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Easy Vegan Sushi With Tomato Spicy Tuna

November 28, 2016 By Carrots and Flowers

EASY Vegan Sushi with Tomato Spicy Tuna | Ready in 30 minutes for a healthy dinner recipe that's simple and fun!

If you’ve never tried vegan sushi before, I encourage you to give it a whirl! This was my first time making it myself and it was a COMPLETE success. This tomato spicy tuna is healthy, flavorful, and a snap to prepare.

Rolling up vegan sushi rolls with no experience and no mat may seem daunting but fear not dear friends, you only need plastic wrap and a kitchen towel to get compact, restaurant quality rolls in the comfort of your own kitchen.

EASY Vegan Sushi with Tomato Spicy Tuna | Ready in 30 minutes for a healthy dinner recipe that's simple and fun!

Trust me, you will feel like a BOSS rolling these up. Also maybe a little silly for paying so much for sushi at restaurants but maybe that’s just me.

Since becoming a vegan, I haven’t really gone out looking for vegan sushi restaurants. Typically a vegan sushi roll consists of cucumber and avocado as fillings. Don’t get me wrong, I love all that but who wants to pay $6 for two slivers of cucumber rolled into rice?

EASY Vegan Sushi with Tomato Spicy Tuna | Ready in 30 minutes for a healthy dinner recipe that's simple and fun!

That’s where the tomato spicy tuna comes in. With the right seasonings, tomato flesh tastes remarkably like fish. In fact, the day after making these vegan sushi rolls I had some leftover in the fridge. The flavors had melded together in the way things do overnight and the tomato spicy tuna tasted so much like real fish, I didn’t want to eat it. My husband scarfed it down though!

EASY Vegan Sushi with Tomato Spicy Tuna | Ready in 30 minutes for a healthy dinner recipe that's simple and fun!

If you aren’t vegan and still enjoy seafood sushi, I’d like to kindly suggest trying this tomato spicy tuna instead. Two reasons!

1- According to many recent publications, a lot of the fish ordered in sushi restaurants is actually low grade substitutions. So that spicy tuna may not even be tuna. Mystery fish? No thanks!

2- At current commercial fishing rates, experts predict the oceans will be depleted of fish by the year 2048. Missing such a vital element of the ocean’s food chain could have disastrous effects on the environment.

EASY Vegan Sushi with Tomato Spicy Tuna | Ready in 30 minutes for a healthy dinner recipe that's simple and fun!

So try this vegan sushi! You will be amazed by the tomato spicy tuna, trust me. It’s a win-win for your taste buds and the oceans!

EASY Vegan Sushi with Tomato Spicy Tuna | Ready in 30 minutes for a healthy dinner recipe that's simple and fun! EASY Vegan Sushi with Tomato Spicy Tuna | Ready in 30 minutes for a healthy dinner recipe that's simple and fun!

If you try this vegan sushi recipe, please leave us a comment and tell us how it went and post a photo on Instagram with the tag #carrotsandflowers.  We want to hear all about your tomato spicy tuna adventures!

EASY Vegan Sushi with Tomato Spicy Tuna | Ready in 30 minutes for a healthy dinner recipe that's simple and fun!

 

EASY Vegan Sushi with Tomato Spicy Tuna | Ready in 30 minutes for a healthy dinner recipe that's simple and fun!
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Easy Vegan Sushi with Tomato Spicy Tuna

The BEST vegan sushi ever, no bamboo mat required. Perfectly seasoned tomato spicy tuna replaces fish in this healthy, plant-based meal. Ready in 30 minutes! 

Course Main Course
Cuisine Gluten-free, Sushi, Vegan
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Author Carrots and Flowers

Ingredients

  • 2 large roma tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
  • 1/2 tbsp kelp powder heaping
  • 1/2 tsp minced ginger
  • 1/2 tbsp sriracha
  • 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 3 nori sheets
  • 1/2 small cucumber
  • 1/2 avocado

Sushi Rice

  • 1 cup sushi rice
  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Combine the sushi rice and water in a rice cooker and cook. When the rice is nearly finished, stir in the rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. Mash the rice with a fork just a bit to ensure it's sticky.

  2. While the rice is cooking, bring a small pot of water to boil. Have a large bowl of ice water ready. Pierce the tomatoes with a knife then drop them into the water. Boil the tomatoes until the skin begins to peel off then remove them with a slotted spoon. Immediately transfer the tomatoes to the ice water to prevent them from cooking further. 

