Grilled Rice Balls with Cheese

5 from 5 votes
Leave a Review!
10 minutes
Servings 4 rice balls
JUMP TO RECIPE & VIDEO

Crispy on the outside and gooey cheese on the inside—this yaki onigiri is a simple and delicious snack! Learn how to make Japanese grilled rice balls with this easy recipe. Keep reading!

Looking for easy onigiri recipes? Try my Tuna Mayo Onigiri, Salmon Onigiri, or Egg Onigiri!

4 yaki onigiri on a plate

I’ll walk you through the ingredients and step-by-step instructions. I hope you enjoy it!

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

  • Yaki onigiri is perfect for any time of day and makes a great addition to a bento box!
  • This melty cheese onigiri is simple but absolutely delicious.
  • A favorite among both kids and adults, it’s the perfect family-friendly snack.

Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)

Onigiri is a Japanese food made of steamed rice filled with ingredients, formed into a triangle shape, and wrapped in seaweed. It’s perfect for a quick meal or snack, and the best part is you can easily customize it by choosing your favorite onigiri fillings.

Recipe Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

Yaki onigiri ingredients.
  • Japanese Rice: Use Japanese short-grain rice for making onigiri as it’s sticky and can hold the shape of triangular shape.
  • Soy Sauce: Adds savory flavor to the rice. Use regular soy sauce for seasoning.
  • Cheese: Choose your favorite cheese. Semi-hard, salty cheeses work best. I use Japanese 6P cheese (disk-shaped processed cheese).
  • Vegetable Oil: Sesame oil adds a nice aroma, but any vegetable oil works just as well.

How To Make Yaki Onigiri: STEP BY STEP 

Here are some quick visual instructions! For the video and all the detailed ingredients and instructions, you can go to the printable recipe card below.

How to make yaki onigiri.

Step 1

Mix the cooked rice with soy sauce, then place the rice in a small bowl and add the cheese in the center.

How to make yaki onigiri.

Step 2

Form the rice into a triangle shape.

How to make yaki onigiri.

Step 3

Cook the onigiri in a frying pan.

How to make yaki onigiri.

Step 4

Flip them over and cook.

yaki onigiri on a plate

The outside is golden and crispy, while the inside is filled with gooey, melty cheese that’ll have you coming back for more!

Recipe Tips

  • If you’re having trouble making a triangle, try using an onigiri mold—it makes shaping super easy!
  • While the triangle shape is the most traditional, you can also make round or cylinder-shaped onigiri.
  • Instead of a frying pan, you can also cook them in a toaster oven or on a grill.

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.

yaki onigiri, edamame, cherry tomatoes, and kabocha soup

Grab Your Onigiri Filling eBook!

Looking for more onigiri filling ideas? Check out our Onigiri eBook! From classics to creative options, all compiled conveniently in one place!

Onigiri ebook cover image.
36 Delicious Ways to Enjoy Onigiri!

eBook: Onigiri

Explore new onigiri filling ideas with this comprehensive eBook!

bite shot of yaki onigiri that you can see cheese inside

More Onigiri Recipes You Will Love

Leave a Rating!

I hope you enjoy this onigiri recipe! If you try it, don’t forget to leave a rating to share your thoughts—I love hearing from you!

Grilled Rice Balls with Cheese

5 from 5 votes
Prep: 3 minutes
Cook: 7 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 rice balls
Author: Juri Austin
Crispy on the outside and gooey cheese on the inside—this yaki onigiri is a simple and delicious snack! Learn how to make Japanese grilled rice balls with this easy recipe. Keep reading!
4 yaki onigiri on a plate
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Equipment

  • Frying pan 26cm, (10 inch)

Ingredients
  

  • 13 oz Cooked Japanese rice, 360g, 4 small bowls of rice
  • 1 Tbsp Soy sauce
  • Cheese, as needed
  • Vegetable Oil, for grilling

Instructions
 

  1. Combine: Place the cooked rice in a large bowl, add soy sauce, and mix well.
  2. 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
  3. 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.

Video

YouTube video

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 219kcalCarbohydrates: 32.1gProtein: 5.8gSodium: 182mg

This nutritional information is estimated and provided for general reference only.

Course: Rice
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: Vegetarian, yaki onigiri

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Juri Austin wearing denim kimono and holding bento box.

Juri Austin

Hi! I’m Juri, founder of Chef JA Cooks and the creator and photographer of this site. I’m here to guide you in authentic yet easy-to-follow Japanese recipes! Let’s explore the world of Japanese cuisine together!

5 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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4 Comments

  1. 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!

    1. 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

    1. 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:)