So you’re crazy about Japanese food, too? And you stand in support of gyoza, tsukune, and salted edamame before a delicious meal of sushi and tempura? Okay, yes. Welcome. You and I are on the same team.
In this list, I have it all, from the traditional onigiri to a Westernized chicken salad. Will you be the belle of the dinner party ball? Yes. Are you cool as a cucumber for how easy these all were? Double yes.
1. Tsukune (Japanese Chicken Meatballs)
These chicken meatballs? Just an absolute dream. While meatballs are often made with pork or beef, these are just as impressive.
We are talking super tender and juicy bites, and what really makes them sing is the glaze. It’s a soy sauce-based concoction that hits all the right sweet, salty, and umami-rich notes!
A little sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds gives them extra crunch and flavor. They’re perfect as a starter, but I wouldn’t mind piling them over a bowl of rice for a main course. YUM.
2. Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)
Onigiri is, hands down, my favorite Japanese appetizer. These rice balls are to die for! Triangle or oval, it does not matter to me. I will eat them all!
Onigiri is often filled with things like salted salmon or pickled plums and gets wrapped in nori, but they are perfectly delicious even without any of that.
In this recipe, the onigiri is made without a filling, but you’ll brush it with soy sauce. Then it’s grilled, giving it a wonderfully crisp exterior. That texture is everything.
3. Harumaki (Japanese Spring Rolls with Pork)
Here we goooo! Harumaki is a delightful appetizer with a crisp golden shell that’s loaded with a medley of pork, veggies, and mushrooms.
It’s an incredible mash-up of Chinese and Japanese cuisines, and your American palate is going to love it. And just when you think it can’t get better, the filling is also cooked with soy sauce, ginger, scallions, sesame oil, and mirin.
It’s totally flavor-packed on the inside and insanely crunchy on the outside. We call that a perfect combination.
4. Japanese Rice Paper Roll
This Vietnamese-inspired Japanese dish is a beautiful mash-up of cuisines that is just so good. We’re using glutinous Vietnamese rice paper to wrap up prawns, bean sprouts, carrot sticks, avocado, and lettuce.
With a sweet and spicy dipping sauce on the side, these rolls are refreshing, flavorful, and truly sensational. I am 120% sure you can’t stop at just one.
5. Japanese Chilled Tofu
Tofu doesn’t always sound like the most exciting thing, but hold on just a second. This dish, called hiyayakko, will change your mind.
It’s made with silken tofu that’s topped with dried bonito flakes, green onions, and freshly grated ginger, then finished with a little drizzle of soy sauce. The tofu itself is like nothing else; it’s insanely smooth and creamy and just melts in your mouth.
All those toppings and the sauce come together for a refreshingly delightful appetizer that’s just perfect for summer.
6. Salted Edamame
You really can’t go wrong with a simple starter that’s packed with flavor. Edamame is perfectly delicious all on its own, so there’s no need to dress it up too much.
All it takes is a little salt, and boom, these soybeans are ready to go. You’ll want to get your biggest pot ready for this one! When it comes to edamame, you’ll definitely want to cook a lot.
And don’t worry, it’s 100% guilt-free. Seconds, please!
7. Vegetable Gyoza
Let’s kick things off with these dumplings! Gyoza are meat-filled, pan-fried potstickers that are traditionally served as an appetizer or side in Japan.
The crisp-bottomed golden dumpling typically contains ground pork or beef, but we’re switching things up to make this dish vegetarian-friendly. With this recipe, everyone gets to enjoy the goodness of gyoza.
The combo of tofu, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and cabbage makes this gyoza salty, savory, and earthy in a single bite. It’s so flavorful, you won’t even miss the meat!
8. Japanese Cucumber Salad
Sunomono is a crunchy and refreshing salad with delectable Asian flavors. It’s just phenomally delicious. For this one, cucumbers get marinated in a mix of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and sugar.
A little bit of red chili flake gives it a touch of heat, while roasted peanuts add a nice umami crunch. You can serve this Japanese cucumber salad as an appetizer or as a side dish with sandwiches and burgers. It’s so good.