  3. In a container with a lid, combine the soy sauce or tamari with the ginger, kelp powder, sriracha, and sesame oil. Stir until even. Peel the tomatoes and slice the flesh away from the watery seeds. Dice the tomato flesh into small pieces then transfer it to your marinade container. Place the lid on and shake it up so the tomato pieces are all coated. 

  4. Cut the cucumber and avocado into thin match sticks then prepare your sushi rolling station. On a counter or cutting board, lay out a kitchen towel with a sheet of plastic wrap on top. 

  5. Place a nori sheet on the plastic wrap. With wet fingers, spread a very thin, even layer of sushi rice on the nori. Leave an inch or so of space on either end of the sheet to wrap it. 

  6. Layer your tomato spicy tuna topping on the rice along with a few match sticks of cucumber and avocado. The toppings should only cover 2 inches of the rice or you'll have trouble rolling it up. 

  7. Use your fingers to carefully peel up the edge of the sushi roll. Roll the edge up and over. As soon as the veggies are covered, roll over the plastic wrap then towel, using it to shape and compress the sushi roll. Continue until it’s all the way rolled up. Make sure to seal the edges. Cut the sushi roll with a sharp knife and enjoy! 

Recipe Notes

*Brown rice may be used in place of sushi rice. Be sure to mash the rice a bit with a fork so it's sticky enough to roll up. 

* For detailed visual instructions on how to roll your sushi, check out this helpful guide by Minimalist Baker. 

For more deliciously creative ways to use tomatoes, check out our Vegan Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza or our Vegan NY Style Bagels with Tomato Lox and Cashew Cream Cheese. To save this vegan sushi recipe for later, pin the photo below!

EASY Vegan Sushi with Tomato Spicy Tuna | Ready in 30 minutes for a healthy dinner recipe that's simple and fun!

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Comments

  1. Katrina Kilburn says

    December 21, 2016 at 8:52 pm

    Any particular type of kelp powder or is kelp powder all the same? I found some on Amazon that I was going to get.

    Reply
    • Carrots and Flowers says

      December 22, 2016 at 6:30 am

      It’s all the same! I also use it to make Baja “Fish” tacos and tomato “lox” if you want more recipes to use it in. 🙂

      Reply
      • Frank A Smith says

        February 19, 2017 at 11:03 pm

        Link to lox recipe please!

        Reply
    • Chap says

      November 30, 2020 at 1:21 am

      This was so delicious! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  2. Tm says

    December 21, 2016 at 10:01 pm

    How long should the tomatoes stay in the marinade?

    Reply
    • Carrots and Flowers says

      December 22, 2016 at 6:24 am

      You can use it right away or wait up to 30 minutes or so. The longer it stays in the marinade, the closer it will taste to real spicy tuna, so it’s up to you how strong you want the flavor to be!

      Reply
  3. Shelly says

    December 29, 2016 at 3:09 am

    We loved it! It was awesome!

    Reply
    • Carrots and Flowers says

      December 31, 2016 at 8:38 pm

      Yay, awesome!!! So glad to hear it, Happy New Year!!

      Reply
  4. Michelle says

    January 2, 2017 at 3:33 am

    Ok this looks brilliant!!!! I can’t wait to try it. I will definitely give you feedback. Also, should #4 say “Cut the CUCUMBER” instead of “Cut the tomato”?

    Reply
    • Carrots and Flowers says

      January 2, 2017 at 6:02 pm

      Oof! Yes it should, thank you I will correct it now!

      Reply
      • Spicy says

        March 4, 2018 at 1:25 pm

        5 stars
        It still says cucumber, by the way 🙂

        Reply
  5. Tracey D. says

    January 7, 2017 at 10:47 pm

    WOW..this was better than the “real” thing! Even my carnivore boyfriend (who doesn’t like real sushi/raw fish) thought this was delicious. Thank you so much for this kick ass recipe! <3

    Reply
    • Carrots and Flowers says

      January 9, 2017 at 5:50 am

      Yayyyyyy that is fantastic news! Thanks so much Tracey, so happy you both enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply
  6. Kassie says

    January 15, 2017 at 4:42 pm

    Does this make one roll?

    Reply
    • Carrots and Flowers says

      January 15, 2017 at 9:21 pm

      It makes three rolls. 🙂

      Reply
      • Diana says

        July 28, 2017 at 3:03 am

        Are all 3 rolls for one person? Or how many servings is this?

