This vegan sushi rice recipe uses Calrose rice. Calrose rice was developed in the late 1940’s in California. When cooked, this medium grain rice becomes soft and sticky. It’s an ideal rice for sushi, and pretty easy to find throughout the U.S.
There are a number of steps in the process to make sushi rice, but none of them are hard–simply rinse it, soak it, boil it, wait for 10 minutes, season it and allow it to cool. It makes enough for 3-4 vegan sushi rolls.
This recipe for vegan sushi rice uses agave, instead of white sugar. I like using agave in recipes, because it’s already in liquid form and integrates quickly into dishes. Agave is also vegan. Some companies process cane sugar with animal bone char to give the sugar its white color. If you’re in the U.S., “organic sugar” cannot be filtered through bone char, so it’s a safer bet. Or you can do some research. There are big U.S. sugar brands, like SuperValu or Imperial Sugar, who do not use bone char.
You can use this rice in Shiitake Mushroom Rolls, Avocado Cucumber Carrot Sushi Rolls, or get creative and come up with your own vegan sushi fillings 💜 In the past, I have also used Vegan Crab Salad in a roll. Or don’t bother with the sheet of nori, and make a vegan sushi bowl.
Vegan Sushi Rice
1¼ cup Calrose rice
1¾ cup water
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp agave
½ tsp salt
1. First, you’ll rinse the sushi rice. Add the Calrose rice to a colander, and rinse until the water goes clear. Then, add to a medium saucepan with 1¾ cup water. Let it soak for 15 minutes.
2. Over high heat, bring to a gentle boil. Then, turn the heat down to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. And allow the Calrose rice to sit covered for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the lid from the Calrose rice. Add the rice vinegar, agave, and salt. Stir together. Set aside to cool. When it’s cool enough to safely handle, use this vegan sushi rice in Shiitake Mushroom Rolls, Avocado Cucumber Carrot Sushi or any of your favorite vegan sushi roll recipes.
