Japanese side dishes are one of the easiest ways to make a simple meal feel more balanced and nourishing. Keep a few premade sides in the fridge, and a basic bowl of rice, noodles, or grilled fish can become a complete meal in minutes. Here are some of my favorites.
Japanese side dishes are the perfect flavor boosters for a simple meal. A bowl of rice and a main dish are perfectly fine on their own, but add miso soup, a side of pickles, and maybe a small tofu or egg dish, and suddenly dinner feels complete.
For example, I'll often cook a piece of salmon and serve it with a quick shredded cabbage salad, a little rice or quinoa, and one small side like gomae, tsukemono, or hiyayakko. It doesn't take much, but suddenly the plate has protein, vegetables, texture, and color.
This collection is all about easy Japanese side dishes you can make at home. They are some of my favorites — ones I make on a regular basis. Some are traditional, and some are inspired by the flavors I grew up eating with my Japanese mother.
How to Build a Simple Japanese Meal
A Japanese meal doesn't need to have a dozen small plates to feel special. At home, I usually think of it this way:
- Pick a rice or noodle dish.
- Pick a protein such as fish, tofu, chicken, or beef.
- Then add one or two small side dishes for balance. Something crisp, something pickled, something light, something savory, or something refreshing.
Japanese sides are there to add contrast and a boost of flavor. That's why a meal with miso soup, rice, and sunomono can feel so satisfying even when the main is simple.
If you are new to Japanese cooking, start with one side dish. Once that feels easy, add another. Before long, you'll have a few favorites you can mix and match throughout the week.
Tsukemono (pickled vegetables)
Tsukemono, or Japanese pickles, are one of the easiest ways to make a simple meal more exciting. They are salty, crunchy, and refreshing, and they pair especially well with rice. This classic recipe is made using only one pickling ingredient – miso paste.
Salted Pickled Cabbage
Salted pickled cabbage is simple, crisp, and very Japanese in spirit. It doesn't need a heavy vinegar brine — just salt, time, and pressure to create something crunchy and satisfying. Serve it as a small side whenever dinner needs a little freshness.
Pickled Daikon (Japanese Style)
Salted pickled cabbage is simple, crisp, and very Japanese in spirit. It doesn't need a heavy vinegar brine — just salt, time, and pressure to create something crunchy and satisfying. Serve it as a small side whenever dinner needs a little freshness.
Miso Soup
Miso soup is one of the most classic Japanese side dishes. It's light, savory, comforting, and easy to customize with whatever vegetable or protein you have on hand.
Serve it with rice and one or two of the side dishes from this list for a simple, balanced Japanese meal.
Japanese Egg Drop Soup (Kakitamajiru)
Kakitamajiru is a light Japanese egg drop soup made with ribbons of egg in a savory broth. It's simple, comforting, and quick to make, which makes it an easy side to serve with rice, noodles, or a Japanese-style dinner.
Hijiki Salad (Hijiki No Nimono)
Hijiki salad, also called hijiki no nimono, is a classic Japanese seaweed side dish simmered with carrots and other ingredients in a sweet and savory sauce.
The flavor is earthy, umami-rich, and comforting, and is usually served in tiny bowls to be enjoyed in a few bites.
Japanese Cabbage Salad (Kyabetsu Salad)
This is a light and refreshing recipe for Japanese Coleslaw that's also very quick and easy to make. Cabbage is such a common side in Japan because it's inexpensive, refreshing, and very good at balancing heavier dishes. This recipe only takes 5 minutes to make from start to finish!
Serve it with katsu, curry, fried rice, grilled fish, or a simple bowl of miso soup and rice.
Sesame Cucumber Salad
This sesame cucumber salad is crunchy, cooling, and savory. It's the kind of side dish I like to keep in the fridge when I want something quick to add to lunch or dinner.
It works especially well with rice bowls, spicy foods, and anything fried because the cucumber keeps the meal feeling fresh.
Sunomono (Japanese Cucumber Salad)
Sunomono is a light Japanese cucumber salad made with wakame and a vinegar-based dressing. It's refreshing, a little briny, and exactly the type of side dish I want next to fried foods, grilled fish, or a hot bowl of noodles.
This is also a good recipe to make when dinner feels a little too heavy and needs something clean and bright on the side.
Kani Salad (Japanese Crab Stick Salad)
Kani salad is a creamy Japanese crab stick salad made with cucumber and a sweet, tangy mayonnaise dressing. It's light, refreshing, and especially good with sushi, rice bowls, or other small Japanese side dishes.
Japanese Potato Salad
Japanese potato salad is creamy, slightly tangy, and a little sweet. It's softer and smoother than many Western-style potato salads, and usually has crunchy vegetables mixed in for texture.
I love serving this with katsu, sandwiches, curry, grilled fish, or as part of a bento-style lunch.
Shiraae (Japanese Mashed Tofu Salad)
Shiraae is a traditional Japanese mashed tofu salad made with vegetables and sesame. It's creamy, nutty, lightly sweet, and served in small servings. It's also a lovely vegetarian option for a Japanese meal.
Japanese Macaroni Salad
Japanese macaroni salad is salty, tangy, and creamy. Its uniqueness comes from two key ingredients – kewpie mayonnaise and imitation crab. This salad has the same nostalgic feeling as Japanese potato salad and works well as a small side for lunch, dinner, or bento.
