What Is Senbei? 5 Types of Senbei

Senbei are traditional Japanese rice crackers, typically served with green tea. These palm-sized crackers, made from joshinko (non-glutinous) rice, were introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty and are among the oldest Japanese snack foods. Early versions of senbei were made from wheat flour and potatoes. Modern variations take inspiration from the soy sauce-infused batches created in the Japanese tea shop from the Edo period that ushered the snack food into the mainstream. Today, mirin, black soybeans, nori, shrimp, and furikake are among the most common senbei flavorings.

Senbei can be sweet or savory. Sweet rice crackers may be coated in zarame sugar or feature fruity flavors for sweet applications, while savory iterations incorporate everything from wasabi to curry blends. You can find senbei in most Asian grocery stores.

There are many different types of senbei. The popular rice cracker is classified into three categories: classic senbei, regional senbei, and other senbei. Within each category, multiple types of senbei exist, each one harboring its own diverse flavor.

1. 1. Ika (squid): One of many seafood senbei, ika-sen is made by baking a piece of squid onto the rice cracker’s surface. They can be baked flat or grilled with different pieces of squid.
2. 2. Kuro Goma (black sesame): Black sesame senbei are made from flour and sesame seeds, which results in a crispy and crunchy cracker.
3. 3. Seaweed (nori): This type of senbei is toasted and wrapped in a thin sheet of dried nori seaweed and sometimes seasoned with furikake, a Japanese seasoning consisting of nori seaweed, sesame seeds, and a dried fish. You can make nori senbei by mixing aonori (powdered seaweed) into senbei dough before baking.
4. 4. Shōyu (soy sauce): Shōyu is the most common senbei flavor in Japan. To make this variation, producers brush soy sauce over the crackers as they toast over a flame, which imparts a notable umami flavor.
5. 5. Togarashi (red chili pepper): This spicy senbei cracker is thickly coated in red pepper flakes and powder after toasting, which adds a punch of heat to the popular snack.

Senbei and okaki are two types of popular Japanese rice crackers with a couple of key differences. Senbei are made from glutinous rice, whereas okaki are made using sweet rice flour (mochiko). Senbei are large and flat disks, whereas okaki are smaller and puffed. Arare are an even smaller type of okaki made from cut rice cakes.

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