You may love the authentic sushi served at your favorite Japanese restaurant, but when you try our incredible vegan sushi, you’ll be making it at home more often!
We have prepared an easy-to-follow recipe that combines a light, healthy, and delicious plant-based filling of vegan cream cheese, carrots, cucumber, mango, and Hass avocado.
This is all surrounded by flavorful sticky sushi rice and iodine-packed nori sheets (an ideal nutrient boost for vegans!). It’s time to get rolling!
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Table of contents
What is Sushi?
Sushi is celebrated worldwide as a traditional Japanese dish, typically made by wrapping raw fish and other ingredients inside sticky flavored rice.
Its roots can be traced back more than 2,000 years to the dish called narezushi – a method of preserving salted fish in fermented rice, which originated in China around the 4th century BC. Narezushi spread to Japan in the 8th century, then developed over the centuries into the dish we know and love today.
Sushi was introduced to the West in the 20th century, and became popular in America in the 1960s. Sushi is now found everywhere from restaurants to grocery stores, although nothing beats fresh sushi made at home with love.
Is Sushi Vegan?
Traditionally sushi is made using raw fish, so it is not vegan.
However, many sushi variations are vegan. Providing you fill your sushi with plant-based ingredients – including vegetables and tofu – then it’s simple to make sushi vegan.
That’s exactly what we have done with this recipe!
Is this Vegan Sushi Gluten-Free?
It is! However, be careful to double-check the labels on your rice vinegar and liquid sweetener to ensure there is no gluten present.
The same goes for any soy sauce you use for serving. Many soy sauces are gluten-free, although just as many contain some gluten, so be vigilant.
Is Vegan Sushi Easy to Make?
The preparation of the ingredients is very easy – simply cook the rice and chop your veggies.
The most difficult part is rolling the sushi, which may require a bit of practice. We recommend using a bamboo sushi mat to make rolling easier, and a wet sharp knife to cut your slices with ease.
What is Vegan Sushi Made Of?
The ingredient list for our vegan sushi is pretty simple! To make the rice you will need the following:
- Sushi rice
- Water
- Rice vinegar
- Liquid sweetener (optional – or use an extra tablespoon of rice vinegar instead)
Then to prepare the rolls, you will need:
- Nori seaweed
- Black sesame seeds
- Vegan cream cheese
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Mango
- Hass avocado
Finally, to serve, you will need:
- Soy sauce
You will find nori seaweed sheets, rice vinegar, and sushi rice at most good grocery stores, usually in the Asian food section.
How to Make Vegan Sushi
Start by chopping your veggies into strips and preparing your rice.
To a rice cooker, add the sushi rice and water, and cook as you would standard white rice. While the rice is cooking, mix together the rice vinegar and liquid sweetener, and set aside.
Once the rice has finished cooking, pour the rice vinegar and liquid sweetener mixture over the rice. Toss the rice thoroughly to make sure the flavor is well distributed.
Transfer the sushi rice to a tray, spread it out, cover it, and let it cool. When it is cool, it’s time to assemble the rolls!
Place one nori sheet on a bamboo sushi mat and, using your hands, cover the nori sheet with an even layer of the sushi rice. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the rice.
Next, layer the cucumber, carrot, mango, avocado, and vegan cream cheese on one end of the nori sheet. Feel free to add different fillings to each sushi roll if you like (see our recommendations in the tips section below).
Proceed to roll it up tightly, then wet the end of the nori to help it stick. Repeat the process for the last 3 rolls. Then, when all 4 rolls have been assembled, cut them with a knife and serve with soy sauce.
Tips for the Best Vegan Sushi
When you slice your sushi, use a sharp knife dipped in water, as this will help you to produce a clean cut.
As for fillings, we love the fresh and distinctive flavors of vegan cream cheese, mango, carrot, and cucumber, although you can add whatever fillings you enjoy.
Add some extra crunch with bell peppers or enoki mushrooms, or give your sushi a protein hit by adding some marinaded and fried tofu.
In addition to soy sauce, you can also serve your sushi with a little wasabi and pickled ginger for an authentic flavor experience.
Don’t forget the chopsticks. Itadakimasu!
FAQ
How to Store Vegan Sushi
Can’t eat it all in one go? You can store your vegan sushi in a sealed container in the refrigerator for around three days.
Can You Freeze Vegan Sushi?
We don’t advise it, as thawing the sushi would result in soggy nori and mushy fillings, which will all fall apart anyway. It’s best to enjoy this sushi either freshly made or out of the refrigerator.
Can You Make Vegan Sushi Ahead of Time?
Vegan sushi is best enjoyed when eaten immediately, as the vegetables will be at their crispiest and tastiest when fresh.
You can make it ahead of time though – just store your sushi in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
How Long Does Vegan Sushi Last?
Vegan sushi can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. However, it will lose some of its freshness, and the avocado will brown a little, so it’s best to eat it sooner.
Is Vegan Sushi Healthy?
Our vegan sushi can be a very healthy light meal or snack, as it’s made with whole-food ingredients and packed with fresh vegetables.
Each bite is full of fiber and nutrients. For example, there’s iodine and omega 3 (DHA and EPA) in the nori, vitamin A in the carrots and mango, and loads of vitamins and minerals in the Hass avocado.
Don’t forget that you can add your own favorite healthful ingredients as fillings!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photos with @healthiir on Instagram!
Easy Vegan Sushi
Difficulty: Easy4
servings45
minutesIngredients
- For the rice:
1 1/2 cups sushi rice
2 cups water
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp liquid sweetener of choice, optional (if you don’t use this, add another 1 Tbsp rice vinegar instead)
- For rolling:
4 sheets of nori seaweed
A few pinches of sesame seeds, for sprinkling
Vegan cream cheese, for adding to the rolls (optional)
1 carrot, cut julienne (or thinly sliced)
1 cucumber, cut julienne (or thinly sliced)
1 small mango, sliced
1 Hass avocado, sliced
- For serving:
Soy sauce
Directions
- To a rice cooker, add the sushi rice and water, and cook as you would white rice.
- While it’s cooking, mix together the rice vinegar and liquid sweetener, and set aside.
- Once the rice has finished cooking, pour the rice vinegar and liquid sweetener mixture over the rice. Toss the rice around to make sure the liquid is well distributed.
- Transfer the sushi rice to a tray, spread it out, cover it, and allow it to cool.
- To assemble the rolls, place one nori sheet on a bamboo mat, and using wet hands, cover 2/3 the nori sheet (the rougher side) with an even layer of the sushi rice.
- Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the rice.
- On the empty 1/3 part of the nori sheet, add layers of cucumber, carrot, mango, avocado, and vegan cream cheese (or whatever else you’d like), and roll it up tightly using a bamboo mat. Make sure to start the rolling process from the empty side of the nori sheet (even though it’s not empty anymore).
- Repeat the process for the last 3 rolls.*
- Once the 4 rolls have been assembled, cut them with a wet knife and serve with soy sauce, coconut aminos, or tamari (depending on preference).
Notes
- *If you’d like the type of sushi rolls where the rice is on the outside, the only difference is, after step 6, flip the nori sheet upside down so the rice is underneath. Add the ingredients to the 1/3 empty side, and continue.