Vegan Tomato Tuna Poke Bowls

Name: Vegan Tomato "Tuna" Poke Bowls
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 6 roma tomatoes; ¼ cup soy sauce (60 mL); 2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger; 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (30 mL); 2 Tbsp sriracha (15 g); 1 Tbsp lime juice (15 mL); 2 cup uncooked sushi rice (240 g); ¼ cup rice vinegar (60 mL); 2 Tbsp sugar; ½ tsp salt; Veggies: Avocado, cucumber, edamame, green onion; Flavor Boosters: Nori, pickled ginger, wasabi, fried onions; Spicy Mayo: 1 Tbsp mayonnaise + 1 tsp sriracha

By Sarah Bond, BS Nutrition, MS Sensory Science, Published Aug 05, 2025

4.82 from 16 ratings

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30 minutes

Serves 4 servings

19 Comments

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A bowl of rice topped with sliced avocado, marinated red fish, edamame, cucumber, seaweed, green onions, and sauce, with chopsticks and side dishes on a green surface.

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With over a dozen 5-star reviews, you can be sure that these vegan tomato tuna poke bowls are just as delicious as their fish counterparts. We’ll use a special trick to cut the tomato so it completely mimics sushi-grade tuna.

A bowl of rice topped with sliced cucumber, avocado, vegan poke, fried onions, green onions, nori, and sauce, with a side of rice and pickled vegetables in the background.

If you love spicy tuna but also enjoy eating vegan, try this vegan tomato tuna poke bowl! You might be skeptical, but tomatoes and tuna share a very similar texture, and tomatoes’ natural acidity and sweetness fit perfectly with a classic poke marinade.

Not only is this poke bowl as tasty as traditional tuna bowls, but it’s ready in 30 minutes, and you can prepare the components a day in advance.

Reader rating

★★★★★

“This is an amazing recipe. I can’t believe how much the tomato’s looked like tuna!” —Andrea

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A poke bowl with white rice, sliced avocado, marinated tomato tuna, edamame, cucumber, seaweed, green onions, crispy toppings, and creamy sauce, served with chopsticks. — If you enjoy cooked tuna, try this chickpea tuna salad as a delicious vegetarian tuna sandwich.

Here’s what you’ll need

Jump to the recipe card for measurements–this is just an overview!

Tomato: Tomato naturally has a meaty texture and umami taste, making it a great substitute for raw tuna. We’ll use roma tomatoes, which have less water and a meatier texture.
Marinade: To infuse our tomato tuna with flavor, we’ll marinate it in a mixture of soy sauce, fresh ginger, sesame oil, lime juice, and sriracha.
Sushi Rice: No good sushi bowl is complete without the slightly sweet, slightly vinegary sushi rice!
Fillings: We’ll pile on some of the vegan sushi bowl classics, like nori, avocado, cucumber, carrot, and fried onions.
Spicy Mayo: I have a hard time eating sushi that’s not doused in spicy mayo. We’ll make our own by quickly combining mayonnaise (traditional or vegan) with sriracha.

A woman smiling and holding a bowl of vegan tuna topped with sauce and chopped vegetables, using chopsticks, standing in a kitchen.

A poke bowl with diced vegan tuna, avocado slices, cucumber, edamame, rice, and chopped green onions in a white bowl held by a person.

What is blanching?

Blanching is a culinary technique that involves briefly immersing tomatoes in boiling water, followed by transferring them to an ice bath to halt the cooking process. This method easily removes the tomato skins, revealing the vibrant flesh underneath.

A glass dish with halved red tomatoes covered in a brown liquid marinade, placed on a green textured surface. — Blanching not only simplifies the peeling process but also helps to maintain the tomato’s texture, flavor, and nutritional value. Here’s our complete guide to blanching tomatoes!

Variations on these vegan sushi bowls

The nice thing about sushi bowls is how flexible they are! Here are a few possible variations.

Change up the grains: To make this bowl a bit more nutrient-packed, you could substitute the sushi rice for quinoa, brown rice, or even cauliflower rice (though I would still recommend seasoning it with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt as we do with the sushi rice).
Watermelon instead of tuna: If you’re not a fan of tomatoes, you can also use watermelon. You won’t need to blanch it, but I recommend using a seedless variety.
Flexible fillings: Of course, you can fill your sushi bowls with whatever your favorite sushi vegetable fillings are. The fillings I’ve included are just my favorites!

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