In this post, I’ll walk you through the key ingredients to get started with Japanese cooking.
I’ve picked out a few must-have pantry staples so you won’t feel overwhelmed—either by choices or by cost. You can always add more as you try new recipes!
If you’re already stocked up on the basics and want to take things further, check out the Nice-to-Have Ingredients section for even more variety in your Japanese meals.
Quick note: This list assumes you already have everyday essentials like salt, black pepper, and neutral oil.
💡Want a simple guide to start Japanese cooking? Check out our Step-by-Step Guide to Japanese Cooking Basics.
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💡Grab this FREE shopping list and quick substitution guide to make stocking your kitchen easier!
🥇6 Must-Have Condiments
Miso
Miso is a fermented condiment made from soybeans and koji, a mold grown on rice, wheat, or soybeans. It’s packed with umami and adds a savory depth to your dishes.
There are many types of miso, but if you're just getting started, go for light-colored (tanshoku) miso—it’s the most versatile.
🛒Recommended Products:
- Light-colored: Kodawattemasu
- Red (aka): Hikari Organic Red Miso Paste
- White (shiro): Hikari Organic White Miso Paste
💡Want to learn more? Check out our Beginner's Guide to Miso.
Sake
In Japanese, "sake" just means alcohol, but in cooking, it refers to either cooking sake or regular drinking sake (seishu).
Cooking sake is cheaper, but it has added salt and lacks the refined flavor of drinking sake. While it won’t give you the same depth of flavor, it’s great for everyday use.
Sake is used to:
- Add umami
- Get rid of fishy or meaty odors
- Infuse ingredients with flavor
🛒Recommended Products:
- Seishu: Sho Chiku Bai Classic Junmai, Gekkeikan
- Cooking sake: Morita Organic Cooking Sake
💡 Learn more in our Beginner's Guide to Sake!
Mirin
Mirin is similar to sake but sweeter. There are three types:
- Hon mirin (true mirin) – the best choice for cooking.
- Mirin-style seasoning
- Mirin-type seasoning
Mirin is great for:
- Giving dishes a glossy finish
- Adding sweetness and umami
- Keeping ingredients tender
🛒Recommended Products:
💡Want more details? Check out Everything About Mirin.
Soy Sauce
Soy sauce is made by fermenting soybeans, koji, and salt. There are several types, but if you’re new to Japanese cooking, start with koikuchi soy sauce—it’s the most versatile.
Once you’re comfortable, try usukuchi soy sauce next. It’s saltier than koikuchi but helps preserve the colors of your ingredients.
🛒Recommended Products:
- Koikuchi: Kikkoman Koikuchi Soy Sauce, Yamasan Soy Sauce
- Usukuchi: Kikkoman Usukuchi Soy Sauce, Yamaroku Japanese Usukuchi Soy Sauce
💡Learn more in All About Japanese Soy Sauce.
Rice Vinegar
Japanese cooking mainly uses rice vinegar and grain vinegar, but rice vinegar is easier to find outside Japan. It has a mild sourness with a slight sweetness from the rice.
Avoid seasoned rice vinegar or sushi vinegar, as they contain added sugar and are different from regular rice vinegar.
🛒Recommended Products:
Dashi
Dashi is the foundation of Japanese cooking, adding deep umami to soups, sauces, and more. If you want your dish to taste unmistakably Japanese, just add dashi! 🙂
If you’re just starting out or short on time, dashi powder is a great shortcut. When you’re ready, try making homemade dashi using traditional ingredients.
Types of Dashi
- Dashi Powder: Quick and beginner-friendly. Look for high-quality powder made with natural ingredients.
🛒 Recommendation: Kayanoya Dashi - Liquid Dashi: Pre-made and ready to use, perfect when you're in a hurry.
🛒 Recommendation: Shiro Dashi - Homemade Dashi: Made from scratch for the best flavor. Customize your blend by adjusting the ingredients.
- To make it, you’ll need:
💡Want to dive deeper? Check out our Comprehensive Guide to Dashi.
🗄️Pantry Staples
Japanese Rice
Rice is just as essential as dashi in Japanese cooking.
For everyday meals, go with short-grain or medium-grain rice. While medium-grain rice isn’t technically Japanese rice, it has a similar texture and is often more affordable in the U.S.
You can find it at most Asian grocery stores or order it online.
Quick note: Glutinous rice (mochigome) is completely different from regular short- or medium-grain rice. It’s much stickier and is mainly used for dishes like mochi and okowa—not for daily meals.
🛒Recommended Products:
- Medium-grain: Nishiki Medium Grain Rice, Botan Calrose Rice
- Short-grain: Koshihikari Japanese Short Grain Rice
💡Want to know more? Check out the Complete Guide to Japanese Rice. (coming soon!)
Dashi Powder (Kayanoya Dashi)
This overlaps with the dashi section above, but I have to emphasize—dashi powder is a game changer. Even if you plan to make homemade dashi, having dashi powder on hand makes it easy to add umami to any dish in seconds.
If you go with Kayanoya Dashi (my personal favorite), you can use the packets to make traditional dashi or tear them open and sprinkle the powder directly into your dish for an instant flavor boost.
I highly recommend grabbing a pack—you won’t regret it!
🛒Recommended Product: Kayanoya Dashi
🥈Nice-to-Have Ingredients (optional)
Versatile Seasonings
Mentsuyu
A flavorful liquid seasoning made by mixing kaeshi (soy sauce, mirin, and/or sugar) with dashi.
