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 is delicious and a wonderful template to build it your own way. I loved it. My family loved it and a group of 16 year olds loved it. I suggest chili crisp but it’s good without.
C&K has been one of the most reliable of recipe sites I’ve used over that last many years. Kudos.
Great to hear, Doug! I appreciate your review.
This was the Best! I love sushi and I always purchase it with the white rice, so I almost used it in this recipe. Then I thought I would just use the brown like you did. Am I glad I did! It was awesome! I love how you cooked the rice too. I am making this again tonight. Thank you so much for your delicious recipes!
Wonderful to hear, Vicki! I’m glad you loved it.
I loved how the brown rice turned out cooking it this way. Question: could white rice be cooked this way as well? I’m sure less time for boiling. I have always cooked both brown and white rice the traditional way of letting it come to a boil them quickly lowering the heat letting it simmer until the water is gone. Your way I like better! My brown rice came out fab!
I made up half a batch of this for lunches for a couple of days, leaving all the component parts in containers in the fridge. I’m so glad I sought out the short grain brown rice (for some reason it’s not widely available in the UK). It’s a lovely, light bowl, that feels like a treat and virtuous at the same time!
That’s great to hear, Nikki! I appreciate your review.
Great flavor!
I’m glad you loved it, Lauren! Thank you for your review.
Absolutely delicious. Our family felt we needed a health boost today, a tasty way to get some super foods into our bodies, and this recipe hit the mark. I made it exactly as written with the exception of using white short grain rice instead of brown because that’s all the store had. The ribboned carrots are so visually appealing. So happy to have found this, and can’t wait to make it again!
Wonderful! Thank you for your review, Erica.
This was AMAZING!!! Better than ordering in! Seriously blown away at the flavours with such simple ingredients. Absolutely delicious!
I’m excited you enjoyed this recipe, Trista! Thank you for your review.
I add radish to this one instead of cucumber , this bowl is so tasty!
Thanks for the bold idea not to roll the sushi! One question- what is the reason for removing cucumber seeds? They do taste exactly the same as the rest of the cuke and add nice texture variety.
I prefer it without, but you can keep them if you like.