The sweet potato roll is a simple sushi that’s healthy, vegan, and most important, delicious! The combined flavors of the sweet potato, sushi rice, and nori sheet make for a wonderful appetizer that the whole family will enjoy! Plus, as it contains no raw fish, it’s far less intimidating for those new to sushi.
Table of Contents
What are Sweet Potato Rolls?
Sweet potato rolls consist of sweet potatoes that are cut into strips, seasoned, oiled, baked, combined with sushi rice, and wrapped in a nori (seaweed) wrapper. This roll is then cut into bite sized pieces and served with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger.
I usually prepare these as a part of a larger meal or sushi platter.
How to Control the Thickness of Your Sushi Roll
You can control how thick your sushi rolls are by how much of the nori sheet you use. Most people use only half the nori sheet when making sweet potato rolls as there is only one ingredient in the filling. However, I prefer to use 3/4 of the nori sheet as I like to pack the filling with sweet potatoes while still keeping the sushi roll bite size and easy to eat with chopsticks.
You can make your rolls thicker by using the entire nori sheet (and even more sweet potatoes) or thinner by using half of the nori sheet (and less sweet potatoes in the filling).
How to Make Sweet Potato Rolls
Sweet potato rolls are one of the easier sushi rolls to make. I start by preparing the sushi rice as this is the most time consuming step. You can then prepare the sweet potatoes when the sushi rice is cooking. Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make this simple, yet delicious sushi.
Cook Sushi Rice
1. Rinse 1 1/3 cups of sushi rice by placing it in a colander and running water through it until the water is clear.
2. After the rice is rinsed, add it to a sauce pan with 1 1/2 cups of water. Check your sushi rice package to see the exact amount of water to be added as it can vary depending on the brand you use.
3. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let the rice simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft.
4. Remove the rice and place into a bowl or dish and let cool. I would line the dish with parchment paper prior to adding the rice to avoid sticking.
5. Mix 1/4 cup of sushi vinegar into your rice. Stir until it has absorbed into the rice. Once cooled and fully absorbed, your rice is ready to roll!
Prepare the Sweet Potatoes
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees celsius).
2. Peal the skin from the sweet potatoes and cut into strips that are as long as the nori sheet is wide.
3. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the sweet potato strips onto the baking sheet.
4. Lightly drizzle the sweet potato strips with avocado oil. You can use olive oil if you don’t have avocado oil.
5. Then lightly sprinkle garlic salt, pepper, and paprika over the sweet potato strips.
6. Toss with your hands or a spoon to make sure everything is coated with the oil and seasonings evenly.
7. Then place the baking sheet in preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes, flipping after ten minutes.
8. After cooking for a total of 20 minutes, remove from the oven and place aside until needed in your sushi rolls.
Assemble the Sweet Potato Rolls
1. Cover your bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. This will help keep the rice from sticking to it.
2. Use kitchen shears to cut the top fourth or so from the nori sheet. I do this to make the roll easier to eat with chopsticks but large enough to fit all the fillings that I like in my rolls.
3. Next, place the nori sheet onto the plastic wrap with the shiny side facing down. Then press around 3/4 cup of rice onto about 3/4 of the nori sheet in an even layer. Leave about 1/4 of the nori sheet without rice as this will help seal the roll. Tip: Combine a bowl of water and a splash of rice vinegar and use to wet your hands prior to handling the sushi rice. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your hands.
4. Add two to three sweet potato strips to the center of the nori sheet, depending on how thick they are.
5. Wet the part of the nori sheet that does not contain rice. Starting at the side of the nori sheet with rice, use the bamboo sushi mat to fold your roll until it’s completely enclosed. Once the nori is making contact with the rice, pull back the sushi mat so it doesn’t get caught in the sushi. Still using the sushi mat as your guide, finish rolling until the roll is completely wrapped. Then wrap the sushi mat around the roll and gently press, tightening the roll together. Keep in mind that rolling sushi is an art that may take some practice so don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t look perfect your first time. It will get easier the more you do it.
6. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 pieces. I do this by first cutting the roll in half. Then I cut each half in half followed by cutting each fourth in half. Tip: Be sure to clean and wet the edge of your knife before cutting each roll.
