Easy Rice Balls (Jumeokbap)

These colorful Korean rice balls, called jumeokbap, are made with sticky short-grain rice and vegetables. The recipe is customizable, so you can use any vegetables and leftover rice you have. They’re perfect for lunchboxes and make great finger food or snacks.

If you’re searching for some great ways to use leftover rice, these budget-friendly Korean-style rice balls are sure to make you smile.

Rice balls are a popular and convenient dish in Korean cuisine. These small, hand-rolled balls are often mixed with a variety of ingredients such as seasoned vegetables, kimchi, or bits of cooked meat.

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They are not only tasty but also portable, making it perfect for picnics, packed lunches, or a quick snack. The name jumeokbap, meaning “fist rice,” describes the traditional method of forming the rice into ball shapes with the hands.

These easy rice balls are my go-to remedy to get rid of leftover rice. And making them is a snap – you can’t get any better than this!

Korean Rice Balls Ideas

The best thing about these korean rice balls is that you can adapt the recipe to use any vegetables you might have in your kitchen. Here I present 3 different types, but I hope you let your imagination go wild with what you have in your kitchen!

1. Ham and Spinach Rice Balls
2. Egg and Pickled Radish Rice Balls
3. Mushroom and Vegetable Rice Balls

Now let’s make some adorable short grain leftover rice snacks.

Ham and Spinach Rice Balls

These rice balls use minced ham, baby spinach, and green onion. You will need to chop the ham pieces finely.

Substitution Idea: Try Korean ground beef bulgogi instead of ham pieces for more Asian flavor!

How to make ham and spinach rice balls

1. Use finely minced ham pieces, green onion, and chopped baby spinach.
2. Saute spinach and green onion in a little oil until they are wilted. Season with Korean soup soy sauce (Do not use too much oil. It will prevent the rice grains from sticking to each other.)
3. Combine rice, ham, and spinach in a mixing bowl; mix well. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
4. Take a heaping tablespoonful of rice mixture and gently squeeze to form a ball, about 1 1/2-inch in size.

Egg and Pickled Radish Rice Balls

Don’t you just love the pretty yellow? The hard boiled egg yolks stain the rice and turn them into beautiful yellow balls of joy.

I used Korean pickled radish and hard boiled egg. See my kimbap recipe for another great use of pickled radish.

How to make egg and pickled radish rice balls

1. Mince pickled radish into small pieces.
2. Separate the hard boiled egg whites and egg yolks. Chop the egg whites finely.
3. Using a strainer and a spoon, mash the egg yolks to crumble. In a mixing bowl combine egg yolks, egg whites, pickled radish, rice, and mayonnaise; mix well. Season with salt according to your taste.
4. Take a heaping tablespoonful of rice mixture and gently squeeze to form a ball, about 1 1/2-inch in size.

Mushroom and Vegetable Rice Balls

I used fresh shiitake mushroom for these rice balls. The chewy and meaty texture of mushrooms makes these quite enjoyable.

Any mushroom will work. Season with garlic, ginger, and other Korean condiments to make them even more tasty.

How to make mushroom vegetable rice balls

1. Chop mushroom, red pepper, green onion finely.
2. Heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a skillet. Saute mushroom and vegetables with garlic and ginger. Season with Korean soup soy sauce, and sesame oil.
3. Combine the mushroom mixture with the rice in a mixing bowl; mix well. Season with salt if needed.
4. Take a heaping tablespoonful of rice mixture and gently squeeze to form a ball, about 1-1/2 to 2 inches in size.

HOW DO YOU MAKE RICE BALLS STICK TOGETHER?

• Use either short grain or medium grain cooked rice. The fluffy long grain rice won’t work well with this recipe. You will need some stickiness from the rice grains to adhere each other.
• I found that wearing a pair of disposable plastic gloves helps forming the balls better than the bare hands. Grease the gloves with a tiny bit of oil before making the balls. It seems that rice doesn’t stick much to the gloves.
• Try not to make the balls too big. If you’re not careful, the weight of the ball itself can pull the rice grains apart from the other ingredients. I find 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter is most ideal.

More Leftover Rice Recipes

Here are more Korean rice recipes are great for using up the leftover rice.

Easy Rice Balls (Jumeokbap)

Servings: 8 people

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

These colorful Korean rice balls, known as jumeokbap, are made with sticky short-grain rice and any vegetables you have on hand. The recipe is easy and very customizable.

Ham and Spinach Rice Balls

• 2 cup (400 g) cooked short grain white rice, warmed
• 1/2 cup (125 g) minced ham
• 2 tsp oil
• 2 cup (64 g) baby spinach, loosly packed
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Egg and Pickled Radish Rice Balls

• 2 cup (400 g) cooked short grain white rice, warmed
• 4 hard boiled egg yolks
• 2 hard boiled egg white
• 1/2 cup (77 g) finely minced pickled radish, or any pickled vegetable
• 1 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise
• salt , to taste

Mushroom and Vegetable Rice Balls

• 2 cup (400 g) cooked short grain white rice, warmed
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 cup (50 g) finely chopped shiitake mushroom, or other mushroom of your choice
• 1/2 cup (75 g) finely chopped red pepper
• 2 green onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

For Ham and spinach rice balls

• Heat oil in a skillet and saute spinach and green onion until they are wilted. (Do not use too much oil. It will prevent the rice grains from sticking to each other) Season with Korean soup soy sauce.

• Combine rice, ham, and sauteed spinach in a mixing bowl; mix well.

• Take a heaping tablespoonful of rice mixture and gently squeeze to form a ball, about 1 1/2-inch in size.

For egg and pickled radish rice balls

• Chop the egg whites finely.

• Using a strainer and a spoon, mash the egg yolks to crumble. In a mixing bowl combine egg whites, egg yolks, pickled radish, rice, and mayonnaise; mix well. Season with salt according to your taste.

• Take a heaping tablespoonful of rice mixture and gently squeeze to form a ball, about 1 1/2-inch in size.

For mushroom and vegetable rice balls

• Heat oil in a skillet. Saute mushroom and vegetables with garlic and ginger. Season with Korean soup soy sauce, and sesame oil.

• Combine the mushroom mixture with the rice in a mixing bowl; mix well. Season with salt and pepper according to your taste.

• Take a heaping tablespoonful of rice mixture and gently squeeze to form a ball, about 1-1/2 to 2 inches in size.