October 18, 2023
Review RecipeSushi Bowl
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for a fun and new way to enjoy sushi, then you should definitely try out these easy sushi bowls! Topped with a spicy sriracha mayo and filled with tangy sushi rice, crisp cucumber, crunchy carrots, creamy avocado and crab meat, they have all the flavors everyone loves in sushi rolls served in bowl form.
Sushi Bowl Ingredients
You’ll need:
- 2 cups sushi rice, cooked according to package directions to yield 4 cups cooked
- ¼ cup + 1 teaspoon seasoned rice wine vinegar, divided
- 1 (8-ounce package) imitation crab meat, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 cup (1 small) cucumber, diced into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 cup (2 small) Haas avocados, diced into ¼ inch pieces
- ½ cup matchstick cut carrots
- 1 (0.17-ounce package) roasted seaweed snacks (or 1 nori wrap sheet), chopped
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
- 4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
PRO TIP:
If you can not find sushi rice at your grocery store, you can alternatively use short-grain white rice. You will follow the cooking directions for the rice you have and follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Substitutions And Additions
CRAB: I used imitation crab for this easy sushi bowl recipe, but you can use fresh jumbo lump crab, cooked shrimp that has been peeled and deveined, ahi tuna, or even skip the seafood altogether for an all vegetable sushi bowl.
SEAWEED: I use a seaweed snack package that I found very easily in my Asian aisle when I make my own sushi bowls; however, if you can not find them (there are lots of flavors), you can use standard nori sheets and cut them down to strips, then pieces. I find the nori to be very flavorless and that, for this recipe, the seaweed snack papers are much more flavorful. The seaweed snacks are light and crispy and very easy to chop into smaller pieces.
TOPPING: While the above ingredients are what you would find in a classic California roll, you could customize with whatever veggies you’d like in your tasty bowl. Green onion and red bell peppers are two additions I like to include.
How to Make This Sushi Bowl Recipe
STEP ONE: Cook your sushi rice according to the package directions. Once your sushi rice has cooked, add the ¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar, gently toss, then spread it onto a rimmed baking sheet to cool completely. This will take about 20 to 30 minutes.
PRO TIP:
Be very careful to gently toss your rice so that it does not get compacted. It will be very sticky.
STEP TWO: In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sriracha, and 1 teaspoon seasoned rice wine vinegar until completely combined. Transfer your sriracha mayonnaise to a zip-top sandwich bag that you will cut the tip off of one corner to use as a piping bag for the garnish. Set aside.
STEP THREE: In another small bowl, mix the white and black sesame seeds together and set them aside.
STEP FOUR: Once your sushi rice has cooled, place one cup of cooked rice into the bowl, making sure to leave space around it to place the remaining ingredients.
STEP FIVE: Using a ¼ cup dry measuring cup, neatly place ¼ cup of the diced imitation crab into the bowl next to the rice.
STEP SIX: Next, do the same with a ¼ cup of the diced cucumber neatly next to the imitation crab.
STEP SEVEN: Then add 2 tablespoons of the matchstick carrots next to the thin slices of cucumber.
STEP EIGHT: Place ¼ cup of the diced avocado next to the carrots.
PRO TIP:
Make sure that at this point, you can still see the rice and that all the vegetables are circling the bowl.
STEP NINE: In the very center of the bowl, add 1 tablespoon of the seaweed crumbles.
STEP TEN: Drizzle 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce onto the vegetables.
STEP ELEVEN: Finally, garnish your deconstructed sushi bowl with a drizzle of the sriracha mayonnaise and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the sesame seed blend.
How to Serve
Enjoy this California roll bowl as an easy lunch option either at home or on the go. Your food groups are covered and this dish can stand alone for a filling meal. If you are looking for something to go on the side, a bowl of soup would make this a heartier meal option as well.
For more Asian-inspired recipes, our egg roll in a bowl is another deconstructed dish that is delicious and our Asian chicken lettuce wraps are a tasty option for a light meal.
MORE ASIAN DISH RECIPES
Storage
This sushi bowl should be served immediately.
