Skip to content
Chopstick Chronicles
  • Quick & Easy
  • Main Dish
  • Dessert
  • Kitchen Tools
  • Pantry
Get Started With Japanese Cooking
Chopstick Chronicles
  • Recipe Index
  • Recipe Filter
  • Easy Japanese Recipes
  • Pantry Guide
  • Course
    • Appetizer
    • Beverage
    • Bread
    • Breakfast
    • Condiment & Sauce
    • Dessert
    • Main Dish
    • Salad
    • Side Dish
    • Soup & Stew
  • Type
    • Bento
    • Curry
    • Donburi
    • Dumpling
    • Hot Pot
    • Noodle
    • Onigiri
    • Quick
    • Ramen
    • Rice
    • Stir Fry
    • Sushi
    • Teriyaki
    • Wagashi
    • Yoshoku
  • Method
    • Baking
    • Deep-Fry
    • One Pot/One Pan
    • Steamed
  • Dietary
    • Dairy-Free
    • Gluten-Free
    • Low-Carb Desserts
    • Pescatarian
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
  • About
    • Shihoko Ura
    • Culture
    • Kitchen Tools
    • Privacy Policy
    • Resources
    • Video
Home ยป Appetizer

Authentic Japanese Appetizer Recipes

An appetizer is the best starter for a meal. You get to eat double the food and they set the palette for the food to come. Here youโ€™ll find crowd-pleasing little nibbles and Japanese finger food.

Trending Appetizers

6 Takoyaki balls in a bamboo takoyaki tray on a hand

Takoyaki

4.35 from 32 votes
4 pieces of futomaki sushi rolls on a plate

Futomaki

4.10 from 11 votes
6 Inari sushi on a white Japanese pottery plate black sesame seeds sprinkled over

Inari Sushi

4.94 from 16 votes
Two Agedashi tofu served in a oval bowl with garnishes and tsuyu

Agedashi Tofu

4.84 from 24 votes
6 gyoza pan fried in a cast iron skillet, three of them showing blackened bottom

Homemade Japanese Gyoza

5 from 24 votes
popcorn chicken served in a takeaway cardboard container

Popcorn-Sized Karaage Chicken

4.50 from 10 votes

Explore More Popular Topics

Completed Obento in a wooden Bento box
Bento
curry udon served in a noodle bowl
Curry
two bowls of Tempura Donburi with chopsticks
Donburi
four rose dumplings served on a oval plate with a small bowl of dippping sauce and a pair of chopstick
Dumpling
3 portions of Udon noodles on a bamboo tray
Noodle
Onigiri
Shoyu ramen served in a ramen bowl with half boiled egg and bok choy
Ramen
Sushi
a piece of teriyaki glazed salmon on a round plate with a small bowl of rice in background
Teriyaki

Latest in Appetizer

Creamy Japanese corn potage with croutons and herbs in a rustic bowl.

Japanese Corn Potage Soup

30 minutes mins

Temari Sushi

1 hour hr
ebi mayo served on a wound plate with lettuce leaves and chopped nuts garnished

Ebi Mayo (Shrimp with Japanese Mayo Sauce)

45 minutes mins
Sweet potato tempura served on a round bamboo tray with a bowl of dipping sauce

Crispy Sweet Potato Tempura (With Dipping Sauce)

30 minutes mins
4 homemade chikuwa on a round plate

Homemade Chikuwa (Tube-Shaped Fish Cake)

1 hour hr
tuna mayo onigiri one wrapped with. nori sheet and one sesame seeds sprinkled

Tunamayo Onigiri Rice Balls

50 minutes mins
3 natto topping and 3 corn mayo topping gunkan sushi are served on a round plate with a pair of chopsticks.

