You might have thought it was impossible to make sushi without fish or seafood, but it is possible and tastes very good. If you follow this simple sushi rolls recipe, you can make colorful and tasty maki sushi in your own kitchen in just an hour!
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Don’t think that you need raw fish to make sushi anymore! This recipe leaves out the fish and seafood and uses colorful and healthy vegetables like avocado, bell pepper, cucumber, shiitake mushrooms, beets, and spinach.
Maybe the only kind of sushi that comes to mind is avocado maki or kappa maki (also called cucumber maki), which don’t have any fish in them. However, we show you how to make delicious rainbow maki with vegetables only.
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One of the best things about a no fish sushi is its versatility. Even though every sushi roll needs some things, the rest is up to you! Here are the must-haves for the filling and rice, along with some alternatives and extras you can add to make your sushi taste the way you like it.
The printable version of the recipe card at the end of this post has exact amounts for all the ingredients.
Making sushi without fish is made up of three steps: making the sushi rice, making the fillings, and rolling the sushi. Putting the sushi in rolls is the hardest part, but don’t worry—we’ve written out step-by-step instructions below, or you can watch our video.
Sushi is one of the most popular foods around the world, with its aesthetic presentation and burst of flavors in every bite. While sushi is traditionally made with raw fish and seafood, many people prefer to avoid fish and seafood for dietary reasons or personal preferences. The good news is, there are many delicious fish- and seafood-free sushi options to satisfy your craving!
The Tradition of Fish in Sushi
Sushi originates from Japan, where it is deeply rooted in culture and tradition The most authentic forms of sushi contain raw fish or seafood, typically fresh catches like tuna, salmon, yellowtail, shrimp, squid, eel, and more These ingredients are thoughtfully sliced and pressed onto finger-shaped mounds of vinegared rice called shari. Traditional sushi customs emphasize fresh, high-quality seafood to bring out the signature sweet and umami flavors.
While fish and seafood are integral to traditional sushi, the cuisine has evolved with globalization. Sushi restaurants internationally have adapted to accommodate cultural preferences and dietary needs. Vegetarian sushi became popular to cater to diners avoiding meat and fish. Chefs got creative, realizing sushi can be made with all kinds of fillings beyond raw seafood.
Why Avoid Fish and Seafood in Sushi?
There are many reasons people may want to avoid fish and seafood in their sushi
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Allergies – Some people have seafood allergies or sensitivities and have to avoid it entirely Consuming even traces of fish or shellfish could cause an allergic reaction
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Texture aversion – The raw fish texture is unappealing to some. Many prefer cooked or vegetable pieces with a different mouthfeel.
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Environmental sustainability – Overfishing worries some sushi lovers who want to consume seafood ethically and sustainably.
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Vegan/vegetarian diets – Vegans and vegetarians exclude all animal products, including seafood and fish-based ingredients.
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Health preferences – Some abstain from raw seafood due to health concerns like high mercury levels in certain fish.
Regardless of the reason, there are still many tasty sushi options to enjoy without any fish or seafood!
Full Vegetarian Sushi Rolls
For diners avoiding all fish and seafood, vegetarian sushi rolls offer the perfect solution. These rolls replace fish with vegetables, fruits, and other plant-based ingredients while keeping the signature sushi rice. Some popular vegetarian sushi rolls include:
Avocado Roll
This simple roll contains avocado and cucumber inside soy paper or a nori seaweed wrap. The creamy avocado makes a satisfying substitute for fish.
Sweet Potato Tempura Roll
Crispy fried sweet potato is paired with avocado or cream cheese and vegetables like cucumber and carrots.
Asparagus Roll
Thinly sliced asparagus and avocado or cream cheese fill the nori roll for an earthy flavor.
Cucumber Roll
Refreshing cucumber and daikon radish pickle fill this light and fresh tasting roll.
Natto Maki Roll
Sticky, pungent fermented soybeans give this unique sushi roll a strong umami flavor.
