Throw a memorable Japanese-theme picnic with these all-time favorite recipes! On the menu: Japanese macaroni salad, Japanese egg sandwich, onigiri rice ball, carrot ginger dressing, and more. They are great outdoor or indoor.
We love finding excuses to do a picnic. It turns a meal into an adventure and is one of the best ways to enjoy the outdoors. But, a picnic can also be done in your own backyard/ front yard, on your balcony, or even your family living room! Ask a kid if they want a picnic, you’d hear a big YES anytime. Imagine decking out blankets for a dinner?
To shake things up, how about a Japanese-theme picnic? Here, we’ve put together our favorite picnic Japanese foods that are packable and easy to love. The menu includes classic picnic fare with a Japanese touch (think bento boxes) and some truly amazing sandwiches. With a little prepping, you can make most of them ahead of time.
And to double the fun, pack along with matcha Kit Kat, seaweed rice crackers, badminton, Japanese card games, this book, or kendama. You’d want to do this more often!
Best Recipes for Japanese-Themed Picnic
1. Japanese Macaroni Salad
“Made this for Memorial Day, and it was fantastic! Super easy, and delicious! A crowd pleaser.” — Amanda
This Japanese Macaroni Salad is a family favorite! The best part is it uses very simple pantry ingredients. Feel free to switch out the ham with cooked chicken, canned tuna, or sweet corn.
2. Japanese Egg Sandwich
“In Tokyo right now and making it for dinner. Also have a 7/11 one for comparison. Both are SOO GOOD !! Thank you for recipe.” — Laura C
When a perfectly creamy egg salad tucked between slices of pillowy white bread, we all can agree it makes a timeless picnic fare. Try cutting them into smaller squares for mini sandwiches.
3. Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)
“Thank you for the recipe, they taste like the ones I got at convenience stores while I was in Japan, very delicious and easy to put together!” — Yvonne Y
Onigiri is a classic picnic food for the Japanese! The key is to use your leftover ingredients such as leftover salmon, tuna mayo, chicken karaage, or Japanese pickled plum as stuffing, and pack them as your main dish or accompanying sides in your bento.
4. Karaage Bento
“Your bento tips are like manna from heaven. I look forward to your bento recipes.” — Ellen
If you wish to pack a hearty fare for a picnic dinner, you won’t go wrong with bento boxes. The beauty of bento is not about making everything from scratch, but making use of your leftovers. Everything here, which includes chicken karaage, tamagoyaki (rolled omelette), and the spinach salad, is literally from the previous night dinner.
5. Japanese Fruit Sandwich (Fruit Sando)
“Such a lovely recipe! I was glad not to be disappointed as the sandwiches have a taste that lives up to their presentation! They make for a light and refreshing yet filling meal perfect for spring or summer days.” — Clover
These colorful sandwiches with strawberries, orange, and kiwi are fun, drool-worthy, and Instagramable. It’s the kind of food that puts everyone in the best mood!
6. Simple Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
“It’s been about 2 years since I bought the blender just for your recipe. It’s still my favorite go-to salad dressing to have.” — Agnes
Don’t miss packing a great salad for your picnic! You just need to pack the dressing separately to keep everything fresh and crunchy. For a winning dressing, we recommend this bright and zesty Carrot Ginger Dressing that pairs well with any combination.
7. Wanpaku Sandwich (Wanpaku Sando)
“My husband and I had SO much fun making these!” — Katie
This ultimate sandwich will surely attract envious stares from fellow hungry picnickers or passers-by. Stuffed with colorful vegetables and proteins, the wanpaku sandwich is all about possibilities. Think bacon, boiled egg, avocado, cucumber, lettuce, or anything else you like.
8. Spam Onigirazu
“I make spam musubit for my kids field trips but this is the first time making spam onigirazu. it’s a nice addition and makes their lunch more filling!” — Yumi
Fried eggs, sticky sushi rice, and classic spam make a winning combination in a rice-form sandwich. So yummy, so satisfying. Some cool beer or iced green tea help to wash it down!
9. Japanese Potato Salad
“It’s really good! I made this salad with the Japanese hamburgers and it was such a hit with the entire family. Also, this salad is much tastier than the “original” Olivier!” — Maryna P
This colorful Japanese Potato Salad is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!
Hello,
first off, I wanted to say thank you for your excellent collection of recipes which I use frequently. I also appreciate your section of creating substitutes for Japanese ingredients or make them yourself such as okonomiyako sauce to name one.
With this in mind I wanted to you if you have a solution of how to get rid of used deep frying oil that cannot be filtered anymore. Apparently, in Japan there is a hardener available that lets you deposit the oil “cake” in the organic recycling bin. I was wondering if there is a home made alternative that we can use here in North America?
Many thanks and keep up the good work, Ernst-Udo Peters
Hi Ernst-Udo! Awww thank you so much for your kind words! Yes, that’s what I use too! You can purchase it on Amazon, if you don’t live near Japanese grocery stores (they always have these oil solidifier products).
https://amzn.to/3hkjD1K or https://amzn.to/32C4iFD