These Japanese-inspired grilled rice balls are a fun and easy side to serve at your next outdoor grilling event. They are brushed with a teriyaki marinade and then grilled until the outsides are crispy. You can serve them hot or at room temperature for a fun summer side dish.
This post is sponsored by Kikkoman and SheKnows Media.
With the weather warming up, we’ve been doing a lot of grilling and I’ve been testing out fun grilling recipes for upcoming house parties. I always like to offer some dishes that aren’t the typical ones you’ll find at BBQ events, like these grilled rice balls recipe. The rice balls are brushed with a teriyaki marinade and then grilled until the outsides are crispy. It’s a delicious and fun way to eat rice.
Yaki Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)
In Japan, this dish is known as yaki onigiri which is just sushi rice formed into a ball (onigiri) and grilled (yaki). In Japan, the balls (or sometimes they are in other shapes) are flavored with a soy-based savory sauce.
We saw several versions of it during our vacation to Japan, and this is my variation using a simple sauce consisting of a teriyaki marinade and brown sugar. Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce is a great blend of soy sauce and other spices. It easily brushes onto the rice balls and soaks in, flavoring the rice all the way through.
Recipe Tips
Rice balls are fun to make and I like to shape them into wedges so they’re easy to grill. Here are some tips for making them:
- You do want to make sure you use premium Japanese sushi rice to make these balls. The higher-grade sushi rice will stick together well, while still maintaining the grain’s structure so that it doesn’t become too soft when you press the rice together to form the balls.
- You will cook the rice first and then let it cool so you can handle it.
- Use a large square piece of plastic wrap to form the rice balls. Place ½ cup of the cooked rice in the center and gather up the plastic wraps so you can press the rice into a ball.
- Squeeze the ball a few times to compact the rice. You want it to hold its shape so it doesn’t fall apart on the grill.
- Using your hands, shape the ball into a triangle or wedge shape. Then remove it from the plastic wrap. Repeat with the rest of the rice.
For the sauce, I combine the teriyaki sauce with some brown sugar. Just brush each rice wedge with the sauce and then grill them over high heat until they turn a little golden and crispy on the outside.
These are easy to prepare, making them a great, stress-free side dish to serve. They taste great both warm and fresh off the grill and also cooled to room temperature. You can find Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce at grocery stores nationwide.
If you want more ideas for BBQ dishes be sure to check out some of my more of my favorite summer recipes.
More Recipes with Rice
Grilled Rice Balls
Ingredients
- 2 cups premium Japanese sushi rice
- 2 tbsp Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce
- 1 tbsp packed light brown sugar
Instructions
- Rinse rice a few times and drain. Cook 2 cups of rice according to package instructions. Let rice cool a few minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce and brown sugar until sugar is fully dissolved.
- Cut of a large square sheet of plastic wrap. Add 1/2 cup of cooked rice to the center. Gather up the ends of the plastic wrap and wrap it tightly around the rice, forming a round ball. Squeeze the ball a few times to compact the rice. Then using hands, shape rice ball into a triangle. Open up plastic wrap and remove triangle. Set aside. Repeat with remaining rice.
- Using a pastry brush, brush all sides of the rice triangles with sauce. Heat grill to medium heat and grease grill grids. Place rice balls onto hot grill. Cook rice balls a few minutes until the side lying on the grill is brown and crispy. Flip over and cook other side until brown and crispy. Serve warm or room temperature.
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
steak with mccormick’s steak seasoning
These look fun! I usually like basic stuff like hotdogs, chicken, etc. on the grill.
chambanachik(at)gmail(dot)com
I posted a tweet here:
https://twitter.com/purplepanda1966/status/772648656176504833
i love grilling steaks!
I publicly Tweeted this giveaway: https://twitter.com/versatileer/status/772522750271512577
My favorite summertime grilling recipe is by far grilled barbecue Ribs. How delicious it is!
#SweepstakesEntry – comment
I like grilling kabobs using pieces of marinated flank steak in Kikkoman sauce, cherry tomatoes, onions & zucchini
kacor7(AT)hotmai(DOT).com
my #SweepstakesEntry tweet:
https://twitter.com/thrincor/status/772520618092859394
[email protected]
https://twitter.com/myfolly/status/772515989951016965
I like to stuff a large tomato with cream cheese, mozzarella, pepper jack and whatever else I can find. Then top it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Delicious!!
tweeted
https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/772308385106571264
I like to grill steaks.
