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Home ยป Bento

Create a Japanese Lunch at Home: Recipes for a Delicious Bento Box

Looking to make your lunch more exciting? Say hello to bento boxes! They’re visually appealing, well balanced and provide a healthy, delicious, and convenient option for children and people on-the-go. Here you’ll find everything you need to make your own perfect bento box with endless possibilities of delicious and nutritious bento fillings.

Packed Ebi fry bento with a wrapping cloths underneath on a kitchen bench
Trending

Ultimate Bento Guide

Unlock the art of Japanese lunch-making with our Ultimate Bento Guide! 🍱✨ Discover how to create beautiful, balanced, and delicious bento boxes that will elevate your midday meals. From traditional staples to modern twists, learn expert tips on food selection, arrangement, and presentation. Whether you’re a bento beginner or looking to refine your skills, this guide has everything you need to pack Instagram-worthy lunches that are as nutritious as they are eye-catching.

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Onigiri For Bento

three omusubi served on a rectangle bamboo tray

Onigiri (Rice Balls)

4.64 from 19 votes
two salmon onigiri served on a rectangle plate

Delicious Salmon Onigiri Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes
tuna mayo onigiri one wrapped with. nori sheet and one sesame seeds sprinkled

Tunamayo Onigiri Rice Balls

No ratings yet
onigirazu cut in half served in a cardboard take away container

Onigirazu

5 from 4 votes
Three grilled rice balls in a cast iron skillet

Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Balls)  

4.61 from 33 votes
BLT rice sandwich on a plate

BLT Onigirazu

5 from 10 votes
View More Onigiri Recipes
Three deep fried prawns served with tartar sauce
Japanese Kids’ Favourite

Ebi Fry(Panko Crumbed Prawns)

A Japanese dish of succulent shrimp coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried to golden perfection. This popular appetizer or side dish offers a delightful contrast of textures – crunchy exterior giving way to tender, juicy shrimp inside. Typically served with a tangy tonkatsu sauce and a wedge of lemon, ebi fry is a beloved staple in Japanese cuisine that’s both satisfying and easy to enjoy.

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Teriyaki Meatballs served in a Japanese pottery bowl garnished with thinly sliced sacllions

Teriyaki Meatballs

20 minutes mins
4 pieces of Japanese rolled egg Tamagoyaki are served on a oval plate

Tamagoyaki (Japanese Rolled Egg)

15 minutes mins

Popular sides to Pack

Okara served in a medium serving bowl with a bowl of rice and chopsticks

Unohana (Sautéed Okara with Vegetables)

5 from 19 votes
simmered kabocha served in a Japanese pottery serving bowl

Simmered Kabocha Squash

5 from 12 votes
simmered soybean with 4 other ingredients served in a small bowl

Gomoku Mame

5 from 4 votes
Kinpira gobo served on a bowl with a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks

Kinpira Gobo (Braised Burdock Root)

4.80 from 10 votes
Japanese potato salad served in a shallow bowl with salad serving wooden spoon and falk

Japanese Potato Salad 

4.93 from 26 votes
Renkon chips served in a round shallow bowl with amazu sauce drizzling over

Renkon Chips with Amazu Sauce

5 from 5 votes
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Obento How to

Completed Obento in a wooden Bento box

Obento

5 from 13 votes
Bento boxes are a fantastic lunch idea.  Nowadays they are popular outside of Japan too and are often filled…
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three bento boxes wrapped up with Japanese hand towel

How to Wrap a Bento Box

No more boring lunch box! I am going to share how to wrap bento box. Have you ever wondered…
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Bento Staple Condiments

Pickled umeboshi plums in a glass preserve jar

Umeboshi

24 days d 10 minutes mins
Furikake is in a bowl with a small ceramic spoon

The Ultimate Guide To Furikake Rice Seasoning

15 minutes mins
pickled ginger in preserving jar with a pair of chopsticks

Gari (Japanese Pickled Ginger Recipe)

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

Tsukemono (Pickled Diakon Radish)

10 minutes mins
View More Recipes

explore more popular topics

Packed Ebi fry bento with a wrapping cloths underneath on a kitchen bench
bento
Japanese curry rice served in a round shallow bowl with a spoon
curry
oyako don is served in a donburi rice bowl with a lid and chopsticks
donburi
dumpling
kitsune udon served in a noodles bowl with two naruto in it and a pair of chopsticks
noodle
two salmon onigiri served on a rectangle plate
onigiri
shio ramen served in a ramen bowl with chashu, naruto maki and ramen egg
ramen
6 uramaki pieces on a wooden plate with a pair of chopsticks n a small bowl of soy sauce
sushi
2 skewers of mitarashi dango on an oval plate with mitarashi sauce drizzling
wagashi

Latest in Bento

Temari Sushi

1 hour hr
kombu tsukudani served in a shallow rectangle Japanese antique ceramic.

