Easy Homemade Vegetarian Sushi Rolls (Beginner-Friendly & Delicious)

Ready to try making sushi at home? These vegetarian rolls are the perfect intro—simple, healthy, and fun to customize with your favorite fresh veggies. No raw fish, no stress—just satisfying, flavor-packed bites.

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Recipe

Servings: 8 rolls (48–64 pieces)

Calories: ~215 per serving (6–8 pieces)

Total Time: 1 hour

🍣 Vegetarian Sushi Rolls

Ingredients

For the Sushi Rolls:

• 8 nori sheets

• 1 large sweet potato

• 1 ripe avocado, sliced

• 1 cucumber, julienned

• Olive oil or butter (for roasting)

• Pinch of salt

• Bowl of water (for rolling)

For the Sushi Rice:

• 2 cups Calrose rice

• 2½ cups water

• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 2 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Prepare the Rice:

   • Rinse the Calrose rice 3–5 times until water runs mostly clear.

   • Soak for 20–30 minutes, then drain.

   • Add rice and 2½ cups water to a pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

   • Let sit covered off the heat for 10 minutes.

   • Warm the vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved. Let cool.

   • Transfer rice to a wide bowl. Pour vinegar mixture evenly over rice and gently fold with a spatula. Fan while folding to cool and gloss the rice. Let come to room temperature.

2. Roast the Sweet Potato:

   • Peel and slice sweet potato into long thin strips.

   • Toss with olive oil or butter and a pinch of salt.

   • Roast at 200°C (400°F) for 20–25 minutes, flipping halfway, until tender and golden. Cool before rolling.

3. Prep the Fillings:

   • Slice avocado.

   • Julienne cucumber.

4. Assemble the Rolls:

   • Lay a nori sheet (shiny side down) on a bamboo mat or towel.

   • Wet your fingers and press a thin layer of rice over the bottom ¾ of the sheet.

   • Place 2–3 fillings in a horizontal line across the lower third.

   • Roll tightly with the mat, sealing the edge with a bit of water.

   • Slice into 6–8 even pieces with a sharp, damp knife.

5. Serve and Enjoy:

   • Serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi if desired.

🧾 Nutrition per Serving (Approx. for 6–8 pieces)

• Calories: 215

• Carbs: 41g

• Fat: 4g

• Protein: 3g

• Fiber: 3g

• Sugar: 2g

• Sodium: 220mg

🧊 Storage Instructions

These are best eaten fresh. Leftover rolls can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. For best texture, avoid storing rolls with avocado if making ahead.

Prepare the Rice

Prepare the Rice

Prepare the Rice

Prepare the Rice

Prepare the Rice

Assemble the Rolls

Assemble the Rolls

Assemble the Rolls

Assemble the Rolls

Assemble the Rolls

Assemble the Rolls

Assemble the Rolls

Assemble the Rolls

Assemble the Rolls

Assemble the Rolls

Assemble the Rolls

Assemble the Rolls

Enjoy

Enjoy

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Prompt

I've been craving sushi, but unfortunately, I live in central Texas. This means that unless I want to spend a fortune, I can't find good sushi. To make matters worse, I prefer vegetarian sushi.

Recently, I consulted ChatGPT about my nutrition, taking into account my weight, height, age, and activity level. I shared my eating habits and asked for suggestions on how to achieve a more balanced diet. The only recommendation was to increase my iodine intake, which is challenging since I dislike the taste of fish. However, seaweed is rich in iodine, so having sushi twice a week would suffice for maintaining a healthy diet.

I asked ChatGPT:

Give me a vegetarian healthy sushi recipe. I'm ok to try different rice and even quinoa

So it did:

Here’s a vegetarian and healthy sushi recipe that uses quinoa instead of white rice for a protein and fiber boost. It’s simple, colorful, and perfect for picky eaters too.

Quinoa Veggie Sushi Rolls

Servings: Makes about 4 rolls (24–32 bite-sized pieces)Prep Time: 30 minCook Time: 15 min (for quinoa)

Ingredients

For the quinoa:

• 1 cup quinoa

• 2 cups water

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tsp sugar or honey (optional)

• ½ tsp salt

For the filling (mix and match):

• 1 small carrot, julienned

• ½ cucumber, julienned (core removed if watery)

• 1 avocado, sliced

• Red bell pepper, thinly sliced

• Cooked sweet potato strips (optional, adds sweetness)

• Baby spinach or lettuce leaves

• Pickled radish (optional)

• Cream cheese or hummus (optional spread for extra flavor)

Other:

• 4 sheets of nori

• Soy sauce or tamari for dipping

• Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa:Rinse quinoa well. In a pot, combine with water, bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Let it sit 5 min, then fluff. Stir in vinegar, salt, and optional sugar or honey. Let cool to room temperature.

