Cauliflower Rice Sushi Rolls

This cauliflower rice sushi recipe is so delicious and so healthy. If you’re worried about making homemade sushi, this recipe shows a step-by-step process to make sushi at home. You’ll love this no-rice sushi served with a creamy peanut butter sauce.

Several slices of vegan sushi sit by a bowl of spicy sweet peanut sauce.

If you love easy sushi recipes but you’re worried about making DIY sushi at home, this post is for you. And guess what, these are raw vegan sushi rolls. Even better!

Let me be completely honest. The first time I tried vegetable sushi, I hated it. And then I tried them again, and they were ok. And then I tried them again and loved them.

Taste buds can be so strange.

Can you Make Sushi Without Rice?

Making sushi rolls without rice seems odd, but when you realize how easy it is to make cauliflower rice, you’ll love this simple, low-carb recipe.

This is actually raw vegan sushi because it uses cauliflower rice to make this recipe low carb, and it’s also a vegan keto sushi recipe.

First, follow my instructions on How to Make Cauliflower Rice. I like using cauliflower rice instead of sticky rice in this vegetarian sushi recipe. Not only does it taste amazing, but it’s also much easier! Want more veggie sushi ideas? Keep reading…

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Nori Sheets — These dark seaweed sheets available in most grocery stores in the Asian or international aisle
  • Cauliflower sushi rice — you can make cauliflower rice at home buy it in the freezer section of your grocery store
  • Avocado — Sliced avocados add healthy fats, flavor, and texture
  • Field Greens or Watercress — Adding fresh greens to your sushi will add color, nutrition, and a bit of a crunch, too
  • Red cabbage — The same is true with red cabbage, it adds color and crisp
  • Red and Yellow Peppers — Thinly-sliced fresh bell peppers are perfect toppings for veggie sushi
  • Green onions — Adding a bit of green onion adds a distinct flavor without overpowering these cauliflower rice sushi rolls.

How to Make Cauliflower Rice Sushi

  1. Place a nori sheet on a sushi mat.
  2. Top half of it with a thin layer of cauliflower rice, followed by sliced veggies and field greens.
  3. Use a bamboo roller to roll the nori tightly to the end.
  4. Allow the roll to sit for a minute or two, seem side down.
  5. Make the dipping sauce by combining the ingredients.
  6. Slice each roll into 5 to 6 pieces.
  7. Serve the sushi bites with the sauce.

Here’s a detailed step-by-step guide:

Making sushi rolls at home is easy. The first thing to do is to have your vegan sushi fillings lined up and chopped. This will make the next steps much easier.

I like adding a few greens for both color, nutrition, and crunch. I like a little crunch in my sushi, what can I say?

Sheets of nori sit next to an avocado, cauliflower rice, field greens, and a cutting board with sliced veggies.

You’ll also want to have a sushi mat. These are typically made out of bamboo and you can also find these in the Asian section of most grocery stores.

Making homemade vegan sushi rolls

Place a sheet of nori on the sushi mat. Add some cauliflower rice on the bottom half of the nori and top with red pepper slices, green onion slices, avocado slices, red cabbage slices, and field greens.

The goal here is consistency. You’re going to be chopping this sushi roll into bite-size pieces and you want each piece to have very similar ingredients. Keep that in mind as you’re placing those veggies on top of the cauliflower rice.

A sheet of nori is on a bamboo mat, with cauliflower rice topped with sliced veggies.

Beginning on the side with the filling, use the mat to begin rolling the nori up over the filling. Use your fingers to guide it and help “smush” the ingredients together in the roll. I love these tips on rolling sushi.

Hands are beginning to roll a sheet of nori with veggies on top on a bamboo matt.

Keep the roll tight. The mat can help you with that — just use it to help guide the roll.

Hands continue to roll the nori topped with sliced veggies, sitting on a bamboo mat.

Continue rolling to the very end of the nori sheet, using both your fingers and the sushi mat to keep the roll tight.

Hands finish rolling the sushi, using the bamboo mat.

One trick I learned is to let the sushi roll sit for a moment before slicing. That way the moisture from the rice helps to soften the nori, sealing the roll.

Slice the roll into 6 equally-sized bites. Place these on a plate and serve with the dipping sauce (see the recipe below).

Vegan Keto Sushi

Vegan keto sushi seems implausible, but this recipe works! First, if you’re not familiar with Keto, the goal is to keep your total grams of carbs between 20 to 50 per day. I have seen varying requirements for keto so I think it’s a very personal thing and there are tests to help identify if you’re actually in ketosis or not.

Either way, keto is a low-carb diet. This sushi cauliflower rice can be a part of a vegan keto diet or even a low-carb vegan diet.

Here’s the nutritional estimation per serving for this vegan keto sushi:

Calories: 116 Total Carb: 8g Fiber: 3g Net Carb: 5g

Net carbs equal total carbs minus fiber.

