Vegetarian Sushi Bowls

These Vegetarian Sushi Bowls can stand in for your favorite sushi takeout and take no time to toss together.  Packed with the crispiest tofu, perfect sushi rice, carrots, cucumbers, edamame, avocado, nori sheets, and a drizzle of spicy mayo. These sushi bowls check all the boxes for an easy healthy meal.

These plant-based sushi bowls are the best of both worlds between fancy (and rather expensive) sushi rolls and an easy-to-make recipe. While most people think of tuna, shrimp or salmon when it comes to sushi, we thought we would show off how easy it is to make a vegetarian version.

This recipe delivers big on flavor and textures thanks to the crispy baked tofu, fluffy sushi rice, tender vegetables, and silky-smooth pieces of avocado.

The reason we love this recipe so much is that it’s so much easier than making sushi rolls. For one, you don’t need any fancy sushi-making equipment. Plus, since we added tofu it has so much more protein than standard rolls.

Serve your sushi bowls as a quick weeknight meal, or meal prep the ingredients for easy lunches all week long.

Why You’ll Love Vegetarian Sushi Bowls

• Veggie Sushi with protein: Most vegetarian sushi lacks protein, but not this bowl! This recipe can be a complete meal for vegetarians, and it can easily be adapted to be vegan and gluten-free if needed.
• Healthy: Vegetarian sushi bowls are filled with plant-based protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. They’re a great way to eat the rainbow!
• Simple: All you have to do is bake tofu and build your sushi bowls. It really doesn’t get much easier than this. You’ll have dinner on the table in no time!

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here is everything you need to make these easy sushi bowls.

• Tofu: We recommend firm tofu for the best texture, but extra-firm or medium will work in a pinch. If you use medium tofu, let it press for about 5-10 minutes longer.
• Sesame oil: Adds a nutty, roasted flavor that complements the tofu. You can also use olive oil, but we really recommend sesame oil if you can get your hands on some.
• Soy sauce: Low-sodium soy sauce helps you better control the overall saltiness of the tofu. For a gluten-free option, use tamari, liquid aminos, or coconut aminos.
• Cornstarch: Creates an ultra-crispy crust on the exterior of the baked tofu. Do not skip the cornstarch! Potato starch or arrowroot powder can work as a replacement if you don’t have cornstarch.
• Sushi rice: Make your own sushi rice with freshly steamed Japanese short-grain rice and seasoned rice vinegar. You can also use plain steamed rice, Brown Rice, Cauliflower Rice, or quinoa if you prefer. 
• Vegetables: We love the combination of cucumbers, carrots, and edamame, but feel free to experiment with other veggies! Add radishes, peppers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, beets, cabbage, bok choy, zucchini, squash, yams, and anything else you can think of!
• Avocado: There is nothing better than a bite full of buttery and creamy avocado flavors. If you don’t have avocado, you could try cubed mangoes instead! Or add some nuts or seeds for a different source of healthy fats.
• Nori: Nori is another name for seaweed. It provides a quintessential salty, savory, and slightly sweet sushi flavor. You should be able to find nori in the Asian food aisle of the store. If not, you will definitely be able to pick some up at an Asian food market.
• Spicy mayo: Mayonnaise adds a rich flavor while Sriracha and rice vinegar provide a spicy tang that puts this sushi bowl over the top.

How to Make Vegetarian Sushi Bowls

Follow these steps to make these delicious veggie bowls.

1. Press the tofu

Pressing tofu is an important step in achieving a perfectly crispy final texture. Drain and slice it into slabs, then press them between a kitchen towel or paper towel with something heavy on top.

You can use a tofu press, but I find a cast-iron skillet always does the trick! Let the tofu press while you preheat the oven and prep the other ingredients.

2. Bake the tofu

Once the liquid has drained from the tofu, cut it into cubes and toss it with sesame oil and soy sauce. Then toss it with cornstarch until it is well coated. This is key for making crispy tofu!

Bake the tofu on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for just under 30 minutes, or until it is golden brown in color and crisped on all edges.

3. Make spicy mayo and prep the veggies

Combine the mayo, rice vinegar, and Sriracha to make the spicy mayo sauce. Remember to taste and add more or less of each ingredient to suit your preference.

For a vegan option, you can replace regular mayo with egg-free mayo. A few brands that sell vegan mayo include Follow Your Heart, Chosen Foods, Primal Kitchen, and Hellmann’s. For a bolder flavor, you can add a splash of soy sauce.

