Yaki Onigiri with Cheese
This yaki onigiri is a simple and delicious snack! Crispy on the outside and gooey cheese on the inside. Learn how to make Japanese grilled rice balls with this easy recipe. Keep reading!
For onigiri basics, check out Onigiri 101 (Beginner’s Guide).
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this recipe:
How To Make Yaki Onigiri: STEP BY STEP
Here’s a quick visual guide! Check the recipe card below for the video and full details!
Step 1
Mix the cooked rice with soy sauce, then place the rice in a small bowl and add the cheese in the center.
Step 2
Form the rice into a triangle shape.
Step 3
Cook the onigiri in a frying pan.
Step 4
Flip them over and cook.
The outside is golden and crispy, while the inside is filled with gooey, melty cheese that’ll have you coming back for more!
Storage
Wrap each onigiri in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer for up to one month. If refrigerated, the rice can dry out and harden, so it’s best to microwave it before eating to restore its fluffy texture.
For frozen onigiri, heat it in the microwave directly—don’t thaw at room temperature, as this can make the rice dry.
What To Serve With
To complement the yaki onigiri, I recommend serving it with some veggies and soup. Try pairing it with pickled daikon and a warm bowl of kabocha miso soup.
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Yaki Onigiri with Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine: Place the cooked rice in a large bowl, add soy sauce, and mix well.
- Shape the Onigiri: Put some rice in a small bowl and place cheese in the center. Wet your hands with water, then shape the rice into a triangle (or round) by gently pressing with your palms and fingers while rolling it several times
- Cook the Onigiri: Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add a little oil, and cook the onigiri for about 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for another 3 minutes.
Notes
- Storage: Wrap each in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for a couple of days and one month in the freezer.
- If shaping is tricky, use an onigiri mold for easy shaping!
- Triangle is traditional, but round or cylinder shapes work too.
- You can also use a toaster oven or grill instead of a frying pan.
Video
Nutrition
This nutritional information is estimated and provided for general reference only.
This recipe sounds really good! Sadly when I tried to print/download it the measurements where very weird. (13pc of rice, 1pc soy sauce) Outside of that the printer friendly recipe looks great, nice and clean!
Hi Dawn! Thank you for your comment! Also, thank you so much for catching the errors on the print page. I’ve corrected it this morning, so you can now print the recipe with the correct units. Please let me know if you have any more issues.
Juri
Can you use cold leftover rice for this, or should you use freshly cooked rice?
Yes, you can use cold leftover rice! Warming the rice a little in the microwave will make it easier to shape into onigiri. I hope you like the recipe:)