This refreshing Tofu Stuffed Cucumber Sushi Roll is a simple sushi method that involves hollowing out a cucumber, stuffing it with crispy tofu and veggies, and slicing into colorful pieces of vegetarian sushi! Served with almond butter awesome sauce for maximum tastiness.
Ever since we made the first simple prototype of cucumber sushi 119 blog years ago (that’s 3 years in normal human time), I’ve been itching to make a more substantial version of them.
Don’t get be wrong, the originals are really good. As a snack. Or side dish. Or lunch. But they’re really just vegetables wrapped up in more vegetables, and I wanted something with enough protein and gumption to make it a legitimate meal.
So I picked up a carton of tofu and got to work making the crispiest tofu ever to stuff into this cucumber sushi. (Pro-tip: make ultra crispy tofu in your air fryer!)
Then I whipped up our favorite almond butter awesome sauce to dip them in (also great with spring rolls!)
Then I packed them in a to-go container and we ate them in the airport for breakfast on our way to Barcelona (because when you’re in an airport, beer and sushi before 10am is totally acceptable) (I think).
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 16-oz block firm tofu 450 g
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp each salt, chili powder, and ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp oil 15 mL
Sushi Rice
- ½ cup uncooked sushi rice 100 g
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar 15 mL
- 2 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
Almond Butter Awesome Sauce
- 3 Tbsp almond butter 45 g
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce 15 mL
- 1 Tbsp lime juice 15 mL
- 1 Tbsp honey 15 mL
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 Tbsp hot water 15 mL, as needed
Cucumber Sushi
- 2 large cucumbers
- ¼ red bell pepper thinly sliced
- ¼ orange bell pepper thinly sliced
- 2 green onions
Instructions
- Crispy Tofu: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C). Pat tofu dry with paper towels, then cut into long ½ inch thick strips. Add to a bowl with the seasonings and gently rub to coat. Heat oil in a large oven-safe or cast iron skillet over medium/high. Add tofu and cook on all sides until crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer dish to the oven and cook until tofu is dry and crispy, about 15 minutes.
- Rice: Cook rice according to instructions on package. When finished, don’t stir rice and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. In a small bowl combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt until sugar dissolves. Stir into rice.
- Sauce: Combine all “Sauce” ingredients in a small bowl, adding a dash of water as needed to create a smooth sauce. Set aside.
- Stuff: Cut each cucumber in half and remove seeds with either a small spoon or knife to create a long, hollow tube. Spoon in a small amount of rice, then compress towards one side of the tube with a knife or chopsticks. Add a piece of tofu, a piece of green onion, and fill in the remaining gaps with slices of bell pepper. Pack it as tightly as possible!
- 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 some rice and peppers where needed.
Preston says
AMAZING!! my first attempt at making ANY kind of sushi ever! It was super easy and the “Awesome Sauce” was for lack of a better term… AWESOME!! My wife is pregnant and has been craving sushi and I think this may become a new staple in our household. Thanks for the post, I look forward to future delicious meals.
Sarah says
Ahh, so excited to hear that Preston!! The Awesome Sauce has a tasty way of making you forget that you’re basically eating a meal of pure raw veggies (we also love it with veggie spring rolls!) So happy these helped with your wife’s sushi cravings 😀
Healthy Kitchen 101 says
You totally rock the sushi roll style!! Anyways, do you have any functional knife or tool to remove seeds from the cucumber? Because I think it would be harder making a deeply neat hole 😂
– Natalie Ellis
Sarah says
Hahah, thanks so much! I usually use a small narrow spoon and twist it in circles to remove the seeds evenly (though I’m sure a tool exists for exactly this purpose, lol)
Jaime says
An apple corer could easily do the trick! Thanks for this fun recipe, Sarah.