Mentsuyu is commonly used as a dipping sauce when diluted with water, but because its core ingredients—dashi, soy sauce, and mirin—are staples in Japanese cooking, you can also use it to season dishes directly.
🛒Recommended Products:
- Hon Tsuyu (Kikkoman's way to call mentsuyu)
- Ninben no Tsuyu no Moto
💡Make your own: How to Make Mentsuyu at Home (coming soon!)
Ponzu
A citrus-based sauce that adds tanginess, saltiness, and a refreshing citrusy flavor to dishes.
Like mentsuyu, ponzu works well as a seasoning, especially for dishes that use vinegar and soy sauce. Also try drizzling it over boiled vegetables like spinach for a quick side dish or using it as a dressing.
🛒Recommended Products:
💡Make your own: How to Make Ponzu at Home (coming soon!)
Yakiniku no Tare (Japanese BBQ Sauce)
A savory sauce made with ingredients like ginger, garlic, sake, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce.
"Yakiniku" means Japanese barbecue, and "tare" means sauce, so yakiniku no tare is Japanese BBQ sauce.
It’s traditionally used as a dipping sauce for grilled meats, but it’s versatile enough for other dishes. Try using it in mapo tofu, stir-fried meat and vegetables, or Korean-style dishes.
🛒Recommended Products:
💡Make your own: How to Make Yakiniku no Tare at Home (coming soon!)
Dried Ingredients
Dried Bonito Flakes (Katsuobushi)
While primarily used to make dashi, bonito flakes are great for quick dishes:
- Mix them with seasonings for easy toppings.
- Stir them into rice for onigiri or maze gohan (mixed rice).
- Use them as a finishing touch on tofu, okonomiyaki, or stir-fries.
🛒Recommended Product: Kaneso Hanakatsuo
Dried Seaweed (Wakame, Kombu, Hijiki)
These dried seaweeds are pantry staples for making quick, nutritious dishes.
- Cut wakame: Great for miso soup or salads.
- Cut kombu: Use for tsukemono (pickled vegetables) or making dashi.
- Hijiki: Great for simmered hijiki dishes, adding fiber and umami to meals.
🛒Recommended Products:
- Cut wakame: Shirakiku Cut Wakame
- Cut kombu: Welpac Aokizami Kombu
- Hijiki: Welpac Hijiki
Kiriboshi Daikon (Dried Daikon Strips)
Sun-dried daikon with a concentrated umami flavor.
It’s a great way to add vegetables to a dish when you’re out of fresh produce. Try using it in simmered dishes (simmered kiriboshi daikon), salads, or stir-fries.
🛒Recommended Product: Eden Daikon Radish
Umami Boosters
Bouillon Paste or Consommé
Not traditionally Japanese, but a useful ingredient for adding Western-style umami.
In Japan, consommé powder is common, but in the U.S., I prefer Better Than Bouillon paste for accessibility. Kayanoya Vegetable Stock Powder is another good alternative.
🛒Recommended Products:
Oyster Sauce
A rich, umami-packed sauce made from oysters, often used in Chinese and Japanese cooking.
It’s perfect for stir-frying meat and vegetables or adding depth to sauces and marinades.
🛒Recommended Product: Panda Oyster Sauce
Shio Kombu (Salted Kelp Stripes)
Shio kombu is salted, umami-rich kombu that makes seasoning quick and easy.
Use it for:
- Maze gohan (mixed rice)
- Quick tsukemono (pickled vegetables)
- A topping for tofu, salads, or simple vegetable dishes
🛒Recommended Products:
- Regular: Kurakon Salt Kep
- Low-sodium: Fujicco Shio Kombu Low Sodium Version
Others
Sesame Oil
A must-have for Chinese and Korean-inspired dishes like mapo tofu. Olive oil doesn’t work well for these cuisines.
🛒Recommended Product: Kadoya Sesame Oil
🛒Shopping List
These are example brands—feel free to choose your favorites! Just be sure to get the right type of condiment or ingredient.
Most of these can be found at Asian grocery stores or online, and some may be available at regular supermarkets.
If you're having trouble finding Japanese ingredients, check out my post on where to buy Japanese groceries online (coming soon!) or learn how to substitute Japanese ingredients!
Must-Have Condiments
- Miso: Kodawattemasu (light-colored)
- Sake: Sho Chiku Bai Classic Junmai or Morita Organic Cooking Sake
- Mirin: Eden Mirin or Ohsawa Genuine Mirin
- Soy Sauce: Kikkoman Koikuchi Soy Sauce
- Rice Vinegar: Marukan Genuine Brewed Rice Vinegar
- Dashi: Kayanoya Dashi
Pantry Staples
- Japanese rice: Koshihikari (short-grain) or Nishiki (medium-grain)
- Dashi powder: Kayanoya Dashi
🍳What's Next?
Now that your pantry is stocked with the essentials, it’s time to start cooking! If you're looking for an easy first dish, Authentic Japanese Gyudon (coming soon!) or Simple Oyakodon (coming soon!) are great options since they use many of these pantry staples.
No need to stress about getting everything perfect—Japanese cooking is all about balance and learning as you go. And if you have any questions or recipe requests, drop a comment below or send me an email—I’d love to hear from you! 👍
If you're just starting to learn how to make Japanese dishes, this step-by-step beginner’s guide to Japanese cooking will walk you through each step!
If you’re ready to stock your kitchen with essential tools next, check out my beginner’s guide to Japanese cooking tools post (coming soon!).
Happy cooking!
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