This Vegetarian Onigiri is delicious with warm rice and spicy, but savory Jackfruit filling. It is also super easy to make and makes a good snack. The ingredients are simple and can be easily exchanged to suit your tastes.

Making this recipe has been on my mind for a while.

I have seen the pictures on the internet. I have seen it in the animes and mangas. And one day I decided to make it.

Some fillings are naturally vegetarian, but usually, it is filled with fish. So I made the decision to make this vegetarian onigiri with a fish-like substitution.

And I can honestly say it was an enjoyable experience. It is more fun to eat rice when you shape it with your hands. My first few didn’t look so great in the beginning, but it all tasted delicious, so I didn’t mind much.

But I kept working and researching and I learned a few tricks on the way.

For the filling, I went with jackfruit. Mostly because I have many cans of it in my pantry, but also I like the stringy texture. It is really good at holding flavors in and quick to make. But you can use mushrooms for the same texture or tofu for some extra protein.

The ingredients are really simple, but all serve an important role. These are great for a filling snack or meal. I like to use the leftovers in making kimbap or as an onigiri bowl. You can also reheat it and have it as fried rice.

This recipe for vegetarian onigiri has a lot of room for creativity. I hope you try it out!

Important note: This post contains affiliate links, but it does not affect my opinion of the products. I used all of these and love these products. You can read my full disclosure here.

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What is Onigiri?

Onigiri is known by many different names, but it is essentially steamed rice filled with a variety of fillings and usually wrapped in nori. The rice can be formed in triangles or circular shapes and be warm or grilled. It is a popular snack in Japan and so fun to make.

These Japanese rice balls were created at a time when refrigerators didn’t exist, so that is why the fillings are usually really salty or pickily. This would naturally preserve it and make it last longer. But nowadays, many flavors and combinations are available. It is not unheard of to put leftovers from dinner into the filling.

But the most traditional are the ones listed below:

Umeboshi. A very sour Japanese pickled plum
Salted Salmon. Also known as sha-ke
Kombu. A type of seaweed.
Okaka. A mixture of bonito flakes with soy sauce.
Salted Fish Roe.
Tuna mayo. Canned tuna mixed with Japanese mayonnaise.

But there is no limit to your creativity in the filling or in the shape. You can add mushrooms, chicken, egg, ham, mustard leaf, shrimp. The possibilities are endless.

To make this vegetarian onigiri, I went with a version of tuna mayo. You can easily make this recipe vegan by adding vegan mayo. Or use another filling entirely.

Ingredients for Vegetarian Onigiri

Rice. The best rice to use is Japanese Short grain rice. It can be found in most asian grocery stores and online as well. In the states, it also known as sticky rice or sushi rice because it sticks together.
Jackfruit. This is the for the filling. You can use other, more traditional, fillings (as listed above). I liked jackfruit though because it is easy to cook, tastes good, and has a soft texture. The jackfruit I used was canned young green jackfruit in water. Don’t get jackfruit that is in syrup or frozen.
Nori. This is both for the flavor of the jackfruit and to wrap the onigiri around. The mild fishy flavor will kick up the tuna flavor, plus when wrapped around the onigiri, it make sit easier to eat.
Salt. Salt is very important in this recipe. The rice has no salt, so you are supposed to rub it on your hands to salt the rice. That combined with the salty or sour filling, it supposed to act as a natural preservative. Plus it enhances the flavors.
Mayo. Traditional onigiri will usually use kewpie mayonnaise instead of traditional American mayonnaise. kewpie mayonnaise is a sweeter mayonnaise with more eggs. But this can be hard to find. See other options listed below.
Mushroom extract. This is a natural msg made from mushrooms. It is pure umami and give food a more savory taste. Optional, but very recommended.

Troubleshooting and Tips

Tip # 1: You want your rice to be freshly cooked and as hot as possible. As soon as it starts to cool, it will be harder to stick together and will start to crack. But also don’t burn your hands. That is also not good.

Tip # 2: Have all your ingredients ready when you are assembling the onigiri. As said in the first tip, as soon as your rice cools, it is harder to stick together, so have everything ready to use. The rice is also very sticky and will stick to your hands and make it hard to grab other things.

Tip # 3: Dip your hands in water before you rub them with salt. It slightly dissolves the salt and makes the rice less likely to stick to your hands.

Tip # 4: Make sure your filling is not mushy and/or chunky. You want it relatively dry or it will squish out of the rice. And make sure it is small pieces or it will push against the rice.

Kewpie vs. American Mayonaise

American mayonnaise is made with whole eggs or egg yolks and the acid is distilled white vinegar, which has a certain strong bite. In the contrast, kewpie mayo is a more golden color due to the higher content of eggs. And flavored with rice wine vinegar or apple cider, which adds to its sweeter note and almost custard-like texture.

But the real secret ingredient is the MSG added. There have been many rumors about the dangers of MSG and even though they have all been debunked, there still is an aversion to it.

The Kewpie company does have an egg-free version available, but I haven’t been able to get my hands on it.

You can make your own version. Or take a little shortcut.

I took some mayonnaise and added some agave for the sweetness and mushroom extract (a natural msg that’s gives the umami punch) for the savoriness. The flavor was really good and gave the filling for the vegetarian onigiri the extra flavor it needed.

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Materials

The Rice

2 cups rice
4 cups water

Jackfruit "Tuna" filling

1 can young green jackfruit, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 sheet of nori Cut into strips
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp dulse flakes, optional
1/8 tsp beet powder, optional for color
2 tsp siracha or hot sauce
1/4 cup vegan mayo

Extra Ingredients

Strips of Nori
black and/or white sesame seeds
salt as needed

Instructions

Rinse the rice really well until the water runs clear. Put it in a pot with water and let it soak for thirty minutes. Bring water to a boil and let boil until almost all the water has evaporated.
Cover and let sit until fully cooked. Fluff with a fork when ready to use.
Break up pieces of jackfruit and take any hard bits and seeds. You want the Jackfruit to be stringy, like pulled pork.
In a pan, put jackfruit in and cover with water. Add the soy sauce and salt. Bring to a boil and let cook until softened. The color will darken, as well. Add more water if needed. At the end, add the nori and turn the heat off.
Drain the water out and remove the nori sheets. Add back to the pan on low heat to dry out. Add the sesame oil, beet powder, dulse flakes, and more salt if needed. Stir to combine.
Once it's ready, let cool and then add the siracha and mayo.
All that is left is to assemble. Dip your hands in some water, then in some salt. Scoop a handful of rice and lay it flat on your palm. Spoon in a portion of filling and put some more rice on top. Carefully shape the rice into your desired shape.
Add your nori and sesame seeds (if using) or any other dressings or flavors you want to add.
These are best served when the rice is warm and tend to fall apart once they get cold. But you can always store leftovers in the fridge and heat it in the microwave or in a pan. You probably won't be able to shape it, but you can make an onigiri bowl.

If you tried this recipe, let me know in the comments below. I would love to hear from you!

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