mirin (optional, recommend if using dark soy sauce); 400g Rice (for the miso version); 2 Tbsp Miso Paste (any type is ok); 1 Tbsp Mirin

How to Make Yaki Onigiri (Japanese Grilled Rice Balls Soy Sauce & Miso Recipes)

Side Dish Snack Lunch-box friendly Freezer-friendly Easy Kid-friendly Soy sauce Miso Under 30 minutes Vegetarian Vegan

Onigiri, or Japanese rice balls, are one of the simplest yet most popular foods in Japan, enjoyed daily by both kids and adults. They’ve also been gaining popularity overseas, with people trying new rice ball flavors, air fryer onigiri, and fried rice balls Japanese style.

A tasty variation is yaki onigiri, crispy grilled rice balls brushed with savory soy or miso sauce. This toasted onigiri has a smoky flavor that makes it appetizing.

Here are my tips for making yaki grilled onigiri at home:

Prepare warm rice: The temperature of rice is important for making delicious yaki onigiri. When the rice is warm, it is easier to shape the onigiri ball because it sticks together more easily.
Press tightly when shaping: Pressing the onigiri tightly helps it keep its iconic triangle shape and prevents it from breaking while grilling or frying. This is especially useful if you’re trying how to fry onigiri or even make air fryer yaki onigiri.
Don’t flip too often: Wait until the surface becomes crispy before turning. Over-handling will break the rice patties.
Add the sauce at the right time: Once both sides are golden, brush with your favorite yaki onigiri sauce. Classic options include soy sauce onigiri or miso glaze. This step is key for getting that perfect sauce for rice balls flavor.

Yaki onigiri is a very simple dish, so the choice of sauce really determines the taste. Traditional flavors use soy sauce onigiri glaze or miso, but modern recipes even experiment with garlic butter, sesame, or sweet soy. For our recipe, we recommend amakuchi shoyu (sweet soy sauce) because it gives a perfect balance of umami and mild sweetness.

Amakuchi shoyu has a light sweetness, so you can enjoy delicious Japanese grilled rice balls with just this one seasoning. If you prefer variety, you can try miso paste, sesame glaze, or even spicy blends as your rice ball sauce.

Making grilled rice balls is easier than you think:

Shape warm rice into triangle or round onigiri balls.
Grill or pan-fry until both sides become crispy.
Brush with your chosen onigiri sauce (soy, miso, or tare).
Flip carefully until caramelized.

For busy cooks, you can also try onigiri air fryer recipes, which give the same crispy results with less oil.

If you’d like to go beyond grilled rice balls, check out our guide on 5 onigiri filling ideas!

Overview

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Total servings: 10

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

400g Rice (for the soy sauce version)
2 Tbsp Amakuchi Shoyu (Sweet Soy Sauce) or Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Mirin (optional, recommend if using dark soy sauce)
400g Rice (for the miso version)
2 Tbsp Miso Paste (any type is ok)
1 Tbsp Mirin

Expert's Tip

Are you looking for the ultimate way to shape onigiri perfectly every single time? Then this is the perfect tool for you. The OSK Onigiri Shaper can not only be used for shaping onigiri but it can also be used as a special onigiri lunch box! You’ll be able to enjoy the tastiest onigiri from the comfort of your own home with this lunchbox, without having to take a trip all the way to Japan.

Instructions

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1) Gathering the Ingredients & Preparing the Tare

Gather the ingredients together. Mix the ingredients for the soy sauce tare and the miso tare in separate bowls.

Note: If using amakuchi shoyu, you do not need to add mirin to the tare.

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2) Shaping the Rice Balls Into Triangles

Divide the rice into 5 portions (80g each), and shape each portion into a triangle shape. Be careful not to burn yourself as the rice might be hot.

Tip: You can make the shape with your hands or with plastic wrap, but if you’re finding it a bit tricky to get the shape right, you can use an onigiri shaper. You can also use saran wrap if the rice is too hot to handle with your bare hands.

3) Grilling the Onigiri

Prepare and preheat a frying pan. If your pan is not non-stick, then be sure to grease it well or place a piece of parchment paper on the surface to prevent the onigiri from burning.

When the pan is hot enough, add the onigiri.

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4) Allowing the Onigiri to Get Crispy

Grill the onigiri over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. When the surface becomes crispy and lightly golden brown, turn the onigiri over and cook on the other side for another 5-8 minutes.

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5) Brushing the Onigiri with Tare

When both sides of the onigiri get crispy, brush them with the Tare (Shoyu and Miso sauces) that we prepared earlier. Brush the tare on one side of the onigiri and then flip them over. Turn the heat to low and cook the onigiri for another 1-2 minutes until the surface turns completely golden brown. Repeat this process with the other side of the onigiri.

Tips: Be careful not to turn the heat up too high. The onigiri are more likely to burn when the sauces are added, so please be careful and pay close attention to ensure that they do not burn.

For the Shoyu Yaki Onigiri, repeating the “brush, flip over, and cook” process a few times makes the Yaki Onigiri even more flavorful.

6) Transferring Yaki Onigiri to a Plate

When all of your yaki onigiri are finished cooking, transfer them to a plate and enjoy them while they’re still hot!

7) Air Frying Yaki Onigiri

You can also make yaki onigiri in an air-fryer if you wish. Here are the steps that you should follow:

1. Prepare the tare.

2. Place a piece of parchment paper into the air-fryer basket.

3. Cook onigiri at 200℃ for about 3-5 minutes or until they turn golden brown.

4. Brush the tare onto both sides of the onigiri, and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

8) Storing Leftover Yaki Onigiri

Wrap the leftover Yaki Onigiris with plastic wrap one by one and put them in a freezer bag. Keep them in the freezer.

When you want to eat them, microwave them at 500w for about 2 minutes.

Frozen Yaki Onigiri are very convenient. You can eat them as a quick hot snack or use them as a dish for your lunch box.

About the author

Megumi Moriya

Megumi is a recipe writer based in Chiba, Japan. She carries a Bachelor in the Faculty of Foreign Studies and is interested in creating content about Japanese cuisine and traditional confectioneries. Megumi is most interested in making Japanese recipe content, and in her free time, she likes to play the piano, make handcrafted goods, and hula dance. She hopes to inspire Japanese Taste readers to make Japanese recipes at home and of course share more about Japanese culture.

View articles by Megumi Moriya