About once a week, I crave sushi. As in: give it to me I gotta have it.
Thankfully, we have an amazing sushi shop within walking distance from our place, but every once in a while, I get the itch to make it myself.
Sure, it takes more time. But it’s very affordable to make at home. Plus, you can customize your fillings and create your dream veggie roll. Let me show you how.
Origins of Sushi
Sushi is a common dish in Japan and in Japanese restaurants around the world. But it’s thought that it may actually date back to the 2nd century BC where it originated from a Chinese dish called narezushi. It’s believed to have then spread to Japan in the 8th century. And by the 18th century, sushi restaurants were wildly popular in Japan.
The following is our inspired, veggie-packed version made with brown rice instead of white rice.
How to Make Brown Rice Sushi
If you don’t have a sushi mat, I’ve got you covered. Check out our How to Make Sushi Without a Mat tutorial.
But because they’re so affordable and make the process more streamlined, I picked up a mat for this version.
It may look complicated, but sushi is truly easy to make. I compare it to rolling spring rolls. Sure, your first few are a little imperfect. But once you get the hang of it, it’s so easy and you feel incredibly accomplished making your own restaurant-worthy food at home.
All in all, this sushi requires just 10 simple ingredients (more or less depending on your fillings of choice) and comes together in less than 1 hour.
It starts with wholesome brown rice that’s mixed with a vinegar mixture to sweeten it slightly and make it sticky so it’s easier to work with.
I tested it without the vinegar mixture, and trust me, it did not go well. You need the rice to be sticky so it forms a roll.
For fillings I went with roasted red pepper, cucumber, sprouts, and carrots.
I also love veggie rolls with avocado, asparagus, radish, and pickled veggies. Dream big, friends. The options are endless.
I hope you all love this recipe! It’s:
Hearty
Healthy
Veggie-packed
Crunchy
Tender
Satisfying
& So delicious
Make this for weeknight meals when you want something hearty and other than a salad (although no shame in a salad).
If you give it a try, let me know what you think! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a picture #minimalistbaker on Instagram. We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Veggie Brown Rice Sushi
Ingredients
RICE
- 1 2/3 cups water
- 1 cup short grain brown rice, rinsed
- 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp organic cane sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
SUSHI
- 4 sheets nori (dried seaweed)
- 1 roasted or fresh red bell pepper* (sliced)
- 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
- 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
- 1 cup sprouts (Alfalfa is best)
FOR SERVING optional
- Tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
- Pickled ginger
- Wasabi
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil then add rice, swirl to coat, and lower heat to low and cover. Simmer until water is completely absorbed and rice is tender – about 18-25 minutes. Drain off any excess water if there is any.
- In the meantime, add vinegar, sugar and salt to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat stirring occasionally until sugar and salt are dissolved. Place in a jar or dish and cool in the fridge until rice is ready.
- Once the rice is done, kill the heat and add the cooled vinegar mixture and stir with a rubber spatula or fork as to not overmix. It will appear wet but will dry up as you lightly stir to release heat. It should be sticky and completely dry once it’s ready.
- While the rice finishes cooking, prep your veggies by chopping them into thin pieces. If they’re too bulky they won’t allow the sushi to roll well.
- Now it’s time to roll: Grab your sushi mat and top with a sheet of nori. Using your hands dipped in water (to avoid sticking), pat a very thin layer of rice all over the nori, making sure it’s not too thick or your roll will be all rice and no filling (see photo).
- Then, arrange a generous serving of your veggies or preferred filling in a line at the bottom 3/4 of the rice closest to you (see photo).
- Start to roll the nori and rice over with your fingers, and once the veggies are covered, roll the mat over to mold and compress the roll. Continue until it’s all the way rolled up. I find slicing with a very sharp serrated knife yields the best results. Repeat until all rice and fillings are used up – about 4 total rolls (amount as original recipe is written // will vary if altering batch size).
- Serve immediately with pickled ginger, tamari or soy sauce, and wasabi. Best when fresh, though leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator up to 2 days.
Notes
*If you don’t have a sushi mat (I got mine super cheap here), you can check out this tutorial!
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)
Lee says
dear MB,
I write to say thank you. I didn’t think I could do it!! Now I love this recipe and make it regularly … I started without any changes (the first I made work) and then made some dietary variations, to cut carbs I now do half and half brown or basmanti (add extra water) rice and riced cauliflower, I use apple cider vinegar with unrefined sugar and kosher salt now and dab tamari on the nori sheet closing edge for “glue” … and who knew having a clean, wet, sharp knife would make such a difference. And using parchment paper as a rice guide makes perfect squares possible that can be refrigerated or frozen. It’s a regular treat I can savour. This recipe and (navy) bean brownies are now household staples!!!