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/772264177209577472
Chicken ranch kabobs on the grill!
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/772231437324001280
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I would say steak kabobs on the grill
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/772036094460243968
I like anything grilled but I especially enjoy a good steak with grilled onions and peppers.
Tweet https://twitter.com/Lindiac/status/771871305901543424
Stuffed burgers!
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/771845599591268352
I do not have one But I love to grill corn
Grilled chicken kabobs are my favorite.
I love spicy shrimp kabobs on the grill.
My hubby does the best bbq, he can bbq spicy chipotle chicken and I love the way he does the grilling corn, I always look forward to it every summer 🙂
Tweet: https://twitter.com/SurbhiK1/status/770698694588964864
I loooove Pesto Hummus, I can eat it daily, I love it with warm pita bread.
I love to grill fish and salmon on the BBQ using some type of marinade. I like to try new things so with each BBQ, I try a new recipe.
Tweeted-https://twitter.com/birdiebee52/status/770348533350137856?lang=en
Summer squash, onions, green peppers and potatoes with butter garlic and a little hot sauce in a tin foil pouch thrown on the grill….yum
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/my4boysand1/status/768875724518350848
My favorite recipe for the grill is Grilled Salmon with garlic, salt, Kikkoman and brown sugar!
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/768555456092438528
I love to grill chicken and vegetables
https://twitter.com/eliza_elliott/status/768200457864957952
I love to grill chicken in tons of flavors.
https://twitter.com/mkjmc/status/766696344492834821
POrk chops and pineapple grilled
https://twitter.com/mitadav/status/766695107655589888
I like grilled veggies.
Tweet
https://twitter.com/clc408/status/765222166514241537
My kids love it when I grill ribs, but I prefer salmon.
My favorite thing to grill is vegetables. Sometimes I use Kikkoman to spice them up!
https://twitter.com/sweetums82/status/753746476954558464
I like grilled corn
I like simple cheeseburgers on the grill – not really a recipe but my favorite thing this summer.
I love grilled lamb burgers with buffalo mozzarella
https://twitter.com/sodahoney/status/752571551694721024
Not big on grilling but after these blogs I am definately going to try grilling on a screwer
tweet: https://twitter.com/Twenteries/status/750761029471051776
My favorite summer grilling recipe is “shishliki” – which is lamb marinated for days in lots of garlic, herbs and lemon. It’s the best!
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/750741996407402497
i like honey glazed teriyaki chicken wings
i love grilling cedar plank salmon!! and a lll the veggies 🙂
I like grilling chicken and vegetables.
I like to make Hawaiian kabobs with chicken, pineapple, pepper,s and onioins. The Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce is delicious.
tweeted https://twitter.com/stephcouponsxx/status/747573389791989761
I love grilled chicken and pineapple kabobs! simple and quick!
https://twitter.com/mommysweetiepie/status/747556816129687552
I love sausage and shrimp kabobs.
https://mobile.twitter.com/arress83/status/747072149798666241
Grilled potatoes and veggies are my favorite Summer time dishes.
tweeted https://twitter.com/cshell202/status/746824267308769281
cshell090869 at aol dot com
I like to marinade my Korean style ribs in soy sauce, sprite, green onions and salt and pepper. .
cshell090869 at aol dot com
Grilled bananas with chocolate sauce! Yum!
https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/746552968091140096
My favorite summer time recipe is grilled pizza dough topped with grilled pineapples, honey, and caramel.
Tweet https://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/745729057191501824
I love chicken kabobs – with peppers mushrooms onions and marinated in Italian dressing!
thank you
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/FireRunner2379/status/745338896301625344.
We love to grill chicken with different sauces, vegetables and even pizza. Who likes to have the oven on when its 90 degrees out…Not me!
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/744708139774251009
I like to use cubed pork, chicken and sliced sweet sausage and marinade for a few hours. I then add sliced green peppers, red peppers, sweet onions and pineapple chunks and grill in a veggie grill pan on top of the grill.