9. Sweet and Spicy Soy Glazed Edamame
Japanese restaurants often serve this crunchy green vegetable to get your meal started. Usually, edamame is flavored with just a simple sprinkle of salt, but this recipe gives it a little more punch.
The secret weapon here is a glaze made from soy sauce. This blend of soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and ginger makes the edamame even more addicting.
The best part? It could not be easier to whip up. You’ll have this done in less than 10 minutes!
10. Japanese Chicken Salad
This next appetizer isn’t exactly authentic, but it will absolutely remind you of Japanese flavors. At first glance, it looks like any other salad with chopped cabbage, onions, chicken, and almonds.
But if you look a little closer, you’ll see what makes it so Japanese. You see those thin, wavy strands? That’s right: ramen noodles!
Beyond the unique crunch, the seasoning packet that comes with the ramen also adds a ton of flavor to the dressing. Total genius, right?
11. Japanese Miso Eggplant
Besides cucumbers, eggplant is another staple vegetable in Japanese cooking. It’s used as an ingredient in lots of entrees, but in this appetizer, it gets to be the star of the show.
Flavored with miso, which is a soybean-based condiment, this starter is sweet, salty, and super refreshing. Serve it hot or warm, it really doesn’t matter. It’s wonderful either way.
Pro-tip: don’t let this dish sit at room temperature for too long. You’ll want to eat it right away to keep it from getting soggy.
12. Japanese Pickled Cucumbers with Soy Sauce
Pickled cucumbers are another staple in Japanese meals. It’s a popular appetizer, but you can also have it as an afternoon snack. Try dipping it in hummus!
I’m telling you, it’s so good you’ll forget your own name. You can even add these to salads and sandwiches for a refreshing bite. But my absolute favorite way to eat them is cooked in a marinade of soy sauce and ginger.
It’s a crunchy, sweet, and tangy appetizer with a bit of a kick. It’s simply amazing.
13. Japanese Coleslaw
Japanese coleslaw is a bright and crunchy appetizer that’s perfect to start any meal. While we typically dress up shredded cabbage with mayo, the Japanese way uses soy sauce and lemon.
The result is an ultra-light and refreshing dish that is so, so good. Once you have a taste of this, you’ll be hooked! The crunch from the cabbage and the tanginess of the vinaigrette make such a tasty pair.
It’s great as is, but try it with bonito flakes, too! That added umami flavor is fantastic.
14. Simmered Daikon
Daikon, also known as white radish, gets simmered in a soy-based broth for a light appetizer. This is probably the simplest recipe on this list, but don’t underestimate its flavor!
With a little dash of wasabi, simmered daikon turns into a phenomenon. This recipe uses the fukumeni method, which means cooking the daikon in a light-flavored broth.
The whole idea is to let the authentic taste and color of the daikon shine through, while giving it a bit of flavor at the same time.
15. Gyoza Sauce
As tasty as gyoza is, it’s just not complete without the dipping sauce. If you’re making the gyoza recipe from earlier in this list, you might want to serve it with this ridiculously delicious gyoza sauce.
It’s a four-ingredient sauce that you can easily customize to suit your own taste. The base is just a simple blend of rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili flakes.
It’s pretty fantastic on its own, but you can also add some sugar, garlic, and ginger for even more flavor.
16. Japanese Watercress Salad
Watercress is a crunchy, leafy vegetable that is commonly used in Japanese cooking. A lot like spinach, it has soft leaves, crunchy stems, and tons of vitamins.
This salad is very simple, just watercress with no other ingredients, but man, it’s delicious. What makes this one stand out is the dressing, which is made from soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, rice vinegar, and salt.
It’s sweet, nutty, salty, tangy, and savory all at the same time. A real flavor and texture wonderland.
17. Japanese Izakaya Style Salted Cabbage
Izakaya isn’t a dish; it’s the Japanese word for a pub. Confused? Let me explain. While in the US, we like to pair beer with things like onion rings and chicken wings, the Japanese drink their sake with cabbage.
It might not sound that enticing, but trust me, this crunchy and salty appetizer is seriously addictive. It’s so good, you’ll find yourself wanting to ask for more. Luckily, most izakayas will refill your plate for free!
Even better, you can make this at home with very little effort and at a fraction of the cost.