Shiitake Mushroom Roll
Umami-rich shiitake mushrooms star in this hearty sushi roll along with avocado and cucumber.
Umeboshi (Pickled Plum) Roll
Tart and salty pickled ume plums with shiso leaf or cucumber make a bright-tasting maki roll.
Kanpyo Roll
Sweet preserved gourd and cucumber are the simple ingredients in this vegetarian roll.
With a mix of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and pickles, vegetarian sushi rolls offer diverse flavors and textures while remaining 100% fish- and seafood-free.
Types of Sushi Without Raw Fish
For those who want to avoid only raw fish but are okay with cooked seafood, there are plenty of sushi options using seafood that has been cooked or cured. Some popular types of sushi rolls and pieces containing no raw fish include:
California Roll
The classic California roll has surimi crab stick, avocado, and cucumber. The imitation crab meat is made from cooked pollock or cod.
Dynamite Roll
This popular roll features shrimp tempura, vegetables, and spicy mayo. The fried shrimp provide a crispy texture.
Boston Roll
Cooked shrimp and avocado fill this East Coast spin on sushi. The shrimp can be poached or boiled.
Unagi (Eel) Nigiri
Slices of savory grilled freshwater eel are served over sushi rice in this traditional nigiri (not a roll).
Tako (Octopus) Sashimi
Slices of boiled octopus garnished with fresh herbs and spices make refreshing sashimi.
Anago (Saltwater Eel) Sushi
Anago eel fillets are simmered and sweetened in a soy sauce-based broth then served over rice.
Tamago (Egg Omelette)
This sweet, layered egg omelet provides a light accent atop nigiri sushi or as a filling in rolls.
Kanikama Kani Salad Musubi
Imitation crab salad is pressed into rice balls wrapped with nori for a Hawaii-inspired musubi.
With these options using pre-cooked seafood and seafood substitutes, you can still enjoy the flavors of sushi minus concerns over raw fish.
Meat and Poultry Sushi Rolls
While less traditional, some sushi restaurants offer rolls filled with cooked meat and poultry to cater to diners’ preferences. Popular options include:
Spicy Tuna Crunch Roll
This unique roll has marinated cooked tuna with spicy aioli and crunchy tempura flakes.
Teriyaki Chicken Roll
Sliced teriyaki chicken breast gives this roll a savory, meaty appeal.
Bulgogi Roast Beef Roll
Thin slices of Korean barbecued beef pair nicely with vegetables in this fusion-style roll.
Turkey Roll
Roasted turkey breast provides a lighter meat choice for sushi fillings.
Peppered Steak Roll
Rare cooked steak gives you a delicious meaty texture while avoiding fully raw beef.
Though raw fish is central to traditional sushi, chefs have proven through innovation that tasty sushi can be crafted from all types of ingredients.
Make Your Own Fish-Free Sushi
You can also make your own custom fish- and seafood-free sushi rolls at home. Grab some sushi rice, nori sheets, bamboo rolling mats, and let your creativity run wild! Try fillings like:
- Roasted or fried tofu
- pan-seared vegetables like zucchini or eggplant
- Avocado
- Mango
- Cream cheese
- Fresh herbs
- Roasted beets
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Mushrooms
With the right ingredients and a bit of practice, you can create amazing veggie sushi that looks and tastes like it came from a restaurant!
Satisfy Your Cravings Guilt-Free
While traditional sushi relies heavily on fresh raw seafood, the cuisine has evolved to offer more inclusive options. With vegetarian rolls, pre-cooked seafood, and unconventional fillings, you can still enjoy all the flavors of sushi without a bite of raw fish. Whether dining out or making your own custom rolls, there are endless possibilities to craft inventive, delicious fish-free sushi. With so many choices available, you can indulge your sushi craving completely guilt-free!
