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Is there anything chickpeas can’t become? By mashing and mixing them with mayo, sriracha, and capers, they taste just like spicy tuna! Layer it onto a bed of sushi rice for the vegetarian answer to the viral sushi bake that will have everyone asking for seconds.

A casserole dish filled with a baked sushi casserole topped with sliced green onions, drizzled sauce, and herbs; a serving is being scooped out with a spoon.
This spicy sushi “tuna” bake is vegetarian and served with nori, cucumber, and avocado for a sushi night that requires zero rolling.
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The Viral Sushi Bake, Made Completely Vegetarian

Most vegetarian sushi bakes use tofu, which works fine but doesn’t quite capture the flaky, slightly chunky texture of a real tuna bake. Chickpeas do.

As the internet-dubbed Chickpea Queen, I’ve spent years learning exactly how to make a can of chickpeas mimic whatever texture a recipe calls for, and a rough mash with some larger pieces remaining is exactly what makes this feel like the real thing.

A plate with a sushi bake slice topped with sliced cucumber, avocado, sauces, and garnishes; nori sheets and sauce bowl are in the background.

Key Ingredients

  • Chickpeas: The mash texture is what makes or breaks this recipe. Too smooth and it’s hummus; too chunky and it doesn’t press into the nori cleanly. Aim for mostly broken down with some pea-sized pieces remaining for the best texture.
  • Capers: The secret ingredient. Finely chopped and stirred into the chickpea mixture, they add a briny, fermented depth that tricks your brain into thinking you’re eating spicy tuna.
  • Kewpie mayo: Richer and slightly tangier than regular mayonnaise (but obviously if you have mayo, you can use that!).
  • Sriracha: Goes into both the chickpea mixture and the drizzle.
  • Furikake rice seasoning: Sprinkled on the rice layer before adding the chickpea mixture. It adds umami, crunch, and color! (Worth buying a jar if you don’t have it; it’s also excellent on plain rice, avocado toast, and eggs.)
  • Sushi rice: The sticky, slightly starchy texture of sushi rice is what holds the layer together and keeps it from crumbling when you scoop it onto nori.
Ingredients for a chickpea sushi bowl are arranged on a yellow surface, each labeled: chickpeas, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, salt, mayo, celery, sriracha, rice seasoning, onion, capers, and sushi rice.
Close-up of a dish topped with white and red sauces, chopped green onions, dried seaweed, and sesame seeds arranged in a crisscross pattern.
A plated sushi bake topped with seaweed, sauces, sesame seeds, and sliced green onions, served on a white ceramic plate.

For another take on tuna, my vegan tomato tuna poke bowls use tomato and a savory soy sauce marinade to replicate poke!

A baked casserole dish topped with chopped green onions, sauce, and mayonnaise, with a serving spoon and a square piece removed. Bowls of sauce, cucumber, and seaweed are nearby.
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Spicy Sushi “Tuna” Bake (With Chickpeas!)

By: Sarah Bond

Ingredients 

Sushi Rice

  • 2 cups uncooked sushi rice
  • 2 ½ cups water
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp Furikake rice seasoning

Spicy “Tuna” Chickpeas

  • 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup sriracha
  • ½ cup finely diced red onion
  • ½ cup finely diced celery
  • 2 tsp finely chopped capers
  • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • Drizzle: Kewpie mayo, sriracha
  • To serve: snack-size nori, sliced cucumbers and avocado
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Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
  • Rice: Cook 2 cups uncooked sushi rice with 2 ½ cups water according to package instructions. While rice cooks, heat ¼ cup rice vinegar until warm in the microwave. Stir in 2 Tbsp sugar and 2 tsp salt until dissolved.
    When rice is finished, gently fold vinegar mixture into the rice and set aside.
    A pot of cooked white rice with a wooden spoon resting inside, placed on a yellow surface.
  • Mash: In a large bowl, use a potato masher or fork to roughly mash 2 15-oz cans chickpeas. They should be mostly broken down with a few larger pieces remaining.
    Stir in ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup sriracha, ½ cup finely diced red onion, ½ cup finely diced celery, 2 tsp finely chopped capers, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar, and 1 Tbsp soy sauce.
    Bowl containing mashed chickpeas, chopped celery, red onion, capers, mayonnaise, and ketchup, with a spoon on the side, on a yellow background.
  • Assemble: Lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Spoon in the cooked sushi rice, pressing it firmly into an even layer. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp Furikake rice seasoning over the rice.
    Spoon the spicy tuna on top, spreading it into an even layer.
    Drizzle Kewpie mayo and sriracha in a crisscross pattern on top (amount to your liking; I like to do more mayonnaise than sriracha, but if you like it spicy, add more sriracha).
    Baked casserole topped with white and red sauces drizzled in a crisscross pattern inside a rectangular baking dish on a yellow surface.
  • Bake: Transfer to the oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chickpea mixture is hot and the top looks set and slightly dried.
    A baked casserole topped with zigzag lines of white and red sauces, chopped green onions, and crumbled seaweed in a rectangular dish.
  • Serve warm on its own or spooned into snack-sized nori with slices of cucumber and avocado.
    A slice of baked sushi casserole topped with sauces, nori, and sesame seeds sits on a speckled plate, surrounded by small bowls and chopsticks.

Notes

Can I make this vegan? Yes. The only non-vegan ingredient is the regular mayonnaise in the chickpea mixture. Swap it for any vegan mayo. Keep the kewpie for the drizzle if you want the best flavor; there are now vegan kewpie options available, or just use your preferred vegan mayo.
Can I make the rice ahead? Yes. Cook the sushi rice and fold in the vinegar mixture up to one day ahead. Store covered in the fridge. The rice will firm up slightly in the cold, which actually helps it press into a more cohesive layer in the casserole dish. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before assembling so it spreads without tearing.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. The rice continues to firm up as it sits, which makes cold leftovers almost better than the fresh-baked version since the layers hold together more cleanly. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes or in the microwave in 60-second intervals. Not suitable for freezing since both the rice and the mayo-based chickpea layer degrade significantly after thawing.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
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