This is a great time to clean, chop, and prep all the vegetables as well. 

4. Build the bowls

Build your bowls with a layer of sushi rice, crispy tofu, fresh vegetables, avocado, and nori strips! Drizzle as much or as little spicy mayo on top as you’d like.

Best Sushi Bowl Toppings

One of our favorite things about sushi bowls is how unique you can make them taste just by switching up the toppings. Some of our absolute favorites include:

• Sesame seeds or furikake
• Pickled ginger
• Wasabi
• Green onions
• Seaweed salad
• Radishes
• Extra soy sauce or ponzu
• Jalapeno or serrano peppers

If you are strictly vegetarian or vegan, avoid toppings like furikake (rice seasoning) because it contains dried seafood like bonito flakes, dried baby shrimp, or salmon flakes. Some brands also include eggs in their ingredient list.

Storage and Reheating

If you make the ingredients ahead of time or have leftovers, just follow these simple storage tips to get the most out of your vegetarian sushi bowls:

• Fridge: Once the tofu has cooled, transfer it to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Apart from the rice, the other ingredients can be stored separately. This will make it easy to build a bowl the next time you’re ready!
• Freezer: Sushi rice can be frozen for up to 1-2 months. To reheat it, just steam it in the microwave in a heat-safe bowl in 30-second increments.

Veggie Sushi Bowl Variations

There are so many ways to switch up these sushi bowls and make them your own.

• Make it vegan: To make this recipe vegan, swap out regular mayo for egg-free mayo. And don’t forget to omit the furikake.
• Make it gluten-free: Instead of soy sauce on the tofu, use tamari, liquid aminos, or gluten-free soy sauce if you are sensitive to gluten.
• No tofu: If you’re not a fan of tofu but want to keep it vegetarian, other options include hearts of palm, jackfruit, tempeh, seitan, chickpeas, or more edamame. Or if you eat fish, you can add tuna, salmon, or shrimp.
• Different sauce: If mayo isn’t your thing, try drizzling some soy sauce, Sriracha, yuzu, or teriyaki sauce over top. You could also make a poke sauce if you don't like mayonnaise. Just combine soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and Sriracha to taste. Some people add a touch of sweetener as well.

Tips and Recipe Ideas

Follow these tips for the best possible tofu sushi bowls. 

• Load it with veggies: Add more visual appeal, flavors, and textures by adding lots of veggies to the bowl.
• Quality sushi rice: Since it makes up the base of the bowl, take the time to perfectly cook the sushi rice. If you struggle cooking rice, consider a rice cooker or buy cooked sushi rice from the sushi counter in the grocery store or from a sushi restaurant. 
• Sharp knife: Use a sharp knife to cut all of your ingredients precisely and to the same size. It makes the whole eating experience much more enjoyable.
• Make it look nice: You don’t have to do this, but a visually appealing bowl is shown to make food taste better. If you’re not in a rush, take your time!

Meal Prep Ideas

If you decide to make these for meal prep, which I highly recommend, you can pack everything in advance except for the avocado. To make sure the veggies don't get soggy, sometimes I pack it with the tofu on the bottom of the container. Then I place the right on top of that.

Then all the veggies. This ensures that the spicy mayo sauce won't make any of your vegetables mushy. This works great in a mason jar as well.

Make it Vegan

To make a vegan sushi bowl, you just have to make a few small changes to the recipe. First, you will want to swap out the mayonnaise for a vegan mayo.

If you don't like vegan mayo, you can make a vegan poke sauce instead with soy sauce (or coconut aminos), sesame oil, rice vinegar, and Sriracha. If you like a sweet sauce, add some maple syrup or brown sugar.

Tofu Alternatives 

Not everyone loves tofu so I wanted to offer some alternatives in case you fall into that camp. 

• Hearts of palm: I love chopping up heart of palm and tossing it with the spicy mayo. It is so good and has a similar texture to fish, which is kind of fun.
• Jackfruit: Now that you can get canned jackfruit almost everywhere, it is another good option. Tossed with the spicy mayo, it is pretty delicious.
• Tempeh: Tempeh is another good option. Personally, I like to cut it up into very small pieces since it can be rather chewy in large chunks.
• Chickpeas: Although not my favorite for this recipe, chickpeas do work and add fiber and protein.