Vegan caviar is a plant-based take on fish roe, often made with seaweed. Here are the best vegan caviar brands to look for, what to serve them with, and how to make a bright red beet-and-amaranth roe for sushi.
There’s a lot you can do with vegan caviar. Pair it with homemade carrot lox, or add it to vegan scallops, poke bowls, plant-based carbonara, and homemade vegan sushi. Can it make almost anything feel more luxurious? Yes. Can you also spoon it onto a potato chip while wearing your comfiest pair of sweats? Also yes!
What Is Vegan Caviar?
Vegan caviar is a plant-based alternative to fish roe. Most store-bought versions are made from seaweed, usually kelp or kombu extract, which gives them a salty, briny flavor. A gelling agent like sodium alginate or agar shapes them into small, glossy pearls. Brands season them differently, and the texture ranges from a gentle pop to a firmer bite.
Best Vegan Caviar Brands
The easiest way to enjoy plant-based caviar is to buy it. Zeroe and Pearle are standout options, followed by more plant-based caviar options to explore.
Pearle Kombu Caviar
Pearle makes its seaweed caviar with a base of kombu, tamari, and tomato. It’s briny and deeply savory, with a delicate pop. It was perfect on toast with a dab of creamy vegan cheese.
Zeroe Caviar
Zeroe makes seaweed-based caviar seasoned with herbs and spices, including dill, tarragon, and cayenne. I found the pearls soft and bouncy, and especially liked them on avocado toast for a pop of flavor and texture.
More Vegan Caviar Brands:
- Cavi·art®: Cavi·art makes black seaweed pearls as a vegan alternative to fish roe.
- Paramount Caviar: Paramount’s vegan seaweed caviar comes in small, jet-black pearls. The company also sells fish-based caviar, so be sure to choose its seaweed product.
- Gauthier: Chef Alexis Gauthier’s vegan kelp caviar is made with seaweed extract for a salty, briny pop.
How To Serve Vegan Caviar
Vegan caviar works especially well with creamy toppings and crisp bases. Pour a glass of dry sparkling wine, crisp white wine, or a light lager, and try a few of these combinations:
- Potato chips. Add a dab of vegan crème fraîche or sour cream, a small spoonful of caviar, and chopped chives. Use sturdy chips so they hold up to the toppings.
- Crostini. Spread toasted baguette slices with vegan cream cheese, then add carrot lox and caviar.
- Blini or savory pancakes. Top blini or savory corn pancakes with vegan sour cream and caviar. The warm pancakes and cool toppings are a perfect combination.
- Small potatoes. Halve boiled or roasted baby potatoes and top with vegan butter or sour cream, caviar, and dill.
- Avocado toast. Spoon caviar over mashed avocado with a squeeze of lemon. Taste before adding salt, since the caviar brings its own.
- Sushi and poke bowls. Add caviar to homemade vegan sushi or a vegan poke bowl just before serving. Try my beet-and-amaranth roe below for an easy, make-ahead option.
- Endive cups. Fill endive leaves with a little cashew cheese, then finish with caviar, chives, and a squeeze of lemon. The leaves give you a crisp base without the need for heat or toasting.
How To Make Vegan Caviar at Home
Homemade vegan caviar can take a few forms:
- Spherification: A flavored liquid mixed with sodium alginate is dropped into a calcium chloride bath. Each drop forms a thin skin that pops when you bite it.
- Agar and cold oil: Drops of warm liquid mixed with agar form small pearls as they fall through chilled oil. Check out my kombucha caviar recipe to see how it’s done.
- Tiny grains and seeds: Amaranth or chia makes a softer roe that doesn’t pop.
The recipe below takes the simplest route. Amaranth simmered in beet juice turns into tender, deep-red roe for gunkan maki. It has an earthy flavor rather than the briny pop you’ll find in jars.
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Homemade Vegan Caviar
This homemade vegan caviar uses tiny amaranth grains simmered in beet juice to make tender, deep-red roe for sushi. Chill and drain the grains, then spoon them onto small ovals of seasoned sushi rice wrapped with strips of nori. The result is colorful gunkan maki with earthy roe, tangy rice, and savory nori in each bite.
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
for the vegan caviar
- 34 ounces prepared beet juice, unsweetened
- 3/4 cup amaranth grain, rinsed
for the sushi rice
- 1 cup sushi rice, soaked for 30 minutes, then rinsed well
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
additional ingredients
- 6 nori sheets
- soy sauce or tamari, for serving
Instructions
Prepare the Vegan Caviar:
- In a medium saucepan, bring the beet juice to a boil.