Gunkan Sushi Recipe (Battleship Sushi)

30 minutes mins
4 pieces of futomaki sushi rolls on a plate

Futomaki

30 minutes mins
6 uramaki pieces on a wooden plate with a pair of chopsticks n a small bowl of soy sauce

Uramaki

1 hour hr
chirashi sushi served in a large ceramic bowl

Chirashi Sushi

1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
5 pieces of unagi sushi served on rectangle plate

Unagi Sushi

50 minutes mins
temaki sushi rice and fillings on the table

Temaki Sushi

30 minutes mins
kappa maki cucumber rolls are served on a wooden plate with a small bowl of soy sauce

Kappa Maki (Mini Cucumber Sushi Rolls)

16 minutes mins
two japanese rice paper rolls and one in half on a dark shallow plate

Nama Harumaki (Japanese Rice Paper Rolls)

15 minutes mins
4 harumaki spring rolls served on a rectangle plate with one cut in half

Harumaki (Japanese Spring Roll Recipe)

45 minutes mins
Fried cauliflower karaage is served with shiso leaves in a shallow bowl

Fried Cauliflower Karaage

25 minutes mins
kuromame served in a small shallow bowl with a pair of chopsticks

Kuromame (Sweetened Black Beans)

12 hours hrs
Pickled daikon with yuzu served in a small bowl with a yuzu fruit in background

Pickled Daikon with Yuzu

2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins
rice bran pickled cucumber, radish, and carrots tsukemono served in a round shallow bowl

Tsukemono-Nukazuke (Rice Bran Pickles)

10 days d 10 minutes mins
kurikinton mushed sweetpotato served on a small round plate decorated with a pine needle

Kurikinton (Japanese Mashed Sweet Potato)

30 minutes mins
12 pieces of oshinko roll served on a wooden plate with a small bowl of soy sauce with wasabi

Oshinko Roll (Vegan Sushi)

1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
9 hosomaki pieces served on a plate with sushi ginger

Hosomaki

1 hour hr
A whole sushi cake with a cake server

Sushi Cake

40 minutes mins
6 gyoza pan fried in a cast iron skillet, three of them showing blackened bottom

Homemade Japanese Gyoza

40 minutes mins
6 pieces of California roll is on a black plate

California Roll Sushi

1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Two Agedashi tofu served in a oval bowl with garnishes and tsuyu

Agedashi Tofu

30 minutes mins
6 Takoyaki balls in a bamboo takoyaki tray on a hand

Takoyaki

20 minutes mins
smoked salmon pressed sushi is cut and served on a wooden serving board

Pressed Sushi with Smoked Salmon

15 minutes mins
four reindeer rice balls and santa rice balls on a plate

Christmas Sushi Balls

50 minutes mins
Pickled daikon served in an oval bowl with a pair of chopstick

Tsukemono (Pickled Diakon Radish)

10 minutes mins
6 Inari sushi on a white Japanese pottery plate black sesame seeds sprinkled over

Inari Sushi

35 minutes mins
edamame hummus served in a shallow bowl with rice crackers and veggie sticks

Edamame Hummus

15 minutes mins
popcorn chicken served in a takeaway cardboard container

Popcorn-Sized Karaage Chicken

30 minutes mins
2 ehomaki lucky direction sushi rolls with demon mask in background and scattered dried soybeans

Ehomaki (Lucky Direction Sushi Rolls)

10 minutes mins
Three deep fried gyoza with prawn and avocados served on a black square plate

Avocado Shrimp Deep Fried Gyoza

30 minutes mins
6 halloween temari sushi on an oval plate

Halloween Temari Sushi

50 minutes mins
sushi conuts

Sushi Donuts

35 minutes mins
Renkon chips served in a round shallow bowl with amazu sauce drizzling over

Renkon Chips with Amazu Sauce

15 minutes mins
Chirashizushi in a cup

Chirashizushi in a Cup (Cup Sushi)

35 minutes mins
Wild Rice Chirashizushi with Australian avocado

Wild Rice Chirashizushi with Avocado

1 hour hr
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to Next Page

As Seen On

BuzzFeedcosmopolitanCountry LivingLufthansaParadeThe Japan TimesWomen's HealthYahoo!
Chopstick Chronicles

New to Japanese Cooking? No Problem!

Chopstick Chronicles is the ideal destination for anyone looking to cook and bake authentic Japanese food at home. The website was founded by Shihoko Ura in 2015 as a resource for sharing her familyโ€™s recipes to make Japanese cooking accessible to all.
  • Topics
    • Ramen
    • Sushi
    • Wagashi
    • Yoshoku
  • Trending
    • Easy Recipes
    • Quick & Delicious
    • Vegan
    • Video
  • About
    • Shihoko Ura
    • Kitchen Tools
    • Privacy Policy
    • Recipe Filter
©2026 Chopstick Chronicles. All rights reserved. Design by LH.