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    Home » Fish & Seafood

    California Roll Bowl

    Published: Jun 15, 2022 · Modified: Apr 28, 2025 by Diana Reis · This post may contain affiliate links

    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    This California Roll Bowl is a great way to satisfy your sushi cravings at home. Perfectly cooked sushi rice is layered up with creamy crab salad, crunchy cucumber,  avocado, and seaweed snacks. It’s just like your favorite roll, but way easier. 

    hero shot deconstructed California roll on a black plate

    The classic California roll is made up of imitation crab salad, avocado, and cucumber wrapped in seaweed paper and sushi rice. Making this deconstructed California Roll gives you loads of that traditional flavor, plus the option to dress it up with toppings like green onions and sesame seeds. These bowls come together quickly and are super easy to make.

    I make these California roll bowls a lot during the summer because it is a cool, refreshing meal that takes minimal effort.

    Jump to:
    • Why This Recipe Works
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make California Sushi Roll Bowls
    • Diana's Tips for Success
    • Top Tip
    • Make Ahead and Storage
    • Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Why This Recipe Works

    • I give you all of my tips for perfect sushi rice that I learned from an actual sushi chef.
    • There are no specialty ingredients in this recipe, but a few tips to make sure you don’t miss any of the traditional flavor.
    • There is no raw fish and no rolling required making this recipe perfect for beginners. 
    • You can make this recipe in large batches and serve it over multiple days for am easy lunch or super delicious meal prep.

    Ingredients

    Sushi roll in a bowl ingredients

    Sushi Rice- Short grain rice that is a bit sticky and made a bit sweet with rice vinegar and sugar. 

    Imitation Crab- Easy to use and a very inexpensive product that tastes great. Easy to use and a very inexpensive product that tastes great. I prefer the flake style so that I can have a shredded crab salad, but a thicker style works great too.

    Seaweed Snacks- Traditional sushi is made with nori paper which is seaweed paper. I find the nori paper to be a bit too thick for a bowl. I traded it out for the Korean style seaweed snacks which are thinner and more chip-like. They add the same salty flavor, but the texture is nicer.

    How to Make California Sushi Roll Bowls

    Cooking Sushi Rice

    • Place rinsed sushi rice in a pot and add water. The ratio of rice to water is 1 cup of rice to 1 ½ Cups water.
    • Add rice vinegar and sugar to the water.
    • Then bring the rice to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. 
    • Turn off the heat, and let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes.
    california roll in a bowl hero process
    1. Step 1: Sushi rice is short grain rice and needs to be rinsed free of some of its starch. To reduce water use, I recommend soaking the rice in cold water for 15 minutes before rinsing in a colander. 
    california roll in a bowl hero process
    1. Step 2: Fluff the cooked sushi rice and spread on a cookie sheet to cool quickly in the refrigerator. (If you do this farther ahead of time, you can transfer the rice to a bowl and leave it loosely covered in the fridge until you are ready to use it.)

    California Roll Crab Salad

    california roll in a bowl hero process
    1. Step 3: Make the crab salad by shredding the imitation crab pieces into bite sized shreds. This can be done by pulling it apart with two forks.
    california roll in a bowl hero process
    1. Step 4: Add mayonnaise, rice vinegar, and sriracha hot sauce and stir together until you have a nice creamy mixture.

    Assembly

    california roll in a bowl hero process
    1. Step 5: Next, cut up the cucumber, seaweed snack sheets, avocado, and green onion.
    2. Organize all of your California roll bowl ingredients to create a little assembly line. 
    3. Then, build the bowls by placing a layer of rice on the bottom of the bowl and adding your crab salad and California roll ingredients to the top. 
    4. Sprinkle a few sesame seeds on top with a drizzle of soy sauce and serve.

    Diana's Tips for Success

    Rinse the rice thoroughly. The water should get pretty close to clear if you’ve soaked it long enough.

    ​Make rice well ahead of serving. Cold sushi rice is best for this dish.

    Top Tip

    You can make the crab salad with as little or as much hot sauce as you like. Add a few extra squeezes and you can have a spicy California Roll in a Bowl.

    Make Ahead and Storage

    California Roll Bowls are a great make ahead meal. The rice and crab salad can be kept in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days. The cucumbers and green onions can be cut and stored as well. 

    For best results, add fresh avocado and seaweed pieces each day.

