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Home Eat Dinners

Cucumber Sushi Rolls

4.94 from 16 votes
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By: Sarah BondUpdated: Jan 15, 2023 21 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

Dipping stuffed cucumber into spicy mayo
Stuffed cucumber sushi
Stuffed cucumber sushi
Stuffed cucumber sushi

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

Stuffed cucumber sushi on a plate

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!

Dipping stuffed cucumber into spicy mayo

Here’s What You’ll Need

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

  • Sushi Rice: Sushi rice is ultra sticky, making it great for keeping these cucumber sushi rolls together. I like to season it with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt, which adds subtle flavor and an even stickier texture.
  • Cucumbers: Aim for the most straight cucumbers you can find, which will make it easier to scoop the insides out.
  • Bell Peppers: Using a variety of julienne cut bell peppers brings colorful crunch to this sushi.
  • Avocado: In my book, it’s not sushi without avocado!
  • Optional Additions: Feel free to add whatever other ingredients you like in your sushi, like shredded carrots, sprouts, tofu, or scallions!
Closeup of stuffed cucumber sushi with rice, carrots, and avocado

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!

Scooping the inside out of a cucumber

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

Stuffing a cucumber with rice

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

Stuffing a cucumber with rice

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.

Stuffing a cucumber with rice and carrots

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.

Closeup of stuffed cucumber sushi with rice, carrots, and avocado

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

Stuffed cucumber sushi

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!
Dipping stuffed cucumber into spicy mayo
Closeup of stuffed cucumber sushi with rice, carrots, and avocado

Cucumber Sushi Rolls

4.94 from 16 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Author: Sarah Bond
Calories: 399kcal
Servings: 2 servings
Print Rate
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.
    Scooping the inside out of a cucumber
  • 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.
    Stuffing a cucumber with rice and carrots
  • 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.
    Closeup of stuffed cucumber sushi with rice, carrots, and avocado
  • Serve: Serve with your favorite sushi accoutrements, like spicy mayo, soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi. 
    Dipping stuffed cucumber into spicy mayo

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%)
Did You Make This?

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  1. Sarah | Well and Full says

    Posted on 7/31 at 2:50 pm

    This. Is. GENIUS!!!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 7/31 at 3:50 pm

      Haha, much appreciated, Sarah! Still finding ways to trick myself into eating my veggies I suppose.

  2. Victoria says

    Posted on 6/8 at 3:18 pm

    Wonderful!!! I am dying to try this!5 stars

    Reply
  3. Giselle says

    Posted on 6/8 at 9:10 pm

    This looks amazing! How long will they last in the fridge for?5 stars

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 6/9 at 10:54 pm

      Thanks, Giselle! They only last about a day or two. The avocado has a tendency to get funky after you slice it.

  4. Bianca says

    Posted on 6/22 at 5:35 pm

    this looks like a really good idea, do you do anything with the insides of the cucumber? I don’t want to waste that

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 6/23 at 8:38 am

      Hi Bianca! I’m totally with you, I hate waste. You could use the insides for making tzatziki or just throw them in a smoothie! Really great questions! 🙂

  5. Marisa Baggett says

    Posted on 8/13 at 10:55 pm

    I’m not a huge cucumber fan either, but I do love sushi made in this manner. Something you could also do with the leftover insides is mix them with a few other chopped veggies with sushi rice. Then stuff it all into tofu packets (inari sushi).5 stars

    Reply
  6. Caro says

    Posted on 11/25 at 4:43 pm

    for how long could you keep it fresh?5 stars

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 11/26 at 2:09 pm

      About 2 to 3 days (avocado tends to go funky after it’s exposed to air). 🙂

  7. tsimen says

    Posted on 12/27 at 9:09 pm

    Brilliant! I like the simplicity of it, but the presentation is totally fab!

    I stuffed my cucumber with shrimp and imitation crab — my friends thought I slaved in the kitchen all day— hahahahaha,

    Thanks.5 stars

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 12/27 at 9:39 pm

      Ha this is great! So happy I contribute to your “fancy” cooking trickery 🙂

  8. Tina says

    Posted on 10/22 at 10:07 pm

    Stumbled across your cucumber creation by accident. I am giving credit where credit is due. I know plenty of people who pocket other people’s ideas for themselves. That is so totally dishonest. I would not have thought of this idea although I am always thinking of easier ways. This idea is so easy and makes common sense. It is fabulous. Thank you for sharing. Can’t wait to try this!5 stars

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 10/27 at 7:37 am

      Thanks so much, Tina! I’d love to hear how it turns out for you 😀 I recently saw a variation of this using avocado instead of cucumber. Could be another nice idea to try!

  9. Leslie Santiago says

    Posted on 1/30 at 9:58 am

    Making these today! I’m so excited 😁5 stars

    Reply
  10. Jayne says

    Posted on 3/26 at 1:23 pm

    Fantastic idea…tried it…loved it!!!

    Reply
  11. Pedro says

    Posted on 5/7 at 4:33 am

    I’m fairly lazy and did the deconstructed thing and used some Persian cucumbers I had on hand. Definitely gonna be a go to dish this summer.4 stars

    Reply
    • Sarah Bond says

      Posted on 5/8 at 11:42 am

      Sounds delish! Enjoy! 😀

  12. Marie says

    Posted on 7/7 at 4:26 am

    So cool. I will definitely try this! I have a house full of young adults in August and they will love this. Thank you.5 stars

    Reply
    • Sarah Bond says

      Posted on 7/7 at 10:44 am

      Can’t wait for you (and them) to try this! Enjoy! 😀

  13. Kari ward says

    Posted on 2/1 at 8:06 pm

    Domo arigatou- Oishi kata desu! So good! A great appetizer and complimented the kimchi udon noodles. Thanks Sarah5 stars

    Reply

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