This sushi bowl recipe is the easiest way to satisfy a sushi craving at home! Condiments like sliced avocado, nori, and spicy mayo top seasoned rice.
When I want to eat sushi but I don’t feel like it making sushi, I just make this sushi bowl recipe. It’s easy to put together (no rolling required!), but still has all the flavor and texture I love in a good veggie sushi roll. Creamy avocado plays off sticky seasoned rice, which contrasts with crisp, cooling cucumbers and crackly nori. I add ripe mango for a hit of sweetness, baked tofu for protein, and big drizzles of spicy mayo for wealth and warmth. I like to prepare the portions ahead of time and enjoy this sushi bowl for a midweek lunch, but it also makes a fun and refreshing dinner.
Sushi Bowl Recipe Ingredients
This sushi bowl recipe starts with shortcut sushi rice. Why shortcut? Well, real sushi rice is made with specific types of Japanese short-grain rice that have been carefully cooked, seasoned, and cooled. You can learn more about its preparation here. Since we’re making a sushi bowl and not actual sushi, this recipe is a bit more flexible. Cook any type of rice you like (short-grain white and brown rice are my favorites!), and, while it’s still hot, season it with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt to add a sweet, tangy flavor of sushi rice.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the toppings:
- Baked tofu – It’s tasty, spicy, and crispy on the edges. My air fryer tofu it’s also great!
- Avocado – A veggie sushi staple!
- Mango – The interplay of sweet and savory flavors is one of my favorite parts of eating sushi, so I wanted to include diced mango as a sweet and juicy ingredient in this bowl. It contrasts perfectly with the rich avocado and spicy mayo.
- Cucumber – For crunch.
- Scallions – For fresh, onion flavor.
- Pickled ginger – It adds refreshing, peppery notes to this bowl. Look for it in Asian markets or in the Asian section of well-stocked grocery stores.
- Pickled radishes – Optional, but delicious! They add a gorgeous pop of pink to this sushi bowl recipe and enhance the sweet and tangy flavors.
- Spicy mayo – Maybe the best part of this bowl?? This sauce is a simple mix of sriracha, mayonnaise, lime juice, and sesame oil, and it’s super easy to whip up. Make it vegan by using store bought or homemade vegan mayo.
- And decorating – Microgreens, sesame seeds, and nori, of course! Can’t find the nori sheets? Crush up your favorite brand of seaweed snacks!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Sushi Bowl Meal Prep Tips
Many of the parts of this sushi bowl keep well if you make them ahead of time, so it’s a great meal prep dish.
- The baked tofu and sriracha mayo both keep for 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- The pickled radish keep for up to 2 weeks in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator.
- And you can chop fresh ingredients like mango, cucumber, and green onion ahead of time and store them in the fridge. Just wait to slice the avocado until the last minute!
One ingredient that also doesn’t take care is rice, which dries out in the refrigerator. You can keep it for up to 2 days. After that, I would consider subbing an alternate grain, such as quinoaor freeze some of the rice and thaw it the day you plan to eat it.
Fully assemble the bowls in meal prep containers ahead of time, or keep the parts handy so you can quickly put together a bowl at mealtime.
Recipe Variations
We love this sushi bowl recipe as written, but there are all kinds of ways to change it up! Feel free to customize it to your liking. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Change the sauce. Instead of doing spicy mayo, top your bowl with a drizzle of tamari or soy sauce and a squirt of sriracha. Or make a tangy tamari dressing out of it rice bowl recipe.
- Add additional vegetables. The more the merrier right?! A small shredded cabbage, julienned carrot, or something else sautéed mushrooms it would be incredible here.
- Choose another protein. Top your bowl with baked tempeh or edamame.
Let me know what variations you try!
More Favorite Grain Bowls
If you like this sushi bowl recipe, try one of these delicious grains next:
Or, make your own sushi at home! Try it maki sushi recipe or these vegan sushi rolls.
Sushi bowl
Serving 4
- 3 cups cooked brown o white rice
- 2 spoon rice vinegar
- 1 spoon cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 recipe Baked Tofu
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 2 ripe mango, diced
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- Pickled ginger
- Pickled radishes, optional
- Snacks of thinly sliced nori or seaweed, for decoration
- sesame, for decoration
- Microgreens, for decoration
- Spicy Mayo, for delivery
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While the rice is still hot, toss it with the rice vinegar, cane sugar, and salt.
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Divide among 4 bowls and top with baked tofu, avocado, mango, cucumber, scallions, pickled ginger, and pickled radish, if using. Garnish with nori, sesame seeds, and microgreens and serve with spicy mayo.