    For best results, add fresh avocado and seaweed pieces each day.

    california roll in a bowl hero

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    📖 Recipe

    California sushi roll bowl featured image

    California Roll Sushi Bowls

    These California Roll Sushi Bowls are packed with fresh veggies, creamy avocado, protein-rich crab, and seasoned sushi rice. They're naturally gluten-free, easy to customize, and perfect for a healthy, satisfying meal that feels a little fancy without any of the stress.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Salad, Salads
    Cuisine: American, Asian Inspired, Japanese
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Sushi Rice Plus Cooling: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 Bowls
    Calories: 509kcal
    Author: Diana Reis

    Ingredients

    Sushi Rice Ingredients

    • 2 Cups Sushi Rice
    • 3 Cups Water
    • 4 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
    • 2 Tablespoons Sugar

    Imitation Crab Salad Ingedients

    • 16 ounces Imitation Crab flaked
    • ½ Cup Mayonnaise
    • 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
    • Sriracha Hot Sauce to Taste

    California Roll Bowl Toppings

    • 1 Seedless Cucumber diced
    • 1 Avocado diced
    • Seaweed Sheets Korean snack style
    • Sesame Seeds garnish optional
    • Green Onions diced, garnish, optional
    • Low Sodium Soy Sauce to taste

    Instructions

    Sushi Rice

    • Sushi rice is short grain rice and needs to be rinsed free of some of its starch. To reduce water use, I recommend soaking the rice in cold water for 15 minutes before rinsing in a colander.
    • Next, place rinsed sushi rice in a pot and add water. The ratio of rice to water is 1 cup of rice to 1 ½ Cups water. This recipe calls for 2 cups of rice and 3 cups of water.
    • Add rice vinegar and sugar to the water.
    • Then bring the rice to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
    • Turn off the heat, and let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes.
    • Fluff the cooked sushi rice and spread on a cookie sheet to cool quickly in the refrigerator. (If you do this farther ahead of time, you can transfer the rice to a bowl and leave it loosely covered in the fridge until you are ready to use it.)

    Imitation Crab Salad

    • Make the crab salad by shredding the imitation crab pieces into bite sized shreds. This can be done by pulling it apart with two forks.
    • Add mayonnaise, rice vinegar, and sriracha hot sauce and stir together until you have a nice creamy mixture.

    Assembly

    • Next, cut up the cucumber, seaweed snack sheets, avocado, and green onion.
    • Organize all of your California roll bowl ingredients to create a little assembly line.
    • Then, build the bowls by placing a layer of rice on the bottom of the bowl and adding your crab salad and California roll ingredients to the top.
    • Sprinkle a few sesame seeds on top with a drizzle of soy sauce and serve.

    Notes

    Tips for Success
    Rinse the rice thoroughly. The water should get pretty close to clear if you’ve soaked it long enough.
    You can make the crab salad with as little or as much hot sauce as you like. Add a few extra squeezes and you can have a spicy California Roll in a Bowl.
    Make Ahead and Storage
    California Roll Bowls are a great make ahead meal. The rice and crab salad can be kept in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to three days. The cucumbers and green onions can be cut and stored as well. 
    For best results, add fresh avocado and seaweed pieces each day.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 509kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 557mg | Potassium: 288mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 114IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @DianDeliciousB or tag #DeliciousByDesign!

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    Comments

      5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Sara Welch says

      June 15, 2022 at 11:39 pm

      5 stars
      This was such a hearty and delicious meal; worthy of a restaurant, indeed! Easily, a new favorite recipe!

      Reply
    2. Janessa says

      June 16, 2022 at 12:37 am

      What a fabulous idea! We love making sushi at home but sometimes it is a little more involved than we have time for. This bowl is so delicious and definitely satisfies the craving.

      Reply
    3. Anjali says

      June 16, 2022 at 2:31 am

      5 stars
      Love this twist on a traditional sushi roll!! Made this for lunch and it was delicious!

      Reply
    4. Rachna says

      June 16, 2022 at 4:19 am

      5 stars
      This sushi roll is just perfect. I have saved the recipe to try over the weekend. I am sure it will satisfy the sushi lovers in my home. Thank you so much.

      Reply
    5. Seema says

      June 16, 2022 at 4:27 am

      5 stars
      This is an epic recipe. The bowl is so filling. Loved it

      Reply
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    I’m passionate about the family dinner table. Connecting with each other at the end of the day over a good meal creates strong family bonds and healthy long-lasting relationships. I want to help families and friends build those relationships.

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