How many onigiri do you need for lunch? Make it a complete meal like this
You might want to add onigiri to your bento box (just a cool way of saying lunch box) or make it for a party. But if you’re just having onigiri for lunch, how many pieces would you need?
One onigiri typically has 100 calories for the rice and an additional 100 or more for the fillings. Since a good lunch caloric intake is 600 – 800 calories, a single person might need three to four standard-sized onigiri for a whole lunch.
Let’s look at what this means for your lunch plans.
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A standard onigiri usually has 203 calories per serving. Half of it is from the rice, while the other one is on the fillings.
Naturally, fat and salt-rich fillings like tuna mayo and salted salmon would have more calories. It will also depend on whether you will be making your own fillings or using traditional ones.
Onigiri is convenient comfort food: it is rarely eaten without other food.
The price per serving is quite cheap, so you can mix and match other items from the convenience store (like soba, karaage, instant noodles, and other stuff.)
If this is the case, then a single serving would be enough for a whole meal (unless you’re really hungry.)
Also read: how much does onigiri cost in Japan? Let’s find out
What is the average onigiri size per serving?
What makes onigiri a comfort food in Japan is its versatility.
You can use any rice type that you want (as long as it is short-grained and sticky), form a bigger or smaller rice ball or triangle, add your own choice of fillings, and even make onigiri sweet.
On average, there is a half-cup of rice to a convenient-store onigiri.
Of course, you can make your portions bigger or smaller based on your preference. But remember that bigger servings mean bigger caloric intake.
It all depends on your diet and nutrition requirements. One serving would suffice for a quick and easy snack.
Bento lunches with onigiri
Onigiri is a popular addition to bento or lunchboxes in Japan. These rice balls are quite popular for a school or picnic bento.
For a complete lunch bento, the onigiri is often partnered with a soup or a salad, along with other common dishes like sushi.
Also read my Ultimate guide to the Japanese Onigirazu sushi sandwich | recipe & more
Check out our new cookbook
Bitemybun's family recipes with complete meal planner and recipe guide.
Try it out for free with Kindle Unlimited:
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Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.
