From delicious rice balls to gyoza to spicy edamame, we’ve rounded up a scrumptious selection of Japanese appetizers for you to make at home!
Here are some easy, crowd-pleaser Japanese appetizer recipes you can make at home. From izakaya-style (Japanese tapas) appetizers to home-cook favorites, many of these recipes can be prepared ahead of time. Hope they inspire you!
15 Easy Japanese Appetizer Recipes
1. Gyoza (Japanese Pan-Fried Dumplings)
Everybody loves homemade Gyoza! Make them ahead of time and store in the freezer until you are ready to use for your gathering.
Vegetarian/ Vegans? These Vegetable Gyoza will have you come back for more.
2. Spicy Edamame
If you like things spicy, try this Spicy Edamame coated with peppery miso garlic sauce. flavor.
3. Agedashi Tofu 揚げ出し豆腐
Soaked in a sweet savory sauce, this deep-fried Agedashi Tofu makes an impressive appetizer for your vegetarian guests.
4. Yakitori: Chicken & Scallion Skewers (Negima) ねぎま
Transport your guests to izakaya dining (Japanese tapas) experience with this Chicken & Scallion Yakitori dish. You can of course grill outside, but this recipe shows how to use your oven to achieve the nicely charred meat skewers.
5. Yakitori: Tsukune つくね
For those who live in year-round temperate climate, you can serve Tsukune over the outdoor grill anytime. Otherwise, you can also set out your indoor grill and have a cozy Yakitori party indoor. Enjoy these Japanese skewered chicken meatballs with cold beer or sake!
6. Harumaki (Spring Rolls)
To prep ahead for your party, you can make the fillings the night before. These crispy Japanese Spring Rolls make the perfect finger foods.
7. Shumai シュウマイ
You’d be surprised how simple it is to make your favorite dim sum at home! Pull the steamer out and make these Shumai together with your party guests. Eat them right away after they are steamed.
8. Teba Shio (Salted Chicken Wings) 手羽先の塩焼き
These Salted Chicken Wings only require a few ingredients to achieve the perfect flavor. The key is to soak the chicken wings in sake for 15 minutes.
9. Chawanmushi with Shrimp 海老の茶碗蒸し
Commonly served as an appetizer in Japanese restaurants, this recipe shows you how you can make the delicious Savory Steamed Egg Custard dish at home. You can simplify the ingredients as you like.
10. Japanese Chilled Tofu (Hiyayakko Recipe) 冷奴
I love serving this Japanese Chilled Tofu appetizer during the summer time. It’s a versatile dish and incredibly easy to prepare. Be creative with your toppings and seasonings.
11. Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken) 唐揚げ
A popular Japanese appetizer, Karaage is bite-size fried chicken that everyone enjoys. For crispier texture, I recommend using potato starch if you can find them.
12. Tuna Poke
This wildly trendy Hawaiian dish Tuna Poke is a raw salad that consists of cubed ahi tuna/yellowfin tuna marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, sea salt, & seaweed. If you are vegetarian or don’t eat raw fish, you can easily substitute the tuna with tofu.
13. Japanese Sake Steamed Clams あさりの酒蒸し
You can find Japanese Sake Steamed Clams being served everywhere in Japan and Japanese tapas-style restaurants in the US. To serve this as an appetizer at a home party, you can start preparing it after the guests arrive. It only takes minutes to cook. Just make sure to de-grit the clams beforehand (and here’s how to).
14. Miso Glazed Eggplant 茄子の味噌焼き
Elegant and easy to prepare, this Miso Glazed Eggplant is a healthy appetizer choice for a small gathering with friends.
15. Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Balls)
With a crispy crust on the outside and soft sticky rice on the inside, these rice balls are simply irresistible and easy to make at home!
Nami: I’m a big fan of yours; I’ve written before. I love Japanese food, both for the complexity and the simplicity of it (pick your favorite)! This collection of Appetizers/finger foods is just wonderful. A BIG
thank you for this one. Passing onto my friends who also really love Japanese food.
Have a wonderful Holiday with your lovely family and friends.
Hi Pat! Thank you so much for following my blog. Complexity and simplicity.. Very true! Sometimes I feel that the food is simple yet very complex because of how it’s prepared and presented. 🙂 I hope you will enjoy the collections that I’ll share in the coming week. Thank you for sharing and happy holidays to you and your family!
Thank you so much, you just saved my Christmas party! We just moved so our kitchen is not fully equipped yet but my Japanese friend is coming over for dinner at Christmas. Your recipe ideas are just perfect, quick and easy to make and can be eaten with chopsticks! Perfect for any party!
Merry Christmas!
Hi Lilly! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂 Merry Christmas! xoxo
Hi Nami – these appetizers are wonderful! Would you consider making a small e-cookbook just for appetizers? どうもありがとうございます!
Hi Shirley, I’m hoping to create a real cookbook in the future… so that’s not currently in my plan, but thank you for your request. Hope to add more appetizer/side dishes this year. 🙂
Hello i just want to know , how to make japanese butter, and japanese mayonnaise.
thank you
HI Constanza! To make Japanese butter, I think you will need milk from Japan. It tastes different from for example here in the US.
Here’s the recipe for Japanese mayo: https://www.justonecookbook.com/japanese-mayonnaise/
Please, can I make one remark about the “impress vegetarian guests” tofu. Bonito flakes are NOT vegetarian, bonito is a fish. I know, some vegetarians do eat fish but most don’t. It is one of those things that annoy me when people serve me what they think is vegetarian. As a vegetarian I would be pretty annoyed getting that wonderful tofu and delicious sauce WITH bonito flakes. Would love it without though.
Hi Ellen! I’m definitely aware what katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) is, and I know it’s not vegetarian. And I know vegetarians do not eat fish unless they are pescatarian.
I’ve talked to many JOC readers who are vegetarian in my 7 years of blogging. They requested to categorize non-vegetarian recipes that can be EASILY convertible to vegetarian as “vegetarian” dishes on my blog.
The reason why they asked me is that when they choose “vegetarian” in the recipe filter, and they want those easily-convertible recipes to be included. For example, if this cold tofu recipe is not included as vegetarian, they would have no idea how EASILY they can change this recipe into vegetarian.
This Cold Tofu you’re referring to become vegetarian if you SKIP sprinkling the bonito flakes (which recipe says so in ingredient list). Just as simple as that. Add toppings on chilled tofu and pour soy sauce. That is it. It’s a simple vegetarian dish.
However, when you’re in Japan, this dish often has bonito flakes on top. That’s the signature look, which is why I showed in the recipe.
I will not categorize a dish that’s hard to convert to vegetarian into “vegetarian”. I had a large group of vegetarian readers who give me great feedback and I do my best to accommodate my readers’ requests.
I hope this makes sense to you. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you for the recipe! I can’t wait to try it. I’ve lived in Japan for 10 years and I miss it very much! I love the food! I’ve been learning ways on how to make it and you’ve made it simple and fun. Thank you again!
Hi Mike! I hope you enjoy making Japanese food at home! You must have a lot of your favorite food while living in Japan. I hope my site offers some of your favorite. 🙂
I love this website! Was scanning the internet for recipes and came across this site. Awesome! Haven’t cooked anything yet , but looking forward to making some of the recipes soon.
I am not a first timer cook, but for those that are, the pictures for preparation and assembly are great for beginners.
Hi Karolee,
Thank you very much for your kind feedback.
We hope you enjoy Nami’s recipes.😊