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Rice Paper Sushi without Seaweed! A perfect alternative if you don’t like nori (seaweed) or just want to try something new.
If you’re looking for a fresh twist on traditional sushi, you’re in for a treat! Today, I’ll show you how to make Rice Paper Sushi Rolls, a delicious alternative to the classic sushi wrapped in seaweed.
Why Rice Paper?
Rice paper, often used in Vietnamese cuisine for summer rolls, is light, gluten-free, and has a neutral taste, making it a perfect substitute for nori sheets in sushi. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to work with and doesn’t require a bamboo mat.
Plus, by filling these rolls with vegetarian and vegan ingredients, this recipe becomes a fantastic option for everyone, including pregnant women who need to avoid certain seafood. 🙌
So, get ready to embark on a new sushi adventure with this easy and delicious rice paper sushi roll recipe!
Ingredients
See recipe card for quantities.
- Sushi Rice & Sushi Vinegar: Essential for perfect sushi rice. Follow my recipe to make perfect sushi rice at home.
- Rice Paper: The seaweed-free alternative. Use rice paper wrappers with a diameter of approx. 8.5 inches (22 cm).
- Sushi Filling: Fresh veggies of your choice, cream cheese, toasted sesame seeds. More filling ideas are listed below.
- Sushi Ginger, Soy Sauce, Wasabi: For serving!
Visual Step-by-Step Instructions
This visual step-by-step instruction will help you along the way – definitely recommended if you’re a cooking beginner!
- Cook the Rice: Follow my recipe for perfect sushi rice at home!
- Wash and cut all vegetables into even strips.
- Soak the rice paper in cold water until it softens, which takes about 30 seconds. → I use a pie dish for this.
- Place the softened rice paper on a work surface or large plate (avoid wooden boards or bamboo mats, as the rice paper can stick too much). Spread about 2 tablespoons of sushi rice on the bottom third of the rice paper and flatten it gently with a damp spoon or your hands. Leave about ½ inch (1 cm) of space around the edges.
- Arrange a thin layer of cream cheese, sesame seeds, and vegetables on the lower third of the rice. → Feel free to vary the fillings for each roll as you like!
- Roll the rice paper tightly into a dense roll.
- Trim any excess rice paper from the ends (using a sharp knife).
- Cut the rolls with a sharp knife into thin (or thick – as you like) sushi rolls. → For a nice and clean cut, wet the knife under running tap water after every other roll.
- Serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled sushi ginger.
Rice Cooker
Cooking sushi rice works best in a rice cooker. I recommend this small rice cooker, which is perfect for small households (it cooks even a single portion of rice very well). For families, this larger rice cooker model is ideal.
Filling Ideas
Here are my favorite fillings for vegetarian/vegan sushi without fish. They can all be mixed and matched well. Just be sure to cut everything into similar-sized strips!
- Cucumber
- Avocado
- Carrots (also delicious with Pickled Carrots)
- Red Cabbage
- Mango
- Japanese Pickled Radish
- Sun-dried Tomatoes
- Kimchi
- Cream Cheese (also great with vegan cream cheese) or Vegan Mayo
- Vegan Tuna
- Tofu
- Cilantro
- Toasted Sesame Seeds (White & Black)
Tips
- Sticky Rice Paper: Depending on the brand, rice paper can be quite sticky. Avoid using a wooden board or bamboo mat as they can make the rice paper stick too much. Additionally, the rolls tend to stick together, so avoid placing them too close to each other.
- Damp Spoon & Hands: Cooked sushi rice is also sticky. To prevent this, keep your hands and spoon damp. It’s best to have a bowl of cold water on your work surface to keep everything moist (just dip your finger/spoon in it). This also applies to the knife when cutting the sushi rolls.
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📖 Recipe
Rice Paper Sushi
Click on the stars to leave a vote!
Ingredients
Sushi Rice
- 1 ½ cups sushi rice
- 1 ½ cups + 1 tbsp water (if using the rice cooker method) or 1 ⅜ cups (330ml) water if using the stovetop method
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Sushi Rolls
- 12 sheets rice paper
- 1 avocado in matchsticks
- ½ cucumber deseeded, in matchsticks
- 1 carrot in matchsticks
- some cream cheese
- some toasted sesame seeds
To Serve
- pickled sushi ginger
- soy sauce
- wasabi
Instructions
Sushi Rice
- Follow my recipe for perfect sushi rice at home!
Sushi Rolls
- Wash and cut all vegetables into even strips.
- Soak the rice paper in cold water until it softens, which takes about 30 seconds. → I use a pie dish for this.
- Place the softened rice paper on a work surface or large plate (avoid wooden boards or bamboo mats, as the rice paper can stick too much). Spread about 2 tablespoons of sushi rice on the bottom third of the rice paper and flatten it gently with a damp spoon or your hands. Leave about ½ inch (1 cm) of space around the edges.
- Arrange a thin layer of cream cheese, sesame seeds, and vegetables on the lower third of the rice. → Feel free to vary the fillings for each roll as you like!
- Roll the rice paper tightly into a dense roll. Trim any excess rice paper from the ends (using a sharp knife).
- Cut the rolls with a sharp knife into thin (or thick – as you like) sushi rolls. → For a nice and clean cut, wet the knife under running tap water after every other roll.
- Serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled sushi ginger.
Notes
- Filling Ideas: Cucumber, Avocado, Carrots (also delicious with Pickled Carrots), Red Cabbage, Mango, Japanese Pickled Radish, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Cream Cheese (also great with vegan cream cheese), Vegan Tuna, Tofu, Cilantro, Toasted Sesame Seeds.
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Rice paper can be quite sticky. Avoid using a wooden board or bamboo mat as they can make the rice paper stick too much. Additionally, the rolls tend to stick together, so avoid placing them too close to each other.
- To prevent the sushi rice from sticking, keep your hands and spoon damp. It’s best to have a bowl of cold water on your work surface to keep everything moist (just dip your finger/spoon in it). This also applies to the knife when cutting the sushi rolls.
I thought of this and tried it another way before I found the only web page (yours) I could find. Your way I will try next time as it may be better. I used very moist rice on the dry sheets and by the time I spread the rice it was moist enough to then roll them up easily. I then coated the roll with oil and air fried it for 5 min on 400°. They were awesome. I can’t wait to try your way. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi John, I am glad you found my recipe blog! 🙂
Raw (not fried) rice paper sushi is super delicious, I hope you enjoy it too. Good luck with it.
All the best,
Aline