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I would happily eat one of these vegan sushi bowls every day. They’re light yet satisfying, umami-packed perfection, and ready in under 30 minutes, to boot.
Why we love this recipe
I first encountered this meal when one the most talented chefs and actual best people in the world served it to us. We were visiting my friend Roxane and her family in Calgary and had narrowly escaped an accidental reenactment of Night at the Museum when we almost got locked into the TELUS Spark science center at closing time. We had hungry kids and not a lot of time to get dinner ready. Roxane whipped up these vegan sushi bowls in a flash. Trust me when I say that, talented chef or no, so can you.
They’re:
- A totally delightful combination of flavors and textures
- Equally kid- and grownup-friendly
- Flexible — add or omit ingredients, and serve buffet-style or assembled
- Quick and truly easy to make
I first published this recipe here back in 2018. I’ve since updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Extra-firm tofu stays tender on the inside while crisping up nicely on the outside. I sometimes decide to make a double-batch of tofu and would welcome you to do the same if you’d like a bigger serving of protein.
- Cornstarch is gluten-free and kinda magical at making things crispy.
- I like to use safflower oil, but any neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point is fine. Other good choices include canola, peanut, and vegetable oil blend.
- For the rice, any short- or medium-grain variety used for sushi will work just fine here. If you feel like learning more, peep my sushi rice recipe.
- Seasoned rice vinegar includes a bit of salt and sugar. You can substitute unseasoned rice vinegar along with a pinch of sugar if that’s what you’ve got.
- You can buy a whole pomegranate or just the seeds. They really add nice dimension to these bowls, in terms of flavor, texture, and color.
- Frozen edamame (immature soybeans) have become pretty easy to find in regular supermarkets. Try to buy organic ones if possible. For this recipe, I prefer to buy them already shelled. They’re quick and easy to cook lightly, either in the microwave or a small pot.
- You can use any kind of cucumber, but I usually gravitate toward English or Persian, which both have skin and seeds that don’t detract from the experience.
- Hass avocados are creamy and buttery and fabulous. If, like me, you don’t live in an area where avocados grow, you’ll still probably be able to find them at various stages of ripeness in your local stores.
- Here’s the recipe for the citrus vinaigrette — use the Asian-inspired version with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil. It’s so good.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make vegan sushi bowls. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- First you’ll rinse the rice really well and get it started cooking.
- While the rice cooks, you’ll dry, coat, and sauté the tofu.
- Prep all the other ingredients. You can serve this meal buffet-style or assemble everyone’s bowl for them. Start with rice, then layer in some tofu.
- Top with other ingredients and a generous drizzle of dressing. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
These bowls are super-flexible. You can really add or subtract virtually any of the ingredients and still end up with something great. A couple of protips: I often double the tofu since it’s so, so good. And quinoa makes an excellent, protein-packed substitute for the rice if you’re watching carbs or want to add another protein source. It won’t slow down your cooking time, either.
The rice and tofu will both be at their best shortly after cooking, so I don’t recommend going out of your way to make this recipe in advance. That said, leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week and can be reheated with a quick spin in the microwave before topping.
More of our favorite Asian-inspired vegan meals
- Vegan rice noodles
- Spicy sesame garlic noodles
- Tofu banh mi
- Super-popular vegetarian ramen (with easy vegan adaptation)
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Vegan Sushi Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 cups (360 grams) short grain Japanese rice
- ¼ cup (60 ml) seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 14- ounce 397-gram package extra-firm tofu
- ¼ cup (32 grams) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) safflower oil
- 2 cups (300 grams) shelled edamame
- 2 ripe Hass avocados, sliced
- 1 Persian cucumber, diced
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- 4 sheets toasted nori, torn into pieces
- 1 batch citrus vinaigrette
- Gomasio, optional
Instructions
- Place rice into a large bowl and cover with several inches of water. The water will become very cloudy right way. Agitate rice with your hands for 30 seconds, then drain in a fine-mesh sieve.
- Rinse the rice under running water until the milkiness of the runoff subsides.
- Place rice into a medium pot along with 2 1/2 cups cold water.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until water is absorbed.
- Remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes, then stir in seasoned rice vinegar.
- Meanwhile, dry the tofu very well between layers of paper towels. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes and dry once again.
- Place into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat well.
- In a 12-inch nonstick frying pan, warm the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
- Add tofu and cook until golden on one side, then flip and continue to cook until golden and crispy on most sides. This will take about 10 minutes total. Drain on paper towels.
- If you're starting with frozen edamame, cook lightly in the microwave or on the stovetop according to package directions. If they're not already shelled, go ahead and remove them from their pods.
- To make the dressing, follow the directions for the Asian-inspired version. If you'd like to keep it vegan, substitute agave or another sweetener of your choice for the honey.
- At this point you can assemble the bowls or arrange the ingredients buffet-style and let everyone serve themselves.
Notes
- For the rice, any short- or medium-grain variety used for sushi will work just fine here. If you feel like learning more, peep my sushi rice recipe. If you'd prefer fewer carbs and more protein, quinoa makes an excellent substitute.
- Seasoned rice vinegar includes a bit of salt and sugar. You can substitute unseasoned rice vinegar along with a pinch of sugar if that's what you've got.
- I often double the tofu in this recipe since it's so, so good.
- I like to use safflower oil, but any neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point is fine. Other good choices include canola, peanut, and vegetable oil blend.
- You can use any kind of cucumber, but I usually gravitate toward English or Persian, which both have skin and seeds that don't detract from the experience.
- The rice and tofu will both be at their best shortly after cooking, so I don't recommend going out of your way to make this recipe in advance.
- That said, leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week and can be reheated with a quick spin in the microwave before topping.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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