Vegan Sushi Bowls
This vegan sushi bowl recipe features all your favourite sushi ingredients packed in a bowl and topped with delicious spicy mayo.
Nailed the sushi flavors and satisfied my sushi craving! I will definitely be making this again!
—Jen
What are sushi bowls?
Sushi bowls are similar to vegan poke bowls and are basically a deconstructed sushi roll, or maki. They offer the flavours and components of sushi but instead of being wrapped in nori, the ingredients are arranged in a bowl format.
Sushi bowls are visually appealing, easily customizable, fresh and healthy, and a popular choice for those that love the taste of sushi.
Bowls in general always make a great choice, some of my other favourites are these Vegan Dinner Bowls, Veggie Power Bowls, Harvest Bowls and Hummus Bowls. They’re so good for meal prep too!
This sushi bowl recipe is vegan, so it does not contain raw fish. Edamame is added for protein but you can also add another protein source, such as tofu.
The recipe also features rice, sweet potato, carrot, cucumber and creamy avocado for a delicious combination of fresh and cooked ingredients. Try the spicy vegan mayo to really bring everything together!
Ingredients
The full ingredient list with measurements is located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Rice: Use white rice, brown rice, black rice or sushi rice. I like short-grain brown rice or basmati rice.
- Fresh Ingredients: The recipe calls for carrot, cucumber and avocado but these can be swapped for your favourites or you can add ingredients like bell pepper, cabbage or radish.
- Sweet Potato
- Nori: Use crumbled seaweed sheets (nori) or roasted seaweed snacks, or slice either into thin strips using scissors.
- Edamame Beans: Shelled frozen edamame works great for a convinient option.
- Sesame Seeds: You can use black or white sesame seeds.
Swaps & Additions
- Additional Veggies: Try shredded red cabbage, green cabbage, thinly sliced red bell pepper, thinly sliced radish or pickled red onion.
- Crunch: Coconut bacon provides a smoky and crispy element.
- Sweetness: Toss in some ripe mango slices for a burst of sweetness that beautifully contrasts with the umami flavors.
- Grains: Try quinoa or cauliflower rice instead of white or brown rice.
Alternative Sauces
- Soy Wasabi Sauce: If you love your sushi with wasabit, try a drizzle of wasabi soy suace over your bowl. To make, mix your desired amount of soy sauce with wasabi powder or wasabit, to taste.
- Nut-Free Vegan Spicy Mayo: If you don’t want to do the spicy cashew mayo or don’t have a blender, use this simple spicy mayo made from mayo, hoisin, tamari and sriracha.
- Soy Ginger Dressing: Mix 4 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp maple syrup and 1 tsp each ground garlic and ginger. Drizzle over the bowl.
- Other Sauces: Try drizzling your bowls with noodle salad dressing, teriyaki sauce, peanut sauce or miso tahini sauce to switch things up.
Adding Tofu or Tempeh
Below are some suggestions if you’d like to add tofu or tempeh for extra protein. I suggest the poke tofu, basic crispy baked tofu, sriracha baked tofu or sweet chilli tofu.
- Tofu Poke: Tofu cubes marinated poke-style style.
- Sriracha Baked Tofu: Spicy baked tofu.
- Crispy Baked Tofu: Basic crispy baked tofu.
- Marinated Tofu: Banh mi marinated tofu. If making this, use the marinade recipe but cut the tofu into cubes or thin strips.
- Tofu Katsu: Breaded tofu.
- Sweet Chili Tofu: Fried tofu in an Asian-inspired sweet chili sauce.
- Sweet and Spicy Tofu: Baked tofu in a sweet and spicy sauce.
- Black Pepper Tofu: Baked Tofu in a sticky black pepper sauce.
- Baked Tempeh: Marinated and baked tempeh.
Step-by-Step Instructions
If you’re making the cashew spicy mayo, the cashews require soaking. If you have a high-speed blender you can soak for less time (1-2 hours) or do a quick soak for 10-15 minutes in boiled water, if not, 4-8 hours of soaking time is suggested.
After soaking the cashews, drain and rinse and proceed with the recipe.
For an alternative spicy mayo, you can either add a little sriracha to your choice or mayo or use this mayo-based spicy mayo sauce (no blender needed).
Step 1: Make the spicy mayo, if using.
After soaking the cashews, blend with the remaining spicy mayo ingredients until smooth and creamy. This can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, if needed.
Step 2: Cook the rice, sweet potato and edamame.
Rinse and cook your choice or rice according to the package instructions. The suggested amount is 1/2 cup cooked rice per bowl but feel free to use more or less depending on your nutritional needs. I usually use more like 1 cup cooked rice per bowl.
Peel and cube 2 cups of sweet potato, again you can use more or less if you prefer and the amount doesn’t need to be exact.
Steam the sweet potato until tender, this should take about 10-15 minutes once the water comes to a boil. They should be tender when pierced with a fork.
Prepare the edamame according to package instructions.
Step 3: Prepare the fresh ingredients.
Dice the cucumber and avocado and julienne or thinly slice the carrot in ribbons with a vegetable peeler.
Step 4: Assemble the sushi bowls.
Start with a scoop of rice in each bowl then top with the rest of the ingredients and anything else you desire, drizzle with spicy mayo and enjoy.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, as long as you use coconut aminos or gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce.