        Reply
  7. Heather says

    January 16, 2017 at 10:14 pm

    I’m really excited about this! Although I think they may just be sushi bowls in the end 😉

    Reply
  8. Yuli says

    January 19, 2017 at 5:30 pm

    Any chance for the recipe of that greeny thing on the side?
    is that wakama salad or something like that?
    looks good 🙂

    Reply
    • Carrots and Flowers says

      January 25, 2017 at 3:43 am

      Hi Yuli!
      I used a store bought seaweed salad for this for styling purposes, although it was very delicious!

      Reply
  9. Mary Finelli says

    February 1, 2017 at 10:19 pm

    Wonderful, I love the photos! Thanks very much. I’ve shared it on the Fish Feel Facebook page and we’ll post a link to it in the Vegan Seafood Resources page of the website, too: http://fishfeel.org/seafood/

    Reply
  10. Halez says

    February 10, 2017 at 11:09 pm

    Hi! Where does one find kelp powder? (In store, I’m sure Amazon has it, but would like to grab it locally)

    Reply
  11. Tiffany says

    February 11, 2017 at 3:19 am

    Wow, this was absolutely INCREDIBLE! I was super skeptical, because I HATE tomatoes, but I honestly didn’t notice the difference. This was seriously so amazing. THANK YOU! Sushi is the one thing I really missed since going vegan.

    Reply
  12. Jessy McNair says

    February 15, 2017 at 3:07 pm

    We made this last night and it was delicious! The sauce mixture did become rather gelatinous from the kelp powder, which we got in the medicinal herbal section of Central Market. Is that supposed to happen? It didn’t hinder the taste or anything, just wondering if that’s typical with kelp powder.

    Reply
    • heidi says

      January 28, 2018 at 1:55 am

      Same here. I’m in the process of marinating it. It’s so thick I couldn’t toss it. It had to be stirred. Clearly, kelp powders are not the same. Also, putting the pounds of tomatoes would be helpful. I doubled the recipe and there seems to be too much sauce.

      Reply
  13. Angelo says

    February 20, 2017 at 12:36 pm

    I am going to try to make this tonight. Can I use kelp granules instead of powder? I assume they are similar…. I’ve never seen kelp powder at the store but I do have kelp granules in my kitchen and was just going to use that.

    Reply
  14. Michelle Miyazato says

    February 22, 2017 at 1:35 am

    Didn’t have kelp seasoning or dulse flakes, so just went with some katsuboshi. Not vegan but tasted pretty good.

    Reply
  15. Hannah P. says

    March 3, 2017 at 11:10 pm

    I just made this and it tasted just like sushi! I am pregnant but love sushi so this is literally my saving grace. Thanks you for sharing!

    Reply
  16. Margaret Kamm says

    March 3, 2017 at 11:52 pm

    I didn’t have any help powder, but a little bit of white miso did the trick! This is amazing. Thank you!

    Reply
  17. Terri Scappin says

    March 28, 2017 at 8:22 pm

    I love your recipes and your site. I also, love that you have a print button with your recipes, but I wish when you click the button it would include the photo in the print version. Just a suggestion.

    Reply
    • Carrots and Flowers says

      March 30, 2017 at 6:02 am

      Thanks for your feedback, I’ll look into that!

      Reply
  18. The Crunchy Urbanite says

    May 2, 2017 at 7:22 pm

    Fantastic recipe. I’ve been getting into vegan sushi lately but had never tried actually approximating meat. Can’t wait to give this a try – thank you! (Only request: ditch the single-use plastic wrap.) 🙂

    Reply
  19. plantbasedkristy says

    June 20, 2017 at 4:37 pm

    How long will the tomatoes last? Could I make the tomato part ahead of time, like the night before? Can’t wait to try!

    Reply
  20. Evie Jones says

    July 6, 2017 at 9:21 am

    It’s good to find different recipes like this one online, I’d rather than just eating lots of meat and fish all the time. I’ll definitely be trying out this sushi recipe so thanks for sharing. I’m actually writing an article about the health benefits of sushi and visiting a dozen restaurants or so around the UK to do some research. I’ve heard about a brilliant one in Birmingham called Rofuto which is meant the be one of the best in the Midlands. Has anyone else tried this place yet? I’d be eager to know thoughts xx

    Reply
    • Pejute says

      March 17, 2018 at 9:15 pm

      Raw meat often contains a ridiculous amount of parasites per square inch. People who eat sushi regularly typically have a higher amount of parasites inside them compared to others.

