Easy Homemade Vegan Sushi Recipe

This homemade vegan sushi recipe will have you making your favorite delicious rolls at home in no time! The step by step directions make it easy to follow without any fancy tools.

We love eating sushi but it's so expensive. Making these vegetable sushi rolls at home saves us money but allows us to keep our regular veggie sushi habit!

This post was originally published on May 14, 2020.

This veggie sushi recipe is a family favorite. I love how the boys can make it their own, and it's a super fun family activity to make! You can even eat this as a sushi bowl if you have someone that prefers the throw in a bowl type of dinner.

Ingredients for Making Sushi

The right ingredients are key to making great sushi that holds together and tastes amazing.

For the rolls:

• Sushi rice - First off, you need to use sushi rice. This is sticky so it will help keep your roll together. You could also use a black rice and cook it well, as that tends to be sticky too. It won't work as well as regular white sushi rice but it's a good alternative.
• Nori sheets- To hold the sushi roll together you need to use nori sheets, which are basically sheets of dried edible seaweed that wrap around the rice and fillings ingredients.
• Filling ingredients - you can use a wide variety of fillings, see below for lots of ideas!

You also need to flavor the rice. The traditional ingredients to flavor sushi rice are:

• Rice vinegar
• Sugar
• Salt

Vegan Sushi Fillings

The choices for filling ingredients are endless and can be anything you like. This is where you get the flavor and deliciousness of vegan sushi rolls.

Here is a list of our favorite ways to fill our vegan sushi recipes!

Raw veggies

• Avocado
• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Green onions
• Bell peppers
• Sprouts
• Asparagus
• Mushrooms
• Lettuce
• Tomato (surprisingly good!)
• Radish
• Purple cabbage
• Red onion
• Jalapeño

Cooked veggie ideas

• Marinated mushrooms in soy sauce/Tamari
• Marinated sweet potatoes in soy sauce/Tamari
• Fried tempura style veggies
• Roasted carrots

Other filling ideas

• Crispy tofu
• Marinated tempeh
• Mashed chickpeas or white beans with mayo (or the base of this cream sauce) and sriracha
• Pickled veggies
• Vegan cream cheese
• Mango
• Mint
• Cilantro
• Sesame seeds

How to Make Vegan Sushi

Making sushi is easier than you think, and you truly don't need a fancy set up. Here is how we make our own amazing vegan sushi rolls!

1. Lay down the nori sheet, spread rice over the top and line up your fillings on one end.
2. Tuck one side over the ingredients and tighten up the tuck.
3. Slowly roll as you keep tightly tucking. If you are using sticky sushi rice then the end will easily seal, but you can also dip your finger in water and seal the end of the nori that way.
4. Cut with a sharp knife and serve!

Tools for Sushi

While many people say you need specific equipment to make your own sushi, I have been successful many times without anything special. So these tools are not needed, but are fun to have if you want!

If you use the right ingredients, like sushi rice instead of regular rice, and you don't overfill the rolls, you can get a nice tight result just using your hands.

However, if you're feeling fancy, here is some fancy stuff you can use:

• Bamboo mat
• Sushi knife
• Rice cooker
• Large sushi bowl
• Sushi paddle

You can also get a whole sushi making kit!

How to Prep Veggies for Sushi

When cutting your veggies for a vegetable sushi roll there are a few things to consider:

• You want to make sure that you are using a very sharp knife to be able to make accurate cuts with ease.
• Cut them into long thin strips. You can either cut matchstick like strips or keep them long like asparagus.
• Leave the skin of veggies like cucumber for added texture and color.
• Prepare the veggies in advance so they're ready to go when it's time to roll!

Dips for Vegan Sushi

The other thing I love about making sushi at home is the variety of dips you can make! Anything goes, so get creative! Here are some classics and non traditional favorites:

• Soy sauce/Tamari
• Soy sauce/Tamari mixed with wasabi paste
• Fresh wasabi root (if you have never tried this it's a must try and many sushi places keep it secret in the back)
• Ponzu
• Chili garlic sauce
• Spicy cilantro cream sauce (use the base of this to mix with anything!)
• Tahini sauce
• Vegan teriyaki sauce
• Vegan buffalo sauce (even mixed with the cream sauce base above)
• Vegan remoulade
• Peanut sauce
• Chopped green onions sautéed with garlic and mixed with soy sauce/Tamari
• Pickled ginger

Tips For Making Sushi With Kids

Making homemade vegan sushi can be a fun family affair, at least until the little one starts throwing the filling ingredients at his brothers. At that point, just drink some sake.

But before that happens, here are some fun ways to involved the kids:

• Let everyone pick filling ideas they like.
• Arrange all the filling options in bowls or piles so they are easy to grab.
• Give each kid a nori sheet and help spread the rice over the top since that can be tough for little ones.
• Give them each a bowl or basket and let them select the filling ingredients they want.
• Have them arrange them on one end of the rice covered nori sheet
• Help them roll it up by covering your hand with theirs to ensure it will be tight.
• Give them dip choices so that they can enjoy their creations!

Common Questions

More Easy Vegan Recipes

Keep your dinners interesting and try these simple yet delicious plant based recipes:

• Baked Pizza Burrito
• Vegan Panini
• The Best Vegan Grilled Cheese
• Easy Vegan Trader Joe's Meals
• Vegan Fried Rice