Are you a poke bowl fan looking for a vegan version of this popular Hawaiian dish? Then try this vegan poke bowl with watermelon “tuna” and sriracha mayonnaise. It’s super delicious, fresh, and incredibly healthy. You’re gonna LOVE it!
I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to make a vegan poke bowl. You don’t necessarily need raw fish to enjoy this delicious Hawaiian trend! Perfect for all veggie lovers or those of you who don’t like raw fish.
What is a Poke Bowl? And what does Poke mean?
Poke bowls are part of the Native Hawaiian cuisine. It’s a healthy and fresh bowl of rice, uncooked and sliced vegetables, and raw fish or tofu. It can either be served as an appetizer or as a main course.
Popular Poke Bowl ingredients are:
- rice
- raw tuna, salmon, or tofu
- green onions
- seaweed
- sesame
- avocado
- edamame
- cucumber
- carrots
- red cabbage
Some of you might think that poke bowl is a new trend. However, it has been around for centuries. About six years ago, in 2012, poke bowls became increasingly popular all over the United States.
Also in Hawaii tons of new restaurants that serve poke opened over the next few years. But not without a good reason: Poke bowls are just so delicious and super healthy!
There are many variants of this delicious Hawaiian dish, from traditional to modern. The most popular poke bowl is probably ahi poke. It commonly consists of tuna, red cabbage, sesame oil, green onions, and sea salt.
Oh and maybe you were wondering what “poke” means. Poke is Hawaiian for “to slice” or “cut crosswise into pieces”. Makes sense, right?
How to Pronounce Poke
Okay, so poke is super popular, but how do you pronounce it? I mean you don’t wanna out yourself as a newbie at that cool new poke place in your neighborhood. Or as a total tourist when you’re on a vacation to Hawaii.
Poke is pronounced “po-kay”.
Common mispronunciations are: “po-kee” or even “poke” like in “don’t poke your nose into everything all the time!”
So, as you can see poke bowls have nothing to do with “Pokemon” or “poke balls” (nerd talk over).
What You Need For This Vegan Poke Bowl:
I made a vegan version of ahi poke bowl. Instead of raw tuna I used marinated watermelon. This might sound crazy but it’s super delicious!
For the watermelon “tuna” you need:
- watermelon
- soy sauce
- sesame oil
- sesame seeds
- green onions
- rice vinegar
For the rest of the vegan poke bowl you need:
- cooked rice (you can use the rice of your choice. I usually use brown rice)
- edamame
- carrot
- cucumber
- red cabbage
- seaweed salad
- avocado
- more rice wine vinegar
- salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
- vegan mayonnaise
- sriracha sauce
How to Make A Vegan Poke Bowl
One of the main ingredients of my vegan poke bowl is marinated watermelon. It kind of looks like raw tuna and is packed with flavor.
The preparation of the watermelon is super easy. Just keep in mind that you have to make the watermelon “tuna” the night before as it needs several hours to marinate.
STEP 1: With a sharp knife slice the watermelon into 1 inch slices.
STEP 2: Then cut these slices into cubes. You will need about 4 cups of watermelon cubes.
STEP 3: In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade (soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar). Pour the dressing over the watermelon cubes and carefully stir until well combined. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions cut into rings.
STEP 4: Transfer everything into a ziploc bag and put it in the fridge. Allow to marinate overnight or for at least 12 hours.
STEP 5: Chop up all of the other ingredients. Start with the cucumber by cutting it into thin slices. In a small bowl, then combine 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, salt, and chili flakes. Pour it over the cucumber and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
In the meanwhile prepare the other ingredients. Cook the edamame (I used frozen edamame). Spiralize the carrots, and cut the avocado and the cabbage into thin stripes.
For the sauce, combine vegan mayonnaise with sriracha sauce. Use more sriracha sauce for a spicier sauce.
Serve everything in a big bowl over rice and sprinkle it with green onions and sesame seeds.
Poke Bowl Recipe Tips
- When making this vegan poke bowl, keep in mind that you have to make the watermelon the night before as it needs several hours to marinate.
- For a more convincing vegan version of raw tuna, you could also add wakame flakes to the marinade.
- For the sauce I combined vegan mayonnaise and sriracha sauce. If you want the sauce to be spicier, just add more sriracha sauce. But go easy on it…
- I usually use brown rice for my poke bowl because it’s healthier than white rice and I like its taste better. But feel free to use white rice for a more authentic version.
- You could also substitute the watermelon “tuna” with pan-fried tofu or tempeh if you like.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute the soy sauce with tamari
More Healthy Vegan Recipes:
I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!
I hope you like this vegan poke bowl as much as we do around here.
If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina – xx
Vegan Poke Bowl
Ingredients
For the marinated watermelon:
- 4 cups watermelon cubes
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
For the poke bowl:
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 large carrot
- 3/4 cup frozen edamame
- 1/2 cucumber
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- salt, to taste
- red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1 cup store-bought seaweed salad
- 2 cups red cabbage, finely sliced
- 1 avocado
Instructions
- With a sharp knife slice the watermelon in 1 inch slices.
- Then cut these slices into cubes. You will need about 4 cups of watermelon cubes.
- In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade (soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar). Pour the dressing over the watermelon cubes and carefully stir until well combined. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions cut into rings.
- Transfer everything into a ziploc bag and put it in the fridge. Allow to marinate overnight or for at least 12 hours.
- Chop up all of the other ingredients. Start with the cucumber by cutting it into thin slices. In a small bowl, then combine 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, salt, and chili flakes. Pour it over the cucumber and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
- In the meanwhile prepare the other ingredients. Cook the edamame (I used frozen edamame). Spiralize the carrots, and cut the avocado and the cabbage into thin stripes.
- For the sauce, combine vegan mayonnaise with sriracha sauce. Use more sriracha sauce for a spicier sauce. Serve everything in a big bowl over rice and sprinkle it with green onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
- When making this vegan poke bowl, keep in mind that you have to make the watermelon tuna the night before as it needs several hours to marinate.
- For an even more convincing vegan version of raw tuna, you could also add wakame flakes to the marinade.
- For the sauce I combined vegan mayonnaise and sriracha sauce. If you want the sauce to be spicier, just add more sriracha sauce. But go easy on it...
- I usually use brown rice for my poke bowl because it's healthier than white rice and I like its taste better. But feel free to use white rice for a more authentic version.
- You could also substitute the watermelon "tuna" with pan-fried tofu or tempeh if you like.
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