7. I usually serve with soy sauce and wasabi. Sushi rolls are traditionally served with pickled ginger as well.
Sweet Potato Roll Recipe
Sweet Potato Roll Sushi Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Bamboo Sushi Mat
- 1 Pot for cooking sushi rice
- 1 Sharp knife and cutting board
Ingredients
Sushi Rice
- 1 1/3 Cups Sushi Rice dried, will cook to 4 cups
- 1/4 Cup Sushi Vinegar
Sushi Roll
- 4 Nori Sheets
- 1 Sweet potato
- Avocado oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
Instructions
Cook Sushi Rice
- Rinse 1 1/3 cups of sushi rice by placing it in a colander and running water through it until the water is clear.
- After the rice is rinsed, add it to a sauce pan with 1 1/2 cups of water. (Be sure to check the instructions on the sushi rice package as the amount of water to be added can vary slightly depending on the brand of rice).
- Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let the rice simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft.
- Remove the rice and place into a bowl or dish and let cool. I would line the dish with parchment paper prior to adding the rice to avoid sticking.
- Mix 1/4 cup of sushi vinegar into your rice. Stir until it has absorbed into the rice. Once cooled and fully absorbed, your rice is ready to roll!
Prepare the Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Farenheit (220 degrees celsius).
- Peal the skin from the sweet potatoes and cut into strips that are as long as the nori sheet is wide.
- Cover a baking sheet with foil and place the sweet potato strips on the baking sheet.
- Lightly drizzle the sweet potato strips with avocado oil. You can use olive oil if you don't have avocado oil.
- Then lightly sprinkle garlic salt, pepper, and paprika over the sweet potato strips.
- Toss with your hands or a spoon to make sure everything is coated with the oil and seasonings evenly.
- Then place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, use a spatula to flip the sweet potato strips and place back in the oven to cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- After cooking for a total of 20 minutes, remove from the oven and place aside until needed.
Assemble the Sweet Potato Rolls
- Cover your bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. This will help keep the rice from sticking to it.
- Use kitchen shears to cut the top fourth or so from the nori sheet. I do this to make the roll easier to eat with chopsticks but large enough to fit all the fillings that I like in my rolls.
- Next, place the nori sheet onto the plastic wrap with the shiny side facing down. Then press around 3/4 cup of rice onto about 3/4 of the nori sheet in an even layer. Leave about 1/4 of the nori sheet without rice as this will help seal the roll. Tip: Combine a bowl of water and a splash of rice vinegar and use to wet your hands prior to handling the sushi rice. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your hands.
- Add two to three sweet potato strips to the center of the nori sheet depending on how thick your strips are.
- Wet the part of the nori sheet that does not contain rice. Starting at the side of the nori sheet with rice, use the bamboo sushi mat to fold your roll until it's completely enclosed. Once the nori is making contact with the rice, pull back the sushi mat so it doesn't get caught in the sushi. Still using the sushi mat as your guide, finish rolling until the roll is completely wrapped. Then wrap the sushi mat around the roll and gently press, tightening the roll together.Keep in mind that rolling sushi is an art that may take some practice so don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t look perfect your first time. It will get easier the more you do it.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 pieces. I do this by first cutting the roll in half. Then I cut each half in half followed by cutting each fourth in half. Tip: Be sure to clean and wet the edge of your knife before cutting each roll.
- I usually serve with soy sauce and wasabi. Sushi rolls are traditionally served with pickled ginger as well.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Are sweet potato rolls gluten-free?
Yes. All the ingredients in sweet potato rolls are naturally gluten-free.
Are sweet potato rolls a traditional Japanese sushi?
No. Sweet potato roll sushi is not commonly eaten in Japan. It’s more popular in sushi restaurants in the United States and other countries outside of Japan.
Are sweet potato rolls vegan?
Yes. All the ingredients in sweet potato rolls are plant based and vegan.
Final Thoughts on Sweet Potato Rolls
Whether you’re looking for a vegan option in your sushi platter or just an appetizer that will mix it up and appeal to a wide range of tastes, sweet potato rolls will not disappoint. I hope you enjoy these rolls as much as my family does! Happy cooking!
For more fun sushi recipes, check out the below articles:
Cucumber Roll (Kappa Maki) Recipe
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