Even omnivores will love these fun vegan sweet potato sushi rolls! Instead of fish, this sushi is filled with crispy roasted sweet potatoes and crunchy cucumber. Dip them in my spicy vegan "mayo" for a sushi experience that rivals that of your favorite sushi bar.
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I'm so excited to share this recipe with you! Sweet potato sushi rolls are one of my favorite vegan treats. And, believe it or not, they're super easy to make. Trust me, once you get the hang of rolling it, you'll be making your own homemade sushi variations all the time.
There's so many vegetables (and even fruits) that make great sushi fillings; I tried quite a few combinations while testing this recipe, and the combination of crispy, caramelized sweet potatoes with cool, crunchy cucumbers won hands down. Once you make this recipe, you'll find yourself returning to it time and time again. It's that good!
Don't worry, I'm going to walk you through all the steps to assembling and rolling the perfect sweet potato sushi roll.
Related Post: Japanese Teriyaki Tofu
💚Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
💚These sweet potato sushi rolls are vegan and gluten-free.
💚This is the perfect sushi recipe for beginners.
💚Sweet potato sushi rolls are a great meal prep recipe. Make a double batch, and stick them in the fridge for grab and go snacks all week.
💚It's kid approved, and makes a great addition to school lunch boxes.
🛒Ingredients For Sushi Rice
- Sushi Rice: Sushi rice is non-optional; You can't make sushi without it. Other rices don't hold together well enough to make a sushi roll because they lack the moisture that gives sushi rice it's unique texture and stickiness.
- Sushi Vinegar: You can buy sushi vinegar in most large grocery stores, but in this recipe I'll show you how to make it at home. All you need to do is combine rice vinegar, sugar and salt, and pop it in the microwave until the sugar has fully dissolved into the vinegar.
- Nori Sheets: You buy nori sheets pre-toasted at the supermarket. There's no need to toast them at home. Mine are half sheets. If you buy whole nori sheets, you can cut them in half or leave them whole. Obviously, the larger the sheet, the larger the roll you'll end up with.
🛒The Sweet Potato and Cucumber Filling
- Sweet Potatoes: We're going to roast the sweet potatoes in the oven, after coating them in spices and panko. They'll be nice and spicy with a lovely texture.
- Oil: We'll be using a neutral tasting oil to coat the sweet potatoes before roasting.
- Hot Paprika: Adds a nice spicy kick that works well with the sweetness in sweet potatoes.
- Garlic Powder: Garlic powder is a lot less sharp and aggressive than fresh garlic, and it definitely has a place in many recipes where fresh garlic might be overbearing.
- Cornstarch: This is a little cooking secret - cornstarch is the secret ingredient behind crispy sweet potato chips, which is essentially what we're making here. It absorbs the moisture, meaning your chips come out crispy, not soggy.
- Panko: Panko stays crispy, unlike some breadcrumbs. We'll be using it to add a little texture to the sweet potatoes. If you prefer a gluten free vegan sushi, just omit the panko, or use gluten free breadcrumbs.
- Cucumber: Cucumber is a nice foil to earthy sweet potatoes. You could also try my watermelon tuna. It makes a great sushi filling.
🛒The Sriracha Mayo Dipping Sauce
- Vegan Mayo: Vegan mayo should be very easy to find in most supermarkets.
- Sriracha Sauce: That classic, oh so yummy chili sauce. It works so well here! If you want, you can substitute Sambal Oelek Chili Paste.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon Juice adds a wonderful tangy depth to your sauce.
- Garlic Powder: A milder alternative to fresh garlic.
How To Make Vegan Sweet Potato Sushi Rolls
1. Wash & Soak The Rice
- The most important thing you can do to make delicious sushi is to WASH your sushi rice. Put it in a sieve or colander and give it a good wash, moving it around with your hands and gently rubbing the grains between your fingers. In Japan they call this "sharpening". Do this three or four time, or until the water runs clear. Japanese rice contains much higher levels of starch and protein than other kinds of rice, and it needs washing to remove the excess. Don't skip this important step!
