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.
- 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!
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!
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.
Sarah | Well and Full says
This. Is. GENIUS!!!
Sarah says
Haha, much appreciated, Sarah! Still finding ways to trick myself into eating my veggies I suppose.
Victoria says
Wonderful!!! I am dying to try this!
Giselle says
This looks amazing! How long will they last in the fridge for?
Sarah says
Thanks, Giselle! They only last about a day or two. The avocado has a tendency to get funky after you slice it.
Bianca says
this looks like a really good idea, do you do anything with the insides of the cucumber? I don’t want to waste that
Sarah says
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! 🙂
Marisa Baggett says
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).
Caro says
for how long could you keep it fresh?
Sarah says
About 2 to 3 days (avocado tends to go funky after it’s exposed to air). 🙂
tsimen says
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.
Sarah says
Ha this is great! So happy I contribute to your “fancy” cooking trickery 🙂
Tina says
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!
Sarah says
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!
Leslie Santiago says
Making these today! I’m so excited 😁
Jayne says
Fantastic idea…tried it…loved it!!!
Pedro says
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.
Sarah Bond says
Sounds delish! Enjoy! 😀
Marie says
So cool. I will definitely try this! I have a house full of young adults in August and they will love this. Thank you.
Sarah Bond says
Can’t wait for you (and them) to try this! Enjoy! 😀