This sushi bowl recipe is assorted fresh fish, avocado, cucumber and seaweed, all served over rice with spicy mayo, picked ginger and wasabi. Sushi bowls have all the great flavors of traditional sushi rolls, but with less work!
My family happens to love Japanese food, and I’ve learned to make some of their favorites at home such as salmon teriyaki, yakitori and shrimp tempura roll. When I don’t feel like rolling sushi, I make these sushi bowls and they’re always a big hit.
Sushi is one of my all time favorite foods, but ordering it at a restaurant can get expensive! I’ve learned how to make this sushi bowl recipe at home, which is quick to put together and has all the same great flavors that you’d find at a Japanese restaurant.
Table of Contents
Sushi Bowl Ingredients
You’ll need a few key ingredients to make sushi bowls at home.
- Rice: Look for sushi rice at your local grocery store or Asian market. Prepare it according to this sushi rice recipe. If you can’t find sushi rice, choose another short grain rice variety such as Calrose.
- Nori: This recipe calls for nori, which is sold in sheets at most grocery stores in the ethnic foods aisle. You can cut your sheets into small strips with a sharp knife or kitchen shears.
- Toppings: I like to use an assortment of sashimi such as salmon and tuna, along with cucumber, sesame seeds and avocado.
- Sauce: The sauce for this bowl is a simple spicy mayo that’s simply a mixture of mayonnaise and sriracha. You could also use yum yum sauce for a creamy option that’s not spicy.
- Garnishes: Serve your bowls with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger on the side. I often can find pickled ginger and wasabi at the sushi counter at my local grocery stores.
How To Make A Sushi Bowl
Prepare your sushi rice, then let it cool to room temperature. Place your rice at the bottom of the bowls. Arrange the fish and avocado on top of the rice. You can toss your fish in the spicy mayo at this point, or drizzle the sauce over everything at the end. Toss thinly sliced cucumbers with sesame oil and rice vinegar, then add them to the bowl. Add nori, sesame seeds and green onions. Finish the bowls with garnishes such as pickled ginger, tobiko and wasabi, then serve immediately and enjoy.
Tips And Tricks For A Great Bowl
- It’s imperative to use sushi grade fish in this dish. You can find fresh fish labeled as sashimi grade at some grocery store seafood counters, as well as at Asian markets. Sometimes when I’m in a pinch, I walk up to the sushi counter at my grocery store and request to buy sashimi and they’re always happy to oblige.
- I prefer to use seedless cucumbers such as Persian or English style cucumbers.
- The cucumber mixture and spicy mayo can both be made up to a day in advance.
- This recipe can also be made with brown rice or mixed greens as a base.
Quick Tip
These sushi bowls are best when served immediately. You can store the bowls covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours. If you’re making the bowls in advance, omit the avocado and add it at the last minute.
Flavor Variations
These sushi bowls are delicious as written, but you can absolutely change up the ingredients to customize them to your tastes.
- Protein: Instead of salmon and tuna sashimi, try using cooked shrimp, real or imitation crab, tofu, smoked salmon, or other types of fish such as hamachi.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add other veggies to the mix such as shredded carrots, edamame, seaweed salad, or thinly sliced red bell pepper.
- Toppings: Get creative with the toppings and add items such as crispy onions or shallots, furikake or sliced jalapenos.
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Recipe FAQs
Sushi bowls can be a part of a healthy diet. Fresh seafood is naturally low in calories, and vegetables such as avocado and cucumber are packed with nutrients. To make this dish even healthier, you can use brown rice instead of white, and use light mayonnaise instead of the full fat variety.
A sushi bowl contains fresh fish with minimal adornments to the fish. A poke bowl contains fish that is diced into small pieces and coated in sauce and seasonings. Both sushi bowls and poke bowls contain other ingredients such as rice, avocado and cucumber.
Skip the take out and make your own rice bowls at home, you’ll be glad you did!
More Asian Recipes You’ll Love
Sushi Bowl Recipe
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Sushi Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 recipe sushi rice prepared according to recipe directions
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- salt to taste
- 1 cup cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 pound sashimi grade seafood such as salmon or tuna, can also use cooked shrimp or imitation crab
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted and sliced
- 2 sheets nori cut into strips
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup green onions
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- wasabi, pickled ginger, tobiko and soy sauce as desired
Instructions
- Divide the rice between four bowls.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and salt. Add the cucumbers and toss to coat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and sriracha. You can toss your fish in the sauce at this point, or you can drizzle it over everything at the end, it's your choice!
- Arrange 1/4 of the seafood and avocado over each bowl. Spoon 1/4 of the cucumbers into each bowl.
- Add the nori, sesame seeds and green onions to each bowl.
- Drizzle the mayonnaise mixture over each bowl if you haven't already tossed it with the fish. Serve with wasabi, tobiko, pickled ginger and soy sauce as desired.
Notes
- Click the sushi rice link in the recipe to access my sushi rice recipe!
- It’s imperative to use sushi grade fish in this dish. You can find fresh fish labeled as sashimi grade at some grocery store seafood counters, as well as at Asian markets. Sometimes when I’m in a pinch, I walk up to the sushi counter at my grocery store and request to buy sashimi and they’re always happy to oblige.
This sushi bowl was so light and delicious. I used a few shrimp too and the mix of flavours and textures was perfect.
Brilliant alternative to sushi! I always crave it, but do not always have the motivation to roll it, so this was just a wonderful bowl for me, with all the flavours that fit the spot, but half the effort!
Yum! This sushi bowl looks delicious, a perfect sushi lunch.
What marvelous flavors in this sushi bowl. I can’t wait to make this recipe for my family.
This was just a flavor bomb in a bowl – and so easy, loved it!
This was as good as our local poke place. Great recipe!
This came out so wonderful! it’s a new favorite in our house.
We really enjoyed this sushi bowl and loved how easy it was to make!
Wow!
Fabulous idea. Delicious and easy.
Great to share with hubby/visitors sharing a double recipe on a large platter.
THANK YOU
Made this last night and it was fantastic! Way better making it at home than getting take out!
This recipe was excellent, and the entire family enjoyed it. I am making this again soon! Happy holidays!!!
What great flavors and such vibrant colors in this sushi bowl. Love it!
This sushi bowl looks so fresh + vibrant with all of these delicious ingredients. Definitely one of the best dishes to make for a laidback day!
Love this idea to kick a sushi craving at home – all the same flavors without the need to roll your own sushi!
I made a few Sushi Bowls for dinner and they turned out amazing! The family loved them and can’t wait to make them again. Thanks for the recipe!
I LOVE sushi bowls but do not love going out to eat one. Love that I can now enjoy them at home in my jammies!!
I’m always intimidated to make sushi at home, but this sushi bowl is so easy! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
These bowls are delicious! I love being able to just throw it all in a bowl instead of worrying about rolling them up.
I love sushi but have never tried to make it. These bowls look so much easier, with all the delicious taste!