Easy Sushi Bowls
This simple, satisfying sushi bowl is a favorite go-to dinner for me, not only because it is quick and easy, but also because I can make the complete bowl for my husband and I, and a deconstructed version of it for my kids. Everyone is happy, well-fed, and satisfied, no boxed mac-and-cheese required. I crave sushi a lot, but it’s not always in the budget. This sushi bowl, however, is a much easier option than going out, and it’s easier on the wallet, too. It’s on heavy rotation in my meal planner, and I hope it makes it onto yours as well.
Essential Ingredients For Making A Sushi Bowl
- Rice: Steamed, seasoned brown rice is what I like to use because it’s more nutritious and just as satisfying as white, but if you want a more authentic sushi experience, use white rice instead.
- Nori: Nori is the Japanese word for the dried seaweed sheets that sushi is rolled in. But in this sushi bowl, you’ll just use the nori sheets as a crispy, briny topping.
- Sriracha Mayo: That sweet-spicy sauce that’s drizzled all over the special rolls at your favorite sushi place? It’s probably just sriracha and mayo stirred together and thinned with a little rice vinegar. Extra bonus points if you use Kewpie mayo (Japanese sweet mayonnaise) but regular American mayo will work fine, too.
- Avocado: I always order at least a few avocado rolls if I go out for sushi, so creamy ripe avocado is a must have on my sushi bowl.
- Cucumbers: Crispy crunchy English cucumbers are my favorite because you don’t have to peel or seed them.
- Teriyaki Chicken: If you wanted to make a vegetarian sushi bowl, you could leave the chicken off, or sub in some seasoned, baked tofu instead. Or, you can make our version using salmon Salmon Sushi Bowl. Or if you want to grill your chicken, check out our Grilled Teriyaki Chicken which uses homemade sauce.
Ingredient Highlight: All About Sushi Rice
Intriguing, right? Sushi rice (the rice that is used to make sushi) is traditionally made simply with super-high quality, short grain white rice that is then flavored with rice vinegar and a bit of sugar and salt. We’ve taken that idea as inspiration and run with it, swapping brown rice for white, because brown rice is much more nutritious and we actually prefer its nutty flavor as a base for sushi bowls. Seasoning the rice lightly with rice vinegar adds a lot of interesting complexity to this bowl without much work. If you don’t have rice vinegar handy, it’s totally fine to serve plain brown rice, or you could even stir in a bit of the extra teriyaki sauce for an added boost of flavor. This recipe is all about adaptability.
How To Make Sushi Rice Bowls
Even we admit, there’s something about bowls like this that look fussy. You see those lovely cucumber spears and that fanned out avocado and you think “that looks delicious but I’m never going to make it.” But we promise, bowls are easier than they look! Here’s how to make magic:
- Steam rice with seasonings like vinegar, salt, garlic powder and nori. Even without a rice cooker, this is an almost-effortless step.
- Sauté some chicken.
- Chop up the green stuff while the chicken and rice cook.
- Squeeze some sriracha into mayonnaise and mix it together.
- Chop up some nori, or just tear it up with your hands. Let your kids play with it, because it makes awesome crunchy sounds. Don’t tell them that it’s super duper crazy healthy, and maybe they’ll even decide they want to crunch some of it up into their bowl!
- Let everyone assemble the sushi bowl of their dreams with whatever combination of things suits their fancy.
- Dig in!
Our Favorite, Fun Sushi Bowl Topper: Teriyaki Chicken
One of the best things about a sushi bowl is that it can be a mish mash of favorite flavors, and it doesn’t have to be stuck in a strict list of ingredients. Sushi bowls are a place to get creative with toppings, and our favorite topping is this super quick teriyaki chicken. Here’s how we make it weeknight-friendly.
- Grab a bottle of teriyaki marinade. Any teriyaki marinade that you like! We love this Soy Vay Marinade & Sauce, which can be purchased at most grocery stores.
- Place chicken breasts in a pan with teriyaki sauce. Don’t bother to marinate! We swear it tastes just as good without the extra step of marinating the chicken.
- Cook! A quick sauté over medium heat, and you can consider your chicken teriyaki-ed. You’ll achieve a lot of good flavor from cooking the chicken in the sauce, and then you can always add more sauce to the bowl if you’d like your teriyaki chicken bowl even more teriyaki-y.
Tips and Variations
- This recipe is a make-ahead, meal preppers dream: Cooked rice will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, and you can prepare the sriracha mayo up to 5 days ahead. You could even prep the cucumber ahead.
- But a few things need to happen last-minute: Add the nori right before serving otherwise they will get soggy, and slice the avocado at the last minute or it will turn brown.
- Make it spicier! Add more sriracha or thinly sliced, seeded jalapeños.
- Make it even healthier by adding more veggies. Steamed broccoli, baby bok choy, or roasted beets would all be terrific. Edamame or even juicy ripe cherry tomatoes would be yummy, too.
Bowls On Bowls On Bowls
Did You Love This Teriyaki Chicken Bowl Recipe?
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