This easy sushi bake recipe is a twist on your classic California roll deconstructed and baked into a casserole. A quick and easy way to make a large batch of yummy sushi. Perfect for sharing with your family and friends.
Sushi bake is a popular dish here in Hawai’i. It’s simple and packs in all the amazing flavors of Japan.
Hand making sushi rolls takes special skill to do, but this sushi bake recipe takes the hard work and time out of rolling each piece individually. Making it a great option for larger parties or gatherings, which of course is ever so popular here in Hawai’i.
There are many different options for sushi bake, but this is my favorite. A good old deconstructed California roll. Serve it with a piece of nori. So so good!!
Make this for your next get together and be sure to have people asking for more.
What is sushi?
Sushi is a Japanese dish made of rice flavored with vinegar and a mix of seafood and/or vegetables.
The beauty about sushi is there are so many different varieties and options that you’ll be sure to find something someone will love.
The first and arguably the most important step in making a sushi bake is to make a good sushi rice.
What is sushi rice?
Sushi rice is a vinegar seasoned rice used to make, well sushi of course.
What type of rice is best for sushi rice?
I like to use short grain or medium grain rice. This gives the classic sushi rice texture and stickiness.
Ingredients for sushi rice
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 cups cooked white rice
Tips for great sushi rice:
- Be sure to rinse your rice thoroughly before cooking. There is a lot of starch on rice and rinsing will help remove the excess starch. Too much starch will cause the rice to have a gummy texture.
- You can use a rice cooker for a more hands off approach to cooking. Set it and forget it. This is a staple appliance in our house as well as many homes in Hawai’i. If you don’t have a rice cooker you can definitely make it on the stove as well.
- Mix vinegar seasoning with cooked rice while it is still hot. Be sure to use a large bowl that will allow you to toss the rice to ensure even coating.
Next you need a yummy filling. For this recipe I am using a twist on the classic California roll.
Ingredients for sushi bake
- 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 6 ounces imitation crab, shredded and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup cucumber, diced
- 1/4 cup green onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons unagi sauce
- 1/4 cup furikake
- Optional: nori sheets
What to serve with sushi bake?
Every maki and temaki sushi roll needs a great nori component. So what better to serve with a sushi bake then a sheet of nori (seasoned, dried seaweed).
How to store sushi bake?
If you happen to have leftovers it is best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
How long does sushi bake last?
About 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
How to reheat sushi bake?
You can easily reheat sushi bake in the microwave or oven until heated through.
If you are looking for other Japanese style recipes check these out:
How to make sushi bake?
To a small bowl add rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Microwave for about 30-45 seconds. Stir to combine until sugar and salt has dissolved.
Add hot rice to a large bowl. Pour vinegar mixture over the rice. Using a rice spoon, fold the rice until rice is well coated. Set aside to cool completely.
Pre heat oven to 450F.
To another bowl add cream cheese, mayonnaise, crab, cucumber, and green onion. Stir until well combined.
Pour rice mixture into a 9×13 baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle half of the furikake over the rice.
Then layer on the crab mixture. Drizzle over the unagi sauce and cover with the remainder of the furikake.
Place in oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top just starts to brown and bubble.
Optionally serve with a piece of nori. ENJOY!
Sushi Bake
This easy sushi bake recipe is a twist on your classic California roll deconstructed and baked into a casserole. A quick and easy way to make a large batch of yummy sushi. Perfect for sharing with your family and friends.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 6 ounces imitation crab, shredded and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup cucumber, diced
- 1/4 cup green onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons unagi sauce
- 1/4 cup furikake
- Optional: nori sheets
Instructions
- To a small bowl add rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Microwave for about 30-45 seconds. Stir to combine until sugar and salt has dissolved.
- Add hot rice to a large bowl. Pour vinegar mixture over the rice. Using a rice spoon, fold the rice until rice is well coated. Set aside to cool completely.
- Pre heat oven to 450F.