Easy Sushi without Fish (or Seafood)
- ▢ 3 oz Spinach (fresh)
- ▢ ½ Red bell pepper
- ▢ ½ Cucumber (small)
- ▢ 2 oz Shiitake mushroom
- ▢ ½ Avocado (ripe)
- ▢ 1 + ½ oz Beet (medium)
- ▢ 1 Tbsp Sesame oil
- ▢ 2 Romaine lettuce leaves
- ▢ 2 Tbsp Sesame seeds
- ▢ 10 oz Sushi rice
- ▢ 1 + ¼ cup Water
- ▢ ¼ cup Rice vinegar
- ▢ 3 tsp Granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 tsp Salt
- ▢ 4 Nori sheets
- Change the water for the rice several times until the water is clear. Leave it to soak for 15 minutes. Drain and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, mix rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Heat the compound and leave it to cool.
- Add water to the rice and cook over high heat until the water boils. Then lower the heat and let the rice cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and wait 15 minutes more.
- Pour the rice into a large pan. Add the vinegar mix and stir with a wooden spoon. Be careful not to break the rice. To get rid of the vinegar, use a fan to cool the rice. Lastly, cover with a damp cloth and leave to cool.
- Put a sauté pan on medium heat and add a little sesame oil. Then add the spinach leaves. Stir constantly until spinach leaves have reduced in size. You can sprinkle some salt and black pepper on top.
- Take out the spinach and add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and a little sesame oil. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. You can sprinkle some salt and black pepper on top.
- Pear and bell pepper should be cut into ½-inch thick bars.
- Cut the romaine lettuce leaves into 1-inch thick lines.
- Peel and cut beet into julienne sticks.
- Peel and cut avocado into 1-inch thick bars.
- Take a bamboo mat and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Then, put a dry nori sheet on top of it.
- With your fingers, spread a handful of cooked sushi rice out over the nori sheets in a thin, even layer. Wet your fingers so the rice doesn’t stick to them too much. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of it.
- Now turn upside down the nori sheet.
- Start with the romaine lettuce leaves and then add the slices of avocado, cucumber, and bell pepper. Place sautéed spinach leaves and shiitake mushroom slices on top. At last, add beet strips.
- Put the sushi on the bamboo mat and roll it up as tight as you can. (You can see how we do it in our video or in the photo collage above the recipe card, which shows each step.) ).
- It should be cut into 1-inch wide sushi rolls after both ends are cut off.
- Repeat with all 4 nori sheets. You should have 24 sushi rolls at the end.
How to roll sushi without fish
- Stick saran wrap around a bamboo mat and put a dry nori sheet on top of it. Put some cooked sushi rice on the nori sheet and spread it out evenly with your fingers. I find that having wet fingers helps the rice not stick to them too much. Optionally, you can sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
- Carefully turn the nori sheet upside down. You can skip this step if you are new to sushi and keep putting the filling on the rice. Not as easy as rolling a simple maki, rolling an inside-out sushi like that
- The vegetables should be added in this order: bell pepper slices, avocado, Romaine lettuce leaves, and avocado. Then put the shiitake mushroom slices and spinach leaves that have been sautéed on top. Lastly, add the beet sticks.
- Fold the sushi in half and roll it up by hand as tightly as you can.
- With the bamboo mat’s help, fold the bottom of the nori sheets at the level of the filling.
- Roll it slowly one more time until the bottom hits the other side of the sushi.
- Put some pressure on the filling through the bamboo mat to bring it together.
- Roll the bamboo mat back and tuck in any extra filling.
- Now, wrap it up again in the bamboo mat and roll it up to the end of the nori sheet.
- With a little more pressure, your sushi roll is ready!
- Throw away the plastic wrap after rolling it up and then use a sharp knife to cut it up. First cut the sushi in half along both sides. Then, cut the rest into 1-inch-wide rolls, making six rolls per sheet.
- Do this again with the rest of the nori sheets until you have 24 sushi rolls.
- Wet your fingers. It helps to have wet fingers when spreading the rice over the sheets so that it doesn’t stick to them.
- Keep it simple. A typical sushi roll doesn’t have a lot of different flavors or ingredients. That said, we recommend using at most 3-4 ingredients. Also, it gets harder to roll the sushi as more ingredients are added.