IN THE FRIDGE: You can prepare all your ingredients up to 1 day ahead of time (except for dicing your avocado. You should wait to cut it until you are ready to use because it will start to brown quickly once sliced open) and store them each in individual airtight container, covered and refrigerated, until ready to assemble your sushi bowl.
Homemade sushi bowls, sometimes called poke bowls, are just the thing to satisfy your sushi cravings without all the work of traditional sushi. The spicy mayo sauce adds so much flavor to all the fresh ingredients in this dish.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You can definitely make sushi rice in a rice cooker. This makes prep nice and easy for this recipe.
This easy recipe is best enjoyed immediately. You can store the individual ingredients in separate containers ready to assemble later in the week.
These California roll sushi bowls can be customized based on your preferences. Any crisp fresh vegetables would be delicious in this bowl.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Korean Beef
- Sheet Pan Stir Fry
- Mongolian Beef and Noodle
- Better Than Take-Out Fried Rice
- Mongolian Beef
- Pork Fried Rice
- Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
- Imitation Crab Dip
- Spanish Rice
- Grilled Salmon
- Tuna Melt
- Salmon in Foil
- Tomato Sandwich
- Pickled Cucumber Salad
- Cucumber Bites
- Buffalo Shrimp
- Cucumber Salad
- Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese
- Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese
- Chicken and Shrimp Tacos
- Shrimp Ramen
- Shrimp Tacos (with Spicy Cilantro Lime Sauce)
- Cajun Shrimp
- Spicy Garlic Shrimp
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Guacamole Recipe
Sushi Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups sushi rice cooked according to package directions to yield 4 cups cooked
- ¼ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 8 ounces imitation crab chopped into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 cup cucumber diced into ¼ inch pieces (1 small cucumber)
- 1 cup Haas avocados diced into ¼ inch pieces (2 small Haas avocados)
- ½ cup matchstick cut carrots
- 0.17 ounces roasted seaweed snacks or 1 nori wrap sheet, chopped
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
- 4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
Instructions
- Cook your sushi rice according to the package directions. Once your sushi rice has cooked, add the ¼ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar, gently toss, then spread it onto a rimmed baking sheet to cool completely. This will take about 20 to 30 minutes. Be very careful to gently toss your rice so that it does not get compacted. It will be very sticky.
- In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sriracha, and 1 teaspoon seasoned rice wine vinegar until completely combined. Transfer your sriracha mayonnaise to a zip-top sandwich bag that you will cut the tip off of one corner to use as a piping bag for the garnish. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, mix the white and black sesame seeds together and set them aside.
- Once your sushi rice has cooled, place one cup of rice into the bowl, making sure to leave space around it to place the remaining ingredients.
- Using a ¼ cup dry measuring cup, neatly place ¼ cup of the diced imitation crab into the bowl next to the rice.
- Next, do the same with a ¼ cup of the diced cucumber neatly next to the imitation crab.
- Then add 2 tablespoons of the matchstick carrots next to the diced cucumber.
- Place ¼ cup of the diced avocado next to the carrots. Make sure that at this point, you can still see the rice and that all the vegetables are circling the bowl.
- In the very center of the bowl, add 1 tablespoon of the seaweed crumbles.
- Drizzle 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce around onto the vegetables.
- Finally, garnish your deconstructed sushi bowl with a drizzle of the sriracha mayonnaise and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the sesame seed blend.
Comments
Joe says
We’re big fans of these – colorful and tasty!
Tiffany says
Made this for dinner. It was EXCELLENT. We made triple the amount in a large mixing bowl and mixed it all together rather than separate and made a few changes. Added quite a bit more seaweed, more sesame seeds and wasabi paste, then mixed those ingredients in as well. . thanks for the recipe and idea. I’m stuffed!
Christin says
Can’t wait to make this! Am I supposed to add 4 cups of dry rice, cooked according to package instructions? Or do I need a total of 4 cups of cooked rice for this recipe?
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Christin – it’s four cups cooked, so it should be about two cups of dry rice. Enjoy!