HOMEMADE SUSHI STAPLES:

  • sushi rice (Nishiki is my brand of choice!)
  • a bamboo mat (example)
  • plastic wrap
  • nori (seaweed sheets)
  • low-sodium soy sauce
  • toasted sesame seeds and/or chia seeds
  • sriracha chili sauce
  • wasabi + pickled ginger (optional but yummy!)

You can pick up your staples at your local asian food market or in your grocery store’s international food aisle. Nearly every store I’ve been to carries all the above ingredients and some even arrange them next to the store-made sushi for easy stock-up! Sweet!

Once you have your pantry staples, all you’ll need is some fresh produce!  

SOME OF MY FAVORITE VEGGIES FOR HOMEMADE SUSHI ROLLS:

  • cucumber
  • avocado
  • asparagus
  • jalapeño
  • green onion
  • carrots
  • yuca
  • sprouts
  • lettuce
  • bell peppers
  • red onion
  • radish
  • sweet potato

 

 

It’s actually much easier than you might think. And of course, the best part of making your own sushi rolls is that you get to decide exactly what goes in them. Yyyyyum.

Since all of our favorite sushi restaurants have been closed these past three months, Barclay and I have gotten in a rhythm of making ourselves a big batch of homemade maki rolls here once a week. (Sushi Sundays!)  And I have to say — it has been so fun! We prefer to keep things super no-frills around here, and usually just make our sushi with a few simple fillings plus a drizzle of spicy mayo. But holy yum, these simple rolls have totally satisfied our sushi cravings during these weeks of staying at home. And now that we have our assembly-line routine down, the two of us have found that we can make a big batch in just 30 minutes or so. Not bad!

Now I will be the first to admit that our techniques for making maki rolls are not 100% authentic or traditional. But that’s kind of the point — we just use the equipment that we already have and keep our ingredient list super-minimal, and this recipe works really well for us! And best of all, it yields so much delicious sushi. ♡♡♡

So if you are also missing your favorite restaurant sushi right now, I thought I would offer a quick tutorial on how we make homemade sushi here in our house! This recipe itself is not hard, but it does require a bit of extra time to prep all of those ingredients and make the maki rolls. If you have a buddy (or in my case, a very enthusiastic sushi-loving husband) in the kitchen to help, the process can go much faster. But however you make them, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly, easily and affordably you can make your very own homemade maki rolls. Plus, it’s just fun!

Here’s everything you need to know…

MAKI ROLL INGREDIENTS:

Alright, let’s chat about ingredient first! Aside from produce and fish, most of the ingredients that you need to make basic maki rolls can be found in the Southeast Asian section of your grocery store. Or if not, you can also totally order them online. (If you plan on making an extra-large batch of sushi, or making sushi fairly often, you can also save on costs by buying the rice, nori, soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi paste in bulk.)  Here’s what you will need:

  • Sushi rice: Earlier this week, I shared my full tutorial here on how to make classic sticky sushi rice (using Japanese short-grain white rice, rice vinegar, sugar and salt). It’s easy to make in the Instant Pot, rice cooker or on the stovetop. But be sure to plan ahead with the rice, because it will require some time to cool to room temperature before you begin rolling the sushi.
  • Nori: The traditional seaweed wrappers used to roll sushi.
  • Fillings: We tend to stick to really simple fillings in our house — sushi-grade salmon or tuna (or we often use smoked salmon), avocado and cucumber — but see my notes below for other delicious filling ingredient ideas that you are welcome to try. The options here are endless!
  • Spicy mayo (optional): I always love adding a bit of spicy mayo to my sushi (either drizzled on top or mixed into the fillings), which can be made simply with mayo and Sriracha.
  • Soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi paste: The classic trio of ingredients for serving.

EQUIPMENT:

We are admittedly super no-frills in our house when it comes to sushi equipment. For a long time, we rolled our sushi without a mat (just rolled it with our hands), which honestly works fine — your sushi rolls will just not be quite as tight. So if this is your first time making sushi, please don’t feel pressured to purchase lots of extra equipment. A basic cutting board, a sharp knife, and a bowl of water (for dipping your fingers so that the rice does not stick) will work just fine. And then you can always invest in more gear if you find that sushi-making is something you enjoy and want to do again.

That said, though, whenever you are ready to up your game, the first piece of sushi equipment that I recommend purchasing is a basic bamboo sushi mat. (We have this $7 sushi mat set from Amazon.)  It will help you to roll the sushi much tighter and is quite easy to use. Also, if you find that you really love making sushi and sashimi and would like to have a knife specifically designed for making long, clean cuts, you may also want to invest in a sushi knife (either stainless steel or non-stick).