31 Japanese Side Dishes For Sushi

Sushi is 1 of my favourite things to order at Japanese restaurants, but it's quite easy to make at home too. If you're having a sushi night party and not sure what Japanese sides to include, here are the best easy Japanese side dishes to serve with sushi, from teriyaki chicken to miso soup, vegetables, and edamame!

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Note: if you love sushi and Japanese cuisine, but can't get sushi rice where you are, you can use risotto rice which is what my Japanese friends and I did when we lived in a teeny town in Scotland. Alternatively, here are some of the best sushi rice substitutes. And if you have leftovers, here are some ideas on what to do with extra sushi rice!

These green beans are an easy side dish for sushi. In addition, they're super simple to grow at home and are 1 of the most popular accompaniments to sushi, especially for less adventurous guests.

If you don't have a green thumb, you can buy them frozen and simply bring them to the boil then serve. Sprinkle of salt optional.

Click here for more Asian edible garden recipes.

With the right sauce, this is 1 of my favorite Japanese sides. Serve it with a tangy sauce in spring and summer or a more hearty sesame sauce in fall or winter.r

This is actually a Korean not Japanese potato salad BUT the 2 have similar flavors- I just prefer the Korean version because it has these tantalising hints of sweetness thanks to the apples added (and lack of mustard.)

This delicious salad has mango, cucumber, sometimes corn, crabsticks and Kewpie Mayonnaise, a delicious combination! You can add sriracha to the Japanese style mayo to give the kani salad a kick or mix it with ponzu and soy sauce instead. It's a great side dish for a family dinner on a hot summer day.

Tip: if you only have regular mayo, add some chicken stock powder and sugar to mimic the Kewpie flavour.

Cucumber Sesame Salad

Also known as sunomono, you only need cucumbers, rice vinegar, sugar, salt and soy to make the basic version of this light and refreshing veggie dish.

Add some crabsticks to make crab cucumber kani salad.

Tip: Don't forget to sprinkle some toasted white sesame seeds over your Japanese cucumber salad!

Wakame Salad

This bright green Japanese seaweed salad is sold seasoned with sugar and sesame oil, so it's quite sweet and doesn't have a briny flavour at all. You can buy it ready to eat, or frozen.

Some frozen versions will be too salty and will need washing before eating, whilst others are ready to serve after defrosting. It's a great side dish for sushi when you're entertaining as it doesn't require any prep work!

Note: If you are using dried seaweed and making your own seaweed salad, you'll need to rehydrate it and dress it with seasoning.

Grilled Veg

Or grill some asparagus or mushrooms then serve with a scrumptious sesame dressing (goma dare.)

Chicken skewers are the perfect appetizer for a sushi party!

For some non-Japanese sides, click here for more Asian-inspired chicken wing recipes.

These crispy fried chicken bits are a popular dish at Japanese restaurants.

Fun fact: whilst we're most familiar with chicken, some karaage dishes use other proteins such as blowfish!

A traditional Japanese soup that is part of a typical Japanese meal- there are instant packet versions of this Japanese staple. However, homemade miso soup is a simple side dish that is actually very easy to make. 

If you have dashi stock (or bonito flakes), miso paste and some green onions- maybe some silken tofu and king oyster or shiitake mushrooms- you're more or less set!

Or go off the beaten track with this delicious and popular Japanese seafood clear soup, usually served in a teapot (dobin)!

You usually get some matsutake mushrooms, some shrimp, some chicken and maybe some imitation crab meat in it.

Tip: don't forget the lime- it's very important for the acidity it adds to the soup!

When you order Japanese food, it often comes with preserved vegetables (tsukumono) such as baby ginger. Sushi ginger, or gari, has a bright pink hue because this pickled ginger is made from young ginger.

Other pickles include the bright yellow radish (which is found in some sushi rolls), cucumber or the fuchsia gherkins (shiba zuke.)

Agedashi Tofu

This traditional Japanese dish is light and delicious- the tofu is coated with potato starch to create a crispy coating but it's so light it pretty much melts in your mouth.

Tip: If you find it too challenging to make, you can do something simpler, like pan fry tofu and serve with a ponzu dipping sauce.

