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Call me crazy, but I have never been a fan of rice. Even before I paid attention to carbs. Maybe it’s something about the texture? Needless to say, sushi has always been a challenge for this reason, even though I love all other aspects of it. So, it’s only natural that I would post a keto low carb sushi rolls recipe that is made without rice. Not even cauliflower rice.
Don’t get me wrong, I actually don’t mind cauliflower rice. But, in an effort to make keto sushi ultra simple, I left it out.
Low Carb Sushi Options – Is Sushi Low Carb?
Sushi on a low carb diet is a challenge! Usually, low carb sushi choices are pretty limited. Pretty much all sushi is not low carb, because of the rice in it, and sometimes also due to the sauces.
At most sushi restaurants, you really have just one keto friendly option, which is sashimi. Sadly, sashimi is pretty boring. It’s basically just eating fish plain, served over rice, which you can’t eat if you’re carb conscious. Even though there’s nothing wrong with that (I love fish!), sometimes it’s not enough.
Some places have something called naruto, which is a roll wrapped in cucumber instead of rice. If you’re eating out, I definitely recommend ordering that if it’s available! Unfortunately, I’ve heard about this but haven’t actually seen it anywhere around. You can try a homemade recipe for naruto rolls if you want those, though.
I’ve always wished that I could have actual sushi without rice in it! As in, the wrapper, the fish, and other fillings. Just no rice! I have yet to find a restaurant that will actually make this for me.
Sometimes, I’ve even been known to take out the center of sushi at a Japenese restaurant, just so that I could enjoy the combination of flavors in there, leaving the rice behind. I don’t like doing that, though. It looks ridiculous and is a complete waste of food.
It was about time to investigate some better low carb sushi options – even if that meant making them at home!
Easy Keto Sushi Rolls
My friend actually introduced me to this keto sushi recipe. Her entire family is gluten-free and mostly low carb, plus she’s an incredible cook. I keep telling her she needs to start a blog. Since she refuses, she agreed to let me share her recipe here instead. I won’t mention her name for privacy reasons, but suffice to say I always get the best ideas when I’m over there!
She made these low carb sushi rolls when we went to her house a couple of months ago. They were amazing! Without the rice, they qualified as paleo sushi, too. I may be a little biased saying this, but who needs the rice anyway? 😉
Before trying my friend’s keto sushi, it was already on my list to experiment with ways to make it. My original plan was to try making paleo sushi with cauliflower rice and figure out some way to bind it together. It sounded like a bit of a hassle and I kept putting it off.
After getting a taste of my friend’s version, I knew I had found what I needed. Even my husband said that this sushi without rice was better than normal sushi with rice in it!
How To Make Sushi without Rice
Making homemade sushi without rice is incredibly simple. You only need five ingredients and it takes about fifteen minutes from start to finish!
Yep, skipping the rice saves a lot of time. The other time saving part is not slicing the rolls. You can if you want to, but I just left them the same size as the seaweed sheets. Why not?!
You can customize the filling based on what you like in your low carb sushi rolls. I used smoked salmon, avocado, cucumber, and red pepper. That way, my whole family could eat it, since I didn’t want to give my daughter raw fish. Plus, she loves avocado and salmon, so it was a good way to get her to try sushi. You can definitely swap in raw fish, if you prefer. Or drizzle with spicy mayo!
I didn’t use any sauce for my paleo sushi, as it didn’t seem necessary. My friend didn’t, either. If you feel that you need to, I recommend coconut aminos over soy sauce.
The actual process to make the keto sushi rolls is quick and easy. Chop up all your fish and veggies in uniform pieces ahead of time. Lay out the seaweed sheets, wet the edges with some water, place your fillings inside, and roll them up! That’s it. The water on the edge will help the roll seal and stay shut. You can thank my friend for sharing this method with us!
Keto Low Carb Sushi Rolls Recipe without Rice (Healthy) - 5 Ingredients
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Keto Low Carb Sushi Rolls Recipe without Rice (Healthy) - 5 Ingredients
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Ingredients
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Cut the red peppers and cucumbers into very narrow matchstick pieces of even length - about 1/4 in (about 1/2 cm) wide and the same length as the narrow side of a seaweed snack sheet. Cut the salmon and avocado into pieces the same length, but wider. You'll need 20 pieces of each.
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Arrange a row of 5 seaweed snacks in a single layer on a cutting board. Pour some cold water in a bowl nearby. Wet your finger with water and wet the short edge of each seaweed sheet, Place one piece each of salmon, red pepper, cucumber, and avocado at the opposite edge of the first seaweed snack.
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Repeat step 2 for the entire row. Once the whole row is done, roll up the first seaweed snack and press the edge to seal. (The water should have softened the edge by this point, making it easy to seal. The wet edge from the first piece will soften naturally by the time you finish adding to the last.) Place seam side down onto a plate.