Vegan Sushi Dipping Sauce

The real key to success is a tasty sauce to dip your sushi in:

  • Spicy peanut sauce (combine peanut butter, tamari (a gluten-free soy sauce), and chopped peanuts).
  • Soy sauce combined with sriracha.
  • Sriracha combined with vegan mayo.

Do you know what else goes great with that peanut dipping sauce? I love these easy healthy Vegan Spring Rolls.

Vegan Sushi Ideas

Do you want the best vegetarian sushi fillings? You know, if you’re new to homemade sushi, it’s understandable to want some great vegetarian sushi ideas. That’s why I’ve experimented with some creative sushi fillings:

  • Sushi with fried sweet potatoes in the middle is amazing
  • Mushrooms
  • Mango
  • Cucumber
  • Microgreens
  • Zucchini
  • Air-Fried Tofu

More Vegan Asian Recipes

Slices of vegan sushi sit on a cutting board with chopsticks sitting in front, a bowl of dipping sauce sits nearby.
Several slices of vegan sushi with the dark nori on the outside sits by a bowl of spicy sweet peanut butter sauce.

Cauliflower Rice Sushi Rolls

This vegan cauliflower rice sushi rolls is so easy because it's made with Cauliflower Rice, which requires minimal cooking. It's a tasty low-carb (keto-friendly) recipe that's plant-based and served with a peanut dipping sauce.
4.86 from 7 votes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 116kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 sheets of nori
  • 2 cups cauliflower rice
  • 1 red bell pepper sliced thinly
  • 1 avocado peeled and sliced
  • 1 cup red cabbage sliced thinly
  • 2 green onions sliced thinly lengthwise
  • 2 cups field greens , chopped

Peanut Dipping Sauce

  • ¼ cup peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon stevia
  • 2 teaspoons tamari
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha based on your hotness preference
  • 2 teaspoons chopped peanuts for topping

Instructions

  • Place one nori sheet on a sushi mat (see below). Top about half of it with a thin layer of the cauliflower rice. Top this with thin slivers of the red bell pepper, avocado slices, red cabbage slivers, green onion slivers, and some of the field greens.
  • Use the bamboo roller to roll the nori, using your fingers to press down on the nori sheet as it rolls up. Roll it tightly to the end. Allow the roll to sit for a minute or two, seem side down.
  • Make the dipping sauce by combining the peanut butter, agave, Bragg (or soy sauce), and sriracha. Stir to combine. Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of water to get to a nice dipping consistency. Sprinkle the top with chopped peanuts.
  • Slice the roll into 5 to 6 equally sized bites.
  • Serve the sushi bites with the sauce.

Recommended Equipment

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Notes

This can be gluten-free if you use a gluten-free soy sauce like Bragg or Tamari This can be raw if you choose not to cook the cauliflower rice and purchase raw nori
Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 391mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 835IU | Vitamin C: 50.9mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.8mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.

13 Responses to Cauliflower Rice Sushi Rolls

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMich Reply

    Wow!

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyBrielle Luna Reply

    5 stars
    I have never had vegan sushi before but would definitely consider this since I want to achieve a healthier posture. Hehehe. Thank you for sharing this. 🙂

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlySl Reply

    5 stars
    Hi.. did u add any mirin for the firmness?

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for Marlykim Reply

    4 stars
    just to let you know Sushi isn’t Chinese cuisine…… thanks
    great recipe btw

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thank you, Kim. The recipe has been edited to reflect Japanese cuisine. Thanks for the friendly reminder!

  5. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyKenza Reply

    Ther recipe looks lovely! I would like to try out this recipe, but i was wondering if the cauliflower rice is raw or not?

    Thanks in advance!

  6. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlySabrina Reply

    One of my most loved sushi variations <3 Made it many, many times already even though I don't like cauliflower in other dishes at all! I like how you filled the rolls with those rainbow colours 🙂

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      We are kindred spirits, Sabrina! Because this is now my favorite way to eat sushi – with the cauliflower rice. I think it’s a texture thing…which is about 90gazillion percent of most of my food hangups anyway! 🙂

  7. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarina @ A Dancer's Live-It Reply

    I’ve always hated eggplant, but now it’s starting to grow on me. Mostly when it’s eggplant parmesan haha. The sushi looks fantastic, thank you so much for sharing Marly! 🙂

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      You know, I get you on that. I’ve been slow to the whole eggplant thing too. It must be a texture thing!

  8. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyRebecca @ Strength and Sunshine Reply

    5 stars
    Cauliflower rice is perfect!!
    I grew up HATING mushrooms! The grossest thing! But then, randomly, a few years ago, I literally fell head over heels for them! I still love them raw more than cooked though (weird!?)

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      That’s how I was about tomatoes! HATED them. Couldn’t even handle one seed of a tomato on my food. And then one day…I loved them. So weird. Mushrooms are so good for you too. Dr. Fuhrman (have you heard of him?) recommends eating them every day. I get that about the whole raw vs. cooked thing though. They can get a little slimy after being heated. Slimy and me? We don’t get along so well. 🙂

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