Cucumber Sushi Rolls

These Cucumber Sushi Rolls are an easy and refreshing way to enjoy vegetarian sushi, without all the hassle! Just scoop, stuff, and slice.

Once upon a time I also had a strong distaste for sushi. Something about the flavor of the seaweed just gave me ick vibes. But I quickly changed my opinion on sushi when I discovered avocado veggie rolls and spicy mayo, which both seemed to mask the fishy flavors of seaweed.

But the thing is…using seaweed to roll sushi is also a pain if you’re trying to make your own vegetarian sushi at home. So I’ve found a way to eliminate this pesky ingredient all together…Cucumber Sushi Rolls!

The concept is simple: scoop the innards out of your cucumber, stuff it tightly with all of your favorite sushi fillings, then slice!

Here’s What You’ll Need

You just need a handful of ingredients to make your own stuffed cucumber sushi at home.

How to make cucumber sushi

Gentle persistence is the key here. Gently compressing and adding and compressing until the cucumber is packed full with delicious sushi fillings! Then all of your hard work pays off when you make that first cut and see the product of all that gentle persistence, a colorful, beautiful, tastiful slice of sushi.

Step 1: Rice
Cook your rice according to the instructions on the package. When finished, do not stir rice and allow it to cool. This will make for a stickier to hold everything together. You can optionally choose to season it with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt (for every 1 cup of uncooked rice you’ll need 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 1 tsp of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt).

Step 2: Scoop
Cut each cucumber in half and remove seeds with either a small spoon or knife to create a long, hollow tube. We won’t use the scooped out bits in this recipe, but they can be used to make tzatziki or a cucumber smoothie!

Step 3: Stuff
Spoon in a small amount of rice into the hollowed out cucumber, ensuring it reaches through the whole cucumber.

Compress the rice towards one side of the tube using a small knife. 

Insert a slice of avocado and a few slices of pepper, then add more rice to fill gaps, compressing and adding more rice until packed full.

Step 4: Slice
With a sharp knife, slice cucumber into ½ inch thick pieces. If you start to notice the filling is loose as you cut, stuff in more rice and peppers where needed.

Step 5: Serve
Serve with your favorite sushi accoutrements, like spicy mayo, soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi. 

What can you put in vegetarian sushi?

These vegetarian Cucumber Sushi Rolls are packed with bell peppers and avocado, but you can also add:

• Crispy tofu (like in these Tofu Stuffed Cucumber Sushi Rolls)
• Sautéed portobello mushrooms
• “Pulled pork” oyster mushrooms
• Probiotic-packed kimchi
• Or any of your favorite vegetable fillings, like carrots, cabbage, sprouts, or scallions!

Cucumber Sushi Rolls

4.94 from 16 votes

Prep: 15 minutes

Total: 15 minutes

Author: Sarah Bond

Calories: 399kcal

Servings: 2 servings

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These healthy cucumber sushi rolls are an easy and refreshing way to enjoy sushi, without all the hassle!

Ingredients

Sushi

• ▢ 2 cucumbers
• ▢ 1 cup uncooked sushi rice 210 g
• ▢ ½ firm avocado sliced
• ▢ ¼ red bell pepper sliced
• ▢ ¼ orange bell pepper sliced
• ▢ Optional Add-Ins: julienne cut carrots, red cabbage, sprouts, tofu, or scallions

Spicy Mayo

• ▢ 3 Tbsp mayonnaise 45 g
• ▢ 1 Tbsp sriracha 15 g

Instructions 

• Rice: Cook rice by instructions on package*.
• Scoop: Cut each cucumber in half and remove seeds with either a small spoon or knife to create a long, hollow tube.
  
• Stuff: Spoon in a small amount of rice, then compress towards one side of the tube using a small knife. Insert a slice of avocado and a few slices of pepper, then add more rice to fill gaps, compressing and adding more rice until packed full.
  
• Slice: With a sharp knife, slice cucumber into ½ inch thick pieces. If you start to notice the filling is loose as you cut, stuff in more rice and peppers where needed.
  
• Serve: Serve with your favorite sushi accoutrements, like spicy mayo, soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi. 
  

Tips & Tricks

*To cook sushi rice on the stove, rinse rice with cold water in a fine mesh strainer. Combine 1 cup sushi rice with 1 cup water in a pot, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove pot from heat and let sit, still covered, for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, dissolve 1 tsp of sugar and 1 tsp of salt into 2 Tbsps rice vinegar. Fold this into the cooked rice.

You make also like these tofu sushi rolls, stuffed with crispy tofu and served with almond butter dipping sauce!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving (without sauce) Calories: 399kcal (20%) Carbohydrates: 70.9g (24%) Protein: 7.6g (15%) Fat: 10.6g (16%) Saturated Fat: 2.3g (14%) Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 10mg Potassium: 791mg (23%) Fiber: 5.3g (22%) Sugar: 6.8g (8%) Calcium: 59mg (6%) Iron: 4mg (22%)

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