This California roll sushi bowl is inspired by the classic California roll, with sweet and tangy sushi rice, crab meat, and fresh veggies. If you think about it, the California bowl is pretty much just a deconstructed sushi roll, but it’s every bit as good.

What is Sushi Bowl?

You’ve heard of a burrito bowl, right? The burrito ingredients assembled in a bowl, rather than in a wrap? Well, if you consider a sushi roll in the same family of handheld food as the burrito - that is, cylindrical food on the go - this is a similar concept. You can sit down and enjoy this tasty, nutritious meal at home!

With this recipe, you’ll be making your own sushi rice, assembling this bowl with the greatest of ease. This is an easy meal to put together for guests, for a weeknight lunch, or even as a healthy snack for work.

You’ll Need

We’re using Calrose sushi rice, water, and seasoned rice vinegar or mirin to make the sushi rice.
The spicy mayo consists of Japanese mayonnaise and sriracha sauce.
Your other ingredients are chopped imitation crab, diced English cucumber, crumbled Nori sheet, slice avocado, black and toasted sesame seeds, low-sodium soy sauce, and nori furikake (optional).

How To Make California Roll Sushi Bowls

Here’s how we’re going to make the delicious California bowl.

First you need to cook the rice. To do this, rinse your rice in a mesh sieve or sifter, then put it in a rice cooker with two cups of water. Turn it on, and once the rice is done, transfer it to bowl.
The next step is to season the rice. Simply pour your seasoned rice vinegar over the rice, folding it in with a spatula. Be very careful not to mash or crush the rice here! Gently fold it with the paddle or a broad silicon spatula. Now allow your rice to cool completely.
Now we’re making some spicy mayo! The spicy mayo is a major flavor component of this recipe, and you can adjust it to your personal preference. All you need to do is add the mayonnaise and sriracha to a bowl, stirring until they are combined. If you like it extra spicy, use more sriracha. If you prefer a milder taste, use more mayo than sriracha.

Next we chop up the crab and the veggies. Using a sharp knife, chop the crab meat and vegetables according to your preference. Crumble your nori sheet, and then peel and slice the avocado. Remember that since we aren’t making hand rolls, you don’t need to slice anything too small.

Shape the cooled sushi rice into bite-sized balls, coat in sesame seeds and add to a bowl, along with the imitation crab, cucumber and avocado.

Drizzle over the bowl with your spicy mayo, and finally top with crumbled nori, and furikake. Now you’re ready to eat!

Sushi Rice Tips

For perfectly fluffy, sticky sushi rice, we’ve assembled a few handy tips. Check it out!

You need to thoroughly wash your rice. Unwashed rice can have a gluggy, gluey texture rather than the fluffy, clean texture of great sushi rice. Washing the rice removes any starch clinging to the grains, allowing it to become sticky once it has been cooked.
When folding in your rice vinegar, do so gently. Hot rice is softer and more malleable than cooled rice, so you want to be careful not to smash or mash your hot rice. Use a spatula and be very gentle with the folding. Mashed rice will just become a blobby, gluggy mess of rice, which is the opposite of what we want for this recipe.
Allow your rice to cool completely before creating the bowl! It can be tempting to rush through the cooling process. For the rice to hold its shape - and prevent it from melting the toppings, like the spicy mayo - you need it cooled all the way down to room temperature. It does not need to be cold, but you want your rice to reach room temperature before building your California sushi bowl.

Can I Make it Ahead of Time?

You can prepare some of this dish’s components ahead of time very easily! This can save you time when you’re hungry and ready to eat.

You can make your sushi rice up to two days ahead of time. You’ll need to store it in the fridge, in an airtight container. Sushi rice will also freeze for up to two months in a freezer bag! If you’ve frozen your sushi rice, be sure to defrost it in the fridge before using. You don’t want a sushi ice block.

You can also prepare your spicy mayo up to two days ahead. Like the rice, keep it in the fridge if you do so, and be sure to cover it in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. Allow your spicy mayo to come to room temperature before you serve it, however, as it will taste better this way!

Storing California Sushi Bowl

In the event that you’ve made more of this dish than you can eat, you can store the leftovers, but not for long. With so many fresh ingredients, this meal won’t last much longer than a day.

You’ll need to keep it in the fridge, in an airtight container. Like a lot of Asian food, this recipe relies heavily on the freshness of its key ingredients, so you want to make sure you’re eating it as fresh as possible. This way you get to enjoy the crisp, green crunch of your freshly chopped cucumber and the distinctively creamy taste of your avocado!

More Sushi Recipes

Sushi Bake

The Best Sushi Rice Brands

Philadelphia Roll Recipe

Crunchy Roll Sushi

Nigiri Sushi

Spicy Crab Roll

If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! I will be happy to hear from you!

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