Kombu Tsukudani (Simmered Kelp)

55 minutes mins
tuna mayo onigiri one wrapped with. nori sheet and one sesame seeds sprinkled

Tunamayo Onigiri Rice Balls

50 minutes mins
2 pieces of ebi katsu sando served on a rectangle bamboo tray

Ebi Katsu Sando Recipe (Panko Crumbed Shrimp Sandwich)

40 minutes mins
two salmon onigiri served on a rectangle plate

Delicious Salmon Onigiri Recipe

10 minutes mins
three omusubi served on a rectangle bamboo tray

Onigiri (Rice Balls)

20 minutes mins
karaage chicken served on a bamboo tray with a glass of drink and half cut lemon

Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

30 minutes mins
shogayaki served on rectangular plate with shredded cabbage

Shogayaki (Japanese Ginger Pork)

20 minutes mins
Kelp noodle salad served in a shallow round bowl

Kelp Noodle Salad

15 minutes mins
slices of chicken ham and cucumber and snap peas on a round plate with a pair of chopsticks

Chicken Ham

2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Completed Obento in a wooden Bento box

Obento

1 hour hr
onigirazu cut in half served in a cardboard take away container

Onigirazu

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

Fried Cauliflower Karaage

25 minutes mins
Furikake is in a bowl with a small ceramic spoon

The Ultimate Guide To Furikake Rice Seasoning

15 minutes mins
kara age chicken salad served in a round ball

Karaage Chicken Salad

10 minutes mins
Pickled umeboshi plums in a glass preserve jar

Umeboshi

24 days d 10 minutes mins
Shungiku gomaae served in a small Japanese mortar

Shungiku Goma-ae

10 minutes mins
Three grilled rice balls in a cast iron skillet

Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Balls) ใ€€

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

Homemade Japanese Gyoza

40 minutes mins
Asian Slaw in a rectangle dish. The sesame soy dressing being pored over.

Easy Asian Slaw with Sesame Soy Dressing

15 minutes mins
two serves of sushi burger with Yakiniku on a take away cardboard plate with renkon chips

Yakiniku (Rice Burger)

45 minutes mins
A Japanese hamburger steak served on a round plate with green salad veggies and carrots and green beans.

Japanese Hamburger Steak

30 minutes mins
Chicken Nanban served on a round plate with green salad leaves and a bowl of tartar sauce

Chicken Nanban

40 minutes mins
Umeboshi made from Rhubarb in a small bowl and in a jar in background

Umeboshi Rhubarb

35 minutes mins
two spam musubi served on an oval shaped plate, a pair of chopstick

Spam Musubi

1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
simmered kabocha served in a Japanese pottery serving bowl

Simmered Kabocha Squash

40 minutes mins
two hand holding a bitten korokke

Korokke Recipe (Japanese Potato Croquettes)

40 minutes mins
spinach goma ae served in Japanese ceramic mortar

Goma ae (Japanese Salad Dressed with Sesame Seed Dressing)

15 minutes mins
three beef negimaki roll ups served on a oval plate with green veggies

Beef Negimaki (Japanese Beef Roll Ups)

25 minutes mins
a piece of grilled slated salmon on a white plate

Shiozake (Japanese Salted Salmon)

8 hours hrs 8 minutes mins
6 Inari sushi on a white Japanese pottery plate black sesame seeds sprinkled over

Inari Sushi

35 minutes mins
Two prawn tempura, shiso leaf tempura, renkon, kabocha and chikuwa fish cake tempura on a plate with a bowl of tentsuyu with gated daikon in it

Tempura

25 minutes mins
Three Yakitori skewers on Japanese pottery plate with a bowl of yakitori sauce in background

Yakitori Chicken

30 minutes mins
Teriyaki Meatballs served in a Japanese pottery bowl garnished with thinly sliced sacllions

Teriyaki Meatballs

20 minutes mins
Three fried shrimp with tartar sauce on a round plate with green salad leaves, tomato and a wedge of lemon

Ebi Fry (Japanese Fried Shrimp)

25 minutes mins
Teriyaki salmon served in a round Japanese bowl

Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowls

15 minutes mins
Packed Ebi fry bento with a wrapping cloths underneath on a kitchen bench

The Ultimate Guide to Bento Box Recipes

a wooden lunch box and bento box accessories in background

Bento Box Ideas

3 Tsukune Chicken meatball on skewers over an individual Japanese style grill

Tsukune (Chicken Meatballs)

30 minutes mins
4 pieces of Japanese rolled egg Tamagoyaki are served on a oval plate

Tamagoyaki (Japanese Rolled Egg)

15 minutes mins
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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.
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