If you have no idea what to put into an onigiri, you can find the answer in this recipe! You will get the 16 Best Onigiri Fillings ideas you want to try!
Look at these great onigiri variations! You can do so much more than just tuna or salmon. The possibilities for onigiri fillings are endless!
If you're tired of putting the same filling, let's spice up your Onigiri with some new and exciting flavors!
- This recipe is for you if:
- You love Onigiri (Japanese rice balls).
- You don't know what to put into an onigiri.
- You want to know variations of onigiri fillings.
- You are looking for vegetarian onigiri fillings.
Also, I have a complete guide on how to make delicious rice balls, so please check out if you want more information about Onigiri!
Okay, let me walk you through the filling ideas one by one. Let's get started!
Jump to:
- About This Recipe
- What to Put in Onigiri
- 🍙6 Popular Onigiri Fillings
- 1. Tuna and Mayonnaise
- 2. Salmon
- 3. Umeboshi
- 4. Tarako
- 5. Katsuobushi
- 6. Kombu
- 🍙10 Vegetarian Onigiri Fillings
- 7. Nitamago
- 8. Cheese
- 9. Kimchi and Mayo
- 10. Takana-zuke
- 11. Negi Miso
- 12. Takuan
- 13. Nori Tsukudani
- 14. Tofu Crumbles
- 15. Cheese Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Ball)
- 16. Shio (Salt)
- Easy Onigiri Recipes (Without Nori Sheet)
- Vegan Onigiri Recipes
- 📋Ingredients
- Where to Buy Japanese Ingredients
- 🔪Instructions
- How to Wrap Onigiri in Nori
- What to Serve With
- Storage
- FAQ
- Thanks For Stopping By!
- 📖 Recipe
- Best Onigiri Fillings (Japanese Rice Balls)
- 💬 Comments
About This Recipe
- Japanese rice balls wrapped with a nori sheet
- 16 onigiri filling ideas
- Includes vegetarian fillings
- How to make onigiri step-by-step
What to Put in Onigiri
Here are numerous filling ideas that you can try. I will start with popular fillings and move on to vegetarian fillings. Let's dive in!
🍙6 Popular Onigiri Fillings
Japan's most popular Onigiri fillings are tuna, salmon, umeboshi, tarako, katsuobushi, and kombu.
If you go to a Konbini (a Japanese convenience store such as Family Mart and Lawson), you find these onigiris easily.
In the following section, we will take a closer look at each one of them.
1. Tuna and Mayonnaise
The classic combination of tuna and mayonnaise is a perfect match. This one is number one in the Onigiri ranking!
How to prepare: Drain a can of tuna and combine it with mayonnaise. If you like the authentic taste, use Japanese mayonnaise (water-packed or oil-packed tuna is ok).
2. Salmon
Salmon is also a super popular onigiri filling and the second in the onigiri ranking.
How to prepare: Grill salmon fillet and break it into flakes. You can also buy Japanese salmon flakes at a store. See the recipe below.
3. Umeboshi
Umeboshi is pickled plum, which is sour and salty and goes well with plain Japanese rice.
How to prepare: Remove the seed and chop with a knife to make the paste. See the recipe below.
4. Tarako
Tarako is cod roe made by marinating with salt, soy sauce, and other seasonings, so it tastes salty.
How to prepare: Separate the tarako from its thin membrane or skin.
5. Katsuobushi
Katsuobushi (Bonito flakes) contain an umami element and are essential for making dashi stock in Japanese cuisine.
How to prepare: Pour some soy sauce and combine. See the recipe below.
6. Kombu
Kombu tsukudani is a flavorful kombu (seaweed) side dish. You can make it at home, but people typically buy it at a store.
How to prepare: Simmer kombu with sugar, mirin, and soy sauce until tender, or use a store-bought one. See the recipe below.
🍙10 Vegetarian Onigiri Fillings
The most popular fillings above are fish, but I've got a great selection of vegetarian options for you!
Let's take a look at each onigiri filling.
7. Nitamago
Nitamago is a flavored egg made by marinating it in a savory sauce. Try this if you're looking for new ways to enjoy your onigiri!
How to prepare: Simmer soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to make a marinated sauce. Put the sauce and boiled egg in a freezer bag and rest in the fridge for several hours.
8. Cheese
The perfect comfort food. Cheese and rice, you can imagine what that tastes like! Pick your favorite cheese, then put it in the fluffy rice.
How to prepare: Cut some cheese into small pieces.
9. Kimchi and Mayo
Kimchi and rice are the perfect pair. The milder taste of mayonnaise makes it even better! If you love spicy food, I highly recommend this!
