Yaki Onigiri (Japanese Soy-Glazed Grilled Rice Balls)

Name: Yaki Onigiri (Japanese Soy-Glazed Grilled Rice Balls)
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 24 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: cooked rice 2 cup; soy sauce 1.5 tbsp; mirin 1 tbsp; sugar 0.5 tsp; sesame oil 1 tsp; nori sheet 1 ea; salt 0.2 tsp

Quick answer

Total time: 24 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Salted rice balls grill over medium-low heat, each side left alone for a good while, with a thin coat of soy and mirin glaze brushed on at every turn.

The outside becomes a thin, crisp shell, and only the edges where the glaze gathers turn a little chewy. A strip of nori goes around the base, with miso soup and pickled radish alongside.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

nori sheet1 ea

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Instructions

6 steps

1

Mix 2 cups of warm cooked rice evenly with 0.2 teaspoon salt.

Shape it into triangles or rounds while the grains are still moist, pressing evenly so the rice holds together without becoming dense.
2

Stir 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon mirin, and 0.5 teaspoon sugar until the sugar dissolves.

Cut the nori sheet into narrow strips that can wrap around the base of each rice ball.
3

Spread 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a very thin film and preheat the pan over medium-low heat.

Add the rice balls and cook for 3 to 4 minutes without moving them, until the underside feels set.
4

Flip only when the underside is golden and releases easily from the pan.

Brush a thin coat of glaze on the cooked side, then cook the second side undisturbed for another 3 to 4 minutes.
5

Turn the rice balls once or twice more, brushing on very thin layers of glaze each time.

If the sugar darkens too quickly, lower the heat and continue until the surface is glossy and crisp.
6

Check that the edges are slightly chewy and the center is warm.

Wrap a nori strip around the base of each rice ball, then serve right away, with miso soup or pickled radish if desired.

Official cooking and safety guidance

Public-agency cooking and food safety guidance that applies to this recipe.

Official cooking and safety guidance

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours and use them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat the center to 74°C.

Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Leftovers and Food Safety

Sources checked 2026-08-03

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