- To another bowl add cream cheese, mayonnaise, crab, cucumber, and green onion. Stir until well combined.
- Pour rice mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle half of the furikake over the rice.
- Then layer on the crab mixture. Drizzle over the unagi sauce and cover with the remainder of the furikake.
- Place in oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top just starts to brown and bubble.
- Optionally serve with a piece of nori. ENJOY!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Pyrex Easy Grab Glass Bakeware and Food Storage Set, 8-Piece, Clear -
Kirkland Signature Organic Roasted Seaweed Snack Pack of 10 (0.6 Ounces each)
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Nori Fume Furikake Rice Seasoning - 1.7 oz
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Kikkoman Unagi Sushi Sauce, 11.8 oz (Pack of 2)
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Best Foods Real, Mayonnaise, 15 oz, 4 Pack
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Kraft Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese Pouches (50 Pack)
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McCormick Sea Salt Grinder, 6.1 oz
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C&H Pure Cane Granulated Sugar, 20 Oz Easy Pour Reclosable Top Canister (Pack of 2)
-
Kikkoman Rice Vinegar, 20 Ounce
-
5lb Hinode Calrose Medium Grain White Rice
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 94Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 408mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
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Onoliscious 🤙🏽
Aw mahalo for your kind words. Have a great day!
You mentioned sour cream on your video, but in the print it is cream cheese.,.. which one do is correct?
Hi. Yes I apologize for the error in the video. It should say cream cheese. The recipe card is correct.
Is it okay to omit the unagi sauce?
Totally. Add what you want, leave out what you don’t. It’s a very forgiving recipe.
Can i do these without cream cheese?
Sushi bake is very forgiving. You can essentially add any ingredients that you’d like.
Wow, this looks so good! Nice presentation as well.
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing! It was delicious! I tweaked it a little by using real crab meat and instead throwing the cucumber into the mixture, I sliced it up and added to my wrap. Gave it a fresh crunch. Yum!
That’s the nice thing about this recipe, you can totally adjust it to your liking. Thanks for stopping by.
Made this over the weekend…it was so good! Like you’ve mentioned, it’s an easy recipe to adjust to your own preferences. So as someone else mentioned, I did the cucumber on the side. And was told next time they’d like more sushi rice, so I’ll give that a try. And I think I’ll try adding avocado next time.
Will definitely be making this again!
So awesome. Happy to hear. Glad you enjoyed it. Happy Holidays!
I LOVE Japanese food, and this really hits the spot with out a HUGE SUSHI BILL ! I can make any Sushi Recipe I want, a Dragon Roll, Shrimp Roll Tuna Roll, Teriyaki Beef Chicken Roll , all in a sushi Bake! I really do not eat Raw fish except for Blue Fin Tuna. So this is perfect, Fast & Cost effective. Everytime we go out to eat Sushi it breaks the bank ! Not anymore, Thank you for this recipe!
Yes I love that this is customizable. Thank you for stopping by.
Aloha, Can we sub the imitation crab for tuna?
The great thing about this recipe is you can add whatever you want. Add more, take out what you don’t like, swap out for something else. Truly customizable.
Would you have any recommendations for substitutes for the cream cheese? My friend is dairy free and I would love to make this for her!
There are soy and nut based cream cheese alternatives, however I have never used them before.
Is the rice suppose to harden on the edges of the casserole?
Aloha Krystyne. No it should not be hard. What type of pan did you use? Likely it was overcooked.
Oh wow!! droooooling. Great recipe!
Quick question though– at what point am I able to pause and transport this for about a 3-hr drive before i bake it?
Thank you!
Thank you. You can bake it and then take it on the drive. It’ll keep. If you want to eat it warm you can just pop it in the oven for a little to rewarm it before eating. Hope you enjoy!
Is these a substitute for unagi sauce?
I’d recommend using the unagi sauce, but if you don’t like it or can’t find it you can use oyster sauce or teriyaki sauce.