My husband is in charge of the grill, but I love the wood ships he uses to add flavor.
chambanachik(at)gmail(dot)com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/PrettyHotPink6/status/743788146815565824
I love grilling peaches and pineapple and I also love grilled chicken with a light honey dijon sauce.
We love to grill shrimp with a homemade aioli
demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com
Tweet link: https://twitter.com/shala_darkstone/status/743413792495796224
My husband makes grilled chicken tenders with teriyaki or BBQ sauce on our little hibachi grill. So good!
I love marinaded chicken in Kikkoman teriyaki sauce and grilled with a fresh salad.
https://twitter.com/Natashalamoreu1/status/743193811724156932
Hawaiian Chicken with grilled pineapple!
https://twitter.com/RachelGriesmer/status/743142893414645761
My favorite summer time grilling recipe is grilled corn on the cob and steak shish kebabs.
tweet-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/743136348538703872
I love Fajita Chicken Kebabs.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
tweeted:
https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/742960133576261632
amy [at] uTry [dot] it
My favorite summer time grilling recipe is grill corn and steaks. 🙂 Can’t wait to try these grilled rice ball
amy [at] uTry [dot] it
I would put chicken, steak, red onion, sweet onion, bell pepper, shrimp, pineapple on my kabobs, I would then top in off with some Kikkoman teriyaki sauce and them put them on the BBQ.
tweet https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/742822706765238273
I love to grill fish and veggie kabobs in the summer! I would love to use this marinade on my veggies!
I love grilled mushroom & swiss burgers with bacon.
I love grilling lemon pepper chicken in the summer with a side of grilled zucchini and grill-baked potatoes!!
tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydpa/status/742733597015191553
I like to skewer and grill shrimp and pineapple in the summer months.
Thinly sliced zucchini strips seasoned with S&P…quick and easy, and best of all delicious! I might need to try those grilled rice balls.
Grilling shishito peppers. No seasoning needed.
My favorite summertime grilling recipe is a ribeye steak brushed lightly with oil and a dry rub (Costco’s sweet mesquite rub is great) and grilled until medium rare.
Grilled corn on the cobb with chimichurri!
I love grilled peaches!
I Love to Grill!!!! I truly enjoy cooking anything on the grill. BBQ Marinated Chicken and Steak on the grill, are favorites!!! As well any veggies which are in season. What a Great Giveaway! Thank-You so much for the chance, Kirby!!!
Here’s my tweet: https://twitter.com/pic_links/status/742464663347073024 thanks for the giveaway!
Pizza! (love grilling dessert pizzas with Nutella and grilled fruit!)
https://twitter.com/willgriesmer/status/742463259270381568
My favorite is grilled burgers!
I like just about anything on the grill, from hamburgers to ribs. It’s a day off from cooking for me asvmy husband does the grilling!
Grilled pork ribs!
tweeted
https://twitter.com/rubylorikeet/status/742398720092737537
We like to grill kabobs of marinated chicken, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and pineapple.
My favorite grilling recipe is BBQ Chicken!
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/742383908659040256
I love barbecued chicken wings.
My fav summertime recipe:
kalbi cooked over charcoal
buy a package of beef short ribs from Zion
marinate overnight in kalbi marinade from Zion
fire up the charcoal in Smokey Joe
cook till lightly chared
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/742371410157305857
My favorite grilling recipe is pineapple chicken kabobs
tweet-https://twitter.com/JewelWood/status/742339530657648641
We love my Grilled Marinated Pork Tenderloin on the grill. IT is so good!!
Tweeted here: https://twitter.com/seeshoplove/status/742338205723332608
I love grilled chicken for summer, it’s simple but so good!
tweet-https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/742327768134750210
jslbrown2009 at aol dot com
I like to grill veggie skewers
I love making grilled pineapple and mango in the summer! Brush a little honey and cinnamon on top and it’s a perfect treat. Will have to try these rice balls as well, they look delicious!
It’s not really a recipe, but I love grilled pineapple in the summer!
The only time I actually grill is when we get off the dive boat with our day’s spearfishing catch. My favorite is actually lionfish. Just wrap the fillets in foil with a slice of lemon and some salt and pepper….most tender fish you will ever eat.