      Reply
  21. Evie Jones says

    July 6, 2017 at 9:59 am

    Sorry I meant to link through to Rofuto

    Reply
  22. Christy says

    August 5, 2017 at 5:14 am

    My kids -all four of them – LOVED the spicy “tuna” #winning thank you!!

    Reply
  23. Amber says

    September 7, 2017 at 11:14 pm

    So damn good. I make it on the regular.

    Reply
  24. Katherine D says

    October 7, 2017 at 12:29 am

    Anyone know whether I could substitute spirulina powder for the kelp?

    Reply
  25. Michelle Peterson says

    January 15, 2018 at 5:26 pm

    This is one of my new favourite things to make. I was so excited to make this for my brother in law who is now vegan and was missing sushi. He loved it! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  26. Hilary says

    March 13, 2018 at 11:43 pm

    5 stars
    This tasted insanely real. I fooled my dad who loves Tuna! Even after I told him it was tomatoes not tuna he didn’t believe me.

    Reply
  27. Brooke B says

    April 19, 2018 at 5:58 pm

    Could this be made without the Kelp powder? I have never used it before–what does it do here? flavor? texture? nutrition? Just wondering. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Carrots and Flowers says

      April 23, 2018 at 3:30 pm

      The kelp powder provides the fishy flavor. You can also use nori flakes for the same effect. 🙂 Hope you love it!

      Reply
  28. Michelle says

    May 18, 2018 at 6:05 pm

    5 stars
    DANG GIRL!! You knocked this one out of the park. Incredible flavor. I’ve made this many times but am now coming back to comment. THANK YOU!!!

    Reply
  29. Lucille Boehike says

    July 19, 2018 at 2:46 pm

    5 stars
    Surprisingly really delicious. I’m not vegan but I love to try new recipes. Of course it doesn’t actually taste like actual tuna but the marinade is so good you don’t miss it. I made mine with some diced avocado and kewpie mayonnaise, their creaminess really complements the spicy marinade.

    Reply
    • Carrots and Flowers says

      August 18, 2018 at 6:35 pm

      Thanks so much for the feedback Lucille, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply
      • CA says

        August 30, 2019 at 1:40 am

        Hi!
        This looks almost as good as the Ahimi I’ve had in some test market sushi bars. However I wanted to clarify. The Nori sheets are the using are the unsalted ones correct? I eat them as snakes & the only organic ones I can find are pretty heavily salted. Any advice for this vegan?
        I’m going to try the lox recipe too! Haven’t had that old fave in decades. So happy I found your site. You’ve offer so many foods I thought I’d never have again. Wish I hadn’t donated my grandma’s waffle iron. I want to try ALL of them too!
        You are a rock star!
        Thank you & God bless you for bridging the compassionate choice to eat a vegan diet with such dope recipes, we won’t miss anything!
        Peace

        Good luck with everything!
        You are the wave of the future.

        Reply
  30. Tara says

    February 6, 2019 at 1:26 am

    I made this today with jackfruit instead of tomatoes. YUM! Will try with tomatoes in the summer when the garden is full of delicious tomatoes. Great flavor! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  31. Tracy says

    August 14, 2019 at 10:52 pm

    Great recipe!! Popular with the whole family! We make build-your-own sushi bowls with lots of different topping choices. I’ve also used shredded Hearts of Palm for spicy “yellow tail”. Let it marinade for a couple days to let the “fish” taste of the kelp powder really get in to the tomatoes or hearts of palm.

    Reply
  32. susan dargusch says

    August 10, 2020 at 9:53 pm

    Trader Joe’s Furikake is a great substitute for kelp powder (since it has kelp powder in it, lol, along with seaweed and sesame seeds)…

    Reply
  33. Kirsten says

    October 25, 2020 at 10:28 am

    Made these tonight – amazing and super easy

    Reply
  34. Samantha says

    September 8, 2022 at 7:59 am

    I love this Vegan Sushi with Tomato Spicy Tuna, seems amazing . Thanks for sharing with us, will love to try this one.

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Megan aka Carrots & Flowers. I make delicious plant-based recipes for people who love to eat and want to feel good about it! I especially love vegan cheese, 30-minute meals, and kid-friendly options.

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