2. Prep your veggies:Slice everything thinly so it rolls easily.

3. Assemble:Place a sheet of nori shiny side down on a bamboo mat or clean kitchen towel. Spread a thin layer of quinoa over the bottom ¾ of the sheet, pressing gently with damp fingers.

4. Add filling:Lay 2–4 veggie strips across the center horizontally. Optional: spread a thin strip of cream cheese or hummus under the veggies.

5. Roll:Use the mat/towel to roll tightly from the bottom up. Use a little water to seal the edge.

6. Cut & serve:Slice with a sharp knife (wipe between cuts). Sprinkle sesame seeds if using. Serve with soy sauce.

Would you like a dipping sauce idea too? Or a version that uses rice instead of quinoa?

I then decided quinoa is too ambitious for me:

I bought sticky rice. I don't want to be too creative on my first attempt. Can you help me make nice tamago and sweet potato? I also have avocado and carrots

It gave me a recipe:

Perfect! Sticky rice is great for sushi, and keeping it classic on your first try is smart. Let’s make a simple, well-balanced vegetarian sushi using:

• Tamago (Japanese sweet omelette)

• Roasted sweet potato

• Fresh avocado and carrots

• Sticky rice base

Here’s a step-by-step to keep it easy and delicious:

Vegetarian Sushi with Tamago, Sweet Potato, Avocado & Carrot

1. Sushi Rice Prep

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sticky rice (short-grain or sushi rice)

• 2 ½ cups water

• 3 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Rinse rice 2–3 times until water is mostly clear.

2. Cook rice with water in a rice cooker or pot.

3. While hot, gently fold in vinegar, sugar, and salt. Let cool to room temperature before rolling.

2. Roasted Sweet Potato

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet potato

• Olive oil or butter

• Salt

Instructions:

1. Peel and cut into long strips (~½ cm thick).

2. Toss with olive oil and a pinch of salt.

3. Roast at 200°C (400°F) for about 20–25 min, flipping once, until soft and golden at edges. Let cool.

3. Tamago (Japanese Sweet Omelette)

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tbsp mirin (or a little honey if you don’t have it)

• Pinch of salt

• Oil for cooking

Instructions:

1. Whisk everything until smooth.

2. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-low. Lightly oil it.

3. Pour a thin layer of egg, tilt to spread. Let it set just a little, then start rolling it from one edge with a spatula or chopsticks.

4. Push the rolled egg to one side of the pan, oil the exposed part, pour more egg mixture, and lift the roll so the raw egg goes under.

5. Repeat until all egg is used and you have a layered roll.

6. Let cool, then slice into long strips or thick pieces for nigiri or rolls.

4. Assemble Your Sushi Rolls

What you’ll need:

• Nori sheets

• Your cooked sushi rice

• Fillings: tamago, roasted sweet potato, avocado, carrot (thinly sliced or julienned)

Rolling:

1. Place nori shiny side down on a bamboo mat or kitchen towel.

2. Wet your fingers and press a thin layer of rice on ¾ of the sheet.

3. Add fillings in a line across the bottom third: mix and match (e.g., sweet potato + avocado, tamago + carrot).

4. Roll tightly, seal the edge with a little water.

5. Slice with a sharp knife (cleaned between cuts).

Would you like to serve this as rolls only, or are you curious to try tamago or sweet potato nigiri (the type where a topping sits on rice and is held with a strip of nori)?

I then asked it to combine rice recipe it gave me in a different prompt with the sushi recipe:

Can you please combine this rice recipe with the sushi recipe, and drop the tamago? Sticky Calrose Rice for Sushi (Double Batch with Apple Cider Vinegar) Ingredients: 2 cups Calrose rice 2½ cups water 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar 2 tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt Instructions: Rinse the Rice: Rinse the rice 3–5 times until the water runs mostly clear to remove excess starch. Soak: Soak the rinsed rice in water for 20–30 minutes before cooking. Cook: Use a 1:1.25 ratio of rice to water (2 cups rice, 2½ cups water). Bring to a boil. Reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Let sit off the heat, still covered, for 10 minutes. Make the Vinegar Mix: Gently warm 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp salt in a small pan until dissolved. Do not boil. Let it cool. Season the Rice: Transfer the rice to a wide bowl. Pour the vinegar mix evenly over it. Fold gently using a spatula or paddle—slice and lift rather than stirring. Cool: Fan the rice while folding to cool it down and help it become sticky and glossy.

Scroll to the top or click below to get to the final recipe.

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