California Roll Sushi Bowls

It’s everything you love about sushi, in a filling and easy to make rice bowl! California Roll Sushi Bowls feature perfectly cooked Japanese sushi rice, imitation crab, and a spicy sriracha mayo sauce, along with plenty of bright, fresh veggies.

A deconstructed California sushi roll? Yes, please!

This recipe for California Roll Sushi Bowls has all the flavors of everyone’s favorite sushi roll, but in a simple bowl format.

Plus, I’ll teach you how to make perfectly cooked sushi rice on the stovetop!

The first time I went out for sushi, I ordered a California roll because I was a bit wary of eating raw fish. Of course, I loved it, and went on to eat all of the other varieties of sushi rolls next!

California rolls are the entry-level sushi order; the gateway to more sophisticated sushi preparations. But just because California rolls are simple, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t delicious!

I think they are even better turned into a tasty rice bowl. In fact, I like all kinds of Asian-inspired rice bowls! Korean Beef Bowls, Teriyaki Chicken Bowls and Teriyaki Salmon Bowls are enjoyed often at our house too.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. Classic Sushi Flavors – These bowls have all of the ingredients that you’d find inside a California Roll, including nori, imitation crab, and a spicy mayo sauce.
2. Skip Take Out – Don’t get me wrong, I love ordering sushi takeout and sharing a few rolls with my husband on a lazy evening, but I don’t love how much that costs! Sushi bowls are a much more economical way to enjoy the same flavors.
3. Versatile Recipe – You can easily switch up the toppings on these bowls with any of your favorites.

Sushi Bowl Recipe Ingredients

To make a deconstructed sushi bowl, you’ll want to prepare all of the ingredients first, then combine them at the end. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Rice: I’ll show you the best way to cook the perfect sushi rice on the stove. I’m using Japanese Calrose rice here. It’s a medium-grain rice with a soft and sticky texture. To season the rice, you’ll need rice vinegar, granulated sugar, and a bit of salt.
• Spicy Mayo: You can buy sriracha mayo at the store, or make it yourself by mixing together mayonnaise and sriracha sauce! Look for Japanese kewpie mayo, it’s so creamy.
• Imitation Crab Meat: This is what’s inside a California roll, and so it’s perfect for our bowls. Chop the crab sticks into slices or small bite-sized pieces.
• Nori Sheets: I use these seasoned seaweed snacks, but any type of dried nori that you come across will work. If your sheets are large, you probably only need two of them, crumbled or chopped up to add the bowls.
• Veggies: Just like inside a California roll, our bowls include diced avocado, shredded carrot, and sliced cucumber.
• Sesame Seeds: I like to use a combination of both black and toasted sesame seeds for visual interest.

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

How To Cook Sushi Rice

1. Wash it: This is super important. Add the uncooked sushi rice to a mesh strainer and rinse under cool running water until the water runs clear.
2. Simmer: Add the drained rice to a saucepan with water, bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes without removing the lid. Then take the pot off the heat (still, don’t remove the lid!) and leave it for 5 minutes to steam.
3. Season: This is what makes sushi rice taste so good! Fluff the rice with a wooden spoon. Then, in a small bowl, combine the sushi rice seasonings. If needed, warm it up in the microwave so that the sugar dissolves fully. Stir the seasoning into the rice with the wooden spoon, then set the rice aside to cool while you get everything ready for your bowls.

How to Make A California Roll Sushi Bowl

1. Make Spicy Mayo: Stir together the sriracha sauce and kewpie mayo in a small bowl.

2. Build Your Sushi Bowls: Start by dividing the rice between 4 bowls. Then top each with crab, cucumber, avocado, shredded carrot, and nori sheets. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with the spicy mayo. Serve with soy sauce on the side.

Recipe Tips

• Follow the rice cooking instructions given here, especially if you’ve never cooked sushi rice before. It’s very important to rise the rise thoroughly, and to avoid opening the pot lid until the time is up!
• Stir the rice with a wooden spoon rather than a metal one so that you don’t break it up too much.
• Instead of imitation crab meat, feel free to use actual crab, or poached shrimp instead. I’ve also made this with poached salmon.
• Serve soy sauce on the side, that way everyone can add as much as they like. You might also like to have some wasabi, pickled ginger, or homemade ginger sauce on the side too.

Storing Tips

You can make sushi rice up to a few hours in advance. Leave it at room temperature, covered, until you’re ready to eat it.

Refrigerated sushi rice tends to be dry, so I don’t recommend keeping it longer than a few hours.

Sushi bowls are best enjoyed right away!

What To Serve With Sushi Bowls

Enjoy a glass of Japanese beer or sip on some sake while you’re enjoying your California roll-inspired rice bowls.

As an extra side dish, try my quick and easy Kani Spicy Salad!

Recipe FAQs

Enjoy your sushi in a bowl instead of a roll! California Sushi Roll Bowls are easy to make and everyone loves them. Be sure to Pin the recipe for later too!