Hello Kitty Cherry Bento Box

It’s a celebration of all things pink & girly with this Hello Kitty Cherry Bento Box! This foolproof bento can be made and enjoyed by bento novices & veterans alike, and makes an undeniably perfect lunch for any die-hard Hello Kitty fan.

 

Hello Kitty Cherry Bento Box - The perfect lunch for any Hello Kitty fan, this pink & girly bento is so easy to make, it's nearly foolproof, making it perfect for beginner bento makers. Along with step-by-step instructions & video tutorial, find out the amazing tool I use to easily shape perfectly circular rice balls in just 30 seconds!! | loveatfirstbento.com [character bento, kyaraben, charaben, vegetarian]

Hello Kitty Cherry Bento Box - The perfect lunch for any Hello Kitty fan, this pink & girly bento is so easy to make, it's nearly foolproof, making it perfect for beginner bento makers. Along with step-by-step instructions & video tutorial, find out the amazing tool I use to easily shape perfectly circular rice balls in just 30 seconds!! | loveatfirstbento.com [character bento, kyaraben, charaben, vegetarian]

Whenever I need a little extra cheer and cuteness in my bento box, there are always two things that I subconsciously gravitate towards: lots of pink, and lots of Hello Kitty. I think it’s safe to say that this Hello Kitty Cherry Bento Box surpasses these requirements, since we have:

  1. Hot pink rice “cherries”, which are colored naturally with beet powder.
  2. Cute Hello Kitty faces that will make you swoon with every glance.

 

And, with the right tools, this character bento box is as easy as cherry pie to make; it’s easy enough for a complete novice to pull off, and also makes for a quick and simple lunch that any bento veteran can whip up in no time. Because, let’s face it: cute shouldn’t have to be difficult. 😉

First, let’s talk tools. I’ve already professed my undying love for the super epic maraca rice ball mold, which I also used to create my Rilakkuma Rice Balls Bento. By simply shaking it like a maraca, you end up with three perfectly spherical mini rice balls, which just so happen to be the ideal size for making rice “cherries”. And, might I point out that it’s also the perfect excuse to practice your dance moves while simultaneously making lunch? Not too many kitchen utensils can boast that.

Hello Kitty Cherry Bento Box - The perfect lunch for any Hello Kitty fan, this pink & girly bento is so easy to make, it's nearly foolproof, making it perfect for beginner bento makers. Along with step-by-step instructions & video tutorial, find out the amazing tool I use to easily shape perfectly circular rice balls in just 30 seconds!! | loveatfirstbento.com [character bento, kyaraben, charaben, vegetarian]

To easily create Hello Kitty faces out of nori seaweed, a Hello Kitty nori punch is essential, and a tool I consider a necessity for any Hello Kitty fan. The punch is included in this Hello Kitty onigiri kit, which I was elated to finally receive for my birthday this year; it’s made making Hello Kitty bento boxes 5 million times easier, and I seriously don’t know how I lived without it for so long. In addition to the nori punch, it also comes with a Hello Kitty food cutter, which allows you to cut out Hello Kitty’s nose and bow from vegetables and deli meats. Trust me, if you make a lot of Hello Kitty themed bento boxes, then this kit is an absolute god-sent necessity.

Finally, the rice balls truly become cherries once they’re connected to each other with a stem, which can easily be accomplished with a leaf stem food pick. A staple in any bento enthusiast’s repertoire, these leaf stem picks (which come as both single and double picks) are constantly used to turn things like cherry tomatoes, quail eggs, and cocktail wieners into cute little “fruits” such as apples, cherries, and pineapples. Of course, you could also make an edible cherry stem by cutting out thin strips of sugar snap pea, green bean, or even spinach, but using the leaf pick is incredibly convenient, and ensures these Hello Kitty cherries are a snap to make and stay securely in place once packed.

Watch how to make Hello Kitty Rice Cherries (35 sec):

And it wouldn’t be a complete Hello Kitty experience without the pink, right? Here, I’ve used beet powder to turn the rice into a super girly hot pink hue. For a visual demonstration of how to color your rice with your homemade beet dye, be sure to check out the Autumn Colored Sushi video tutorial.

