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Sushi recipe with crab, avocado, and cucumber rolls served with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger on a white plate.

Easy Sushi Recipes for Beginners | Step-by-Step Homemade Guide

Learn how to make sushi at home with this foolproof, step-by-step guide for beginners. This recipe focuses on the classic California Roll and includes all the tips you need for perfect sushi rice and easy rolling. No chef skills required
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Japanese
Calories: 350
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Sushi Rice
  • 2 cups Sushi Rice (short-grain Japanese rice)
  • 2.5 cups Water
  • 0.25 cup Rice Vinegar
  • 2 tbsp Sugar
  • 1 tbs Salt
For the California Roll
  • 4 sheets Nori (seaweed)
  • 1 Cucumber cut into thin strips
  • 1 Avocado sliced
  • 1 cup Imitation Crab Meat or real crab if available
  • Sesame Seeds (optional, for garnish)

Equipment

  • 1 Bamboo Rolling Mat (Makisu)
  • 1 Sharp knife For clean cuts.
  • 1 Rice Cooker or Pot For cooking the rice.
  • 1 Plastic Wrap To keep the mat clean.Export to Sheets

Method
 

Prepare the Sushi Rice
  1. Rinse the rice under cold water in a bowl until the water runs clear.
    Hands holding a white bowl of white rice under a running faucet, demonstrating how to rinse rice properly before cooking.
  2. Cook the rice with 2.5 cups of water, either in a rice cooker or on the stove according to package directions.
    A modern rice cooker is open to reveal perfectly cooked, fluffy white rice with steam rising, demonstrating how to cook perfect rice.
  3. While the rice is cooking, prepare the vinegar seasoning. Gently heat the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small pan until the sugar and salt have completely dissolved. Do not let it boil.
    A hand stirring a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan to create the perfect sushi rice seasoning.
  4. Once the rice is cooked, transfer it to a large, non-metallic bowl. Gently fold the vinegar mixture into the warm rice with a paddle or spatula. Let the rice cool down to room temperature.
    Hands using a wooden rice paddle to gently fold and season hot, steaming rice in a large bowl, demonstrating how to make sushi rice.
Assemble the California Roll
  1. Prepare your station. Wrap your bamboo mat in plastic wrap for easy cleanup. Have a small bowl of water ready for your hands.
    A top-down view of a sushi-making station, showing a bamboo rolling mat wrapped in plastic and a small bowl of water for hands.
  2. Place the nori on the bamboo mat with the shiny side facing down.
    Hands placing a sheet of dark green nori seaweed onto a plastic-wrapped bamboo mat, demonstrating the first step of how to make sushi rolls.
  3. Spread the rice. Wet your hands in the bowl of water to prevent sticking. Take a handful of sushi rice and spread a thin, even layer over the nori, leaving a 1-inch border at the top edge.
    A close-up of wet hands carefully spreading a thin, even layer of sushi rice onto a nori sheet, a crucial step in this homemade sushi recipe.
  4. Add the fillings. Arrange a line of imitation crab, cucumber strips, and avocado slices horizontally across the center of the rice. Do not overfill!
    Adding the fillings for a California roll, including imitation crab, avocado, and cucumber, onto a layer of rice as part of a homemade sushi recipe.
Roll and Slice
  1. Roll the sushi. Begin rolling the mat from the bottom edge, tucking the filling in tightly as you go. Use the mat to press and form a firm, round cylinder.
    Hands using a bamboo mat to roll an inside-out sushi roll with the rice on the outside, a key technique in this homemade sushi recipe.
  2. Seal the roll. Lightly wet the top border of the nori with a little water to help it seal shut.
    A perfectly rolled and sealed traditional maki roll, with the nori on the outside, resting on a bamboo mat as part of a homemade sushi recipe.
  3. Slice the roll. Place the finished roll on a cutting board. Using a very sharp and slightly wet knife, slice the roll into 6-8 equal pieces.
    A perfectly sliced California roll arranged in a neat line on a bamboo cutting board, showing the final result of a homemade sushi recipe.
  4. Serve. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve immediately with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger.
    Sushi rolls served on a rectangular white plate with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger homemade sushi recipe.

Notes

  • et Your Hands: This is the #1 "hack" for handling sushi rice. Always keep your hands slightly damp to prevent a sticky mess.
  • Sharp, Wet Knife: For clean cuts that don't squish your roll, use your sharpest knife and wipe it with a damp cloth between each slice.
  • Don't Overfill: It’s tempting to add a lot of filling, but less is more. Overfilling makes the roll difficult to close and can cause it to fall apart.