Cucumber Avocado Sushi Rolls

These cucumber avocado sushi rolls are a simple vegetarian maki: seasoned sushi rice spread on sheets of nori, filled with crisp cucumber and creamy avocado, then rolled and sliced. They take about an hour, most of it cooking and cooling the rice, and make 4 rolls (32 pieces). Because there’s no raw fish, they’re a good place to start if you’ve never made sushi at home.

• Serves: 4 (one roll each, 8 pieces)
• Prep time: 30 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes, plus cooling
• Total time: about 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Sushi rice

• 300 g (1½ cups) Japanese short-grain sushi rice
• 360 ml (1½ cups) water
• 60 ml (¼ cup) rice vinegar
• 1½ tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Rolls

• 4 sheets of nori (dried seaweed)
• 1 small cucumber (about 150 g), cut into long thin sticks, seeds removed
• 1 ripe avocado (about 150 g of flesh), sliced
• Toasted sesame seeds, optional
• To serve: soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi

You’ll also need a bamboo sushi mat, or a clean kitchen towel covered with cling film.

Method

1. Rinse the rice in a bowl of cold water, swirling and draining several times, until the water runs almost clear.
2. Cook the rice: put it in a pan with the water, bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes.
3. Make the seasoning: stir the rice vinegar, sugar and salt together until dissolved.
4. Season the rice: tip the hot rice into a wide bowl. Pour over the vinegar mixture and gently fold it through with a spatula, using cutting motions so the grains don’t break. Fan the rice as you go, then let it cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes, covered with a damp cloth.
5. Set up: lay a sheet of nori, shiny side down, on the mat. Keep a small bowl of water nearby for your fingers.
6. Spread the rice: with damp hands, spread a quarter of the rice evenly over the nori, leaving a 2 cm (1 in) strip bare at the far edge.
7. Add the filling: lay a line of cucumber and avocado across the rice, about 3 cm from the edge nearest you. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
8. Roll: lift the mat edge nearest you and roll it over the filling, pressing gently to keep it tight. Keep rolling, pulling the mat forward, until you reach the bare strip. Dampen it lightly with water to seal.
9. Slice: with a sharp, wet knife, cut each roll in half, then each half into 4 pieces. Wipe and wet the knife between cuts.
10. Serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi.

Rice food safety

Cooked rice needs careful handling. Food Standards Scotland advises cooling cooked rice as quickly as possible, ideally within an hour, keeping it in the fridge, and eating it within 24 hours. For sushi, cool the rice to room temperature only for as long as you need to roll, then serve straight away, or refrigerate the rolls and eat them the same day.

Tips for the best result

• Use proper short-grain sushi rice. Its stickiness holds the roll together. Long-grain rice won’t work.
• Don’t overfill. Too much filling makes rolls burst. A thin line is enough.
• Keep your hands damp so the rice doesn’t stick to them.
• Use a very sharp, wet knife for neat slices.
• Choose a ripe but firm avocado, so the slices hold their shape.

Swaps and variations

• Other vegetables: carrot, red pepper, spring onion or pickled radish.
• With cooked fillings: cooked shrimp, canned tuna mixed with mayonnaise, or cooked crab sticks. If you use raw fish, buy it from a trusted supplier and serve it immediately. The FDA advises pregnant people, young children, older adults and anyone with a weakened immune system to avoid raw fish and shellfish.
• Inside-out rolls: spread the rice on the nori, flip it so the nori faces up, add the filling and roll, then coat the outside in sesame seeds.
• Brown sushi rice: for more fiber, though it’s less sticky and harder to roll.

Nutrition per roll (estimate)

These figures were calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for cooked short-grain rice, vinegar, sugar, salt, nori, cucumber and avocado. They don’t include soy sauce for dipping.

Most of the sodium comes from the salt in the rice seasoning. Soy sauce adds much more, so dip lightly or choose a reduced-sodium version. The WHO recommends adults keep sodium below 2 g a day.

Contains: sesame, if you add sesame seeds. Soy sauce for dipping contains soy and usually wheat (gluten); use tamari for a gluten-free option.

What to serve with them

• A bowl of miso soup.
• Steamed edamame with a pinch of salt.
• A crunchy cucumber and seaweed salad.

For another rice dish that uses the same safe-handling rules, try our vegetable fried rice.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Nutrition figures are estimates from USDA FoodData Central and will change with the brands and amounts you use. If you follow a diet for a medical reason, check the recipe with your doctor or dietitian.