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Missing your favorite restaurant sushi? Have you ever tried to make sushi rolls at home? It’s easier than you think! All you need is a bamboo mat, nori seaweed, cooked rice seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt, and a few filling ingredients for your rolls.

Shaping the rolls will take some practice, but I guarantee you’ll be inviting people over for a sushi party in no time! Here is a delicious and surprisingly simple sushi roll recipe from the Japanese cuisine that you can make in no time! 


One of My Favorite Food Pleasures!

Delicious Japanese sushi rolls filled with rice, imitation crab, shrimp, and cucumber.
Skip the sushi restaurant and make your own crab sushi rolls at home! 

There are hundreds of sushi roll variations, such as shrimp tempura roll, dragon roll, Philadelphia roll, rainbow roll, spicy salmon roll, California roll, spicy tuna roll, spider roll, and so on, however, all sushi is delicious!

It makes no difference whether the sushi is raw, cooked, or vegetarian. It’s all scrumptious with a little wasabi and soy sauce, mayo dip, and washed down with a piece of pickled ginger.

This sushi roll recipe is very simple to make. Salmon and avocado complement each other well, especially when combined with plenty of well-seasoned sushi rice, imitation crab, and nori.

The recipe is straightforward, with few ingredients and you can comfortably eat this great sushi without worrying about raw fish. 


All Sushi Tastes Good!

Slices of similar sized sushi rolls ready to be served
You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to make these sushi rolls at home.

What Are Sushi Rolls?

I’m sure you’ve heard of sushi! In fact, the word “sushi” in Japanese means “sour-tasting rice” (rather than the fish, like many believe).But what exactly is a sushi roll?

Sushi roll is a traditional Japanese dish made in a small roll of vinegar-flavored cold rice, seasoned with salt and sugar, and topped with a variety of ingredients such as seafood (often raw) and vegetables.


Sushi Rolls Ingredients

Sushi rolls ingredients: sushi rice, cucumber slices, imitation crab, shrimp, and salmon
An iconic dish with few ingredients

Rice Ingredients

Sushi Rice Ingredients

Rice: For your sushi rolls, you will need short grain rice. it is usually labeled “sushi rice” or “uruchimai”. It is the best option for the perfect sticky texture of homemade sushi rice.

Nori Sheets: Nori sheets (nori seaweeds) are the traditional seaweed wrappers used to roll sushi.

Water: You will need water to cook the rice.

Vinegar: Japanese rice vinegar (sushi vinegar) is needed to season the sushi rice. You can find this vinegar in the Asian section at the Japanese grocery store.

Sugar: You will need regular white granulated sugar for your recipe.

Filling Ingredients

Cucumber: It’s best to use seedless cucumber, such as English cucumber.

Shrimp: You will need precooked shrimp. You can precook the shrimp at home or buy already peeled and cooked shrimp. 

Smoked salmon: For your delicious rolls. you will need smoked salmon. You can also use fresh salmon if you like.

Avocado: Hass Avocado works perfectly with this recipe.

Cream Cheese: Choose any type of cream cheese you like.


Crab Vs. Imitation Crab

When you order California rolls at various sushi restaurants, they frequently include kanikama, or “kani,” an imitation of crab meat instead of real crab.

Kani is made from white fish (usually Alaskan pollock), crab flavoring, egg whites, and cornstarch to form crab-like sticks.

You can get kani from local Japanese supermarkets.


Don’t Bite Your Fingers Along with these Delicious Rolls

Sushi rolls served with a delicious mayo sauce
Your taste buds will thank you!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Can you prepare sushi rice ahead of time?

If you want to use the sushi rice over several days, leave it unseasoned except for the portion you use each time. The rice can then be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 4-5 months.

Can you make these sushi rolls inside out?

To make inside out rolls, spread the rice evenly on a seaweed sheet, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, and flip it over.
Then, on the nori sheet, arrange the fillings in a straight line.
And roll again, exactly like the previous roll.

What do you serve with sushi?

You can serve your sushi rolls with some soy sauce, mayo sauce, pickled ginger, chili sauce, sriracha sauce, and wasabi paste, as desired!


Top Tips

  • If using a rolling mat, wrap your bamboo sushi mat in cling film before you begin rolling. This not only makes the mat easier to clean after use, but it also prevents sticky rice from becoming stuck on the mat.
  • When making sushi rolls, it’s recommended to oil your hands with cooking oil spray so the rice doesn’t stick to your hands, or you can keep a bowl of water next to you to keep your fingers wet.
  • It’s also a good idea to keep the knife wet while cutting to ensure a clean cut.
  • Sushi rolls can be made with any combination of ingredients. Choose your favorite ingredients according to your personal preferences.
  • You can mix the spicy mayo into the rolls: Instead of drizzling the spicy mayo on top of the rolls, mix it into the fillings before rolling them up.

Homemade Sushi Rolls Ingredients

Rice Ingredients

  • short grain white rice
  • water
  • rice vinegar
  • sugar
  • Sushi Nori sheets

Filling Ingredients

  • Cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • Imitation crab sticks, thinly sliced
  • Shrimp, precooked and sliced in half
  • Smoked salmon, thinly sliced
  • Hass Avocado, thinly sliced
  • Cream cheese

Steps to Prep

First, rinse 2 cups of rice then add to a medium pot with 2 1/4 cups of water. Once the water comes to a boil, cover the pot and lower the heat to simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice has cooked.

