California Roll Sushi Bowls
If you need an easy and filling dinner, that’s low on effort, high in protein, and big in flavor, this is the recipe for you. Steamed white rice, a surimi crab salad mixture, marinated cucumbers and sliced avocado come together in a bowl. This recipe only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.
Making Sushi Bowls
Sushi bowls are pretty simple to make. You need rice, a protein, and toppings. That’s it! I like to use a rice cooker, and while the rice is cooking, I prep the protein and the toppings. Multi-tasking is my specialty. : )
For the rice, you can cook it on the stovetop, you can oven bake it (which is actually genius and works super well) or you can use a rice cooker. To the finished rice you’ll want to add a little bit of rice wine vinegar, and some sesame oil for flavoring. Go light handed with the sesame oil, it is a finishing oil, and the flavor is quite potent. A little goes a long ways!
Sushi Bowl Protein Options
- I used surimi to make it similar to a California roll. Surimi is essentially fake crab; it’s made of Alaskan pollock. To get it similar to that traditional California roll style, I mix it with some mayonnaise and cream cheese, along with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic.
- Shrimp: Purchase precooked, frozen shrimp and thaw them under cool water in colander. You can chop it if you like, or leave it whole. You can also dress the shrimp if you like.
- Tofu: Tofu is always a delicious option if you don’t like seafood. I recommend this crispy tofu recipe.
Sushi Bowl Topping Options
If you’ve ever been to a poke restaurant, you’re familiar with the large glass case of topping options. Try to think of that when you’re building your sushi bowl. Here’s a few ideas!
- Cucumbers (marinated, or plain)
- Kimchee
- Edamame
- Mango
- Green Onions
- Furikake
- Sesame Seeds
- Radishes
- Slaw
- Seaweed Salad
- Avocado
Assembling Homemade Sushi Bowls
I like to use a wide set, large bowl-plate. I am sure there is some technical name, but it’s basically if a bowl and a plate had a baby. It makes it easy to scoop out of, and holds everything nicely together, without being crammed into a small bowl.
Add a scoop of rice (I measure mine out, I like about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup), along with about 1/2 cup of protein, and then I load it up with toppings. I try to go pretty fresh with my toppings, but I always include avocado and cucumbers as my main staples.
As for sauces I am a big fan of Bachan’s, but simple soy sauce works too. Thai chili sauce is great, ponzu, teriyaki, there are tons of options. My vote? Do whatever tastes best to you, and don’t be scared to layer!
Sushi Bowl Variations and Storage Tips
If you have leftovers, store them in a lidded container and reassemble the next day. There is some contention on if you can reheat rice. Me? I just make a new batch. It’s easy, it’s cheap, and I know it will be fresh. Trader Joes’ actually sells frozen rice that reheats easily. If you have leftover crab salad, you can also turn it into baked crab rangoons, or crab rangoon pizza!
If you like this recipe, you’ll also love our Cucumber Sushi Boats.
More Sushi Inspired Recipes
If you love sushi inspired recipes, here’s some more you might enjoy!
- Teriyaki Sushi Bowl
- Hawaiian Poke Recipe
- Low Carb Sushi Cucumber Bites
- Chicken Gyoza Bites
- Charcuterie Sushi
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Hope you enjoy this one as much as we did! – Kathi and Rachel
Easy Sushi Bowls (California Style)
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked rice (cooked as desired)
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Crab Filling
- 16 oz surimi crab
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
Toppings as desired
- 1 cup cucumbers
- 1 avocado
- sesame seeds
- pickled ginger
Instructions
- Cook rice as desired. Once fully cooked, add rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil to warm rice. Stir to combine.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine crab salad ingredients. Use a hand mixer to mix, which will break up the crab, and mix in the ingredients at the same time. Set aside.
- Prepare toppings as desired: Avocado, cucumbers, sesame seeds, soy sauce, etc.
- This recipe makes 4 servings (1/2 cup of rice, and 4-6 ounces of crab mixture per person). Top as desired, and enjoy!
Nutrition
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