Veggie Sushi Bowls
These sushi bowls are like veggie sushi rolls, but in a simplified form! This fresh, healthy and delicious sushi bowl recipe is easy to make at home.
Posted by Kathryne Taylor on April 18, 2023
193Comments
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Somewhere, in the deep recesses of my kitchen drawers, lies a sushi rolling mat. I have used it once, perhaps five years ago, during my first and last attempt at rolling sushi at home. I made some lumpy rolls that day. Sushi is an art form, and it’s not a picture I can paint.
Homemade sushi bowls are the answer to my sushi-at-home conundrum. There’s no rolling involved, which means they’re much easier to make. You can get quite creative with your ingredients, too, since we’re simply piling them on top rather than rolling them up. Best of all, these fresh but hearty bowls keep me fueled for hours.
These sushi bowls start off with rice, of course, mixed with toasted, crumbled nori (the green seaweed casing for sushi rolls) and some vinegar, soy sauce and sweetener. I opted for brown rice rather than white, which offers more fiber and some lightly nutty flavor. Then, I topped the rice with edamame for protein, creamy avocado slices, short cucumber matchsticks and carrot ribbons, made with my vegetable peeler.
The real kicker is the spicy mayo sauce drizzled on top, made simply with sriracha stirred into mayonnaise. It transforms the bowl from “tasty health bowl” to, “I want to eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I don’t see why not?” territory.
If you appreciate sushi at restaurants and would like to try a loose variation at home, give this one a a try. I love it and hope you do, too!
Watch How to Make Veggie Sushi Bowls
More Fresh Bowls to Make
If you enjoy these sushi bowls, try these recipes on Cookie and Kate:
- Build-Your-Own Buddha Bowl
- Farmers’ Market Bowl with Green Goddess Sauce
- Mango Burrito Bowls with Crispy Tofu and Peanut Sauce
- Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash Bowls
- Spicy Sweet Potato and Green Rice Burrito Bowls
Please let me know how your sushi bowls turn out in the comments. I love hearing from you.
Veggie Sushi Bowls
This recipe tastes like vegetarian sushi rolls, but in simplified bowl form! The spicy mayo sauce really takes it to another level. Feel free to play with the toppings to make this bowl taste like your favorite roll. There are a few steps involved, but each one is super simple. Recipe yields 4 sushi bowls, which keep well for leftovers (for best results, slice the avocado just before serving).
Ingredients
Rice and seasonings
- 2 cups short-grain brown rice, rinsed well
- 1 sheet dried nori (about 8″ square)
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar or agave nectar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Spicy mayo sauce
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sriracha or chili-garlic sauce, to taste
Everything else
- 2 cups frozen edamame
- 2 large carrots, sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
- 1 avocado, sliced into long strips
- 1 small cucumber
- Recommended garnishes: sesame seeds (preferably black) and pickled ginger
Instructions
- To cook the rice: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once the water is boiling, pour in the rinsed rice and give it a stir. Boil the rice for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and drain the rice. Return the rice to the pot and cover the pot. Let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
- To prepare the rice seasoning: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the rice vinegar, tamari, sugar and salt. Warm the mixture, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and toss with rice once it’s done steaming.
- To toast the nori: In a large skillet over medium-low heat, warm the sheet of nori until it’s become crisp enough to crumble easily, flipping halfway, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and tear it into quarters. Crumble each piece into very small pieces in your hands over the rice and drop it into the pot. Stir the nori into the rice and set the rice aside to cool.
- To cook the edamame: Bring a pot of water to boil, then add the frozen edamame and simmer just until the beans are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- To prepare the spicy mayo sauce, whisk together the mayonnaise and sriracha in a small bowl until well blended. Add more sriracha if you’d like a spicier sauce.
- To prepare the cucumber, slice it in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard them. Then slice the halves into 2-inch long pieces and slice them into matchsticks.
- Divide the rice between four bowls. Top with edamame, carrots, avocado and cucumber. Drizzle chili-mayo sauce on top, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with pickled ginger on the side.
