A California Roll is one of the most popular sushi rolls ordered at a Japanese restaurant in the United States. You can make one at home with a few key ingredients and a little bit of time.
Jump to RecipeThe first step to making homemade sushi is getting the correct ingredients. We can’t find the nori seaweed at the small Walmart by our house, but we know we can get it at HEB so we go there for our sushi ingredients. They also tend to have better fresh ingredients, especially if we make multiple sushi rolls and need raw fish.
Make sure you purchase a crunchy cucumber for this. You don’t want it to be soft at all. We find an English cucumber works best. They have thin skin so are easy to slice. Most of the time there are individually wrapped in a piece of plastic wrap at the store. You will likely have to shorten the slices, though, as they are a bit longer than the raw seaweed.
When looking for an avocado, make sure it will be ripe when you are ready to use it. If you have overripe avocados, they tend to be too soft and don’t slice easily. You can sprinkle the avocado with a bit of lemon juice to keep it from browning too quickly.
If you prefer a Spicy California Roll, you can easily add a bit of spicy mayonnaise or Japanese mayonnaise to the outside of the roll once it’s been assembled. Or, if you prefer it on the inside, you can add it before rolling it up.
What Kind of Seafood Works Best?
The type of crab you purchase will change the taste in this a bit. I prefer to get the imitation crab stick but you can also use lump crab meat or real crab meat. The real crab meat is a much stronger taste and will overpower some of the other flavors in your sushi roll. The imitation crab meat sticks are great because they are already the shape you need, they just need to be sliced a bit thinner to easily fit in your sushi roll.
Sushi Rice
For step-by-step instructions for cooking sushi rice in the instant pot or rice cooker, view THIS POST. You’ll need sushi rice, rice vinegar, sugar, water, and salt. The rice cooks while you make a vinegar mixture to add to it at the end.
Tip: You’ll need a few things at your work surface when handling seaweed and sushi rice. Have a small bowl of cold water to dip your fingers in before touching the rice. Then keep a small hand towel close to dry your hands when handling the seaweed or other main ingredients.
California Roll Step by Step
Ingredients
- 1 piece seaweed (or nori sheet)
- 1/2 cup sushi rice (prepared)
- 1 cucumber, sliced thin
- 1 avocado (sliced)
- 2 oz imitation crab meat (or real crab meat)
- 1 tbsp spicy mayonnaise (optional)
Preparation
Lay a seaweed sheet on a sushi mat or bamboo rolling mat with the shiny side up.
Use a rice paddle to spread the prepared sushi rice in an even layer on top of the nori sheet until close to the edges.
Lay the sliced cucumber in a single layer in a straight line at one edge of the nori wraps.
Add the avocado slices and crab on top of the cucumber.
Carefully use the bamboo mat to roll the sushi.
If you want a Spicy California Roll, drizzle the exterior of the roll with spicy mayo.
Use a very sharp knife to cut into slices about 1/2 inch thick.
Serve immediately with a side of soy sauce, wasabi, or Japanese mayonnaise.
California Roll Sushi Leftovers
Storage: Store leftover sushi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
Recipe
Originally Published On: April 10, 2023
California Roll Sushi
Ingredients
- 1 piece seaweed (or nori sheet)
- 1/2 cup sushi rice (prepared)
- 1 cucumber (sliced thin)
- 1 avocado (sliced)
- 2 oz imitation crab meat (or real crab meat)
- 1 tbsp spicy mayonnaise (optional)
Recommended Equipment
- Bamboo Mat
Instructions
- Lay a seaweed sheet on a sushi mat or bamboo rolling mat with the shiny side up
- Use a rice paddle to spread the prepared sushi rice in an even layer on top of the nori sheet until close to the edges
- Lay the sliced cucumber in a single layer in a straight line at one edge of the nori wraps
- Add the avocado slices and crab on top of the cucumber
- Carefully use the bamboo mat to roll the sushi
- If you want a Spicy California Roll, drizzle the exterior of the roll with spicy mayo
- Use a very sharp knife to cut into slices about 1/2 inch thick
- Serve immediately with a side of soy sauce, wasabi, or Japanese mayonnaise
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Other Asian-Fusion Recipes to try
- How to Make Homemade Sushi
- Shaggy Dog Sushi Roll Recipe
- California Roll Sushi Recipe
- Crunchy Roll Sushi
- How to Make the Best Philadelphia Sushi Roll
- Stir-Fry Chicken with Bok Choy
- Hot Crab Dip
- Cheesy Baked Crab Casserole
- Vegetable Lo Mein
- Honey Garlic Chicken Over Rice Recipe
- Asian Pork Salad
- Chicken and Whole Grain Stir-Fry
- Green Vegan Sushi Rolls
- Pork and Noodles with Bok Choy
- Mongolian Beef Stir-Fry
- Teriyaki Chicken Noodle Bowl
- Chicken Fried Rice with Clear Onion Soup
- Quick and Easy General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
- Sesame Noodles
- Pineapple Shrimp Stir Fry
- Shrimp Fried Rice
More Recipes with Crab
- Crispy Oven Baked Crab Rangoon Recipe
- Hot Crab Dip
- Cheesy Baked Crab Casserole: Chinese Buffet Copycat
- Cheesy Crab Roll Appetizer
- Shaggy Dog Sushi Roll Recipe
- How to Make the Best Philadelphia Sushi Roll at Home
- California Roll Sushi Recipe
- Seafood Enchiladas
- Seafood Gnocchi Soup
Other Rice Recipes
- How a Rice Steamer Has Saved My Sanity
- Chicken Fried Rice with Clear Onion Soup
- Simple Herbed Rice Side
- Instant Zatarain’s in the Rice Steamer
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Honey Garlic Chicken Over Rice Recipe
- Coconut-Turmeric Tilapia and Rice
- Salmon with a Bold Soy-Molasses Glaze over Rice and Vegetables
- Cheesy Rice Casserole with Chicken and Broccoli
- Shrimp and Okra Bowl
- Shaggy Dog Sushi Roll Recipe
- How to Make the Best Philadelphia Sushi Roll at Home
- California Roll Sushi Recipe
- How To Make Homemade Sushi
- Crunchy Roll Sushi Recipe
- Easy Green Vegan Sushi Roll
- Chicken and Whole Grain Stir-Fry
Such a coincidence. I made rice today, but because I had let it soak, it came out really sticky. And I said I’m gonna have to make sushi with this rice. This recipe looks delicious and came right in time. Thanks for sharing.
These California Rolls are the perfect recipe. I had never made these myself before but the directions were easy to follow – thank you!
I love how easy your recipe is to follow. I will definitely save for later and give this recipe a try.
Such an interesting dish. We don’t have something even similar in our traditional cuisine, but I definitely wouldn’t mind trying this sometime.
It’s time to Invite my friends and family over, it’s sushi night at my place!
The California roll; is my favorite! I’m not a brave sushi goer, but I sure do love my California rolls.
I love making sushi but I haven’t had my rolling mat out in a while! I’ll definitely be giving them a go for tomorrow’s lunch!
Wow, this California Roll Sushi Recipe is simply amazing! The step-by-step instructions and pictures made it so easy to follow. Can’t wait to try it out for myself and impress my friends!
Hhhhmmm….can you believe me when I say I have never eaten sushi before? I am very tempted on trying out this roll of it. Thanks for sharing its recipe.
When my husband and i were first dating we took a class and made sushi! I feel like it would be such a fun at home date night to try this recipe!
This is such a simple yet tasty recipe to eat and enjoy. It would make the perfect party appetiser.