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Repeat steps 2-3 until you use up all your seaweed snack sheets.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 4 pieces
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40 Comments
Mags
Made this with a full seaweed sheet and then cut them into rounds like regular sushi. Kept it together by using cream cheese. It was really good.
Jason D Miller
I gave up quickly on trying to make nice rolls. I used canned salmon and just chopped everything up and ate it out of a bowl using bits of the seaweed to pick up the food with.
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I love sushi but haven’t had it since I started my keto diet. I’ll definitely be trying your recipe, but have two suggestions. The first is to mention that your fillings can be replaced to taste with items like tuna, crab meat, yellowtail, cream cheese, etc. The other is about the rice. Cauliflower rice won’t stick together like sushi rice, but it can be included inside the seaweed wrapper. This adds to the combined flavors of the ingredients as created by sushi chefs and the wrapper holds the whole thing together. It also makes the handling of the rice easier than when it is on the outside.
ginny
The rice has a touch of starch so the cauliflower would work but might add a touch of sugar to help. If you want it. I don’t like mashed cauliflower, but I like the shrimp and crab options and the tuna and salmon just not sure where to get the smoked salon or the raw tuna. I have not tried you recipe but does sound good. cream cheese doesn’t seem keto, am I wrong?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Ginny, I don’t recommend adding sugar to any recipe. Cauliflower rice won’t be as sticky as traditional sticky rice, but it will work if you would like to add it to a roll, layered within the seaweed wrapper. Cream cheese is a great keto food. You can read more about how to start a keto or low carb diet here and the keto food list here. I hope this helps!
Fran Chiodo
Wonderful Keto snack…got my seaweed ready to try it
Thanks
Mel Keller
These look really interesting! I love sushi but not enough to not get healthy (however, if the keto diet had somehow said I couldn’t have avocados, then it was game over. Thank goodness THOSE are the good stuff lol). I was really relieved though because unlike the article, I didn’t think and don’t think that sashimi is boring. I rather like it a lot. If we’re ever allowed back in a Japanese steakhouse or any restaurant ever again (praying sooner than later) I will go the sashimi route but for now, this recipe will be a fun evening!
Bobbie
What if for a binder, use cream cheese? I was thinking added to your recipe with a little filler? Thank you for your I’ve been craving sushi just trying to figure out how to do it without the rice. Thanks, Bobbie
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Bobbie, Sure! Let your cream cheese come to room temp, so it doesn’t bruise the rest of your ingredients before wrapping into hand rolls.
Stan
I love sushi! But rice has been removed from my diet. I was wondering if it would work to pulse some of the vegs in a food processor retaining more as match stick size. Also use avocado paste as a first layer. Any seafood is okay with me. I also like messing with recipes just to alleviate boredom at times.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Stan, Sure, you can wrap any veggies you like in these! Love the idea of avocado paste, too.
Tina Miller
I have a great recipe for low carb sushi rolls that I make quite often.
Package of whipped cream cheese
4 Avocados
4 nori sheets
Sashimi tuna
Sashimi salmon
1 cucumber
Water in a bowl
Place cream cheese and take 3 avocados smash in a bowl and mix together place the bowl in freeze to get
the mixture thick remove bowl from freezer take 1 nori sheet and spread mixture on most of the sheet leaving the top edge to use for rolling top with the sliced tuna salmon cucumber avocado pieces place water on the sheet edge then roll place roll in the freezer for half hour wrapped in plastic so it is easier to slice make sure you have a sharp knife.
second roll option process is the same except take pork panko and tobiko and mix then put on top of the cream cheese avocado mixture flip so the mixture is face down on the plastic place the slice tuna salmon cucumber avocado on the sheet and roll in the plastic place in freezer for half hour for easy slicing
note i do not use the bamboo because i do not have too i can roll the rolls just fine using plastic wrap i am making these next week and cannot wait i buy my sashimi from catalina.op normally
Princess Consuela Bananahammock
This is a great recipe that I’m excited to use, although I wish I knew how to properly prepare raw fish myself!! A lot of sushi restaurants are now making sushi rolls without rice, especially in New York, although you usually have to ask and it usually costs $1 extra. Thanks again for the recipe!!
tina miller
For the no rice I make I just buy raw flash frozen fish from Catalina OP. Delivered overnight put in freezer until ready to use. There are other online raw flash frozen fish vendors. A very very large handful of sushi restaurants purchase wholesale and receive their fish flash frozen. They do this because buying fresh off the boat can be scary when eating raw and farm raised fish is easier to control parasites. A trick for me with my roll so I can cut it and it does not moosh is toss it in freezer for about 20 minutes maybe half hour depending on your freezer. It still mooshes a little but cream cheese and avocado for me are the norm when we go out and have sushi or just raw fish. We say no rice and the one place we dine all the time does it for most their rolls. Where we live now, no sushi for miles and miles. That is ok. Will make my own.
Adam Flynn
Just so you’re aware, sashimi is just raw fish. There is no rice in sashimi. Nigiri is raw fish served on little oblong “balls” of rice.
