Bowls, Rolls, and More: Amp Up Your Sushi Game with These Plant-Based Recipes
Sushi is one of the oldest cuisines on the planet and has persisted in popularity due to its perceived elegance, refinement, and versatility. If you thought sushi could only be consumed “makizushi” style (in a roll), think again; these days, famed chefs and home cooks alike are serving it in burritos, bowls, rice-balls, and more. There’s a reason Chef Jiro dreams of (plant-based) sushi.
Luckily, there’s no reason that you can’t eat as much sushi as you desire on a plant-based diet. We feature a wide range of both traditional and unique vegan sushi recipes on our Food Monster App, so we decided to put together a list of our top 15 recipes to share with you now. Make sure to watch this guide on how to make sushi rolls, and then let us know which one of these epic recipes you’re most excited to try!
1. Red Cabbage Sushi Burritos
Get ready for the healthiest, cleanest, and maybe the best-tasting sushi you’ve ever ingested. This Red Cabbage Sushi Burrito is comprised of tender quinoa, fresh red cabbage, and crunchy pumpkin seeds all wrapped up in nori. Though this recipe is a simple one, it’s exceptionally delicious.
2. Turmeric Cauliflower Rice Sushi
This Turmeric Cauliflower Rice Sushi is a perfect way to eat healthy with minimal carbs and still enjoy the fabulous flavors of sushi. Cauliflower and turmeric provide the base for these rolls and they are tied together with some creamy avocado and a tangy sauce.
3. Sushi Doughnuts
Doughnuts for dinner? Yes. Sweet meets savory with these delicious Sushi Doughnuts. I Dressed in colorful toppings like pink radish, orange and purple carrot, cabbage, cucumber, green onion, and sesame, these doughnuts are served with avocado on the side and taste great dunked in soy sauce.
4. Onigirazu: Japanese Sushi Sandwiches, Three Ways
These Onigirazu: Japanese Sushi Sandwiches, Three Ways are the perfect treat-yourself lunch to start (or finish) your week out with. They are a riff on Onigirazu in that are a similar shape and size but the flavors inside are anything but ordinary. You will get to enjoy a tangy sweet potato and spinach stuffing, a delightful mushroom and radish stuffing, and a smoky sprout stuffing.
5. Rainbow Unicorn Sweet Potato Sushi
If you want to have truly magical sushi, try this Rainbow Unicorn Sweet Potato Sushi. A true feast for the eyes, the vibrant rice in this sushi is colored naturally with ingredients like turmeric, beet powder, spirulina, and purple cabbage. Each roll is stuffed with roasted sweet potatoes and crisp, colorful bell peppers, but feel free to swap in your favorite ingredients.
6. Summer Kimchi Sushi Bowl
This deconstructed Summer Kimchi Sushi Bowl contains some of the most refreshing ingredients typically found in sushi. Mango is the true star of this dish, although it has a few close runner-ups like the vegan spicy mayonnaise drizzle and the kimchi. The flavors and textures of the ingredients of this dish mesh very well together and can easily be turned into sushi rolls instead of a sushi bowl if that’s what you’re in the mood for.
7. Ahi Sushi Cups
These Ahi Sushi Cups are guaranteed to impress whomever you set them in front of. The sushi rice is tangy, sticky, and filled avocados and a faux ahi that is better than the real thing. This recipe is a must-make for anyone who loves sushi.
8. Pink Sushi Rice Avocado Stacks
Pink Sushi Rice Avocado Stacks are bite-sized, adorable, and super tasty. The rice is tossed in a tangy, vinegar and dragon fruit marinade and then layered with fresh cucumber, avocado, and lemon and finished with some sesame seeds. This is a great recipe to make when you need finger food for a party.
9. Sweet Potato Sushi Burrito
Behold: the Sweet Potato Sushi Burrito! You love sushi and you love burritos, so why not combine them for a tasty two-in-one lunch? Roasted sweet potato, avocado, and shredded red cabbage are rolled up in brown rice seasoned with rice vinegar and a big sheet of nori.
10. Purple and Pink Sushi
We’ll level with you: we can’t decide if we want to eat this Purple and Pink Sushi or just take loads of photos of it and show it off on social media. Colorful kale, sweet prunes, and tangy pickled red onion come together to make this creative meal.
11. Watermelon “Sashimi”
This unique and colorful appetizer is as fun to make as it is yummy. Drizzled with a bit of agave and little black sesame seeds, these Watermelon ‘Sashimi’ are fancy enough for your next dinner party, fun enough to bring to a barbecue, and freezable for an ice cold, heat-of-the afternoon snack. A vibrant and refreshing twist on sushi.
12. Raw Sushi Rolls With Sunflower Seed “Rice”
These Raw Sushi Rolls With Sunflower Seed ‘Rice’ make a great lunch — they’re so delicious, fun to make, and packed full of color and goodness! Instead of rice, we make a tasty paste out of sunflower seeds which add a great flavor. What’s great about these rolls is you can mix up the recipe depending on what veggies you have. Some great options are avocado, carrot, cucumber, pepper, sprouts, beet, and any pickled veggies, but it’s great to experiment with what you have!
13. Avocado Sushi Balls
You don’t need a bamboo rolling mat to make these Avocado Sushi Balls — all you need is your hands! Creamy avocado is enveloped in rice that’s been seasoned with rice vinegar and maple syrup and then covered with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. These are the perfect light lunch you can make ahead of time or have them for dinner served with a side of soup and salad.
14. Kimchi Cucumber and Avocado Sushi
This Kimchi Cucumber and Avocado Sushi is great because it takes almost no time to make, it’s absolutely delicious, and the spicy ‘mayonnaise’ that is drizzled on the top is too good for words. The sushi’s flavor is a delicate balance – the cucumbers offer the freshness, avocados offer the creaminess and finally, the kimchi adds just the right sourness and punch of flavor.
15. Tropical Gimbap
Gimbap is a Korean dish made from steamed white rice and several other ingredients, rolled in nori and served in bite-size slices. The sweet potato and mango in this Tropical Gimbap dish go together perfectly, making it a colorful beauty. This dish will be a perfect addition to your dinner party or any other occasion. Take it on a picnic or bring it as a lunch, maybe even have it for breakfast!
Still want more vegan sushi? If you’re in the mood for some more plant-based innovation, definitely check out this guide on How to Reinvent Your Sushi, Vegan Style. If you’re in the mood to dine out, we recommend checking out these 10 Restaurants in America Offering the Most Epic Vegan Sushi Rolls.
We also recommend downloading our Food Monster App, which is available for both Android and iPhone, and can also be found on Instagram and Facebook, for more vegan recipes. The app has more than 8,000 plant-based, allergy-friendly recipes, and subscribers gain access to ten new recipes per day. Check it out!
Lead image source: Onigirazu: Japanese Sushi Sandwiches, Three Ways