Notes
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce (tamari is typically gluten free, but check the label to be sure).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This may be my new favorite recipe from your blog. The flavor is amazing, and the bowl is so light yet filling. I often find myself craving just a little something extra after lunch, but not with this meal. I love how I can control the amount of the mayo sauce I add and the level of its spiciness. I’m not a huge fan of mayo in general and often go for a vegan substitute, but Sir Kensington’s happened to be on sale at my local store, so I decided to give it a try; it really is great compared to other brands. Also, I am much better at eating my meals from a bowl than with chopsticks from a sushi tray, so this is a win win win ;)
Sounds like this was a hit, Barbara! I understand the mayo conundrum, but Sir Kensington’s is a great option.
And now they also feature regular & chipotle vegan mayo with aquafaba (“Fabanaise”). I sampled it yesterday at my local WF, and plan on picking up one once I finish the jar of the regular one. (PS Sushi bowl is again on the menu this weekend.)
This is a DELICIOUS — and as you say, much more affordable — way to get those yummy sushi flavors! I was thankful to find pickled ginger, nori sheets, and an awesome kikkoman wasabi sauce at my grocery store (a great addition). This is going to be a summer staple for me — thanks for the creative idea, Kate!
I’m glad the stars aligned and you could find all of those ingredients, Christina! Sometimes they’re hard to hunt down in one store.
Finally commenting on this, because although I was a little skeptic at first, after trying it out it has never been out of rotation for more than a few weeks. I am definitely not a ‘fröbel’ cook (is there a proper English translation? Like, I rather make stews and pasta and one pot dishes, than decorating cupcakes or, to stay on topic, have the patience and skill to roll and assemble sushi), so the idea of just tossing in the nori with the rice, I think it’s brilliant and makes all the difference between ‘meh too much work’ and ‘put it on weekly rotation’. I was a little skeptic about the mayonnaise combined with sushi, too, but of course it works great, and I’m varying now between chili mayonnaise and mayonnaise with some wasabi mixed in it. Thank you for this lovely recipe!
Gourmet, maybe? Either way, I know what you mean! I’m so glad this was easy enough to make, and turned out delicious, too!
This is such a lovely veggie filled meal. So fresh and delicious, and not to mention super healthy too! I love all the flavors together. This will become a weekly meal! Thanks for the recipe:)
You’re welcome, Kiara! Enjoy.
I didn’t make this, but my friend did, and it was excellent! I cant wait to try it myself!! Thanks for the very cool and delicious recipe!
Yum! What a good friend. :)
Don’t remember how I stumbled across this, but so glad I did. Made it tonight with a few tweaks: Reduced amount of edamame but added baked tofu cubes, and used sriracha mayo thinned with a little lemon juice. My meat-eating family loved it!
Perfect! Thanks, Beth. I’m happy to hear everyone enjoyed the sushi bowls. :)
Made this for dinner and added some mushrooms boiled in a miso broth as well as grilled salmon marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and miso (had some salmon in the freezer and had non-vegetarians coming over) Anyway, this was a hit, so wonderful on a summer night and I also ladled some of the miso broth from the mushrooms over the top.
Thank you, Aadya for sharing. I really appreciate the review!
I love this! I will try this at the weekend and let you know what I think… Thank you for sharing!!
Yes, please do!
I cook for about 100 people every Sunday lunch. I usually offer at least 4 options. I made your sushi bowls as one of the options one Sunday. Proved very popular.
That’s wonderful! Thanks Sheryl.
Have shared the recipe with my son. He is going to make it on Saturday when he has friends over. Was going to make soup and really likes the idea of having the fresh ingredients.
My family is actually pescetarian (We make your recipes allllllll the time), so I decided to go ahead and head out to my local health food store where they have fresh made Poke, and I threw that on top. Voila. My kids, husband, and I all adored it. THANK YOU!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you are enjoying my recipes, Grace.
We make this over and over, so delicious and easy!!
Wonderful! Thanks for the review, Erin.
Really lovely simple fresh supper – we’re not vegetarian so added smoked salmon – absolutely delicious
Wonderful! Thanks for trying it, Nicky.
So good! It’s as if a sushi roll and a garden full of veggies had a baby!
A great way to describe this, Rosie! Thanks for the review.
Thanks for sharing and making dinner time delicious!
You’re welcome, Ichi!
Thanks for this great recipe. I’m really into eating this veggie rice bowl my hospital cafeteria carries in their sushi section. Like yours but with shredded red cabbage, no edamame or ginger. I’m making my husband and I lunch, happy to be at Home today in my mountains of the swannanoa valley of western North Carolina after working with the new mamas and babies as a nurse yesterday. Mine has to be with carrots and kale, cut super thinly and I’m marinating in a little rice vinegar now. With of course the avacados and your tow sauces. My cafeteria drixxle S them over the dish!
