Onigiri are a fast Japanese food option. Typically made with plain white rice, they are often stuffed with various fillings but can also be purchased without any fillings at all. They are perfect for packing in a lunch box, or just taking with you while you are on the go.
For this recipe I adapted the rice component of our keto sushi recipe. Onigiri are usually made with plain rice, but I decided to use the vinegar and soy sauce anyway because I think it helps mask the cauliflower flavor. You can leave these out if you wish, just don’t forget to mix in some salt.
I also used canned salmon as a filling – but don’t let that idea limit you. You can put almost anything into onigiri. Some ideas include tuna, chicken, pork, umeboshi, fried cutlets, or even kimchi. Instead of canned fish you can also use freshly prepared salmon. Any protein leftovers you have from dinner are perfect for turning into onigiri the next day.
To store, just wrap your onigiri in a small sheet of plastic wrap. If you prefer not to use plastic wrap then you can just wrap with larger sheets of nori to completely cover the rice, then store them in an airtight container.
Yields 6 servings of Keto Onigiri
The Preparation
- 16 ounces cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 5 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 5 ounces canned pink salmon
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 whole nori sheets
The Execution
1. Trim all of the leaves from the outside of the cauliflower.
2. Chop the cauliflower into chunks that are small enough to fit into your food processor.
3. Use the grater attachment to process all of the cauliflower into rice.
4. Toast the cauliflower over medium-high heat until it’s steamed out most of the water.
5. Mix in the tablespoon of soy sauce and the unseasoned rice vinegar.
6. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the softened cream cheese. Chill in the fridge for about half an hour.
7. Mix the canned salmon with the tablespoon of mayonnaise, set aside.
8. Divide the rice mixture into six sections. Place one of the sections onto a sheet of plastic wrap and create a well in the middle.
9. Add a tablespoon of the salmon mixture into the well.
10. Use to plastic wrap to form a ball of cauliflower rice around the salmon. One the salmon is fully enclosed, create a triangle shape.
11. Unwrap the rice and adjust the shape as needed. It’s a little bit harder to work with than regular rice, so just be patient and do your best.
12. Cut the sheets of nori into thirds. Place the rice into the center of a strip of nori.
13. Fold the strips over the rice and wrap around the bottom, almost like a jacket.
14. Optionally you can garnish the top with a little flaked salmon to show what’s inside. Repeat with the other five sections until you have six onigiri total.
This makes a total of 6 servings of Keto Onigiri. Each serving comes out to be 148 calories, 11.3g fats, 2.5g net carbs, and 8.1g protein.
| NUTRITION | CALORIES | FAT | CARBS | FIBER | NET CARBS | PROTEIN |
| 16 ounce cauliflower | 104 | 2.3 | 18.6 | 10.4 | 8.2 | 8.2 |
| 1 tablespoon soy sauce | 8 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 ounce cream cheese | 485 | 48.2 | 5.8 | 0 | 5.8 | 8.7 |
| 5 ounce canned pink salmon | 183 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.9 |
| 1 tablespoon mayonnaise | 94 | 10.3 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 2 whole nori sheets | 12 | 0 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 0 | 2.4 |
| Totals | 889 | 67.9 | 27.7 | 13 | 14.7 | 48.6 |
| Per Serving (/6) | 148 | 11.3 | 4.6 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 8.1 |
Keto Onigiri
Ingredients
- 16 ounce cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 5 ounce cream cheese softened
- 5 ounce canned pink salmon
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 whole nori sheets
Instructions
- Trim all of the leaves from the outside of the cauliflower.
- Chop the cauliflower into chunks that are small enough to fit into your food processor.
- Use the grater attachment to process all of the cauliflower into rice-like consistency.
- Toast the cauliflower over medium-high heat, until it’s steamed out most of the water.
- Mix in the tablespoon of soy sauce and the unseasoned rice vinegar.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the softened cream cheese until well combined. Chill in the fridge for about half an hour.
- Mix the canned salmon with the mayonnaise; set aside.
- Divide the rice mixture into sections equal to serving sizes. Place one of the sections onto a sheet of plastic wrap and create a well in the middle.
- Add a tablespoon of the salmon mixture into the well.
- Use the plastic wrap to form a ball of cauliflower rice around the salmon. One the salmon is fully enclosed, create a triangle shape.
- Unwrap the rice and adjust the shape as needed. It’s a little bit harder to work with than regular rice, so just be patient and do your best.
- Cut the sheets of nori into thirds. Place the rice into the center of a strip of nori.
- Fold the strips over the rice and wrap around the bottom, almost like a jacket.
- Optionally you can garnish the top with a little flaked salmon to show what’s inside. Repeat with the other sections to complete the number of servings.