Aw, we LOVE hearing this, Lee! Thank you so much for the lovely review and for adding your helpful tips! xo
Lee says
Thanks! One tip I forgot … I saw where sushi chefs cover their bamboo rollers with plastic wrap to keep it clean I assume … that’s not for me but now I use a medium size no name ziplock bag and replace as needed. Love your site, great ideas and inspiration!!!!!
Smart! xoxo
louise says
So this was a hit with my husband and brother! and I didn’t see that coming. I loved the taste too. I did find it harder to roll and stay together compared to sushi rice however i just made the pieces thicker :D
Yay! Thanks for the review, Louise!
Kevin says
I made brown sticky rice by cooking 1 cup rice to 2 cups water in an Instant Pot pressure cooker. When I used short grain rice, I cooked it on high pressure for 24 minutes. Then later I cooked brown basmati rice for 15 minutes at 1:2 rice to water ratio. I want to cook it longer next time to make it stickier.
But it still made good sushi after adding some rice vinegar and and a dash of Bragg Aminos. The short grain rice which I cooked longer was sticky enough for sushi rolls even before adding rice vinegar, but it tasted better after adding that. I skipped the sugar, and it didn’t seem to be missing anything to me.
My main veg was avocado the last 2 times I made this. I will be trying sprouts as soon as I can get some grown here in my kitchen.
The local Asian markets had bamboo sushi mats for 2.49 or 2.99 (March 2022). (I like the bamboo ones which are flat on one side.) Thanks for a great recipe.
So my bottom line to making brown sticky rice is use a 1:2 rice to water ratio, and cook it for a little extra time. I have been making brown sticky rice for many years, and it can work with any type of brown rice if you get the time right. I like the short grain best, but I want to try some medium grain brown rice ASAP since it’s often more affordable and easier to find.
Thank you for sharing, Kevin!
Kevin says
When I said I liked the short grain brown rice best, I meant I like that for the texture when making sushi. But sometimes I prefer the flavor of the brown basmati rice. That’s why I don’t always use the same one, and want to try medium grain brown rice. I just like variety sometimes, I guess.
Stacey says
Thank you! I wasn’t sure I could pull this off as I’ve never made sushi before nor have I eaten a ton of it, but this was easy and amazing. I used leftover brown rice and reheated it then add the vinegar mixture. Yumm.
Amazing, thanks for sharing, Stacey!
Alex says
I make the recipe all the time adding whatever veggies I have on hand! So easy and delicious every time!
Love that! Thanks for sharing, Alex!
Dana Grabarchuk says
My rice wasn’t sticky enough. What am I missing? Thanks!
Ensure it’s fully cooked so it gets tacky. You can also try mashing it a bit after cooking so it develops the starches a bit.
LILY U CIRSTOIU says
I think I will make it again, but will soak the short brown rice overnight to make it softer in texture. Also I didn’t have (glutenous) sticky black rice on hand, but that will work too.
Thank you.
Jess says
This recipe was so easy to make and sooo delicious!! My husband and I loved it.
We’re so glad to hear it, Jess! Thanks for sharing!
Mommy And son says
My young son has just discovered he loves sushi. So we are going to make it, thus it will hopefully be healthier and cheaper than purchasing it. Our question…can we leave out the sugar and salt and what effect will it have? Thank you so much for the recipes and hopefully your further guidance.
Hi, it’s okay to leave it out, but we prefer including it. The rice won’t be as sticky without it.
Akaya says
I picked up some sushi rice to try making sushi for the first time, what would you do differently in preparing the rice with sushi rice?
Hi Akaya, sushi rice will have a different water:rice ratio and cooking time. We’d suggest following the instructions on the bag (if it came in one) or referring to a recipe online for details.
Lee says
I made this with Apple Cider Vinegar and it worked well … but I wonder how warm or cold works best for the rice putting it on and rolling it up.
Satisfied my craving, thanks!
Thanks for sharing, Lee! We’re so glad it worked well. It’s best for the rice to cool down slightly before assembly.
Bailey Moore says
Can I sub maple syrup for the sugar?
I think that should work! Although it may make the rice more wet / less sticky. Let us know if you try it.
Savannah says
Could I use jasmine rice instead?
Hi Savannah, we wouldn’t recommend it. It will impact the flavor and texture- specifically, it won’t stick together well.
Mia says
I was wondering if the rice vinegar listen in the ingredients is seasoned or not? I only have seasoned rice vinegar and didn’t know if I should cut back the sugar because of that or if it’s supposed to be seasoned vinegar on top of sugar?
Thanks!
Hi Mia, we used unseasoned, but we don’t think it would make a big difference. Feel free to scale back on the sugar though!