- Now, put the washed rice in a bowl , cover with water and leave it to soak for 30 minutes. Why do you need to soak sushi rice? Because it will absorb water, and it's that water than ensures even cooking. If you don't soak the rice, some grains will come out cooked, and some will come out raw. For perfect vegan sushi, you need to soak the rice. If you want to use your rice cooker, see this post: how to make sushi rice in a rice cooker.
2. Cook The Rice And Prepare The Rice Vinegar
- Wash the rice one final time and put it in a saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Add the water, cover the pan and bring the water to a hard boil for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer (don't take the lid off) and simmer for 15 more minutes. With the lid still on the pan, remove the pan from the heat and allow the rice steam inside the pan for 10 minutes.
- Take the lid off the rice, and allow it to cool while you get on with the rest of the recipe. The next thing we're going to do is to mix your rice vinegar with sugar and salt. Pop the bowl in the microwave for one minute, or until the sugar has dissolved into the vinegar.
3. Mix The Vinegar Into The Rice
- Now, gently stir it into your warm sushi rice, taking care not to break any of the grains. At this point your rice will look very wet and gelatinous, but don't worry, the rice will absorb the sushi vinegar as it cools off. Leave the rice to cool while you make the filling.
4. Prepare The Roasted Sweet Potato Sushi Filling
- Peel your sweet potato and cut it into shoestring size pieces. Put the pieces in a bowl and add the oil, spices, salt, cornstarch and panko. Shake the bowl, tossing the sweet potatoes, to make sure they are evenly coated in the mixture.
- Now spread the sweet potatoes out on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving a bit of space between each piece. Roast them in the oven for 20-30 minutes, turning once halfway through.
5. Slice The Cucumber
- Deseed the cucumber and cut it into matchstick size pieces. I'm using half of an English cucumber which weighs 165 grams.
6. How To Roll Sushi - Step 1
- Lay your bamboo mat out. You can cover it in cling film to protect it from getting sticky rice on it, but this is optional. Lay your nori out shiny side down, textured side up. It should be about an inch from the bottom of the mat. Now, wet your hands, shake off the water, and pick up a lemon sized piece of rice. Push the rice down with your wet hands, spreading it out evenly over the nori sheet. Leave a centimeter clear on the bottom and two centimeters on the horizontal side furthest away from you (see picture.) Make a slight groove in the rice about 1 centimeter up from the bottom of the rice. This is where your filling will go.
- Fill the groove with your filling, pushing it gently into the rice.
7. How To Roll Sweet Potato Sushi Rolls - Step 2
- With your thumbs on the back of the mat, and your forefingers on the filling, pull the mat up and over the filling. Just go to the end of the rice, and stop, pressing the mat down. Now, using the mat and both hands, roll the vegan sushi roll forward. You should end up with a neat roll. It does take a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, you'll whiz through it!
8. Cut The Sushi Rolls
- The next trick is cutting the sushi! Use a clean, sharp knife, the sharpest knife you have. Get your knife wet, don't wipe it off - and cut the roll in half. Once the roll is in half, you can line the two halves up and continue cutting equal size pieces. You should get six pieces from each roll.
- Lastly, simply mix the sauce ingredients together in a dipping bowl and serve alongside your sushi. Enjoy!
🍽️Serving Suggestions
Vegan sweet potato sushi rolls are great on their own, but here's a few great additions to round out your vegan Japanese meal.
- Serve with soy sauce and wasabi.
- Sweet potato sushi rolls are great served with a simple miso soup on the side.
- Serve with a side of edamame.
- You can never go wrong with a side of pickled ginger or try these pickled carrots with daikon.
- Serve with a simple wakame (seaweed) salad.
- This bok choy soup would be wonderful with vegan sushi.
- Serve with a side of sweet potato tempura for a Japanese inspired meal.
❄️Storage Instructions
Place any leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. Make sure to each your sushi within 1-2 days for optimal freshness. To prevent the rice from becoming too hard, place a damp paper towel over the sushi before sealing it in the container. This will help maintain moisture without making the nori too soggy.
Sushi doesn't freeze well, especially due to the texture changes in rice. It's best enjoyed fresh, so try to consume it within the recommended refrigeration timeframe.
