Sushi Bowl

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This sushi bowl is a deconstructed California sushi roll loaded with irresistible flavor and all of the best sushi ingredients. It’s layered with sushi rice, crab, cucumber, avocado, a tasty sauce, and more. It’s easy to make and ready to serve in just 20 minutes!

The flavors and textures in this bowl are some of my favorites! If you love them too, try our California rolls, and this sushi bake next!

Overhead shot of sushi bowl with chopsticks.

Reasons to Love This Sushi Bowl

Quick & Easy: This sushi bowl recipe requires less hassle and effort than rolling sushi rolls, but it still delivers amazing flavor!
Versatile: The beauty of this dish is that it’s totally customizable. Want to use something other than crab? Try salmon. Not a fan of roasted seaweed? Leave it out.
Fresh flavor: This is the easiest and tastiest way to satisfy a sushi craving at home! You will love the combination of fresh ingredients paired perfectly with an incredible sauce.

What’s in a Sushi Bowl?

Here’s a list of everything you’ll need for this sushi bowl recipe! First, you can easily mix and match filling ingredients and use your favorite sauce. Moreover, being able to customize it is one of the best things about making it at home. For exact measurements, be sure to scroll to the recipe card below.

Bowl

Sushi Rice: My recipe for sushi rice is perfectly sticky and delicious!
Avocado: Adds a creamy richness to the bowl.
Imitation Crab Meat: Brings a meaty taste and texture to the bowl. You can also use fresh crab if you’d prefer!
Cucumber: Adds a refreshing crunch. You can use English cucumber or whatever variety you like. To change things up, you can swap it with (or add in) carrot sticks, sliced radish, or bell pepper.
Roasted Seaweed: Nori sheets or roasted seaweed make this taste just like real sushi.

Toppings

Green Onions: To garnish and add mild onion flavor, plus extra color and texture.
Spicy Mayo: Try my homemade spicy mayonnaise to add creaminess and a kick of heat. Or simply squeeze on some sriracha
Sesame Seeds: Sprinkle some over the top of your finished bowl for texture and presentation.

Sauce

Soy Sauce: Loaded with umami flavor, this will add depth and richness to the sushi bowl sauce.
Oyster Sauce: This adds some brininess with a hint of sweetness but doesn’t taste fishy.
Sesame Oil: For nutty, earthy flavor.
Rice Vinegar: Brightens the flavor with a slight sweetness.
Fresh Ginger: Grated ginger adds a bit of a kick that balances out the other ingredients nicely.
Salt and Pepper: To taste and enhance all of the flavors.

How to Make This Recipe

You’ll love how quickly you can whip up this delicious sushi bowl! In fact, there’s no need to turn on the oven. It’s so refreshing and easy, and the result is irresistible!

Prep and Make the Sauce: Prepare all the ingredients for the bowls and set them aside. Then, in a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger, salt, and pepper.
Assemble Bowls: Get two bowls and fill them with ½ cup rice each. Then, add half of the avocado you prepared to each bowl. Then, add ½ cup imitation crab and ¼ cup cucumber to each bowl. Finally, top each bowl with half of the seaweed.
Add Garnish and Mayo: Drizzle half of the sauce over each bowl, then top them with green onions, spicy mayo, and sesame seeds.
Serve: Enjoy fresh!

Overhead shot of bowl with rice and imitation crab. — Add sushi and crab to a bowl.

Overhead shot of bowl with rice, crab, avocado and cucumber. — Add sushi and crab to a bowl.

Sushi Bowl Suggestions

You can easily customize these California roll bowls based on the ingredients that you like best! Here are some suggestions:

Choose Your Toppings: You can leave off any of the toppings or add more to your liking! I like edamame, fresh lime, and pickled ginger.
Change the Protein:
Other great proteins for a sushi bowl include salmon, tuna, shrimp, and steak. However, if you plan to eat the fish raw, make sure you get sashimi-grade quality.
If you’re a fan of tuna, try this poke bowl next!
Swap the Rice: You can use short grain, calrose rice, or brown rice instead of white sushi rice.
Serving Size: This recipe makes 2 bowls. Feel free to double the recipe if you’re serving a family or more than 2 people.

Overhead shot of plated sushi bowl with sauce green onions and sesame seeds.

Storing Leftover Sushi Bowls

I’m not sure if you will have any leftovers to store, but if you do, follow the instructions below.

Refrigerate: I recommend enjoying your sushi bowl fresh, but leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Separate: I like to store the individual ingredients separately to keep things from becoming soggy. This way, each component stays fresh and maintains its texture.
Assembly after storing: Additionally, separating the ingredients makes it easier to assemble the sushi bowl when you’re ready to eat, ensuring that every bite is as delicious as the first. Furthermore, this method allows you to customize each serving to your preference, adding or omitting ingredients as desired.

Close up shot of someone taking a bite of the sushi bowl with chopsticks.

More Asian-Inspired Recipes

Asian dishes are some of my favorites. They have so many delicious flavors and are savory, sweet, and umami all at the same time. They’re also easy to make at home. If you liked this sushi bowl, here are a few of my favorite recipes that I know you’ll love!

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Prepare all the ingredients for the bowls and set them aside. In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger, salt and pepper.
Get two bowls and fill them with ½ cups of rice each, half of the avocado you prepared, ½ cups of imitation crab, ¼ cups of cucumber, half of the seaweed.
Drizzle half of the sauce over each bowl and top them with green onions, spicy mayo, and sesame seeds.
Enjoy fresh!

Calories: 918kcalCarbohydrates: 175gProtein: 22gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 2390mgPotassium: 516mgFiber: 10gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 157IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Reasons to Love This Sushi Bowl