27 Essential Japanese Recipes You’ll Want to Make on Repeat

updated Nov 20, 2023

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overhead shot of a white textured bowl with tonkotsu ramen, with a soup spoon to the left and chopsticks pulling noodles out of the bowl. — Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe ; Food Styling: Brett Regot

There’s no wonder why Japanese is one of the most beloved cuisines in the world. Besides being responsible for sushi, Japanese cuisine also commands a deep understanding of umami — or deeply satisfying, savory flavor. What’s more, it’s a cuisine that’s full of simple, accessible recipes, going far beyond the expensive raw fish or days-long ramen recipes by which it can be commonly defined.

So whether you’re completely new to Japanese cuisine, or you just need a quick refresher, we’ve rounded up some of most popular yet classic recipes to help you get started. From a crispy tonkatsu recipe to comforting udon, these Japanese dishes (and a couple of Japanese-American iterations) will inspire your kitchen adventures ahead.

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Making a great bowl of ramen is 100% doable at home.

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The secret to our favorite take on this classic Japanese dinner? Chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. Trust us on this.

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An endlessly flexible noodle dish, yakisoba adapts beautifully to any vegetables and thick cuts of meat you have on hand.

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Chicken Karaage

Meet the fried chicken of your dreams.

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Salmon Teriyaki

Roasted and broiled salmon is coated in an easy four-ingredient teriyaki sauce.

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With tender pork, jammy eggs, chewy noodles, and extra-flavorful broth, everyone will ask when you’re making this again.

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Chicken Teriyaki

Cook juicy chicken thighs in an easy homemade teriyaki sauce in just 15 minutes.

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Crispy pork cutlet, kewpie mayonnaise, and thinly shredded cabbage sandwiched between slices of plush milk bread.

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A popular street food found in Japan, tsukune are chicken meatballs that are threaded on skewers, grilled, and brushed with a sweet and salty syrup-like sauce.

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This Japanese-style cabbage pancake is made with cabbage, carrots, scallions, and eggs.

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Japanese Pancakes

A step-by-step guide to making fluffy, soufflé-like Japanese pancakes at home.

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These Japanese fried mashed potato patties traditionally filled with meat and vegetables are the perfect little on-the-go meal.

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Tamagoyaki (Japanese Rolled Omelet)

This slightly sweet Japanese rolled omelet is the perfect side for rice.

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Japanese Milk Bread

Soft and fluffy Japanese milk bread is the perfect everyday sandwich loaf, and it's surprisingly simple to make.

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Chili Crisp Mazemen

This saucy, highly slurpable Japanese noodle dish is all about the kaleidoscope of toppings.

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Paitan-Style Ramen

Paitan ramen is one of the coziest types of ramen because of its thick and creamy broth.

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A dark-brown sauce that’s served alongside tonkatsu (crispy deep-fried pork cutlet). It’s a beloved condiment in Japanese home cooking for a reason.

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Your favorite pre-sushi soup is actually one of the easiest recipes to make from scratch at home, and only requires a handful of ingredients. One of them is dashi — a very simple broth made from kombu (a dried seaweed) and dried bonito fish flakes.

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Mochi Ice Cream

These small Japanese-American frozen confections combine two components – a ball of cool, creamy ice cream and a soft, chewy shell made from glutinous rice flour – into the perfect bite.

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Tamago Kake Gohan (Egg Over Rice)

This hot, savory breakfast of rice, egg, soy sauce, mirin, and hondashi is super simple to make, yet offers a really comforting and nutritious start to the day.

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Breaded and fried pork chop is a weeknight dinner crowd-pleaser.

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Hiyashi Chuka (Cold Noodle Salad)

Not only is the Japanese chilled noodle salad absolutely refreshing, it also features the sweetest, crispest vegetables: tomatoes, corn, cucumbers. Plus a light and tangy sauce that takes no time to whip up.

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Stovetop Japanese Rice

Short-grain Japanese rice is quite different from long-grain basmati or jasmine rice, so achieving the right texture — glossy and tender but not sticky — calls for a particular cooking method.

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Salmon and Black Sesame Onigiri (Rice Balls)

These rice balls are a perfect answer to the mid-afternoon homemade snack craving. Fair warning that they’ll harden and lose their freshness in the fridge, so they’re best eaten as soon as they’re packed. If you’d like to make them ahead, you can also store the rice mix in an airtight container and wrap them when you’re ready to eat.

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Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)

This simple Japanese meal consists of chicken and egg cooked in an umami-rich sauce served atop freshly cooked rice.

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Teriyaki sauce can be drizzled over meats and veggies or served on the side as a dipping sauce.

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Dashi is an incredibly simple broth, and it forms one of the culinary cornerstones of Japanese cooking. It’s made in about 10 minutes with just three ingredients: water, kombu (dried kelp), and bonito fish flakes. The resulting clear broth tastes like the essence of the sea.

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