Thank you for sharing, Mollie!
This looks amazing, but I have a question.
What dressing would you recommend for someone who is extremely mayo adverse? I loathe the stuff, but would like to try this.
Thanks!
You could skip all together and stick with sriracha and/or tarmari.
Were your dried Nori sheets roasted? Mine say they are but I don’t know what that means. Should I still skillet toast them?
Hi Hayley! You will want them to be toasted/crispy or these. Does that make sense?
Yes that made sense & I did end up toasting them in the skillet. And wooooow these bowls were even more delicious than I thought they would be! They were an especially great cooling dinner on a hot summer’s night. Thank-you so much for all your recipes, Kate. I trust all your recipes 100% even ones I’d be like “hmm really?” if they were from any other blog. Please keep inspiring me to eat a healthy veg diet! :)
Made this and it was AWESOME!! Just like eating deconstructed sushi rolls. To make it vegan, I served it with Siracha vegenaise.
Super delicious AND easy. Huge score in my house. If you like sushi you will LOVE this dish. Thank you so much for sharing!!
You’re welcome, Cindy! Thanks for your review.
Wasn’t expecting much because the cooking is so minimal but the result was phenomenal! Can’t wait to have this dish again. Thank you for making eating healthy easier
You’re welcome, Iris!
I made this as written except I didn’t have nori and I used vegan Hellman’s (and thinned it out with a couple of tbsps of hot water). DELICIOUS. This was so good. Totally satisfying and absolutely hits that sushi craving flavour notes. With the leftovers I also added mango and it that made it just as delicious but a little different so a good way to mix it up on repeat meals.
This was so good – we added shrimp on top and it was delicious !!!
Making this for the second time (since my teen girls requested a remake!) Delicious and it made us add sriracha mayo to our rotation on a regular basis :) Can’t wait to dig in tonight!
I didn’t think this recipe looked like much, but it looked easy and I’ve been craving sushi so figured why not. It was SO GOOD! My husband and I devoured it and he said it was the best ever! The additions to the rice are genius and key! We can’t wait to have this again!
Great Recipe ! Really a healthy dish you have shared with us ! Great work keep sharing !
Since I switched to a plant-based diet 6 years ago, sushi is one food I crave. This dish is awesome!! Kate – you do a wonderful job of flavoring your dishes. I’ve tried several of them and they are very flavorful! Thank you
Thank you for sharing, Denise! I appreciate your review.
thank you so much for your delicious recipes!
I am a pediatric oncologist at a children’s hospital and recently took a plant – based cooking course ( Forks Over Knives) and decided to teach Vegetarian to our pediatric Oncology staff using your books/blog.
Every Wednesday is “Wellness Wednesday “ ! Each week everyone brings a little bit for our “ Buddha Bowls”.
Our Challenge is to make all your recipes in your “Love Real Food” books/blog; each week a different cuisine. This week we look forward to Sushi Bowls! Much easier than rolling sushi!
your recipes are never fail!!!!
thank you !
You’re welcome! I’m glad you are enjoying them and having fun cooking through my cookbook.
Looks great! Can you think of any substitutions for nori in this recipe? (I have a family member who won’t even try it!)
Hi Elaine, I really like it here and fee like it gives that sushi taste. You could always omit for that serving.
I would love to make this recipe, but my Whole Foods store does not carry Sir Kensington’s mayonnaise. My next option waste order from Amazon, but the cost was well over $18 for a 32oz. jar.
Although this may be amazing mayonnaise, I can’t afford to buy an $18 jar of mayonnaise. Any suggestions for a substitute mayonnaise?
Hi Leslie! I have actually been buying the 365 organic brand recently and been enjoying it.
How is KC today? Love your recipes and the dog. What’s his/ hers name?
Looking to make this recipe and cannot find pickled ginger. Any suggestions for a brand or where I can buy it?
Hi! I have found it at Natural Groceries or Whole Foods. I hope you can find it, as it really is a great addition to this reicpe.
A yummy alternative to the non veg (salmon) sushis that my family loves!
We usually dislike mayo, but a tiny drizzle here is a welcome finish.
Bravo, Kate!
Thank you, Nathalie! I appreciate your review.
