For the last several years we’ve lived in cities with little to no Japanese food, so we’ve had to learn to make our own. Japanese food is not as difficult to make as many home chefs think.
Here, we include some of our favorite recipes for Japanese vegetables that you can make at home! They can stand on their own or be served as starters or side dishes to any Japanese recipe.
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Vegetarian Cuisine And Eating Vegetables In Japan
I’m not going to lie. When we travel to Japan we are in search of sushi, pork, and all things ramen! That’s not to say there aren’t a lot of tasty vegetable dishes available when traveling in Japan. And, a lot of the dishes we’ve eaten during our trips to Japan have inspired some of the Japanese cooking we try to do at home.
When we ate an entirely vegetarian meal in Wakayama, I was shocked at how many of the Japanese vegetable dishes Eric actually liked!
Like some other Asian cuisines, it can be a little difficult to confirm that Japanese recipes are vegetarian. Sometimes, even vegetable dishes can be made with fish sauce or flavored with bonito. By making these Japanese veg recipes at home, you can be sure the ingredients are vegetarian or vegan, depending on your needs.
Learn more about Japanese cooking at home:
The Best Instant Pot Japanese Recipes
10 Japanese Spices, Seasonings, And Sauces For Cooking At Home
The Best Japanese Rice Recipes
15 Of The Tastiest Sushi Bowl Recipes
The Best Japanese Dessert Recipes
Vegetable Dishes In Japanese
I won’t even pretend to know Japanese. As many times as we’ve traveled to Japan, I still can’t comprehend the Japanese language. What I can say is that many of these recipes are for dishes that are popular in Japan or at least ones we’ve eaten during one of our trips to the country.
They include ingredients you can often find at most grocery stores or at Asian supermarkets. Some of the most popular Japanese vegetables and ingredients include daikon, mushrooms, eggplant, squash, and bok choy. Seasonings and flavorings include miso, soy, sesame oil, and other flavors.
Want to take things up a notch in your Japanese cooking at home? Check out some of these great kitchen tools:
Best Japanese Yakitori Grill: Japanese Style Yakitori Grills
Best Japanese Rice Cooker – How To Make Japanese Rice At Home
Best Nakiri Knife – How To Find The Best Japanese Vegetable Knife
Best Gyuto Knife – How To Choose The Best Japanese Chefs Knife
Best Tamagoyaki Pans – Japanese Omelete Pans
The Best Japanese Vegetable Recipes
These Japanese vegetable recipes can pair with so many different dishes or can serve as snacks on their own.
Daikon Radish Salad
Daikon Radish Salad is a little salad loaded with strong flavors and character! It’s common to see Japanese pickled vegetables, including pickled radish.
This daikon salad recipe is for you if you are looking to add more raw vegetables in form of a salad to your daily meal planning. Also, the daikon radish recipe is surprisingly versatile and makes a great must-have during the colder winter months!
Daikon Radish Cucumber Salad
This daikon radish salad with cucumbers is a bright and flavorful side dish. It has a zesty sesame and rice wine vinegar dressing. This is definitely one of the more easy Japanese vegetables recipes and a great way to make Japanese cucumber pickles.
Shaved Asparagus And Daikon Salad
Crispy, juicy mouthfuls of fresh raw daikon and asparagus layered with aromatic Japanese sesame dressing and wispy savory bonito flakes. This is a refreshing Asian side salad worth trying.
Hawaiian Pickled Daikon
Hawaiian pickled daikon recipe, with a little coconut sugar, turmeric, black pepper, and rice vinegar. Healthy and delicious. And, it’s one of the Japanese vegetarian dishes.
Japanese Mushroom Salad
A Japanese mushrooms salad that is not only easy to make but delicious with its meaty bite and earthy flavors. For a hearty and delicious meal, serve this Japanese mushrooms dish with a bowl of steamed rice, grilled fish, and miso soup.
Blistered Shishito Peppers
You’re going to love these blistered shishito peppers. They’re mildly spicy and deeply flavorful. Shishito peppers are a small, mild chili freen chili pepper. To me, this dish is pretty similar to padron peppers from Spain. The biggest difference is the seasoning that’s used on the shishito, versus padron peppers, which are only cooked in salt.
Air Fryer Shishito Peppers
Air Fryer Shishito Peppers come out with smoky charred skins & a sweet mild flesh. These little mildly spiced Japanese peppers are addicting & perfect for the dipping recipe included. Don’t have an air fryer? See our recommendations for the best large-capacity air fryers.
Check out some of our other top air fryer recipes:
45 Easy Air Fryer Recipes For Beginners
33 Of The Best Vegetarian Air Fryer Recipes
16 Tasty Indian Air Fryer Recipes
Asahi Beer Battered Mushrooms
Asahi beer battered mushrooms. Crunchy golden brown beer batter, a sprinkling of matcha salt, and yuzu wasabi mayonnaise to dip into.
Garlic Soy Bok Choy
Crisp, fresh, and bursting with loads of unexpected flavor, this Garlic Bok Choy Recipe is guaranteed to be your new favorite side dish. Ready in just 10 minutes, enjoy this easy vegetarian side dish with chicken, beef, or fish.
Sesame Ginger Seared Bok Choy
Sesame ginger seared baby bok choy is crunchy yet tender and packed with flavor. It’s the perfect side or topper for any Asian-influenced dinner.
Instant Pot Bok Choy
Instant Pot bok choy is a great healthy and tender side dish to serve with any main Japanese meal.
Japanese Candied Sweet Potatoes
Candied sweet potatoes with sesame are a Japanese delicacy. They are served up as a snack or make a great side dish.
Whole Roasted Kabocha Squash
Roasting a Japanese pumpkin whole is much easier than you think! They make edible serving bowls for your favorite soups, stuffing, or other side dishes.
Japanese Simmered Squash
Simmering vegetables in dashi is a classic Japanese way to prepare vegetables and kabocha is a favorite. The result is tender, flavorful squash that melts in your mouth.
Japanese Miso Eggplant
Super quick-to-make Miso Eggplant is a vegan recipe packed with flavor that everyone can enjoy, Tender eggplant is cooked to perfection then brushed with a miso glaze and broiled. You can also make this like hibachi vegetables, by cooking them on a Japanese grill.
Kabocha Squash Fries
These crispy, thinly sliced kabocha squash fries are the perfect healthy Japanese snack! They can be baked or fried and taste great with any dipping sauce!
Japanese Mushroom Rice
Japanese mushroom rice uses simple ingredients but the dish has wonderful earthy and umami flavors. A great side or meal in itself.
Vegan Nabe – Vegetable Winter Soup
This Japanese-style winter soup is the perfect comfort food worth sharing. It’s loaded with napa cabbage, enoki, and shiitake mushrooms in a savory kombu broth. I just love a good Japanese vegetable soup!