Rice balls are one of my favourite things to keep in the fridge for easy lunches, quick snacks and low-effort meal prep. Whether it’s a classic tuna mayo onigiri, crispy yaki onigiri or a nostalgic Spam musubi situation, there’s just something so comforting about warm rice wrapped around a flavourful filling.
I’ve rounded up all of my favourite rice ball recipes here in one place, including easy onigiri fillings, musubi recipes and Japanese-inspired lunch ideas that are portable, meal prep friendly and surprisingly simple to make at home.
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Why You’ll Love These Rice Ball Recipes
Whether you’re making lunch for work, packing toddler snacks or stocking your freezer with quick meals, rice balls are one of the easiest make-ahead recipes to keep on hand. Most onigiri and musubi recipes can be customised with different fillings, eaten warm or cold and wrapped up for easy lunches on the go. They’re comforting, budget-friendly and a great way to turn simple ingredients like rice, tuna or leftover salmon into something genuinely exciting.
- Perfect for meal prep – Great for making ahead and storing in the fridge or freezer.
- Portable and lunchbox-friendly – Easy to pack for work, school or snacks on the go.
- Customisable fillings – From tuna mayo to Spam musubi, there’s something for everyone.
- Budget-friendly – Rice balls use simple, affordable ingredients.
- Easy to make at home – Onigiri and musubi moulds are a nice-to-have, but no special equipment is necessary!
Popular Rice Ball Fillings
One of the best things about rice balls is how versatile they are. Traditional onigiri fillings are often simple, salty and savoury, making them perfect with warm rice and crispy nori. While classics like tuna mayo and salted salmon are always popular, there are endless ways to customise rice balls with different proteins, sauces and seasonings. Some of my go-to fillings include:
- Tuna mayo – A classic convenience store-style filling that’s creamy, savoury and easy to make. This is also a favourite with toddlers and kids! Delicious, familiar flavours that complement rice well.
- Salmon – Perfect with spicy mayo, furikake or sesame seeds. You could use freshly cooked salmon fillets, or tinned salmon is perfectly fine.
- Spam – Salty, crispy and ideal for musubi-style rice balls. The flavour punch that Spam provides works so well with the mellow rice.
- Kimchi – Adds spice, tang and loads of flavour.
- Mentaiko – A rich, savoury Japanese cod roe filling popular in onigiri. A little more niche, but my personal favourite filling!
- Egg-based fillings – Great for breakfast-style rice balls or protein-packed lunches.
Tips for Making Rice Balls at Home
Making rice balls at home is surprisingly simple, but a few small tips can make shaping and assembling them much easier. Whether you’re making classic onigiri or Spam musubi, these tips will help you get the best texture and flavour every time.
- Use Japanese short grain rice – The sticky texture helps the rice hold its shape without falling apart.
- Shape the rice while it’s still warm – Warm rice is much easier to mould and press together than cold rice.
- Wet your hands or your moulds before shaping – This stops the rice from sticking to your while shaping the rice balls or onigiri.
- Don’t overfill – Too much filling can cause the onigiri to split or lose their shape.
- Wrap nori just before eating – This helps keep the seaweed crisp instead of softening over time. However, softened nori is just as delicious!
- Use moulds for easy shaping – Onigiri and musubi moulds make shaping quicker and more uniform, especially for beginners.
Equipment You’ll Need for Making Rice Balls
Rice balls are surprisingly easy to make at home, and you don’t need any fancy equipment to get started. That said, a few simple kitchen tools can make shaping, assembling and storing onigiri and musubi much quicker and easier, especially if you plan on making them regularly for lunches, snacks or meal prep. Some tools like:
- Rice cooker – Perfect for cooking fluffy Japanese short grain rice with the ideal sticky texture for shaping rice balls. This takes all the guess work out of making the rice.
- Rice paddle – Helps mix and handle the rice gently without crushing the grains or making the rice overly sticky.
- Onigiri mould – Great for creating evenly shaped triangle rice balls with minimal effort.
- Musubi mould – Helpful for shaping neat Spam musubi and layered rice blocks.
- Bento lunch boxes – Perfect for storing rice balls for packed lunches, snacks and meal prep.
If you’ve been loving homemade onigiri and musubi lately, you can shop all of my favourite rice ball tools and kitchen essentials here.
Easy Rice Ball Recipes
Let’s get into the recipes!
Spam & Egg Rice Balls
These Spam and egg rice balls are one of my favourite savoury onigiri recipes, and everybody on social media seems to love them too! Rice is mixed with crispy Spam, soft egg, spring onions and seasoned rice making them a comforting, portable and perfect for easy lunches or meal prep. No tools required for this one!
Tuna Mayo Corn Rice Balls
This classic flavour combo makes these creamy tuna mayo and sweet corn rice balls such a hit with adults and kids alike. These rice balls are simple, family-friendly and perfect for lunchboxes, quick snacks or easy freezer meals.
Tuna Mayo Rice Balls
Classic tuna mayo rice balls are simple, creamy and savoury in the best way. Made with pantry-friendly ingredients and Japanese short grain rice, they’re perfect for quick lunches, snacks or easy meal prep.
Spicy Salmon Onigiri
These spicy salmon onigiri are packed with flaky tinned salmon, Kewpie mayo and spring onion, giving you a spicy kick. They’re inspired by Japanese convenience store rice balls and make such a satisfying high-protein snack or lunch.
California Onigiri
Inspired by my favourite California sushi rolls, these onigiri are filled with imitation crab, avocado and cucumber for a fresh and flavourful twist on classic Japanese rice balls. The rice is mixed with tobiko which adds another fun flavour and texture element to this hand-held snack.
Kimchi Tuna Rice Balls
For the lover of bold flavours, these kimchi tuna rice balls are for you. The tangy, spicy kimchi pairs perfectly with savoury tuna and warm rice for an easy Korean-inspired snack or meal prep option.
Mentaiko Onigiri
My personal favourite, and a completely underrated flavour! These mentaiko onigiri are rich, savoury and packed with umami flavour from the spicy pollock roe. They’re simple, nostalgic and perfect if you love classic Japanese convenience store flavours. Don’t knock this one until you try it!
Yaki Onigiri with Miso Honey Butter
Crispy on the outside and soft in the centre, yaki onigiri are grilled Japanese rice balls brushed with a salty sweet miso honey butter glaze. They’re simple, comforting and incredibly addictive.
Spam and Egg Musubi
Spam and egg musubi is one of the ultimate portable comfort foods. This is a riff on the popular Hawaiian snack, Spam Musubi, which has generate a cult following online as well. Layered seasoned rice, is topped with crispy Spam and fluffy egg, all wrapped together in nori. This one is perfect for lunches, road trips and meal prep.
Whether you’re making lunch for the week, stocking your freezer or just looking for fun new ways to use rice, these rice ball recipes are some of my favourite easy meals and snacks to keep on rotation. From classic tuna mayo onigiri to crispy yaki onigiri and comforting Spam musubi, there’s something here for every craving.
Shop My Favourite Rice Ball Tools
If you’ve been getting into homemade onigiri, musubi and Japanese-inspired meal prep, I’ve rounded up my favourite rice cookers, onigiri moulds, musubi presses and lunchbox essentials all in one place here.
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