Japanese Onigiri Rice Triangles (Rice Wrapped with Seaweed) (2024)

Published: Jun 17, 2021 · Modified: Jun 17, 2021 by Kaylie This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Easy and delicious triangle shaped rice wrapped with nori seaweed. Learn how to wrap Japanese onigiri with nori sheets or individually packaged onigiri sheet wrappers to keep the seaweed fresh and crispy. Customize them with a variety of flavorful fillings. They’re great for picnics and school lunches – a perfectly portable on-the-go snack!

Onigiri is a Japanese rice ball made of short grain rice, usually molded into a triangular shape, and wrapped with nori seaweed. The rice can be plain or you can add a filling or topping to it.

I’m always on the lookout for easy snack recipes like these Vietnamese pate chaud (puff pastry meat pies), and I was thrilled when I found these amazing pre-cut and packaged onigiri nori wrappers. Now I’m able to make onigiri just like the ones at our local Japanese store! It’s so easy and my boys absolutely love it!

There are many different ways to wrap onigiri. In this post I detail how I wrap onigiri (inspired by our local Japanese market) using both regular sized nori sheets, and the individually packaged onigiri sheet wrappers.

Ingredients for Onigiri with Nori Seaweed Sheets

Roasted nori seaweed sheets -these are available at most grocery stores. Onigiri made with this seaweed is meant to be eaten right away, letting it sit for too long will make it soggy from the rice.

Japanese short grain rice – get this at your local Asian market or the ethnic foods section at your grocery store.

How to Make Onigiri with Nori Sheets

1. Fold your seaweed paper and cut or tear it evenly in half.

2. Optional: Add your furikake (rice seasoning) and mix it up.

3. Dampen your hands with water and a bit of salt. Scoop about ¾ cups of rice and start to mold the rice into a triangular shape by cupping your fingers into a C-shape, while packing the rice down.

4. Place the rice at the end of the seaweed paper nearest to you. Making sure the tip of the triangle is pointing toward the end of the wrap.

5. Fold the two end pieces of the seaweed onto the rice. The stickiness of the rice should help keep it in place.

6. Next fold the whole triangle rice away from you and onto the seaweed.

7. If there is excess seaweed paper at the end, you can trim it to better fit the onigiri or if you like some of the rice exposed at the tip.

8. Place a few grains of rice on the two ends of the seaweed.

9. Fold one end of the seaweed over.

10. Fold the other end over to complete the triangle.

Ingredients for Onigiri (Japanese Convenience Store Style)

Onigiri sheet wrappers are great for onigiri to-go. There is a layer of film wrap between the rice and seaweed, preventing the seaweed from getting moist and sticking to the rice. So when you are ready to eat, peel the wrapper off and enjoy crispy nori on every bite! To pack them to go, you can keep them in a lunch container with a small ice pack.

You can get these Individually packaged nori sheets at Japanese or Korean markets. Some are even sold with a triangle rice mold.

How to Wrap Onigiri (Japanese Convenience Store Style)

1. You’ll notice the onigiri wrapper has instructions printed on one side, and a plain side.

2. Turn the wrapper, instructions side facing down, with the pull tab (orange printed arrow) facing the far side.

3. Place the triangle rice at the end of the wrapper, with the tip of the triangle pointing towards you. Fold the two corner ends of the wrapper onto the rice.

4. Fold the rice over and away from you.

5. Fold the two corner ends onto the wrapper to make a triangle, and use the sticker (included in wrapper package) to secure it in place.

6. When ready to eat, pull the tab part of the wrapper off and pull the two sides of the wrap off to enjoy!

Optional Topping and Fillings

• Onigiri fillings are usually salty, which compliment the flavors of the rice and seaweed.
• Traditional fillings for onigiri include bonito flakes with soy sauce, pickled plum (umeboshi), tuna and mayo, salted salmon, kombu, furikake and many more.

• I like using furikake to season the rice. It is is a ric seasoning consisting of dried fish, sesame seeds, sugar, salt, msg and dried seaweed. You can find this at most Asian markets.
• My kids’ favorite filling is the flavored kombu. It’s a type of kelp and is found at the Japanese store in the refrigerated aisle, usually where the fermented products are. It adds a nice chewy texture and saltiness to the rice.

Pro Tips

• Keep a bowl of water and some salt next to you while you mold the onigiri. This prevents the rice from sticking to your hands and flavors the rice.
• Do not over wet your hands, too much water will make the rice ball fall apart. It will also dampen the seaweed and make it soggy.
• If you have an onigiri mold, this will be even easier to get that perfect triangle shape!
• Keep a damp washcloth or paper towel over the rice bowl to prevent it from drying out.
• If you add a filling like seasoned kombu, flatten out the rice and place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle. Then fold the rice over to cover the filling.
• Only short grain rice will work for onigiri, substituting it with other types of rice will not mold well.

FAQs

More Snack Recipes You’ll Love