- If you want to call this “inside-out” sushi, the rice will be on the outside and the seaweed sheets will be on the inside. Skip step 2 and turn the nori with the rice around if you want to skip it. Place the filling on the rice and continue like that. There is no better way to roll a maki sushi than an uramaki because the filling stays together better.
Because these 16 accidentally vegan sushi rolls show, there are a lot of different tasty fillings you can use in your vegan sushi. Here are a few that you can use in these easy sushi rolls and other ways you can make your rolls:
- Meat substitutes – Tofu is an excellent addition to sushi. Try our smoked tofu sushi rolls.
- Other vegetables—Use other vegetables like sweet potato, cabbage, cauliflower, radishes, asparagus, or carrots. Just like in our sweet potato sushi rolls recipe.
- Fruits: Add mango, mandarin orange, strawberries, kiwi, dragonfruit, blueberries, or raspberries as fillings or toppings to sushi to make it sweeter.
- Other Japanese ingredients—Add unique things like gourds, wakame (kelp), mirin, or dashi (fermented soy beans).
- If you don’t like nori seaweed, you can make sushi with rice paper wrappers instead. That’s what we did in our recipe for rice paper sushi without seaweed.
Here are some must-have sauces and condiments that make sushi taste better and add extra heat. Here are a few standard yet optional condiments that you can serve alongside your sushi:
- Soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
- Wasabi (if you really like heat)
- Pickled ginger
- Hot mustard
- Chili oil
- Bamboo mat
- Hangiri is a wooden bowl for sushi rice. You can also use a large glass bowl, an unfinished wooden salad bowl, or a large roasting pan.
- Sushi-making kit – Preferably one with a roller machine.
- Beginner’s sushi kit
- Rice cooker
- Stockpot
Because sushi rice dries out quickly, sushi rolls taste best when freshly prepared. But if you want to save your sushi for another day, please follow these steps:
In the refrigerator – Store your sushi rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
In the freezer – Depending on its ingredients, you can store your sushi for months in the freezer. However, to avoid the pieces sticking together and getting soggy when defrosting, you must freeze each roll separately.
Our recipe certainly is. If you ever order the “no fish” sushi at a restaurant, make sure it doesn’t have any dairy in it, like cream cheese or Japanese omelette.
Long-grain or even medium-grain rice shouldn’t be used for sushi because they don’t have enough moisture or stickiness to help the sushi keep its shape.
Here are 16 photos of sushi that was made without eggs or dairy. You can also try one of the recipes below:
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Why This Village in Japan Makes SUSHI Without Fish | Hidaka Village
Is sushi without seafood considered Sushi?
Especially for individuals who don’t like raw fish or seafood in their meals. Some might think that sushi without seafood is not considered sushi. Well, that belief is entirely incorrect and will need clarification first. The term ‘sushi’ refers to the sour taste of the vinegared rice used in this dish, which is a key component of sushi.
Is sushi considered as healthy food?
Sushi is a healthier choice, but it depends on which variety of fish is used to make sushi. Fatty fishes like tuna and salmon adds much omega 3 fatty acids to the dish. Fish is high in protein and sushi is prepared with plant based proteins like tuna and other vegetables, so sushi is regarded as a high protein food. It also contain more vitamin D, B12, than other foods, provides a source of essential minerals like selenium, zinc and iodine, it is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids. Hence sushi is considered as a wholesome food with a store house of all the essential nutrients.
Can you eat sushi without raw fish?
The good news is that the vast majority of sushi restaurants (at least state-side) serve a vast array of sushi rolls made without raw fish. You can experience the fun and joy of this Far East delicacy with tempura shrimp, creamy avocado, crisp cucumbers, eggs, and even cheese.
How to make sushi without fish?
There are three parts to preparing sushi without fish: Making the sushi rice, preparing the fillings, and rolling the sushi. Rolling the sushi is the most challenging part, but no worries! We have included step-by-step instructions below for how to make the perfect rolls or watch our video.