Rice, seaweed and one ripe avocado. That’s the whole foundation of a sushi roll that needs no raw fish, no special training and about 25 minutes of your time.
Recipes · Plant-Based Sushi
How to Make Avocado Roll Sushi at Home: A Vegan Recipe With Spicy Mayo
Rice, seaweed and one ripe avocado. That’s the whole foundation of a sushi roll that needs no raw fish, no special training and about 25 minutes of your time.
Sushi at home sounds hard. It isn’t.
The intimidation is mostly mythology. A restaurant roll looks like the work of a specialist, but the avocado roll is the friendliest entry point to the craft, because the filling is soft, the flavor is mild and the technique forgives clumsy hands. What you need is the right rice, a bamboo mat, a sharp knife and a little patience with your first roll. The second one will already look better.
Start With the Right Rice
Everything in sushi depends on the rice, and the single most important decision is the variety. Buy Japanese short grain rice. Its high starch content gives it the sticky, clinging texture that holds a roll together, and no substitute behaves the same way. Long grain rice such as basmati stays fluffy and separate, which sounds pleasant until you try to roll it and it falls apart in your hands.
Cook two cups of dry rice with two cups of water, following the instructions on the package. A rice cooker, a pot on the stovetop and an electric pressure cooker all work equally well. Once it’s done, move the rice to a large bowl and let it cool in the refrigerator until it is only slightly warm. Then stir in the vinegars, two tablespoons of rice vinegar and two of white wine vinegar. The seasoning gives sushi rice its gentle tang and a faint gloss, and the cooling step matters, because hot rice tears nori and turns the seaweed soggy before you’ve finished rolling.
Short grain rice isn’t a suggestion. It’s the glue.
Setting Up to Roll
A bamboo sushi mat is worth owning if you plan to make sushi more than once. It costs very little, turns up in most large retailers and specialty grocery stores, and it’s the tool that produces a tight, even cylinder. You can roll without one, using a clean kitchen towel, but a mat gives you more control over the pressure. A useful trick is to wrap the mat in plastic wrap before you begin, which keeps sticky grains out of the bamboo and makes cleanup nearly effortless.
Lay one sheet of nori on the mat with the shiny side down, so the rougher side faces up to grip the rice. Spread roughly two thirds of a cup of the seasoned rice across the sheet, pressing gently with damp fingers so it doesn’t stick. Leave a strip about two thirds of an inch wide clear along the far edge. That bare border is your seal, and skipping it is the most common reason rolls come open.
Filling, Rolling and Slicing
Slice a large avocado into thick, even strips and lay them along the edge of the nori nearest you. If you’re adding carrot, cucumber or anything else, slice it as thinly as you can, because bulky fillings push the rice aside and make the roll hard to close. Lift the edge of the mat, fold the nori over the filling and tuck it in, then press firmly as you roll forward, keeping the cylinder tight. Brush a little water along the bare strip to seal the seam. A small bowl of water at your elbow is all you need.
Slicing is where patience pays. Use your sharpest knife, wipe the blade between cuts, and cut the roll into pieces about one inch thick. A dull or sticky knife squashes the roll. A clean, sharp one gives you neat rounds with a visible green center. One recipe makes five or six rolls, depending on how generously you fill them.
Avocado Roll Sushi · Serves 4
- 2 cups uncooked Japanese short grain sushi rice, plus 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 large avocado, thickly sliced
- 5 to 6 sheets of nori
- Optional: 1 large or 2 small carrots, thinly sliced, and half a cucumber, thinly sliced
- Equal parts mayonnaise (vegan if you like) and sriracha, stirred together
- 439 calories, 83 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, 8 g fat, 7 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 24 mg sodium (before any soy sauce or mayo)
Variations Worth Trying
The avocado roll is a template as much as a recipe. Asparagus spears give it a crisp, grassy edge. Roasted sweet potato makes it sweeter and heartier, and it’s a good choice for people who want something more filling. Marinated or baked tofu adds protein, and a spicy tofu filling brings some heat. Carrot and cucumber, the two optional add-ins, add crunch and color without overwhelming the avocado.
Dip each piece in low sodium soy sauce, or serve it with the spicy mayo, which takes about thirty seconds to make. Pickled ginger is a classic partner and cleanses the palate between bites. If you’re feeding children or anyone wary of raw fish, this is a gentle way in, since there’s nothing in the roll but rice, seaweed and vegetables.
Storage and Timing
Sushi is best eaten the day it’s made, while the rice is soft and the nori still has a little snap. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, though the seaweed softens and the avocado can darken a little with time. Bring the rice back toward room temperature before eating for a better texture.
Make a batch for friends and let everyone roll their own. The first attempts will be lopsided, and they’ll taste fine anyway. By the third roll, most people have the rhythm, and by the end of the evening you’ll have a kitchen full of people who’ve quietly decided that sushi night is going to be a regular thing.
The Easy Avocado Roll Sushi is a Food with Feeling recipe.