Since I truly believe you can never have too much Hello Kitty, I decided to pack my Hello Kitty cherries in this gorgeous Hello Kitty magewappa bento box, which is made from wood and sports a beautiful Hello Kitty embossed lid. The Hello Kitty rice cherries are resting atop “pink” omelette rice decorated with cheese hearts (see how I did this in the Recipe Notes below), and are accompanied by sides of steamed broccoli, a ham flower (tutorial on how to make these here), an edamame pick, and Hello Kitty carrots, which were made using this Hello Kitty vegetable stamper.

Hello Kitty Cherry Bento Box - The perfect lunch for any Hello Kitty fan, this pink & girly bento is so easy to make, it's nearly foolproof, making it perfect for beginner bento makers. Along with step-by-step instructions & video tutorial, find out the amazing tool I use to easily shape perfectly circular rice balls in just 30 seconds!! | loveatfirstbento.com [character bento, kyaraben, charaben, vegetarian]

So, whether you’re a bento beginner or have years of bento-making experience under your belt, you definitely have to give this adorably girly Hello Kitty Cherry Bento Box a try. It’s perfect for busy mornings, as a make-ahead lunch, or even for bento-making with kids or friends, and is a guaranteed hit with any Hello Kitty fan. Unleash your inner girly girl, and make this gorgeous pink bento your next lunch time treat!

 

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Hello Kitty Cherry Bento Box - The perfect lunch for any Hello Kitty fan, this pink & girly bento is so easy to make, it's nearly foolproof, making it perfect for beginner bento makers. Along with step-by-step instructions & video tutorial, find out the amazing tool I use to easily shape perfectly circular rice balls in just 30 seconds!! | loveatfirstbento.com [character bento, kyaraben, charaben]

Hello Kitty Rice Cherries


  • Author: Shannon
  • Yield: 4 Hello Kitty cherries
  • Category: Character Bento

Description

Hello Kitty Rice Cherries make the perfect bento box for any Hello Kitty fan! Naturally dyed pink with beet powder, these rice balls are quick and easy to make thanks to a handy (& fun!) rice mold. Perfect for bento beginners, and a quick & easy lunch idea for bento veterans! {Vegetarian}


Ingredients

Food Items:

  • ~ 1/3 cup cooked Japanese short-grain rice
  • 1/2 teaspoon beet powder
  • Nori seaweed
  • 1 slice orange cheese (such as cheddar or Kraft Singles)
  • Plum Sesame Salt flavored furikake

Recommended Tools:

  • 2 double leaf stem food picks
  • Mini rice ball mold
  • Hello Kitty nori punch
  • Hello Kitty food cutter
  • Plastic wrap

Instructions

Decorations:

  1. Using the Hello Kitty nori punch, punch out the full design from the nori seaweed 4 times, so that you end up with 4 sets of Hello Kitty faces. Keep all pieces except for the nose.
  2. Using the nose (AKA small oval) cutter located on the Hello Kitty food cutter, cut out 4 noses from the orange cheese – these will become the Hello Kitty cherries’ noses.
  3.  Pour the plum sesame salt furikake into a small bowl, and pick out 4 of the flower chips to use in place of Hello Kitty’s bow. Pour remaining unused furikake back into the packet.

Dying the Rice:

  1. In a small bowl, mix beet powder with 1 – 2 tablespoons warm water until dissolved. Feel free to add more beet powder as needed to achieve desired color.
  2. Add your homemade pink dye to warm rice, and mix until rice becomes evenly colored.

Assembly:

  1. Fill mini rice ball mold with pink rice, secure the lid, and shake for 30 seconds. Carefully remove rice balls from mold, and wrap each one in plastic wrap until ready to decorate. Repeat this entire step until you have a total of 4 pink rice balls.
  2. Using tweezers, apply nori facial features (eyes & whiskers) to a pink rice ball.
  3. Using tweezers, apply the orange cheese nose to the pink rice ball.
  4. Using tweezers, apply 1 flower furikake chip just above either the left or right eye, where Hello Kitty’s bow would normally sit. Feel free to use some honey or mayo to help it stick better.
  5. Repeat Steps 2 – 4 on remaining 3 rice balls.
  6. Take 2 Hello Kitty rice “cherries” and connect them to each other by inserting the double leaf stem food pick into the top of each one. Repeat on remaining 2 Hello Kitty rice cherries.