How to Store
- Fridge: Leave off the avocado and store sauce separately, otherwise assembled bowls can be stored up to 4 days.
- Mayo: Store in the fridge for up to 1 week, thin with water if needed.
- Meal Prep: Make the edamame, rice, mayo and sweet potato in advance and store in the fridge for up to 5 days, assemble as needed.
More Recipes to Try
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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Vegan Sushi Bowls
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 4
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These sushi bowls are here to satisfy any sushi craving that might come your way. If you don’t feel like take-out or making your own rolls, throw all your favourite sushi ingredients in a bowl and call it a day!
Ingredients
For the Spicy Mayo
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 4 hours
- 5 tbsp water, plus more as needed to adjust consistency
- 1 tbsp lime juice or rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
For the Sushi Bowls
- 2 cups cooked white or brown rice (1/2 cup per bowl)
- 2 cups cooked, shelled edamame (1/2 cup per bowl)
- 2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potato (1/2 cup per bowl)
- 1 cup julienned or grated carrot (1/4 cup per bowl)
- 1 cup diced cucumber (1/4 cup per bowl)
- 1 ripe avocado, diced (1/4 per bowl)
- 8 tbsp crumbled or thinly sliced nori sheets or roasted seaweed snacks (2 tbsp per bowl)
- 4 tbsp sesame seeds (1 tbsp per bowl)
- finely chopped green onion, for topping, optional
- dash of soy sauce, for topping, optional
Instructions
- Soak Cashews: To make the spicy mayo, soak the cashews for at least 4 hours covered with water in a bowl, then drain and rinse. If you have a high-speed blender, you can skip soaking or do a quick soak by pouring boiled water over the cashews in a bowl and soaking for 10-15 minutes. If you do not have a high-speed blender, 4-8 hours of soaking time is suggested. The longer you soak the cashews, the creamier the spicy mayo will be.
- Blend Spicy Mayo: Add the drained, soaked cashews to a blender with the rest of the ingredients. Start blending on low then slowly increase speed and blend on high until smooth and creamy. You may need to stop a few times to scrape down the sides.
- Prepare Cooked Ingredients: When you’re ready to make the recipe, start cooking your choice of rice according to package instructions. Peel and cube the sweet potato and boil or steam until fork tender. Cook the edamame according to package instructions.
- Prepare Fresh Ingredients: Grate or julienne the carrot and dice the cucumber and avocado.
- Assemble Bowls: Assemble the bowls by starting with a scoop of rice and arranging the rest of the ingredients on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion, drizzle with the spicy mayo and soy sauce, if using.
Notes
Alternative Sauces: As an alternative to the cashew spicy mayo, you can just add some sriracha to vegan mayonnaise for a quick and easy sauce option. Plain soy sauce is just fine too or try a bit of wasabi or wasabi powder mixed into soy sauce.
Measuring: The bowl ingredients are all approximate, there’s no need to be exact!
Storage: If prepping in advance, leave the avocado off until serving and if possible, store the mayo separately. The rice and veggies can be assembled in advanced and stored up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 463
- Fat: 19 g
- Carbohydrates: 63 g
- Fiber: 11 g
- Protein: 14 g
Keywords: sushi bowl, vegan sushi bowl
This recipe was originally published on July 23, 2018 .
Really good made fresh, but I found the rice too hard for leftovers/meal prep. I would prep everything but the rice and avocado ahead next time. Otherwise, it was delicious.😊
★★★★
Thanks for the feedback and review, Jessica!
Tried this – it’s amazing!!! There is some prep work but it’s worth it. Made it exactly as is (with spicy vegan Mayo) and I was so happy to have left overs the next day. It fed my husband and I two nights in a row. We were both trying to eat healthier and this left us feeling full and satisfied all night. I have made this for my sister and she made it for friends who then called me for the recipe. To save on time, I bought matchstick carrots, and used my Vitamix to blend the sauce (cashews – I always forget to soak for hours, but I like the crunchier sauce so it’s a win for me). I feel so healthy and happy when I make and eat this bowl. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
This perfectly hit all the flavor notes I wanted out of a sushi bowl – so delicious! Will definitely be on regular rotation for lunch prep.
★★★★★
Nailed the sushi flavors and satisfied my sushi craving! I will definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
I have to say this bowl was one of the most delicious bowls I have made since starting my plant based journey over 12 months ago. I changed a couple of things – used pumpkin (husband doesnt care for sweet potato – crazy I know!!) which I baked in oven with some asian style seasonings. Also used some Sushi seasoning to my cooked brown rice. Plus some Japanese rice seasonings. I loved this bowl – absolutely fresh and just yum! Well done Deryn – and thank you for sharing
★★★★★
You are so welcome! Thanks for such a kind review. I’m so happy you both loved it!
This recipe is our families favorite! What would you say are the nutritional values on this?
★★★★★
Haha! Nevermind! The nutrition facts showed up after I posted my comment.
I was about to reply, haha! My website host was down today so things have been a bit slow coming back online. Sorry about that!
This recipe was super easy to throw together for my weekly meal prep, not to mention how delicious it is! The vegan spicy mayo is the icing on the cake. I also added some baked tofu for some extra protein, which was a great addition!
★★★★★