Nasu Dengaku – Miso Glazed Eggplant
Nasu dengaku is broiled eggplant topped with a sweet, savory, and nutty miso glaze. The eggplant turns soft and silky, while the miso glaze becomes smoky and caramelized. Serve it with rice and a simple green side for a beautiful Japanese-style meal.
Foil Baked Cabbage With Salt Koji
Enhance the natural taste of cabbage and give it extra depth of flavor with this easy foil baked cabbage recipe! The cabbage becomes tender and sweet as it cooks, while the koji infuses each leaf with a ton of umami.
Green Beans with Black Sesame Sauce
A simple and delicious Japanese dish made of boiled green beans dressed in a nutty and savory sesame sauce.
Serve it with rice bowls, noodles, tofu, salmon, or a simple Japanese dinner spread.
Japanese Style Grilled Bell Peppers
These grilled bell peppers are smoky, sweet, and topped with plenty of bonito flakes.
Serve them with rice, fish, tofu, or other grilled vegetables for a simple Japanese-inspired meal.
Blistered Shishito Peppers
Blistered shishito peppers are one of the easiest izakaya-style sides to make at home. They cook quickly, need very little seasoning, and have that smoky, charred flavor that makes them hard to stop eating.
Most shishito peppers are mild, but every once in a while you'll get a spicy one, which makes them even more fun to serve.
Edamame with Soy and Sesame Sauce
Edamame is one of those sides that works with almost anything. This version is tossed with soy sauce and sesame oil, so it has more flavor than plain salted edamame but is still very easy to make.
Serve it before dinner, with drinks, or alongside rice bowls, sushi, noodles, or grilled fish.
Hiyayakko (Chilled Tofu with Toppings)
Hiyayakko is chilled tofu served with toppings such as grated ginger, green onions, bonito flakes, soy sauce, or seasoned nori. It's one of the easiest Japanese side dishes you can make because there is no cooking involved.
I especially love this in warmer months, or when I want something light but still satisfying. Use good tofu here since it's the main ingredient.
Agedashi Tofu (Deep Fried Tofu in Tsuyu Broth)
Agedashi tofu is lightly fried tofu served in a savory tsuyu broth. The outside is delicate and crisp, while the inside is soft and custardy. It's one of those dishes that feels like something you'd order at an izakaya, but that's very easy to make at home.
Tamagoyaki (Japanese Omelette)
Tamagoyaki is a Japanese rolled omelette that is lightly sweet, savory, and tender. It's often served for breakfast, added to bento boxes, or as a side dish to a classic Japanese meal.
Ramen Egg (Ajitsuke Tamago)
Ramen eggs, or ajitsuke tamago, are soft boiled eggs marinated in a soy-based sauce. They are most famous as a ramen topping, but they also make a delicious small side for rice bowls, bento, and simple lunches.
Keep a few in the fridge and you'll always have something savory and satisfying to add to a meal.
Takoyaki (Octopus Balls)
Takoyaki are fluffy Japanese octopus balls topped with takoyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, bonito flakes, and sometimes aonori. They are more of a snack or appetizer than an everyday side dish, but they are perfect when you want to add something fun and izakaya-style to the table.
Spicy Tuna Roll
This spicy tuna roll is made with canned tuna, seasoned rice, and a creamy spicy sauce, so there's no need for raw fish. It's quick, affordable, and a great recipe to make when you want a side of sushi at home.
Inari Sushi
Inari sushi is made with seasoned fried tofu pouches stuffed with sushi rice. It's slightly sweet, savory, and very easy to eat, making it a great side dish, snack, or addition to a sushi-style meal.
Onigiri (Rice Balls)
Onigiri are Japanese rice balls filled with savory ingredients like salmon, kombu, or bonito flakes. They are easy to eat, great for lunch or bento, and pair well with miso soup, pickles, and a few small vegetable sides.
Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Balls)
Yaki onigiri are rice balls brushed with an umami sauce and grilled until the outside becomes crisp and lightly charred. They are simple, comforting, and so good with soup, pickles, or grilled vegetables.
What to Serve with Japanese Side Dishes
These sides can be mixed and matched with a variety of mains. For a simple dinner, serve rice, miso soup, a protein, and pick one or two sides.
Here are a few easy combinations:
- For Japanese curry, serve it with pickled daikon, Japanese cabbage salad, or miso soup.
- For chicken katsu, serve it with shredded cabbage, Japanese potato salad, or sunomono.
- For yaki udon or yakisoba, serve it with tsukemono, edamame, or cucumber salad.
- For sushi night, serve it with miso soup, tamagoyaki, agedashi tofu, or Japanese pickles.
- For a light lunch, serve onigiri with miso soup, gomae, and a small side of tsukemono.
Make-Ahead Japanese Sides
Some Japanese side dishes are best served right away, but many are great for making ahead.
Good make-ahead options include: Pickled daikon, salted pickled cabbage, Japanese pickled vegetables, hijiki salad, gomae, Japanese potato salad, Japanese macaroni salad, kani salad, shiraae, ramen eggs.
Vegetarian Japanese Sides
Many Japanese side dishes are naturally vegetarian or easy to adapt. Gomae, nasu dengaku, shiraae, hiyayakko, edamame, Japanese pickles, yaki onigiri, and cucumber salads are all great options.
Keep an eye on ingredients like dashi, bonito flakes, fish sauce, and katsuobushi if you are cooking for someone who is strictly vegetarian or vegan. These ingredients are common in Japanese cooking and are not vegetarian.
More Easy Japanese Recipes
If you enjoyed these Japanese side dishes, here are more recipe collections and guides to help you build a complete meal at home:
