A vegetable roll is a light and refreshing sushi that is as nutritious as it is delicious. The ingredients can be tailored to multiple tastes and occasions. In addition, it’s quick and easy to make!
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What is a Vegetable Roll?
Vegetable roll sushi contains sushi rice and a variety of sliced vegetables wrapped in a seaweed wrapper called a nori sheet. I prefer to fill my vegetable rolls with carrots, avocado, cucumber, and red bell peppers as I enjoy the combined flavor and texture of these veggies. Plus, the various colors of the vegetables makes for a beautiful roll to look at.
However, the ingredients used in vegetable rolls vary widely based on the cook preparing the rolls and the occasion for which they are served.
How to Control the Thickness of Your Rolls
You can control how thick your sushi rolls are by how much of the nori sheet you use. I prefer to use an entire nori sheet for vegetable rolls as I like to fill them with a lot of veggies. This makes for a thicker roll. If you like thinner rolls, you can use 2/3 or 1/2 of the nori sheet and adjust the amount of veggies you add to the filling accordingly.
How to Make Vegetable Roll Sushi
Vegetable rolls are one of the easier sushi rolls to prepare with most of your time being spent cooking the sushi rice. Below are step-by-step instructions on how to prepare vegetable rolls:
Cook the Sushi Rice
1. Rinse 1 1/3 cup of dry 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 2 cups of water (I would check the instructions on the sushi rice package to see exactly how much water to add as it can vary depending on the brand).
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. You can jump ahead and prepare the vegetables while your rice is cooling.
5. Mix 3 tablespoons 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!
Assemble the Vegetable Rolls
1. Prepare your bamboo sushi mat: Cover your bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. This will help keep the rice from sticking to it.
2. Prepare the carrot: Peel the carrot and slice julienne style into thin strips the length of the nori sheet. I like to use the nori sheet as a guide when determining how long to cut each vegetable.
3. Cut the cucumber: Cut the cucumber into strips that are as long as your nori sheet and about 1/8 inch thick.
4. Slice the red bell pepper: Cut the red bell pepper into four sections and remove the seeds. Then cut each section into strips around 1/8 inch thick.
5. Press rice onto nori sheets: 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.
6. Cut the avocados: Slice the avocado in half the long way. Remove the seed and cut each half into 8 slices. After the seed is removed, I usually cut the avocado slices straight out of the avocado half and add directly to the roll so the pieces won’t brown as quickly. You can also drizzle a little lemon juice over your cut avocado to prevent the avocado from browning in your roll.
Each whole avocado should yield around 16 slices.
7. Add the avocado, carrots, bell pepper, and cucumber: Add the cucumber sticks, carrots, red bell pepper, and avocado slices horizontally along the nori sheet. In general, I add 2-3 avocado slices, 1-2 cucumber sticks, 1-2 red bell pepper sticks, and a few carrots sticks depending on the size of each ingredient and how everything fits.
8. Roll the sushi: 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.
9. Cut the roll: Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 pieces. I do this by first cutting the roll in half. Then cutting each half in half. Then cutting each fourth in half. Tip: Be sure to clean and wet the edge of your knife before cutting each roll.
10. Serve and enjoy: I usually serve with soy sauce and wasabi. Sushi rolls are traditionally served with pickled ginger as well.
Vegetable Roll Sushi Recipe
Vegetable 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 cup Sushi Rice dried, will cook to 3-4 cups
- 3 Tbsp. Sushi Vinegar
Sushi Roll
- 4 Nori Sheets
- 1 Ripe Avocado
- 1 English Cucumber Sliced into sticks
- 1 Carrot Cut into thin strips
- 1 Red Bell Pepper Cut into strips
- Lemon Juice
Instructions
Cook Sushi Rice
- Rinse 1 1/3 cup 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 2 cups of water (I would check the instructions on the sushi rice to see exactly how much waster to add as it can vary depending on the brand).
- 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. You can jump ahead and prepare the vegetables while your rice is cooling.
- Mix 3 tablespoons 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!
Assemble the Vegetable Rolls
- Prepare your bamboo sushi mat: Cover your bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. This will help keep the rice from sticking to it.
- Prepare the carrot: Peel the carrot and slice julienne style into thin strips the length of the nori sheet. I like to use the nori sheet as a guide when determining how long to cut each vegetable.
- Cut the cucumber: Cut the cucumber into strips that are as long as your nori sheet and about 1/8 inch thick.
- Slice the red bell pepper: Cut the red bell pepper into four sections and remove the seeds. Then cut each section into strips around 1/8 inch thick.
- Press rice onto nori sheets: Next, place the nori sheet onto the plastic wrap with the shiny side facing down. Then press around 3/4 cup of sushi 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.
- Cut the avocados: Slice the avocado in half the long way. Remove the seed and cut each half into 8 slices. After the seed is removed, I usually cut the avocado slices straight out of the avocado half and add directly to the roll so the pieces won't brown as quickly. You can also drizzle a little lemon juice over your cut avocado to prevent the avocado from browning in your roll. Each whole avocado should yield around 16 slices.
- Add the avocado, carrots, bell pepper, and cucumber: Add the avocado slices, carrots, and cucumber sticks horizontally along the nori sheet. In general, I add 2-3 avocado slices, 1-2 cucumber sticks, 1-2 red bell pepper sticks, and a few carrots sticks depending on the size of each ingredient and how everything fits.
- Roll the sushi: 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.
- Cut the roll: Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 pieces. I do this by first cutting the roll in half. Then cutting each half in half. Then cutting each fourth in half. Tip: Be sure to clean and wet the edge of your knife before cutting each roll.
- Serve and enjoy: I usually serve with soy sauce and wasabi. Sushi rolls are traditionally served with pickled ginger as well.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Is vegetable roll sushi an authentic Japanese sushi?
Yes. Vegetable rolls can be found throughout Japan. However, like their Western counterpart, the ingredients used in vegetable rolls in Japan vary widely depending on the chef preparing them and the occasion at which they are served.
Is vegetable roll sushi gluten-free?
Yes, all the ingredients in vegetable roll sushi are naturally gluten-free. However, it’s often served with soy sauce so you will want to make sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce to dip your vegetable rolls.
Final Thoughts on Vegetable Roll Sushi
Widely popular throughout the world, vegetable rolls are a fun and delicious starter roll that’s simple to prepare. I encourage you to experiment with the vegetables you use to find the perfect mix for your family. Happy cooking!
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