To cater to North Americans, entrepreneurial Japanese sushi chefs created maki rolls. Sashimi and nigiri are both authentic, and are the main course of a sushi restaurant in Japan.
Other than that, great article and great visuals! Thank you for posting
Cheyanne Hughes
Hi Maya! This recipe sounds AMAZING, but I was wondering if you can use the same recipe for hand rolls as well. I know it’s pretty much the same but I wouldn’t know how to roll it. I think I’ll definitely have to try this recipe because I may or may not have had a day scheduled on the 17th to get sushi! Great post!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Cheyanne, Sure, you can! You’d have to roll into a cone instead, but it’s similar. I find rolling the this way to be easiest, though.
Michael Prevot
Sushi without rice is available at Sushi Heaven in Saratoga CA if you are in the SF Bay Area, just ask for “The Giant” without rice & BAM, you’ll be happy!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thanks for sharing, Michael! It doesn’t surprise me that California would be the one to have something like this. 🙂 Hope you’ll try the homemade recipe sometime, too.
Bethany
Could I use canned salmon? Smoked salmon is so much where I live 🙁
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Bethany, You can, but they might fall apart a bit more easily and will taste less like sushi (since canned salmon is cooked).
Jeremy Christian White
Ever thought of using cauliflower rice for this recipe?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Jeremy, You can, but you’d need something to bind it together. It won’t stick like sticky rice does. I skipped it altogether to make this faster and easier.
Sarah
Bind it with homemade spicy mayo.
Melissa
The seaweed snacks I’ve seen are crispy. Did you soften them first? I don’t understand how they dont crumble when you roll them. This looks awesome. I’ve been craving sushi!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Melissa, They are lightly crispy, but when pressed against the fillings, they do roll. Wetting the end with water helps the edge seal. Hope you’ll try these!
JB
Hi Maya, These look amazing! We don’t have the little nori rectangles in Australia. Any chance you could tell me the dimensions so I can just cut the larger nori sheets to the right size?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
The dimensions of the ones I have are 3.5 x 2.25 inches. I assume you could cut them. One possible difference is these seaweed snacks have some oil, and nori sheets sometimes don’t. It might impact the ability to roll, but if they can roll they will work!
John L
Excellent idea for low carb sushi made at home. We did enjoy this recipe.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi John! I am so happy you liked the sushi! Have a great day!
Natalie
This sushi is really nice and the most important thing is easy-to-make!
I’m thinking about making it on my picnic at this weekend xD
Maya | Wholesome Yum
I am so happy you liked it Natalie! It would be perfect for a picnic! Have a great day!
Cherissa White
I am very new to the keto diet (<1 month) and have been having SERIOUS carb withdrawals. The sushi shop near my job actually does have ONE naruto option which I tried today for lunch but I'’m sorry to say, I was not impressed. Strangely, the problem was the cucumber, which I usually like. Today it was sliced thin enough for them to roll it but was still too thick for me to find it palatable. It was like a mouth full of cucumber, with some other unidentifiable flavors (that were covered up by the taste of the cucumber). I had placed a large order (full of many other starchy-delicious rice-filled rolls for my co-workers), so I was given a free spicy tuna hand roll – with rice! Can we say TEMPTATION? Don't worry, I gave it to another co-worker.
So my sushi craving was as yet unfulfilled by the time I got home. On the hunt for low-carb options, and not finding the idea of cauliflower rice in sushi AT ALL appealing, I happened across your page. I need to get something off my chest: I think I love you. I haven't tried this recipe yet, but a trip to the grocery store is already planned on my way home tomorrow. I have high hopes for this and other keto sushi versions. I'm predicting that this will become a staple of my new diet. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
I hope you love them! This recipe definitely helps when I’m craving sushi!
Diane
I used to make sushi all the time for my family. Now my husband and I are eating low carb and I have been changing all of my old recipes. Now I use riced cauliflower in place of rice and they turn out great if you squeeze out the cauliflower in cheesecloth to get all the extra water out. I mixed in rice vinegar, salt, swerve, and sesame seeds just like I used to with sushi rice.
Thank you Maya for all your experiments and posting so many great ideas and recipes. You are a huge inspiration to me and I have been cooking for a LONG time. Your blog has been making my transition to low carb a lot more fun. After the first few weeks I started to run out of ideas. Then I found your site. You do great work!!! Looking forward to what you come up with next!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you, Diane! I haven’t tried it with cauliflower since I wanted something very simple. That sounds great, though! I really appreciate the kind words and am so glad that the recipes are inspiring you.
Karen Jo
I use seasoned cream cheese instead of rice. Moist & yummy.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
That’s a great idea Karen! I’ll have to try that next time.
Gerri Nathanson-Cook
FYI, If a roll is made without rice, it is called sashimi. Learned this on Iron Chef.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you, Gerri! It’s true that sashimi is made without rice, but it’s actually served sliced, not in a roll. I’ve never seen an actual roll without rice, except naruto.