Onigiri (Vegan Japanese Rice Balls Recipe)

Step One

Rice, Rice Baby

Rinse the rice under cold water, gently swirling it with your hands, until the water runs clear.

Step Two

If Using a Rice Cooker: 

Combine 2 cups rice and 2 cups + 2 tablespoons water, and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions.

For Stovetop Cooking:

Combine 2 cups rice and 2 ½ cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to low heat, cover tightly, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it steam, covered, for 10 minutes.

For Donabe Cooking: 

Use a rice-to-water ratio of 1 to 1.2. Cook the rice in the covered clay pot over medium-high heat for 14 minutes. Turn off the heat and steam the cooked rice for 20 minutes with the lid on.

Step Three

Hangry? No, Hangiri:

Transfer the cooked rice to a large bowl or a hangiri. Let it cool for about 10 minutes until it’s warm but manageable to handle. Prepare small bowls of water and salt for dampening and seasoning your hands.

✅ Traditional shio onigiri is made without any ingredients beyond good-quality rice, water and salt. But feel free to add creative additions according to your taste.

Step Four

Optional Kombu Tsukudani:

For kombu tsukudani, rehydrate kombu in a bowl of water. 

Step Five

Simmering (if making the Kombu filling)

Once soft, cut it into thin strips. Combine it with water, tamari, rice vinegar, mirin, brown sugar, sake, and sesame oil in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid nearly evaporates. Add 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, mix well, and let cool.

Step Six

Hand Shaping Onigiri
Lightly dampen your hands with water and sprinkle them with a pinch of salt. Grab a handful (the typical size is about ¼ to ⅓ cup) of sticky rice and form it into a triangular shape using gentle pressure. I like to use one flat palm on the bottom and then downward and inward pressure from the other hand bent on top. It takes a little practice, but you get get kinda fast and neat at it.

✅ If you can't get the hang of forming the rice into neat triangles, the fluffy rice can be foremed into a small round shape, or into a cylinder shape, called tawara.

✅For fillings, hold the partially formed rice ball in the palm of your hand, make an indentation in the rice, add a piece of umeboshi or a small spoonful of kombu tsukudani, cover it with additional rice, and press it again.

Step Seven

Making Onigiri with a Mold:

Load up your press with rice, adding some filling in the center if using. Be really careful to only use even, gentle pressure as not to smush the rice.

Step Eight

Wraping Methods: 

There are several common ways to wrap onigiri with nori. Here are a few:

• Half-Wrap: A strip of nori is wrapped around half of the onigiri, taco shell-style making it easy to hold while leaving some rice visible.
• Kimono Wrapped Onigiri: The nori covers the onigiri like a kimono, often with a bit of filling placed on top for a peek at what’s inside.
• Classic Japanese Convenience Store Style: The nori and rice are kept separate using a plastic wrapper to keep the seaweed crisp until ready to eat.
• “Peekaboo” Wrap: A nori strip is wrapped around the sides, leaving the filling in the center visible.
• Alternative Wraps: Onigiri can also be wrapped with shiso leaves, sesame leaves,  pickled leaves cabbage, or tororo kombu.

Serve it or Preserve It:

Sprinkle with toppings like furikake, yukari shiso, or shichimi togarashi for extra flavor. Serve the onigiri immediately or cover them with a damp, clean kitchen towel to keep fresh for a few hours. For longer storage, wrap tightly and refrigerate, but let them return to room temperature before serving.