This may sound intimidating to prepare, but you can buy the jellyfish pre-cooked (either ready to eat or frozen) so all you have to do is plate them! You can also mix them with some cubed cucumbers to add some fibre to your meal. (Jellyfish is typically eaten cold.)

I love jellyfish for its crunchy texture but the slippery feel may be a bit much for less-adventurous eaters!

Marinated Octopus

As with the jellyfish, these tiny marinated octopi are sold ready to eat at many Japanese and even Asian supermarkets.

They're tiny- about the size of a thumb- and you're meant to eat everything, including the head!

Like the jellyfish, these are usually served cold but unlike the jellyfish, which has more of a sweet flavor, the octopus have more of a savory flavor.

For those who prefer their side dishes hot, why not a side of tempura? Serve a variety- fried prawns, white fish, kabocha, kinoko mushrooms, shiso leaves and sweet potato- and don't forget the all important dipping sauce!

The batter is typically made from egg, flour and cold water, but you can also find tempura pre-mixes in Asian supermarkets.

Fun fact: did you know that the Japanese adapted tempura from a Portuguese dish in the 1600s in Nagasaki?

If you're adventurous enough to try raw fish, I highly recommend a side of sashimi to go with your sushi.

These are available in pre-sliced most Japanese supermarkets (the way the raw fish is cut affects the flavor of the sashimi) and are 1 of the best sides to go with that California Roll or Nigiri Sushi.

These Japanese dumplings can be made in advance and frozen for whenever you want to eat them, making them 1 of the best side dishes.

Sprinkle some spring onion and sesame seeds on top to wow guests with your presentation- and don't forget the easy 3 ingredient Japanese dumpling sauce!

Onigiri

Like sushi, onigiri is quite a filling dish as they're basically rice balls- sometimes filled, sometimes plain.

If you've not made sushi before, making onigiri is actually a good introduction as it helps you get used to the stickiness of the rice but you don't have to fiddle about with the bamboo roll!

Tamagoyaki

This golden rolled Japanese omelette is really easy to cook- simply beat your egg, and mix in some dashi stock, mirin and light soy then cook and roll.

Tastes great both hot and cold.

Wasabi

Shocker: The ubiquitous green paste seen at sushi restaurants isn't actually wasabi!

Unless you're at a very pricey Japanese joint, real wasabi is usually too expensive for them to serve and what you get is usually horseradish that's been dyed green.

Note: outside of Japan, people serve sushi with soy sauce but, in Japan, the soy sauce has usually been applied to the fish before it's been pressed onto the sushi rice, so a platter of soy sauce by the side isn't necessary.

Dango

A traditional Japanese street snack in which rice dumplings- 3 types of rice flour are usually used!- are slathered with a sweet soy sauce.

The round balls are typically served on a skewered go well with green tea or matcha.

For something lighter, end the meal with some Japanese jelly such as konjac jelly fruit salad, yuzu konnyaku jelly or this no-sugar agar agar.

Matcha Ice Cream

If you want to serve something more unusual, skip the green tea ice cream and try black sesame ice cream with red beans! Or if you're looking for a different kind of matcha dessert, try Hojicha muffins.

To make the party more fun, serve taiyaki or Japanese fish ice cream! You can find this Japanese street food in most Asian grocery stores.

Mochi Muffins

Make a vegan Mochi Muffin, or a black sesame sweet rice cupcake. Or try the Chinese version of this glutinous rice treat instead: tang yuan, if you like it in sweet soup, or muah chee, if you prefer it dry.

A hot cup of green tea is great for drinking with sushi or washing down a heavy meal.

In summer, barley tea, also known as mugicha, is very popular as it's super cooling and refreshing. Great thing is, it's super easy to make at home!

Matcha Lattes

Not traditional, but if you want something different you could go for a matcha latte! Try this homemade Starbucks green tea latte or a matcha chai version.

Alcohol

Umeshu

You can get some Choya plum wine or, even better, make your own Umeshu (or Korean plum wine- they're made in a similar way, the key difference is in the type of sugar used.) It's actually super easy to DIY and plum wine is great for your digestion after all that sushi!

Beers

There is so much more to Japanese beer than Kirin, Sapporo and Asahi! Click here for the 30 most popular Japanese beers.

Sake

Or why not try some Japanese sake?

What are your favourite Sushi Side Dishes? Let me know if I've missed something important out in this list of best Japanese side dishes!