Hi,
I was wondering can I substitute crab imitation with fried tempura shrimp?I’m allergic to crabs. If I am not able to, what can I substitue
Hi. The great thing about this recipe is you can customize it to your liking. Take out what you don’t like or can’t eat or add more of what you love.
I am making this recipe for the third time since discovering it about a month ago – it’s that good! Not only is it delicious but it is very simple to put together and it feeds a crowd. I add tobiko to ours. Mahalo for sharing this winning recipe with us!
So happy to hear. Glad you like it. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Relle,
Can’t wait to try this! Thank you for sharing!! Any thoughts on making extra to freeze?
Aloha Hope. It’s not my favorite thing to do. Freezing it causes the rice to dry out and it’s hard to rehydrate the rice with all the toppings on. I much rather eat it fresh.
We make this recipe in my house once a week! Love it and thanks for sharing.
Yay. Love it. Thanks for sharing!
I am just seeing this recipe, and will make it this weekend. Hope you see this.
3 cups of cooked rice…does that mean I cook 3 cups of raw rice, or is that 3 cups AFTER it’s cooked?
Would appreciate reply to my email so I see it sooner. Mahalo.
3 cups of cooked rice after it’s cooked. This is a very flexible recipe. You’ll be fine if it’s not exactly 3 cups. You can definitely add more or less if you’d like.
Thanks for your reply! So how many cups of raw rice is that?
Generally 1-1 1/2 cups.
Hi Relle,
Thanks for the great recipe! I tried it with pan-fried steak with some garlic and a side of corn, tomatoes, and avocado.
Ooh that sounds yummy.
Should it really have 1 tablespoon salt and not 1 teaspoon? Too salty.
Aloha Maria. Yes 1 tablespoon for 3 cups of rice. If you find it too salty for you, you can decrease the salt. Mahalo and have a great day.
I just tried this recipe and it was yummy. I added cooked shrimps together with the imitation crab. I also lessen the salt. Thank you so much for sharing it to us.
Aloha Espie. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.
What is unagi
Unagi is eel sauce. It’s a thick, sweet and savory sauce almost comparable to teriyaki sauce. It can be found in the Asian aisle at most grocery stores.
Made this and it was such a hit! Even my friend who claimed she doesn’t really like sushi ate a big portion saying it was so good! Only thing I did differently was add avocado to the top after baking and coating it with a mix of sriracha, kewpie, and unagi sauce. Thank you for this recipe! I love your site, which I initially discovered when looking for a recipe for lemon peel gummy bears.
PS Happy Nurses week! Mahalo for all your service!
Aloha Lauren,
So great to hear. Thanks for sharing. I appreciate it!
Aloha👍I made this recipe for a BD party I attended. It was a huge hit it was requested to make for our July 4th BBQ. It was delicious. I think this batch I’ll make it a spicy CA roll. I also made your HI macaroni salad. I highly recommend it to everyone to give it a try. easy & delicious.
Love how your videos explain everything so well.
Mahalo!
Been to your beautiful state many times. Loved every minute of our time there.
Next recipe I would like to make is HI famous garlic shrimp (truck recipe)
Aloha Malia. So great to hear. Mahalo for sharing. Have a great day.
Do you have any suggestions to make this vegetarian but keep it close to authentic? What can I use instead of crab? I like the idea of making sushi for multiple people and less work
Aloha Amy. Sushi bake is so versatile. You can use any toppings you’d like. You can use avocado, cucumber, or any other filling of your choice. Hope you enjoy.
Hi! I readied the casserole but my plans cancelled. Now, I need the dish for tomorrow. Should I bake it and then refrigerate or refrigerate and bake it tomorrow?
Thank you!
Aloha. It’s best to make the dish the day of. If you absolutely have to make it ahead of time you can prep it the day before, store in the refrigerator, but be sure it’s air tight so the rice does not harden, and bake the day of the event. Hope you enjoy!