8 Colorful and Creative Vegan Sushi Recipes

Have you ever wanted to make your own sushi? Well we have got you covered with 8 great vegan sushi recipes that will add a little magic to your sushi night. While sushi traditionally features fish, there’s no reason you can’t switch that up and make vegan alternatives. And for all of you who lived though the 90’s and 2000’s as a vegetarian with me, let me tell you- it can be so much more than cucumber rolls!

What is Sushi?

That’s a great place to start! Sushi is traditionally defined as cooked rice, seasoned with vinegar, and accompanied by other ingredients such as vegetables or raw fish. Of course, as vegans we’ll pass on the fish. There are many different types of sushi, but all the ones we feature here are what you’re probably thinking of when you think of sushi- maki. Maki is rice and other ingredients, tightly rolled in nori (a type of seaweed). 

Tip: You want to know a huge difference between good, restaurant quality sushi and not-so-great, grocery store sushi? Freshness! Sushi does not get better with age- when you make your own sushi, plan on enjoying it right away for the best experience.  

The Basics of Making your Own Sushi

All of the recipes I’ve shared here go into how to make your own sushi, so I’m not going to spend a lot of time on it, but we are going to go over the basics. You can get nori (dried seaweed) from your local Asain grocery store, at many conventional grocery stores, often at health food stores, and of course, online. Make sure you get the right type of nori- they do make nori that’s meant for snacking, and it’s usually roasted and seasoned. Snacking seaweed isn’t going to be even and flexible, so make sure the sheets of nori you get are marketed as being for sushi making. You have some options when it comes to rice. Some sort of short-grained rice is usually the preferred option, as it has a high starch content which makes it sticky. After you cook your rice, you’ll want to season it. Typically sushi rice is seasoned with rice wine vinegar, salt, and sugar. You can also buy seasoned rice vinegar, which is just rice wine vinegar with salt and sugar already added. 

The treatment of the toppings, fillings, and sauces is going to be different depending on what they are. Vegetables may be roasted or sauted, chopped and added raw. There may also be purees, and sauces, you might have elements smoked or pickled- you can use a lot of creativity at this point. 

To assemble your sushi, make sure that your rice is completely cooled. Wet your fingers a little to stop rice from sticking to them, and then spread a thin layer of rice on the nori, covering about 3/4 of the surface. For each roll, you’ll want to start with about 1/3 cup of dried rice (so if you make one cup of sushi rice, you should have enough to make three rolls). Place your fillings in a line down the center of your rice, making sure you have all your fillings at all points in the roll. Roll up the sushi by pushing the rice-covered edge in on itself, around the fillings, and towards the end of the nori you left without any rice on it. You can use just a little bit of water on the uncovered end as a glue, to secure the roll closed. From there, let it sit a minute and use a sharp knife to cut it into pieces. And voila, you’ve made your own vegan sushi. Now on to the recipes!

8 Colorful and Creative Vegan Sushi Recipes

Let’s get down to it! While you can literally put anything you want in your sushi, sometimes it helps to have a good recipe. So without more ado, here are eight great vegan sushi recipes to inspire you to be creative!

Kabocha Squash Vegan Tempura Sushi Roll

Our recipe features tempura kabocha squash, pickled red radishes, and silky avocado. Garnish with a few radish sprouts, and you have a complex and delicious meal. This post also has a simple recipe for making sushi rice, so go and get started!

Smoky Red Lentil Rainbow Nori Roll by Sprouting Zen

This is one of our two rice-free sushi options- this one features red lentils instead! As well as the lentils, this roll contains tons of vegetables including avocado, tomatoes, greens, sprouts, and even mango. It’s fresh, colorful, and delicious!

No-Rice Sushi with Sweet Potato and Jicama

If you’re trying to keep the rice levels a little lower, this recipe uses sweet potato instead of rice- both orange and purple, for a stunning plate! They also contain delicate little enoki mushrooms, crunchy jicama, and a sprinkle of roasted peanuts.

Vegan Sushi with Carrot Lox and Tahini Tofu by Sarah’s Vegan Guide

Sarah walks you through two sushi recipes at once- the first roll features a tahini tofu, and the second stars carrot lox. They also highlight a homemade vegan cream cheese, and final touches of cucumber and scallion. 

Vegan Party Popper Emoji Sushi by Vegan Dollhouse

Here’s one for your inner child to devour- party popper sushi! 🎉🎉🎉 That’s right, this creative little sushi recipe is actually inspired by the celebratory emoji. Filled with cabbage, carrots, and colorful pepper, each bite is a party in your mouth. 

Lion’s Mane Mushroom Sushi

Lion’s mane mushroom used to be something you could only get deep in the woods, but lately this white, spiky mushroom has been cultivated and can be found on grocery store shelves! This seared mushroom is joined by sweet potato and chives to celebrate the weird and wonderful world of fungi.

Panko Baked Avocado Sushi Rolls by Plantbased Jess

For a little bit of a healthier take, this roll uses brown rice instead of white, and bakes their avocado instead of a traditional tempura. Cabbage, carrot, an cucumber complete this deliciously healthy roll.

Roasted Sweet Potato Sushi by Connoisseurus Veg

While a lot of vegan sushi is about finding bold and intricate flavor combinations, you can also do a lot by really highlighting an ingredient. This roll celebrates the sweet potato, by roasting it with sesame and maple. Simple, delicious, and really sweet potato-y.