How to prepare: Add mayonnaise to Kimchi and mix.
10. Takana-zuke
Takana-zuke is pickled Japanese mustard green. It's crunchy, salty, and flavorful. Not only is it great for onigiri fillings, but it's also an excellent addition to pasta and fried rice!
How to prepare: Cut takana-zuke into small pieces.
11. Negi Miso
This negi miso is so tasty and great for onigiri fillings. It has a rich flavor that is sure to please!
How to prepare: Chop scallion and mix with miso paste.
12. Takuan
Two of Japan's most basic staples, rice and takuan (pickled daikon), are usually eaten separately. But why not have them together in an onigiri?
How to prepare: Cut takuan into small pieces.
13. Nori Tsukudani
Nori tsukudani is a traditional condiment made of seaweed simmered in soy sauce. It has a rich and complex flavor, which goes well with Japanese rice. This Nori tsukudani brand is the most famous one.
How to prepare: No preparation is required.
14. Tofu Crumbles
Tofu combined with soy sauce makes for a delicious onigiri filling.
How to prepare: Stir fry tofu with soy sauce and mirin until lightly crispy.
15. Cheese Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Ball)
Yaki onigiri or grilled rice balls are also popular. This one is with cheese. Mix soy sauce with rice, add cheese, form a triangle shape, and cook on a pan until browned.
The aroma of freshly baked rice and melting cheese will certainly appeal to your appetite! Find more details in the recipe below!
16. Shio (Salt)
You can also make rice balls without any filling!
This shio onigiri or musubi is made with no filling. Just a simple salty taste will be added by shaping the ball. I recommend adding a little salt on top when finished!
Easy Onigiri Recipes (Without Nori Sheet)
You're not done yet! Here are more easy rice ball recipes that you might want to try for a tasty breakfast or snack!
Vegan Onigiri Recipes
If you follow a vegan diet, this collection is perfect for you!
📋Ingredients
Now that you know what to put in onigiri, let's move on to creating your own rice balls! Here are the ingredients (amounts are in the recipe card below).
- Cooked Rice (short-grain rice)
- Nori Seaweed
- Salt
- Filling of your choice (pick one or more!)
If you are new to cooking Japanese rice, check this recipe: How to Cook Japanese Rice on a Stove.
Filling of Your Choice
How to prepare the fillings is described in each onigiri section above. Please scroll up and make sure the instructions are.
Where to Buy Japanese Ingredients
If you live in the US, you can find Japanese ingredients in the list below.
- Japanese market: Mitsuwa Marketplace, Marukai
- Asian market
- Whole Foods Market
- Health food stores
- Online stores: Instacart, Walmart, Amazon
🔪Instructions
Let me show you how to make it step by step, or you can watch this Onigiri video.
- Cut the nori sheet into three equal pieces.
- Prepare salt, a bowl of water, cooked rice, a nori sheet, and a filling of your choice.
- In a small bowl, put rice and add filling in the center of the rice.
- Wet your hands, put salt on your palm, and form a triangular shape.
- Form like this by pressing gently with both your palms.
- Wrap it with a nori sheet.
Please watch this How to Make Onigiri Video and check how to shape the Onigiri.
Here you go! Just grab it and enjoy! There are many ways to wrap with nori, but this is fundamental.
Shaping rice might require a little practice, so if you have difficulty making a triangular shape, you can use an onigiri mold! It makes it super easy to shape onigiri!
The triangle is the most common shape, but you can make round or cylinder onigiri.
How to Wrap Onigiri in Nori
This section will look at two different ways to wrap your rice in a nori sheet.
1. Standard Way
The first one is the most standard way to wrap nori.
Instructions:
- Place the triangular-shaped rice in the center of the nori sheet.
- Fold the nori sheet to the other side.
That's it! A quick and easy method.
2. Advanced Way
The second method is a little more advanced compared to the first one.
Instructions:
- Place the triangular-shaped rice in the center of the nori.
- Fold the nori on both sides diagonally.
- Fold the lower part of the nori toward the bottom of the rice.
With this technique, the rice is wrapped from both sides, so you don't have to worry about the rice falling apart when eating.
I recommend placing the ingredients on top of an Onigiri, like in the picture above. It's not only easy for you to see what's inside, but it also looks very cute!
Enjoy!
What to Serve With
Do you like Japanese-style meals? Then consider serving it with karaage (a Japanese fried dish), miso soup, and some veggies!
For instance:
- Onigiri of your choice
- Tempeh Karaage (vegan)
- Napa Cabbage Coleslaw
- Daikon Miso Soup
- Edamame, Cherry Tomatoes
Storage
If you don't eat them immediately, please wrap each onigiri with plastic wrap, like in the picture above, before they dry.
