Homemade Furikake Seasoning

Easy to Make: Although the process might take a bit of time, this furikake seasoning recipe is quite straightforward. With clear instructions and common ingredients, you'll be able to create your own homemade Japanese seasoning with ease. 

Versatile: This furikake seasoning is extremely versatile. You can sprinkle it on eggs, pasta, popcorn, rice, noodles, and even salads and soups. It’s an easy way to elevate your favorite dish.

Delicious With Lots of Umami: This furikake seasoning is packed with flavors from the miso/gochujang powder, bonito flakes, sesame seeds, and nori seaweed. Each spoonful adds a delicious umami flavor to your meals.

All you need are some incredibly simple, pantry-staple ingredients to make this delicious furikake seasoning recipe at home.

Here's an overview of the specific ingredients for this recipe. For the exact ingredients and measurements, please scroll to the recipe card below.

• Miso and Gochujang: These 2 ingredients are what will be the flavor bombs of this furikake seasoning recipe. They provide a bulk of the flavor as well as a lot of umami. You cannot substitute them out but you can use 1 or the other but I find using both gives this furikake a lot more flavor. Alternatively, you can also buy miso powder as well if you want to skip the process of making your own.
• Bonito Flakes: These dried fish flakes are a key ingredient in traditional Japanese furikake. They add a slightly smoky flavor that really gives it that authentic touch. You can find this at any Asian grocery store or online.
• Soy Sauce: This brings a salty, umami flavor to the furikake. It also provides a bit of savoriness as well.
• Mirin: This is a sweet Japanese rice wine that adds a touch of sweetness to balance out the saltiness and spiciness. If you cannot find this at an Asian grocery store or online, you can dissolve sugar into soy sauce instead.
• Sesame Seeds: Toasted for added flavor, these seeds provide a nice crunch and nuttiness to the furikake seasoning.
• Garlic: Finely chopped and fried, garlic gives an aromatic flavor that compliments the other ingredients.
• Nori Seaweed: This dried seaweed adds a distinct oceanic flavor and is an essential ingredient in furikake seasoning. You can't have furikake without nori seaweed!

Dry the Miso/Gochujang Paste Into Powder

Line with Parchment Paper: Using parchment paper to line the pan will help make it easier to remove the dried miso/gochujang paste once it has been dried.

Combine Miso and Gochujang Together and Spread the Paste: To make the miso/gochujang paste, simply just mix the 2 pastes together in a bowl. It is very important that you spread the paste very thinly on parchment paper before drying it. It will reduce the drying time significantly. I spread mine 1 mm thick.

Bake the Paste: Preheat your oven to its lowest setting (ideally, around 150F or 66C). Bake the paste for about an hour and a half.

Blitz into powder: Once you have the dried miso/gochujang paste broken up, blitz it into a fine powder in a food processor or blender. This recipe will make extra powder - use it to flavor anything that you would normally use salt on for an added umami flavor boost!

Toast the Ingredients: Crisping up the rest of the ingredients was the easiest part. Just make sure you toast the garlic and sesame seeds during the second half of the toasting so they don't burn. The goal for this is to make everything 'candied' by drying out the soy sauce and mirin right onto the bonito flakes and then toasting everything to give it a bit more of a nutty flavor.
Cool and Crumble: Once everything is candied and cooled, you should be able to easily crumble it with your fingers into even smaller pieces. If the ingredients still feel a bit wet to you after it has cooled, add it back onto the heat and dry it up for a few more minutes by toasting it.

Shred up the Seaweed

Rip and Cut the Seaweed: Rip the seaweed into small manageable sizes; stack them up into a pile; cut them into long strips ½ width in size and stack them up again, then cut them up into smaller pieces.

Mixing Everything Together

Combine All Ingredients: Once the miso/gochujang powder, toasted ingredients, and shredded seaweed have cooled, combine them in a bowl. Add three tablespoons of the miso/gochujang powder and mix well.

This delicious furikake seasoning recipe is so flavorful and easy to make, you'll want to try out some of these delicious variations! Here are some great ideas:

Try It with Wasabi: For those who love the kick of wasabi, this variation is a must-try. Simply add a teaspoon of wasabi powder to the mixture. Be careful not to add too much because wasabi is super spicy!

Add a Hint of Sweetness: For a surprising twist, try adding a tablespoon of sugar to your furikake seasoning. This will balance out the savory flavors with a hint of sweetness.

Make It Into A Spicy Furikake Seasoning: Add a few tablespoons of chili flakes and transform it into a spicy furikake!

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