Easy Vegetable Sushi Recipe

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This delicious and easy vegetable sushi recipe is a wonderful lunch or dinner recipe - and such fun to make!

This vegetarian sushi is packed with flavor and bright fresh ingredients like carrots, cucumber, avocado, and bell pepper. Combined with the salty nori and the seasoned sushi rice, you'll love this easy and healthy meal.

This is perfect for vegan and vegetarian sushi fans, but also great if you want to practice rolling nori rolls, but aren't comfortable with raw fish yet.

Jump to:

• Vegetarian Sushi Ingredients
• How to Make Vegan Sushi Rolls
• Tips for Making Nori Rolls
• More Veggie Sushi Combinations
• More Delicious Veggie Recipes
• Vegetable Sushi Recipe

If you want to try making homemade sushi, there's really no easier way than to make it with vegetables! This recipe is similar to a California roll (without the crab).

I love eating sushi at restaurants, but I don't live somewhere where it's easy to access sushi-grade fish to make my own raw sushi rolls at home. So I've been making veggie rolls for years, and they've become one of my lunchtime favorites.

It's a lot of fun to make your own sushi, but it can be just a bit tricky if it's your first time rolling nori rolls with a bamboo mat. Read the instructions carefully to make sure you take in all the tips and tricks!

Vegetarian Sushi Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this recipe. All of these ingredients should be available in most grocery stores.

Cutting all your vegetables into thin strips is The key to preparing them. The strips should be small enough that you can have some of each in the center of each roll.

• 1 cup of uncooked sushi rice*
• 1 ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 sheets of nori
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
• ½ avocado, thinly sliced
• 1 cup chopped greens
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• optional - tamari or soy sauce

*You can also make this recipe with black rice or brown rice if you'd like to try a different texture.

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How to Make Vegan Sushi Rolls

If you're new to rolling nori, check out this video on how to roll sushi.

1. Rinse the rice in a colander or metal sieve until the water runs clear. 
2. Combine the sushi rice and water in a medium stockpot and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, chop all vegetables.
4. Mix together the oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt. 
5. Pour the oil and vinegar mixture over the rice and stir to combine. 
6. Lay a sheet of nori, shiny side down, flat on a bamboo sushi mat on a cutting board. Cover with a handful of rice, leaving ¼ inch empty on the bottom and 2 inches on the top of the nori sheet. If the rice becomes too sticky, moisten your hands with cold water and press the rice with your wet fingers across the nori.
7. Lay a few pieces of each vegetable across the middle of the nori paper and rice - some strips of the bell pepper, avocado slices, strips of cucumber, and small amount of greens.
8. Moisten the ends of the nori roll with a little water, so it will stick together.
9. Using the sushi mat, roll the nori away from you, keeping a firm grip so the roll sticks together. 
10. Using a very sharp knife, cut through the center of the roll. Place the two pieces next to each other and cut identical ¾ inch pieces.
11. Repeat with the other 3 sheets of nori.
12. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with your choice of sauce (like soy sauce or sesame oil).

Tips for Making Nori Rolls

This recipe is not necessarily difficult, but rolling the nori is a little finicky. Here are tips for rolling the sushi.

• Don't overstuff the rolls with veggies. Spread a maximum of 4 to 6 sticks of each veggie type on each roll.
• Don't use too much rice. Don't leave empty spots, but make sure it's a thin, even layer of rice.
• Once you start rolling, keep a firm grip on the bamboo mat, and don't stop rolling!
• If you struggle to keep your bamboo mat clean, you can always cover it in plastic wrap. You can also keep a damp towel nearby to clean up the mat.

More Veggie Sushi Combinations

This recipe is incredibly versatile, so get creative with the veggies (or fruit!) you’d like to add to your roll.

Here are a few ideas of what you can add to your vegetarian sushi rolls:

• Roasted or Raw Zucchini
• Pickled Purple Cabbage
• Shiitake Mushrooms
• Portobello Mushrooms
• Kimchi
• Pineapple
• Mango
• Roasted Cauliflower
• Grilled or Raw Asparagus

More Delicious Veggie Recipes

If you like plant-based recipes, check out some of our other favorite vegan and vegetarian meals.

• Tropical Vegan Summer Rolls - these delicious rice paper rolls are stuffed with mango and avocado and then are served with a zingy peanut sauce.
• Mediterranean Chickpea Salad - a bright and flavorful salad that's ready in minutes.
• Chickpea Curry Recipe - hearty and warming, this golden chickpea curry is a phenomenal dinner recipe.
• Vegan Lentil Soup - A hearty soup of veggies and lentils that is totally comforting.
• Hand-Rolled Vegan Sushi (Temaki) - these sushi hand rolls are ridiculously easy to make!

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I hope you have lots of fun making this vegetable sushi. If you want a dipping sauce, check out our spicy mayo recipe.