You can store them for a couple of days in the fridge and one month in the freezer.
When freezing, do not wrap the nori sheet.
Heat it in a microwave oven right before eating it (do not thaw it at room temperature as it will dry).
FAQ
Common fillings are fish, fish eggs, pickled vegetables, and seaweed. Intensely flavorful fillings are often put in since the rice has a mild flavor.
The most popular onigiri fillings in Japan are tuna, salmon, umeboshi, tarako, katsuobushi, and kombun.
It's fine either way. It depends on your personal preference. Onigiri is often eaten on the go, so many people eat it at room temperature. But people who live in cold climates like Hokkaido (the northern part of Japan) are more likely to warm onigiri up before eating.
Your rice might not be suitable for making onigiri. Long grains like Jasmine and Basmati would fall apart as they don't have the right stickiness to hold the rice together. I recommend using Japanese rice such as koshihikari or sushi rice.
No. It's not necessary. We use vinegar for making sushi but not for onigiri.
Yes, you can make it without the filling. Some people prefer nothing in it, and it's called Shio onigiri (shio means salt). It's the simplest one made with salt, no filling, and no nori sheet!
Thanks For Stopping By!
So, you've got many great ideas for what to put in your onigiri? That's wonderful! Now it's time to bring them to life and discover which one is your favorite. Let me know which one is your favorite!
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog♡ . If you've tried this recipe (or any other recipe on the blog), please give it a star rating below!
Also, feel free to leave comments if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!
ONIGIRI IDEA EBOOK
Unlock a world of onigiri with this ebook! Packed with delicious filling ideas, it's your ultimate go-to resource for exploring the incredible onigiri variations!
Chef JA Cooks is a Japanese food blog that shares simple and healthy Japanese home cooking recipes, including vegan and vegetarian. From traditional Japanese recipes to modern recipes with step-by-step instructions.
More Onigiri Recipes You Might Like
- How to Make Onigiri (A step-by-step guide)
- Simple Onigiri without nori
- Yaki Onigiri
- Salmon Onigiri
- Ume Onigiri
- Tuna mayo Onigiri
📖 Recipe
Best Onigiri Fillings (Japanese Rice Balls)
Print Pin SaveIngredients
- 14 oz Cooked Japanese Short-grain Rice, 400g or 4 small bowls of rice
- 2 Nori Sheets
- pinch of Salt
- Onigiri Fillings (choose your favorite one), See onigiri filling section
Instructions
- Nori sheet: Cut it into three equal pieces.
- Prepare a filling of your choice: See ingredients section.
- Prepare ingredients: Prepare salt, a bowl of water, cooked rice, a nori sheet, and filling.
- Add filling: In a small bowl, put rice and make a little dent in the center, then add 1 or 2 teaspoons of your filling.
- Water and salt on your hands: Wet both hands with water, put some salt (2 fingertips of salt) on your palm, and rub between your hands.
- Shape rice: Place the rice on your hand, hold it with both hands, and form a triangle shape (or round shape) by pressing gently with your both palms and fingers while rolling it several times.
- Wrap: Wrap it in a nori sheet.
Video
Notes
- Equipment: Small bowl (This oxo tot small bawl is perfect for small onigiri)
- Storage: Wrap each one with plastic wrap, put it in a container, and keep them in the fridge for a couple of days and one month in the freezer.
- Variations: See "6 popular onigiri fillings" and "8 vegetarian onigiri fillings" for onigiri filling ideas.
- Japanese short-grain rice (starchy and sticky) is ideal for making onigiri. If you are new to rice, see "How to cook Japanese rice on the stove"
- The filling amount is up to you, so feel free to add as much or little for your personal preference.
- The nutrition label is for salmon onigiri.
Heidi
Very hard to view your recipes because of all the ads. So it would be helpful to have a sheet with the fillings that we could print out. The ideas look great but I shall search for them elsewhere.
JURI
Thank you for your feedback, Heidi! I understand that the ads can be distracting, however, they do help to keep my blog going. I’ll soon offer a printable version of the Onigiri Fillings recipe. Stay tuned!
Andrea
Hi so when I make the rice is it just plain cooked rice or do I make it with sushi rice seasoning. Thank you
JURI
Hi Andres! You use plain cooked rice for making onigiri!
A. W.
Thank you for all of the recommendations for fillings! I make onigiri frequently, so running out of ideas was bound to happen at some point. I'm excited to add many of these to my regular rotation, as well as to give me a break from the same old stuff I've been doing for years!
JURI
You are very welcome, A.W.! I hope you enjoy these new onigiri ideas! I might add more later!