I just made this last night. After some blisteringly hot and humid days in our area, this recipe was just pefection! Light but filling and incredibly delicious. Will definitely make it again.
This recipe was really easy, delicious, and definitely satisfied my veggie sushi roll craving! Next time, I am going to double up on the rice seasoning – I’m addicted to sushi rice, and the seasoning is my favorite part.
I have been making this non STOP and shring it with everyone who will listen. It is so yummy!! I started using the brine from the pickled ginger to thin the spicy sauce, makes for a little less waste and is super delightful. Thank you for another great recipe!
I’m glad you love these bowls! Thank you for sharing, GP.
I’ve been making this recipe since it came out in 2015. It’s one of my go-tos! Lots of iterations of it, adding in different leftover veggies, using an extra bottle sauce instead of the mayo- but this was the inspiration! I just refound it again after looking up a combo of “sushi+bowl+sriracha+mayo” and I’m glad to get it re-bookmarked.
I’m glad you love it, Genie! I appreciate your review.
Divine! Even my kids love this recipe. Thank you :)
Great to hear, Marita!
I’ve made this many times but totally forgot about it – time to get back at it! Yummm so fresh and delicious!
Great to hear, Caila!
So yummy! We added your quick-pickled onions on top as well :)
One of my favorite recipes on your website! (Well… how many « C&K favorite recipes » on my list… 30? 50?…)
You provided leads to a recipe for a vegetarian sushi bowl on the Cookie and Kate website. This dish is a delicious and healthy alternative to traditional sushi rolls, as it features a variety of colorful and nutritious ingredients, such as avocado, carrots, cucumber, and brown rice. The recipe is easy to follow and can be customized to suit your taste preferences. Whether you’re a vegetarian or simply looking for a fresh and flavorful meal idea, this sushi bowl is definitely worth a try!
I’m glad you think so, Rohit!
Thank you!!!! A recipe that all of the kids loved and declared a top 5. That Spicy mayo made it easy for them to eat all the vegetables. I baked some salmon with white miso spread on it and added that for some more protein and none of it was left over. Excited to have a new recipe to add to the rotation
Great to hear, Julie! Thank you for your review.
This recipe did not disappoint. My 17-year-old boy with an insatiable sushi appetite LOVED this (and so did I!). We added crab to complete the California roll vibe. And since I can’t have soy we used coconut aminos and substituted sliced snap peas for the edemame. Thank you Kate for all of your beautiful, fresh, accessible and delicious recipes. We are not vegetarians but I love veggies and am always eager to make them the star of a meal. You are a great assistant!!!
That’s great to hear, Julie! Thank you for your review.
Excellent – a keeper! I have had the fixings to make sushi rolls (the nori, ginger, mats)for two years and never made it. Made these for lunch this weekend, and they were spectacular – all the flavor of sushi without the work. I might make a few tweaks next time – more nori? more crunchy veggies? My husband thought we could try fried shiitake mushrooms next time, but I’m skeptical. I used 3 tbsp sriracha because we like spicy, and I might amp that up a little more. I used regular toasted sesame seeds, and it absolutely worked. Another one going into the regular rotation as the weather warms up!
Great to hear, Delphulia! I like your creativity. Let me know if you try it!
The family was skeptical of this as a worthy substitute for sushi but now they are converts. Delicious.
That’s great to hear, Kate! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Kate, my family love the veggie sushi bowls. They are so refreshing and delicious. They are easy to prepare. The veggie sushi bowls recipe will definitely on my biweekly menu. Thank you so much for the recipe.
I love to hear that, Kim! Thank you for your review.
This was so good! My husband and daughter both loved it. The sauce for the rice is delish and I loved the spicy mayo!
Thank you for letting me know what you think, Kita! I appreciate your review.
Sooo yummy! The rice seasoning + nori stirred in really amped the meal up and made it taste like sushi and not just a rice bowl. I added baked tofu and mushrooms that I needed to cook as well—delish.
This was absolutely delicious. Made it for my daughter the food snob and she loved it. I forgot to put in the edamame but that’s okay now I will make it again. Thank you Kate!
I’m excited you enjoyed it, Trex!
Yummy! What a pretty bowl it makes, too. Omnivore husband disliked it, giving it 2/5 but I thought it was a great time. The sauce for the rice can not be skipped! With some ginger, this makes a tasty treat.
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Carly! Thank you for your review.