The Vegetarian Sushi Roll You Can Easily Make At Home

Sushi can be easy to make, but difficult to master — however, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try your hand at it in your own kitchen. Vegetarian rolls are a great place to start, since you don't run the risk of ruining expensive raw fish, and they can be just as delicious as seafood-based sushi. To determine which veggie recipe is the best starting point, we asked George Ruan, executive chef of Jōji NY, for his thoughts.

"Ume shiso maki is a type of sushi roll that combines Japanese plum (ume) with shiso leaves and is a really nice choice for anyone who does not eat fish," Ruan says. What is shiso? It's a tasty, leafy herb used in a variety of Japanese recipes for its unique flavor, like a cross between licorice-like anise, basil, and mint. The flavors of green shiso wrap around the salty sourness of pickled, diced ume plums, creating a complex profile of flavors that is sure to delight vegetarians and omnivores alike. 

Combine your shiso and plum filling with the heady, ocean-y taste of nori seaweed and the hearty chew of properly fluffed rice, and you get a top-notch roll just waiting to be seasoned to your preferences. Once you prepare all your ingredients, all that's left is to layer and roll them up in a bamboo mat called a makisu – or try an easy way to make sushi without a bamboo mat.

Ume shiso maki is just one of the many different ways to enjoy fish-free sushi, so feel free to experiment to your heart's content and enjoy your delicious creations! If you're craving heartier vegetarian sushi, look no further than inarizushi. Golden-brown aburaage, or deep-fried tofu skin, is the star of the show here, and offers a beautiful hearty texture infused with sweet marinade. Inarizushi is often made at home thanks to its simplicity, as you just stuff the rice and other ingredients into the tofu skin pockets. Aburaage goes well with many fillings, including thinly-sliced carrots or cucumber, diced avocado, or even a bit of leftover ume.

Want some bite-sized protein instead? Tamago nigiri uses slices of a classic Japanese omelet called tamagoyaki. The fluffy, flavorful omelet squares are arranged on top of rice and wrapped in nori. Consider adding some minced chives, a bit of garlic, some sweet teriyaki, or even a touch of vinegar to the egg before you cook it to level up your lunch. This is another exceptionally easy recipe to make: Just mold the rice into ovals before laying the sliced omelet over top, securing the whole thing together with a single strip of seaweed.

Chef Ruan recommends using cucumber and sesame seeds as partners for your veggie sushi. Cucumber can be sliced up and eaten as a refreshing side, or cut into matchsticks and incorporated into your rolls. A sprinkle of sesame seeds offer a touch of earthiness to the otherwise light dishes.