🙋Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! While Japanese sweet potatoes are often preferred for their unique texture and flavor, you can definitely use regular sweet potatoes in your vegan sushi. Just make sure to peel, cook, and season them similarly to Japanese sweet potatoes to achieve a delicious result. Adjusting the seasoning according to your taste can help mimic the intended flavor profile.
You can find nori sheets, as well as other ingredients for your vegan sweet potato sushi, at various places. Most grocery stores, especially those with a well-stocked international or Asian section, carry nori sheets. Additionally, specialty food stores, health food stores, or Asian markets are great options. If you prefer online shopping, websites like Amazon, Thrive Market, or specialty online retailers dedicated to Asian ingredients often offer a wide selection.
While a bamboo sushi rolling mat is traditional and makes the rolling process easier, you can definitely get creative with alternatives. If you don't have a bamboo mat, try using a thin kitchen towel or even a sheet of plastic wrap as a makeshift rolling surface. Just ensure that whatever you use won't stick to the rice, and you can easily maneuver it to shape the sushi. It might take a bit more patience and finesse, but with a steady hand, you can still achieve well-formed vegan sweet potato sushi without a bamboo mat.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Sweet Potato Sushi Rolls
Ingredients
For The Sushi Rice
- 1¼ cups sushi rice
- 1⅓ cups water
For The Homemade Sushi Vinegar
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
For The Sushi Filling
- 1 sweet potato peeled and cut lengthwise into 1 cm pieces *I used 1 large sweet potato, which weighed 275 grams
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- ½ teaspoon hot paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup panko or gluten free bread crumbs
- ½ English cucumber cut into long thin slices
- 6 nori sheets
Sriracha Mayo Sauce
- ¾ cup vegan mayo
- 3 tablespoons sriracha chili sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
To Make The Sushi Rice:
- Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear. It's essential that sushi rice is well washed, so wash it several times, turning it over with your hands. Transfer to a bowl, add enough water to cover, and allow to soak for 30 minutes. Rinse again and add the rice to a saucepan with 300 ml (1 ¼ cup) of water . Put the lid on the pan and bring to a hard boil for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat (do not remove the lid), and allow the rice to steam inside the pan for 10-15 minutes.
To Make Homemade Sushi Vinegar
- Put the rice vinegar, sugar and salt into a small bowl and microwave for one minute, or until all the sugar is dissolved.
- Mix the sushi vinegar into the rice, taking care not to break the grains. Allow the rice to cool completely while you make the filling.
To Make The Sushi Filling:
- Heat the oven to 225 C (450 F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel the sweet potato and cut it into long thin strips, about 1 cm in thickness.
- Transfer the sweet potato to a bowl and add the oil, hot paprika, garlic powder, cornstarch and panko (or gluten free bread crumbs). Toss until everything is evenly coated in the oil and spices. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for about 20- 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Cut the cumber in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut into long thin strips.
To Make The Sriracha Mayo Sauce
- Mix together the all the ingredients for the vegan srirach mayo sauce and put in the fridge until ready to use.
To Roll The Sushi
- Lay the bamboo mat out and place the nori shiny side down on the mat. The textured side should be facing you.
- Wet your hands and spread about lemon sized handful of sushi rice evenly over the nori sheet, leaving about 1 cm on the edge closets to you clean and 2cm (1 inch) clean on the edge furthest away from you (see picture above.) Make a small groove in the rice with your fingers for the filling.
- Place two potato logs and two strips of cucumber just slightly below center in the groove you created.
- With your thumbs on the back of the mat and your fingers on the front, pull the bamboo mat up and over the filling and press down with your thumbs. Now, using both hands, roll the mat forward.
- Wet a sharp knife and cut the sushi roll into 6 pieces. Serve with sriracho mayo.
Genevieve
You're so creative, Keri! I would have never thought to make sushi from sweet potatoes! Genius!
Nancy
Horray to this plant Baer recipe with yams. The texture was great as sushi and it was much fun making with the family.
Keri Bevan
Aren't they fun to make? Thanks so much for your feedback!
Kayla DiMaggio
Love these sushi rolls! Such a fun recipe to make at home!
Kelly
My kids love this, thanks so much!
Keri Bevan
It's a fun one to make with kids too:) Thank you for your feedback!