Sarah Elliott says
Hi Dana! I have been searching all over for a homemade wasabi recipe using horseradish root. Just curious if anyone here has been successful. The pastes and powders usually are dyed.
I haven’t! But let us now if you give it a shot!
Lee says
Eden Foods makes a wabasi powder out of the root that you just add water to, if that’s helpful. It’s not cheap!
James Rayers says
I once spoke to a sushi maker about brown rice sushi and he recommended mixing a little bit of white rice just to increase the stickiness.
Thanks for sharing, James! Let us know if you give that a try!
Alexandra Land says
I believe a post below says you can omit the sugar. In that case, is it necessary to heat the vinegar, i.e., does that help with the stickiness.
(And thanks very much for posting this. I’m cooking the brown rice as I type.)
Hi Alexandra, it would still be ideal to heat the vinegar so that the salt dissolves more easily. Hope that helps!
Sara says
Can I make this without the sugar?
Hi Sara, we haven’t tried it without the sugar, but think it would still be good if you left it out. Hope that helps!
Sara says
Thanks! It helps so much! And thank you for answering back so quickly :)
Sierra says
I dont think so– from what I have seen in other sites sugar and salt are important for making the sushi vinegar which is what makes the brown rice sticky– but if you omitted it and it actually worked then lemme know! Im curious to hear–
KR says
Can long grain brown rice work for this?
It won’t be quite as traditional, but should work! Hope that helps!
Rose says
Hello Dana, I enjoy your site.
I have read of some say use white grape juice or cider vinegar or sake instead of sugar & Himalayan salt, after the short grain brown rice has been cooked. If we do not have wine vinegar.
Just wondering if it could change the taste drastically.
Just looking for natural ingredients. I get migraines from msg. I do enjoy Sushi & am preparing to seek out the most natural ingredients.
Thank you,
Rose in NH
aileen says
Hi I made the rice, but found that the ratio of rice to water and the cooking time just did not cook the rice. I had to add water and increase the cook time. I think the ratio of 1 to 2 rice to water works best.
Justyna says
What brand of nori sheets do you recommend??
Kelly says
Thnx for your post, it really clarified and simplified what I was reading and gave me the push to go for it!
Kate says
I made this with wild rice, avocado, and broccoli slaw. It was absolutely delicious, but I will say that I think that the wild rice made it a little difficult to really roll tightly and stay together. I might have needed more vinegar or something. Still tasted great, but not quite as pretty as the pictures here.
Erica says
This is really good. A great alternative to paying $50 bucks for sushi! I used roasted pepper, mango, avocado and cucumber. If you are using mango I would cut back on the sugar.
Carmella says
This was delicious! I used the rice cooker to do my rice because I was short on time, I think it needed a little more water but it was still quite nice. Loved jamming the nori full of veggies. I’m looking forward to trying Dana’s method next time. She has never steered me wrong before.
Jan says
This recipe sounds simple and yummy! Thanks Dana.
For anyone (like me) who may be having problems cooking brown rice, I discovered a baked method by Alton Brown. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-brown-rice-recipe
It always turns out great for me.
Carol says
Delicious! I made it a week or two ago and I’m making it again, today! Thanks for the visuals, too!
Laura Marino says
Could I use a rice cooker and when it’s done add in the rice- sugar mix?
Carmella says
Thats what I did- although I didn’t use sugar, I wish I had- I think it would have made it more sticky.
Sierra says
Dont ommit the sugar– its what makes it sticky (the mixture of salt, vinegar and sugar is called sushi vinegar)
Sara McCarthy says
Can I sub coconut sugar?
We haven’t tried it, but it might work? Let us know how it goes!
Sara McCarthy says
Totally worked. My cutting skills on the other hand need help 😂😂😂
Nicole says
Is there a reason for adding the sugar aside from flavor? I don’t eat any added sugar so just wondering if it is necessary for the texture of the brown rice to mimick normal white sushi rice.
Nope! You can leave it out.
sierra says
There actually is– the op is wrong on this point based on like 5 other websites I have looked at. It’s part of the sushi vinegar– which is what she was making.
Minh-Anh says
Would the vinegar sugar mixture work for white rice? Sounds so delicious!
Yes!
Zoe says
I added avocado and a sriracha/mayo drizzle. Kept all week for lunch! Easy and delicious. I was SHOCKED when my rice came out right! So yummy.
Katie says
Hey!
I’ve tried this now for the third time :( keep revisiting it wanting it to work but it doesn’t get sticky! The rice ends up not cooked all the way through and stays wet. I’ve even waited an hour to see if it dries out. Any idea what I can do to fix the problem(s)?
