Vegan Tofu Sushi Rolls
Easy sweet chili tofu sushi with detailed instructions on how to make the rice, the tofu, and fill your sushi rolls, so you can get it perfect first time!
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Resting Time (sushi rice)30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Course: Lunch and Dinner
Cuisine: Japanese
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 369kcal
1 Bamboo mat (or use a thick towel)
1 Medium saucepan with a lid
1 chopping board
1 sharp knife
2 bowls (for rice seasoning, and water when rolling the sushi)
Sushi Rice
- 2½ cups sushi rice uncooked
- 2¾ cups water
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar plus 1 Tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Sweet Chili Tofu
- 2 Tablespoons oil canola, sunflower etc.
- 12.5 oz firm tofu 350g
- ½ cup sweet chili sauce 120ml
- 1 cup vegetable stock 240ml
Tofu Sushi
- 1 onion large
- 1 avocado large
- 8 sheets nori
Sushi Rice
Rinse the sushi rice very well to remove the starch, around 7 times.
Drain the rice and add it to a pot with a tight-fitting lid.
Add in the water, a pinch of salt put on the lid, and heat on high until starting to boil.
Lower the heat to the lowest setting, and let cook for 15 minutes (covered).
Remove from the heat and let sit for five minutes.
Microwave the vinegar, salt, and sugar together, for one minute stirring halfway, then stir when done until the salt and sugar has dissolved
Add the vinegar mixture to the rice and stir quickly. Leave to cool completely.
Sweet Chili Tofu
Wrap the tofu in a clean kitchen towel and lightly press for two minutes. Slice into 1 cm thick strips.
Add the oil to a large wide skillet or frying pan and heat on high. Add the tofu strips and let cook for one minute.
Flip the strips to an unbrowned side and let sit for 30 seconds. Repeat twice more until all sides are golden brown (honestly I just do three sides!).
Mix together the sweet chili sauce and the vegetable stock and add to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-high when the mixture starts bubbling.
Cook for between 6 - 10 minutes, tossing gently to coat the tofu with the sauce until it has thickened and any remaining sauce just coats the tofu. Put to one side to cool.
Assemble the Tofu Sushi
Set out a bamboo mat for rolling the sushi. If you don’t have a mat, a slatted placemat or a sheet of baking paper will do in a pinch. Thinly slice the onion and the avocado. If you don't like raw onion or find it too strong I would suggest soaking it in salty water for between 10-15 minutes (ideally do this earlier, for example when you are making the sushi rice).
Lay a sheet of nori on top (shiny side down) and put roughly half a cup to two-thirds of a cup of sushi rice on it.
Using wet fingers spread out the rice so that the nori is covered in a single layer with no spaces, leaving a centimeter of nori free for sealing the roll at the top edge furthest away from you.
Place your filling ingredients just below the middle in a horizontal line. Lay the strips of onion, then the strips of avocado, then the sushi strips (just join them up if they are not long enough or break them up if they are too long).
Dampen the rice-free nori edge with a little water, grab the mat close to you, lift up the mat and tuck it over quickly the filling to secure it, and continue to tightly roll with pressure from both hands until the dampened end is underneath (seam side down).
Repeat for all the rolls.
Using a sharp knife, wet it to stop it from sticking to the nori and slice each sushi roll into eight evenly sized pieces.
Serve immediately or leave to chill in the fridge until you're ready to eat.
- To help the rice cool down faster, I spread it out on a large chopping board or sheet of baking paper. It will take about 20-30 minutes at room temperature to cool down if spread out. It will take much less time if you point a fan at it or place it under an air conditioning vent.
- If you'd like your tofu a bit spicy, mix one tablespoon or more of Sriracha sauce into the chilli sauce and vegetable stock mixture before braising the tofu in it.
- If you don't love the sharp bite of raw onion, soak your onions once sliced in a cup of water with a quarter teaspoon of salt added for half an hour, then drain and pat dry.
- Dampening your hands will make it much easier to spread the sushi.
- Dampening the knife you use to cut the sushi rolls will prevent the nori from sticking to the blade.
Serving: 1sushi roll | Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 581mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 235IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 2mg