This vegan sushi bowl is perfect for everyone who loves sushi! It’s incredibly easy to make, healthy, fresh, and it’s packed with flavor! And best of all there is no rolling involved and it’s ready in no time!
Why This Recipe Works
I love making homemade vegan sushi. It’s so much fun to make, but it’s also pretty time-consuming. So I came up with a much easier recipe for you.
This vegan sushi bowl tastes just like traditional sushi but it’s so much easier to make. It’s basically deconstructed sushi served in a bowl.
For the rice, I used a mixture of rice vinegar, salt, and sugar to make it taste like traditional sushi rice. I also added my favorite sushi ingredients, carrots, cucumber, and avocado.
As you don’t have to worry about rolling everything up, I also added edamame, which are a great addition to the rest of the vegetables. You could even get more creative with the toppings.
Crispy pan-fried tofu cubes take this sushi bowl to the next level. The secret ingredient for crispy tofu is corn starch. Just roll the tofu cubes in corn starch and pan fry it with a bit of soy sauce until golden and crispy. It’s so yummy and really easy to make!
To make this bowl authentic, I also added a roasted nori sheet, which you can easily crumble up. Top everything off with a bit of homemade sriracha mayonnaise and sesame seeds.
This recipe keeps really well and it makes a great office lunch. It’s also super flexible and it’s a great recipe to use any leftover veggies you have in your fridge.
What Goes Into This Recipe
- Vegan Mayonnaise – either use homemade vegan mayo or store-bought one.
- Tofu – use firm tofu. The recipe doesn’t work well with soft tofu as it doesn’t hold its shape.
- Rice – use white rice or sushi rice.
- Sriracha Sauce – or other hot sauce. You have to adjust the amount of hot sauce if you’re not using sriracha sauce.
- Edamame – I used frozen edamame.
- Avocado – make sure it’s ripe.
- Soy Sauce – use tamari for a gluten-free version.
How To Make This Recipe
1. Step: Rinse the sushi rice in a fine mesh colander under cold water.
2. Step: Either cook the rice in your Instant Pot or cook it on the stove top. If you are using an Instant Pot use the rice setting (low pressure for 12 minutes). Allow the pressure to release naturally. The rice should be tender and the water should be completely absorbed. If you are cooking it on the stove top, bring the rice with the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. I usually prefer to make sushi rice in my Instant Pot.
3./4. Step: Combine the rice vinegar, the sugar, and the salt in a small bowl. Add the cooked rice to a large bowl and stir in the vinegar sugar mixture until well combined. Let it cool down and set aside for later.
5. Step: Drain the tofu and pat it dry with paper towel.
6. Step: Cut the tofu into cubes.
7. Step: Roll the tofu cubes in corn starch.
8. Step: Heat the sesame oil in a large pan and fry the tofu for about 4 minutes. Add one teaspoon of soy sauce and cook for another minute. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds. Put aside.
9. Step: Use a vegetable peeler or spiralizer to cut the carrots into thin strips. You could also shred it. Slice the avocado and the cucumber.
10. Step: Make the sriracha mayonnaise. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir well.
11. Step: Toast the nori: Heat the nori sheet in a large pan without oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Flip it after 2-3 minutes. It should be crispy enough to crumble easily with your hands.
12. Step: Assemble everything into two bowls. Start with the rice and top it with the carrots, cucumber, avocado, edamame, the crumbled nori sheet, the tofu cubes, and a bit of the sriracha mayonnaise. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Recipe Notes
- For a healthier version, you could use brown rice instead of sushi rice. Brown rice will be more filling.
- I usually make rice in my Instant Pot. It’s much easier and faster than making it on the stovetop. This is especially the case for brown rice.
- This recipe is super flexible. You could also add mango, asparagus, red bell pepper, or radishes. Or you could use marinated tempeh instead of the tofu cubes.
- You could also make wasabi mayonnaise instead of sriracha mayonnaise. Use 1/2 teaspoon of wasabi paste for 1 cup of mayonnaise.
FAQs:
How Long Does This Recipe Last?
I recommend storing the rice, the tofu, and the vegetables in different containers in the fridge. This way it will keep for 2-3 days.
Serve the avocado fresh as it doesn’t keep well.
Is This Recipe Gluten-Free?
No, it isn’t because I used soy sauce. But you can easily make it gluten-free by using tamari instead of soy sauce.
Related Recipes:
I Love To Hear From You!
I hope you like this vegan sushi 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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Vegan Sushi Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked white rice or sushi rice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 avocado
- 1 cucumber
- 2 carrots
- 1 1/4 cups frozen edamame
- 3/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 pinch salt
- sesame seeds
- 1 nori sheet
- 8 oz firm tofu, cubed
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
Instructions
- Rinse the sushi rice in a fine mesh colander under cold water.
- Either cook the rice in your Instant Pot or cook it on the stove top. If you are using an Instant Pot use the rice setting (low pressure for 12 minutes). Allow the pressure to release naturally. The rice should be tender and the water should be completely absorbed. If you are cooking it on the stove top, bring the rice with the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. I usually prefer to make sushi rice in my Instant Pot.
- Combine the rice vinegar, the sugar, and the salt in a small bowl. Add the cooked rice to a large bowl and stir in the vinegar sugar mixture until well combined. Let it cool down and set aside for later.
- Drain the tofu and pat it dry with paper towel. Cut the tofu into cubes. Roll the tofu cubes in corn starch.
- Heat the sesame oil in a large pan and fry the tofu for about 4 minutes. Add one teaspoon of soy sauce and cook for another minute. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds. Put aside.
- Use a vegetable peeler or spiralizer to cut the carrots into thin strips. You could also shred it. Slice the avocado and the cucumber.
- Make the sriracha mayonnaise. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir well.
- Toast the nori: Heat the nori sheet in a large pan without oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Flip it after 2-3 minutes. It should be crispy enough to crumble easily with your hands.
- Assemble everything into two bowls. Start with the rice and top it with the carrots, cucumber, avocado, edamame, crumbled nori sheet, the tofu cubes, and a bit of the sriracha mayonnaise. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Notes
- For a healthier version, you could use brown rice instead of sushi rice. Brown rice will be more filling.
- I usually make rice in my Instant Pot. It's much easier and faster than making it on the stovetop. This is especially the case for brown rice.
- This recipe is super flexible. You could also add mango, asparagus, red bell pepper, or radishes. Or you could use marinated tempeh instead of the tofu cubes.
- You could also make wasabi mayonnaise instead of sriracha mayonnaise. Use 1/2 teaspoon of wasabi paste for 1 cup of mayonnaise.
- For a gluten-free version, replace the soy sauce with tamari.
Alison
Thank for this recipe! How much water should the rice be cooked in?