Thanks! (And, of course, love your site the most)
Katie
allen says
Kate
cook your rice a little longer then let it sit covered for 10-15 minutes, When I added the vinegar I had my stove at its lowest setting while stirring the rice. Mine came out great.
Louise says
I appreciate your recipe <3
Kristin says
What is the sushi restaurant you go to for your fix? I live in Portland too and haven’t found a place with vegan sushi that I like! (Also just bought your new cookbook and am in love with it all!)
Thanks!
Bamboo!
Paul Hernandez says
These look amazing, how long will they keep for? e.g I’d like to make a bunch and take some each day for lunch at work.
Thanks
It’s best fresh, but will last 1-2 days in the fridge.
Kristin says
I made this tonight and was so disappointed that I decided to make my usual white sushi rice, baked tofu, avocado, carrot and cucumber sushi. For this recipe … I cooked the brown rice for at least 25 minutes, and it did not seem very soft. Adding the vinegar / sugar / salt mixture only made it wetter (not sticky dry). I used jarred roasted bell peppers and didn’t think to dry them, which was my bad, but even if I’d dried them, I don’t think I would’ve liked this recipe much. Darn, will stick with my usual recipe.
Nat says
Yes! That’s definitely something I’ve been looking for! Sushi made healthier!
I’m in love!! Thanks for sharing!! :)
I’ve been a sushi chef before, but I’ve had no idea you can make it with brown rice. I guess you learn new things everyday! :)
Kim says
Dana,
You’re such an impressive lady! Thanks for all the great recipes.
On the subject of sushi, I recently stumbled on a “recipe” for sushi in a bowl. Rice, preferred vegetables(Carrot shreds, cucumber), diced avocado. Mix Bragg’s/tamari with wasabi and pour over all. Really good and quick when you need your sushi fix, but are in too much of a hurry to roll.
Brilliant idea! I need to try that soon as well ;D
Sherry says
Made sushi for the very first time last night and it turned out so good! I only used half the rice wine vinegar and sugar as I didn’t want it too sweet and thought 3 Tbsp of vinegar was too much-at least for me. I cooked the brown rice using my electric rice cooker and it turned out perfect. I ended up using a sushi mat I purchased at an Asian grocery marker in Salt Lake City (South East Market) for really cheap-$1.99. Thanks for another great recipe!
So wonderful!! Thanks for sharing!!
Anthony Simpkins says
I didn’t get your detox guide, even though I’m a subscribed member. Do you know what happened?
Carly Syms says
Hi Anthony – Here are some tips to try to fix it: http://kb.minimalistbaker.com/article/11-trouble-receiving-emails-from-minimalist-baker. If those fail, contact us through the site above and we’ll get you a copy.
Hafsa says
yum I am looking forward to make this sushi :)
Lauren says
This is so pretty! I wish I had this recipe when I was pregnant and was seriously PISSED OFF I couldn’t have sushi. Nom nom nom better have it now :)
Nicole Emily says
These look incredible!! I always get super frustrated trying to make my own sushi (because I always fail) , but this post has inspired me to give it another go! Fingers crossed, I succeed this time! :P
You can do it! Let me know how it goes! The sticky rice is key.
Melissa | Bits of Umami says
Literally LOL’ed at “As in, give it to me I gotta have it.” Feel the exact same way! This would be such a great date night idea.
Clare Davies says
Dana! I’ve just received my copy of your lovely, lovely book! It’s a thing of beauty and I’m already using it, thanks so much for putting your recipes in a book for me to stroke and love!
Clare (UK)
So kind! Thanks Clare! xoxo
Cassie says
These look amazing! I’d probably make two rolls and add some tofu slices in each roll! Wild rice would taste amazing in these too!
Good call! And the color would be amazing!
Emilie @ Emilie Eats says
This would be such a fun date night (aka binge watching Breaking Bad) dinner idea!! I’ve been wanting to make my own sushi for awhile, and this is giving me the push. I love sushi filled with crisp, refreshing veggies, with a slice of mango!
Ooh, mango! Great tip!
Sarah | Well and Full says
I have that once-a-week sushi craving pretty regularly too. Well, maybe twice or three times a week hehehe ;)
Timmu Yi says
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Aleksandra says
Nothing beats a home made sushi session!
Yvonne says
Yum! That looks so good.
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
I am getting SO hungry just looking at this! I’ve never been able to get the rice flavor quite right at home, but now I know the vinegar + sugar secret. Loving the sprouts in there, and something pickled is a must for me too. I’m dreaming about it already :)
Tom ~ Raise Your Garden says
I kind of appreciate how versatile these are. And I can cram in whatever fillings seem good to me. Especially the sprouts. My wife and I have been sprouting these days and really enjoying it. Tasty and nutritious!