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How To Make Simple Sushi Rolls That Look Impressive

BySally Kuzemchak, MS, RDN Published: Updated on
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This recipe for easy sushi rolls is perfect for beginners! Includes step-by-step instructions for making cucumber sushi rolls. 

Six homemade sushi rolls, made with rice, nori, cucumber and carrots rolled into an impressive roll. A hand holds a pair of bamboo chopsticks, holding a single sushi roll over a bowl of soy sauce.

How to Make Simple Homemade Sushi Rolls that Look Impressive

I forked over a lot of money at the sushi counter of my store before I realized how easy they are to make myself.

This is also a great project for kids and a nice way of fitting in some extra veggies in everyone’s day.

What You Need to Make Homemade Sushi Rolls

Here are the supplies you’ll need. You should be able to find all of these in the ethnic foods aisle of the supermarket. 

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  • sushi rice (sushi-grade rice is important to create the “stickiness” needed for these rolls)
  • nori sheets (roasted seaweed)
  • bamboo rolling mat (about $2)
The supplies needed to make simply sushi rolls at home - sushi rice, nori sheets, and a bamboo rolling mat.

How to Make Sushi Rice

Follow the directions on the back of the rice package (1 1/2 cups of uncooked rice will yield plenty of rice to make 4-6 rolls).

While the rice is cooking, combine 6 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 teaspoons salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir mixture just until the sugar dissolves (do not boil). Remove from heat and let it cool until ready for use.

A bottle of rice wine vinegar from the brand Marukan. The bottle label is yellow, green, and white.

When the rice is cooked, pour the rice vinegar mixture over the rice and fluff using a fork. Rice is the stickiest (and easiest to roll) when it is completely cool. A quick way to do this is to spread it out onto a baking sheet. You can also refrigerate the rice overnight if you want to make sushi rolls the next day.

How to Assemble a Sushi Roll

Here is an easy sushi recipe that uses cucumbers and carrots. This is a good sushi recipe for beginners! Feel free to add avocado, imitation crab meat, or other fillings.

Prepare the filling. Slice veggies into thin matchsticks. 

Matchstick-cut slices of cucumbers and carrots sit on a wooden cutting board.

Lay the bamboo mat on a flat surface. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap, allowing a 1-inch overlap from the mat.

A bamboo sushi rolling mat is covered with a sheet of plastic wrap.

 Place a nori sheet over plastic wrap with the rough side of the nori facing up.

A single sheet of nori sits on top of a layer of plastic wrap over a bamboo sushi rolling mat.

With wet hands, grab a handful of rice and place in the center of the nori. Press the rice out towards to edges of the nori sheet, grabbing more rice (and water) as you go.

The process of making simple homemade sushi. A pair of hands spreads sushi rice out over a sheet of nori, which sits on a sushi rolling mat. A bowl of white sushi rice sits off to the side.

 The rice filling should be 1 cm thick and 1/2-inch from the border.

A thin layer of white sushi rice is laid out over a sheet of green nori, sitting on top of a bamboo sushi rolling mat.

Sprinkle a bed of sesame seeds over the rice.

Sprinkle a layer of sesame seeds over the sushi rice, spread over a sheet of nori. The sesame seeds will appear on the outside of the homemade sushi rolls.

Add one more sheet of plastic wrap over the rice coated with sesame seeds, overlapping 1″ on all sides.

A final sheet of plastic wrap is laid over the layered sushi ingredients - sesame seeds, rice, and nori on a bamboo rolling mat.

Carefully place one hand on top and flip the sheet so the plain side of the nori is facing up. Then remove the top layer of plastic wrap.

The bamboo sushi mat has been flipped over, showing the dark green nori sheet on the bottom layer, covered by a sheet of plastic wrap.

Add your desired amount of ingredients to the center of the nori.

Thinly cut slices of carrots and cucumbers are piled on top of the nori sheet in a neat pile.

Fold the nori over the ingredients and tuck the edge underneath. Continue to roll using firm pressure and peeling back plastic wrap and mat as you go. Dab cold water on the edge of the nori to seal the roll.

A pair of hands begins the process of rolling a homemade sushi roll, using the bamboo mat and plastic wrap to roll the cucumbers and carrots into a roll.
A pair of hands rolls a bamboo sushi matt around a homemade sushi roll, helping to form the sushi into a firm roll shape.
A completed homemade sushi roll sits on top of a sheet of plastic wrap and a bamboo rolling mat. The outside of the roll is white rice sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Slice roll in half and then cut into 6-8 pieces.

A pair of hands uses a chef's knife to cut the homemade sushi roll in half.

Serve with soy sauce.

Eight cucumber carrot sushi roll pieces sit on a red plate, next to a green bowl filled with soy sauce and bamboo chopsticks.
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Recipe Card for Simple Homemade Sushi Rolls

Simple Homemade Sushi Rolls

Simple Homemade Sushi Rolls

Yield: 6 rolls
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Want to learn how to make homemade sushi rolls? These simple sushi rolls are made with cucumber and carrot, rolled in fresh sushi rice and nori sheets. Perfect for a takeout-at-home style meal!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups medium-grain sushi rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 6 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 large cucumber, peeled and seeds removed
  • 2 large carrots, peeled
  • Sesame seeds
  • 4-6 sheets nori

Instructions

  1. Make the rice by following the directions on the back of the rice package.
  2. While the rice is cooking, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and 2 teaspoons salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir mixture just until the sugar dissolves; do not boil. Remove from heat and let cool until ready for use.
  3. When the rice is cooked, pour rice vinegar mixture over rice and fluff using a fork. Allow rice to cool completely by transferring to a baking sheet.
  4. Slice veggies into thin matchsticks.
  5. Lay the bamboo mat on a flat surface. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap allowing a 1-inch overlap from the mat. Place a nori sheet over plastic wrap with rough side of nori facing up.
  6. With wet hands, grab a handful of rice and place in the center of the nori. Press the rice out towards to edges of the nori sheet, grabbing more rice (and water) as you go. The rice filling should be 1 cm thick and 1/2-inch from the border.
  7. Sprinkle a bed of sesame seeds over the rice.
  8. Add one more sheet of plastic wrap over the rice coated with sesame seeds, overlapping 1" on all sides. Carefully place one hand on top and flip the sheet so the plain side of the nori is facing up. Then remove the top layer of plastic wrap.
  9. Add your desired amount of ingredients to the center of the nori.
  10. Fold the nori over the ingredients and tuck the edge underneath. Continue to roll using firm pressure and peeling back plastic wrap and mat as you go. Dab cold water on the edge of nori to seal roll. Repeat with remaining nori until you run out of ingredients!
  11. Slice roll in half and then cut into 6-8 pieces. Serve with soy sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 roll
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 226Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 720mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 4g
© Real Mom Nutrition
Cuisine: Asian

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