- Add the amaranth grains to the boiling beet juice, stirring continuously to prevent sticking.
- Reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the amaranth is al dente. The grains should be tender but still have a slight bite.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer the mixture to a container and refrigerate for at least two hours (overnight is even better) without draining to maintain moisture.
Cook the Sushi Rice:
- While the roe chills, soak the sushi rice for 30 minutes, then rinse well under cold water.
- Cook the rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop with 2 cups of water.
- While the rice is cooking, mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a glass bowl until dissolved.
- Once the rice is cooked, transfer it to the vinegar mixture while still warm. Gently fold the rice to evenly coat with the vinegar mixture without mashing the grains.
- Allow to cool to room temperature.
Assemble the Gunkan Maki:
- Cut nori sheets into ribbons approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide.
- Place a small strainer over a bowl and drain the chilled vegan caviar to remove excess juice.
- Wet your hands slightly to prevent sticking and scoop about a tablespoon of sushi rice. Shape the rice into small oval balls about the size of your thumb.
- Wrap a strip of nori around the perimeter of each rice ball, sealing the ends with a small dab of water to hold it together. You want the strip to extend above the rice to hold the amaranth.
- Top each rice oval with a spoonful of drained vegan caviar.
- Serve at room temperature with soy sauce or gluten-free tamari for dipping.
Notes
Storage Tips:
Store the beet-and-amaranth roe and cooked sushi rice in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for a few days.
Prepping Ahead:
The vegan caviar can be prepared a day ahead, making assembly quick and easy when you’re ready to serve. This is especially useful if you’re planning to serve these at a gathering.
Serving Suggestions:
For the best taste and texture, serve the gunkan maki shortly after assembling. If you need to wait, cover them loosely with plastic wrap and keep them refrigerated until ready to serve.
Adjusting the Size:
Feel free to adjust the size of the nori ribbons and the amount of rice to suit your preferences for bigger or smaller bites.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Side Dish, Vegan Seafood
- Method: Boiled
- Cuisine: American, Japanese
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
This recipe was first published in 2012. The post was updated in 2026 with current vegan caviar brands and clearer recipe instructions.
Can this be stored in the fridge for a few days or does it need to be used within a few hours of making it?
Hi Ellen, this can be used within a few hours over stored overnight. I hope you enjoy!
Eleven or twelve years ago, I made this (before this came out, but the recipe was very similar) and kept it overnight for an event the following afternoon. I kept it in a glass mason jar in the juice, and drained/scooped it out at the just before serving. It went over very well indeed, and I even impressed the senior Japanese women! It was a Buddhist New Year’s event, and I made about nine different kinds of vegan sushi. The favorite was a spicy tuna using jackfruit, the second was a cashew puree, and this was the third. I tried making the amaranth roe with carrot, but it didn’t turn out. The beet turned out beautifully. The color in real life is amazing!
My sushi fails also include king oyster mushrooms. It’s like chewing a ball of yarn. I can’t get them right. This one I love, though.
These look SO amazing! I tried to make them and epically failed 🙁 I’m sure it was my fault, not the recipe. I will try again until I get it right. Dying to try the “scallops” too
I was pescatarian until January… no fish since then and would love to learn some of your techniques! Would love to share all of these on my page too to inspire others to eat less or no meat/fish
🙂
This is gorgeous!
I just subscribed to your feed. Looking forward to more of your creations.
Brilliant work! I like your faux roe idea! 😉
Off the hook cool!
Thanks Derek!!
Erin, that sushi looks amazing! I've only recently discovered your blog (via the Post Punk Kitchen forum) and wish it hadn't taken me so long to find. Your approach to cooking is so fun, creative, unique and inspiring! 🙂
As a fellow vegan girl cooking for a Meat-and-Potatoes guy, I'm very much looking forward to experimenting with your recipes!
Thanks so much Elle! Always nice to meet a fellow PPK-er over here! : )
Interesting idea! I've never tried fish roe so I wouldn't know what it's supposed to taste like though. lol
An inspired dish indeed. Hats off to your creativity!
Visually stunning is right, that looks amazing! So creative and original! Very nicely done! 🙂
This looks amazing! Vegan sushi rocks my socks. I have been addicted as of late. I think Sunday supper will be sushi – again!
So original and so COOL! I love the whole idea of this!
It looks really good… very colorful, i like it!
Wow–that's BRILLIANT! The kind of thing that makes a guy like me say, "Why didn't I think of that?"
Thanks so much! That means a lot, especially coming from you … cheers!