Once cooked, in a small pot heat the rice vinegar and sugar until sugar dissolves (takes a quick minute) then pour over the rice and mix until all the rice is coated. Allow the rice to cool for 10 minutes.

avocado, shrimp, imitation crab, cucumber, and sushi rice filling

Meanwhile, prepare your favorite sushi fillings. Slice cucumbers, imitation crab, shrimp, smoked salmon, avocado and cream cheese. Now, Place a Nori sheet on a clean surface and begin assembling.

Nori seaweed topped with white sushi rice

Place about 1/4 cup of cooked vinegared rice all over the Nori sheet (add more if needed) then gently spread with your hands to have a thin layer of rice and until the Nori sheet is covered with rice. Best is to oil your hands with cooking oil spray so the rice doesn’t stick to your hands.

Nori Seaweed topped with sushi rice and cucumber slices
Nori Seaweed topped with sushi rice, cucumber slices and imitation crab
Nori seaweed topped with cucumber slices, shrimp, and imitation crab
Nori seaweed topped with cucumber slices, imitation crab, and shrimp
Nori seaweed topped with sushi fillings

Then, assemble your favorite toppings starting from the edge nearest to you. Layer cucumbers and all of the desired toppings. The best way to spread the cream cheese is to place 4 oz. in a sandwich bag, cut a small slit and drizzle over or next to the toppings you added.

A lady rolling sushi rolls

After that, begin rolling lifting from the bottom (where you placed all the toppings).

A lady rolling sushi rolls

Gently tuck as you roll pressing down firmly all across the roll and continue to roll until you reach the end.

A lady pressing firmly all across the sushi rolls

Finally, tightly secure again by pressing the roll.

A lady cutting sushi rolls into similar size pieces with a sharp knife

Then cut with a sharp chests knife about 1’ inch size pieces of similar size.

a sushi roll dipped in mayo sauce

Enjoy with wasabi, soy sauce, and dipping in spicy mayo sauce.


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5 from 1 vote

Homemade Sushi rolls

By: Lama
Delicious and surprisingly simple to make, this homemade sushi rolls recipe is straightforward and can be made with few ingredients.
Servings: 8 sushi rolls (12 per roll)

Ingredients 

Rice Ingredients

Filling Ingredients

  • cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • imitation crab sticks, thinly sliced
  • shrimp, precooked and sliced in half
  • smoked salmon, thinly sliced
  • Hass avocado, thinly sliced
  • cream cheese

Instructions 

  • Rinse 2 cups of rice then add to a medium pot with 2 1/4 cups of water. Once the water comes to a boil, cover the pot and lower the heat to simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice has cooked.
  • Once cooked, in a small pot heat the rice vinegar and sugar until sugar dissolves (takes a quick minute) then pour over the rice and mix until all the rice is coated. Allow the rice to cool for 10 minutes
  • Meanwhile prepare your favorite sushi fillings. Slice cucumbers, imitation crab, shrimp, smoked salmon, avocado and cream cheese.
  • Place a Nori sheet on a clean surface and begin assembling. Place about 1/4 cup of cooked rice all over the Nori sheet (add more if needed) then gently spread with your hands to have a thin layer of rice and until the Nori sheet is covered with rice (Best is to oil your hands with cooking oil spray so the rice doesn’t stick to your hands.).
  • Assemble your favorite toppings starting from the edge nearest to you. Layer cucumbers and all of the desired toppings. The best way to spread the cream cheese is to place 4 oz in a sandwich bag, cut a small slit and drizzle over or next to the toppings you added.
  • Begin rolling lifting from the bottom (where you placed all the toppings) and gently tuck as you roll pressing down firmly all across the roll and continue to roll until you reach the end.
  • Finally, tightly secure again by pressing the roll then cut with a sharp chests knife about 1’ inch size pieces.
  • Enjoy with wasabi, soy sauce and dipping in spicy mayo sauce.

Notes

Tips: 
  • If using a rolling mat, wrap your bamboo sushi mat in cling film before you begin rolling. This not only makes the mat easier to clean after use, but it also prevents sticky rice from becoming stuck on the mat.
  • When making sushi rolls, it’s recommended to oil your hands with cooking oil spray so the rice doesn’t stick to your hands, or you can keep a bowl of water next to you to keep your fingers wet.
  • It’s also a good idea to keep the knife wet while cutting to ensure a clean cut.
  • Sushi rolls can be made with any combination of ingredients. Choose your favorite ingredients according to your personal preferences.
  • You can mix the spicy mayo into the rolls: Instead of drizzling the spicy mayo on top of the rolls, mix it into the fillings before rolling them up.
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Lama

I'm Lama, welcome to my blog where you will find simple and diverse recipes your entire family will enjoy. I am honored to connect with you through the recipes I prepare!

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I was trying to find a sushi rice recipe as I’ve never made it before, and then I came across your recipe and I knew this was the one I had to try, all your recipes are amazing. And this one is no different! My girls claimed these were better than the shops. Thank you for yet another delicious recipe

    1. oh wow! Truly makes me so happy to know this sushi recipe satisfied your family 🙂 Thank you for your review!