Notes

  • To make the “pink” omelette rice, follow my white egg crepe recipe, with the additional step of adding 1/4 teaspoon beet powder to the egg white mixture before whisking. Once you cook the egg crepe, it should turn a lovely light pink shade. Wrap the pink egg crepe around 1 serving of ketchup rice, and top with white cheese hearts and Hello Kitty cherries for extra cuteness.
© Love At First Bento. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use any image without my prior permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your own site, you are required to (1) link back to this post and (2) rewrite any instructions in your own words.

 

Tools used to make this bento:

Comments (18)

  • How cute!! I love bentos but wish they were more readily available in the states (pre-packaged, supplies, etc). So much fun to look at!

    Reply
    • Thank you!! 😀 As far as supplies go, there is definitely a lot now available to order on Amazon; I actually find that I can find 95% of the bento supplies I purchased in Japan on Amazon US. If you’re interested in getting started with some supplies, feel free to take a look at my bento supplies shopping guide. I also make sure to always include links to all of the bento tools and supplies I use for each and every bento, located at the end of each post. Once you know where to look, you’ll find that there’s actually a lot of bento items readily available in the States! Depending where you live too, I know there are Daiso stores and Japanese grocery stores like Marukai which sell bento items. Of course, it’ll never be as good as Japan, but that just gives us more reasons to travel there, right? 😉

      Reply
  • ADORABLE!! you have done it again Shannon! Thanks, I cant wait to try this 🙂

    Reply
    • Thank you so much for the kind words! Hope you do give it a try, it’s so fun and easy to make 😀

      Reply
  • i love that you used beet powder to color the rice! i’d much rather use natural means of coloring food rather than food dye if i can (: and ume furikake sounds so tasty! i haven’t had it for a while, but now that it’s been brought to my attention again, i need to get some asap!

    Reply
    • Thank you Heather! Yes, I much prefer coloring with natural ingredients whenever possible. And that furikake is super yummy, and made even better by the fact that it has little edible flowers in it 😛

      Reply
  • This is super cute! I LOVE that you used beet powder instead of food coloring!

    Reply
    • Aww thank you so much! I definitely always try to use natural dyes whenever possible – so much better for you! 😀

      Reply
  • So fun! So cute. And looks like a yummy little lunch. Pink is my favorite color, so this totally perfect for me 🙂

    Reply
    • Thanks for stopping by Kelly! As a fellow pink lover, I totally agree that this is our kind of lunch! Can never go wrong with too much pink in a bento, imo 😛

      Reply
  • This looks so cute and must have been so fun to make! I was quite obsessed with Hello Kitty when I was younger so I love this bento box.

    Reply
    • Thanks so much Marie! I always have a ton of fun making bentos 😀 So glad you like this! <3

      Reply
  • This Hello Kitty bento is absolutely adorable! I also love all things Japan (I’m yet to visit Japan, though!), and I’ve always loved the idea of making bentos! 🙂

    Reply
    • Thank you so much Marsha, so glad you like it! 😀 You’ve definitely come to the right place for all things Japan and bento! 😉 I hope you get the chance to go visit Japan someday; it will forever be my all-time favorite place in the world, and the food there is absolutely unreal!

      Reply
  • Hi Shannon, WOW, you have serious skills. My daughter is Hello Kitty crazy and LOVED this recipe. She keeps asking for it in her school lunch box. Thank you ?

    Reply
    • Oh wow, I’m so glad your daughter liked it so much, that makes me so happy! This is definitely perfect for any hardcore Hello Kitty fans 😉 Thanks so much for leaving your kind comment Hyeon, it totally made my day! 😀 <3

      Reply
  • Hi Shannon! Oh my goodness, your Hello Kitty Cherry Bento Box is so creative! I have never seen a Bento Box that looks like that before. I think it is so cool that you are a bento box artist! I am so impressed! 🙂

    Reply
    • Thank you so much for the lovely comment Alia, your words mean a lot! 😀 It’s definitely a goal of mine to inspire others with cute & decorative bento boxes they’ve hopefully never seen before 🙂

      Reply

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