These maki-style sushi rolls are packed with crisp sweet potato, creamy avocado, seasoned sushi rice and finished with a swipe of homemade teriyaki glaze. I usually keep this homemade glaze and this gochujang glaze in my fridge at all times. They are all-purpose and, although they can take a little time to make are low-maintenance and can be used in a variety of dishes.
I love staying in and making sushi. The beer is cheaper, I can wear stretchy pants and sometimes the vegan sushi options out are only plain avocado or asparagus. These sushi rolls are easy because they don’t have to be perfect and actually look better a little messy.
I used sweet potato here, but you could use asparagus, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, kabocha squash or any kind of mushrooms. Check out more sushi ideas here!
Sweet Potato Tempura and Avocado Rolls with Teriyaki Glaze
- Total Time: 1 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 rolls
Ingredients
for the teriyaki glaze
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup mirin
- 1/8 cup sake (omit if you like – you’ll get a thicker sauce once it cools)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 TB toasted sesame oil
- 1 TB minced ginger
for the sushi rice
- 1 cup sushi rice
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
for the sweet potato tempura
- grapeseed, canola or vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 medium-sized sweet potato, peeled and cut into long slices, about the size of your index finger
- 1 TB VeganEgg (chill it beforehand)
- 1 1/4 cup of ice-cold, fizzy water (plus more if needed to thin the batter out a bit)
- 1 cup AP flour (chill it beforehand)
- 1 tsp salt
to assemble and finish
- 4 toasted nori sheets
- 4 TB black and/or white sesame seeds
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- 2–4 TB Vegenaise (optional)
- wasabi (optional)
- pickled ginger (optional)
Instructions
for the teriyaki glaze
- Whisk the brown sugar, mirin, sake and soy sauce in a bowl. Set aside.
- Warm the toasted sesame oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add in the ginger, making sure it’s coated well with the oil. Saute for 1 minute only.
- Pour the contents of the bowl into the saucepan, whisking it initially to dissolve the sugar. Once it comes to a small boil, reduce the heat to its lowest setting. Allow to reduce for 30-35 minutes, whisking it occasionally, then remove from the heat.
- Chill the teriyaki sauce to allow it to thicken before using. If it becomes too thick (it will be thicker if you did not use sake), a few seconds in the microwave will loosen it up enough to pour.
for the sushi rice
- Place the rice and water into a rice cooker and cook according to the manufacturer instructions. Once done, season with the rice vinegar, sugar and salt and set aside to cool.
for the sweet potato tempura
- Place several inches of oil into a small, cast iron pot (I like this one). Bring it to 350 degrees over medium-high heat. The oil will be ready to use in 5-7 minutes. You can tell when it’s ready by inserting a dry chopstick into the hot oil so it touches the bottom of the pot. If bubbles form around it immediately, you are ready to fry.
- Combine the VeganEgg and cold fizzy water.
- Add in the flour and gently combine with chopsticks. Some lumps are okay. Don’t overmix or the tempura will become dense.
- Working in small batches, dunk the potato slices into the batter and place carefully into the oil. Fry until golden and transfer to paper towels to drain while you fry the rest. Sprinkle with some of the salt while the oil is still glistening.
to assemble and finish
- To assemble the rolls, divide the cooled rice into 4 portions. Slide a sushi mat into a large Ziploc bag or cover with plastic wrap. Place one sheet of nori, shiny side down, on the mat. Moisten your fingers with some water to prevent rice from sticking to them, then spread the rice evenly over the nori sheet, leaving about an inch exposed at the top. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of sesame seeds.
- With the exposed end away from you, place 2 or 3 pieces of sweet potato tempura in a line along the side closest to you. Add a couple slices of avocado and some mayo, if desired.
- Roll the sushi away from you, gripping the mat tightly but gently. Once rolled, seal the end with water or add a few grains of rice to the end to help seal.
- Now cut the sushi in half with a very sharp knife (I run the blade under scalding water for a cleaner cut), then each half into halves, then those halves into halves to make 8 pieces.
- Place onto a serving plate, repeating the process to make 4 rolls.
- Slather the tops with the teriyaki glaze, serving with wasabi and pickled ginger, if desired.
Notes
For light and crisp tempura, the batter needs to be super cold and the oil needs to be hot, at a steady 350 degrees. Wait to make your batter until your oil is hot, but not too hot.
Don’t overcrowd the pot with battered vegetables. This will reduce the temp of the oil, making the tempura soggy.
Use a skimmer to remove any fried bits between batches so they don’t burn and give your tempura a bitter taste.
The oil can be cooled, strained and used one or two more times before being tossed out.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
Absolutely stunning! I haven’t had vegan sushi in a while and just the mere title of this recipe has sent my cravings into high alert. I’m curious, do you think the veganegg could be substituted with aquafaba or something along those lines?
Thank you Shannon! I am not sure af would work in here, but if you try with good results, I’d love to know! I also think you could just leave the veganegg out and it would still likely work. Good luck! 🙂
I used just egg, worked great!
★★★★★
This recipe is awesome. Followed it to the T but used regular egg bc not vegan. It was an absolute star. Dinner guests thrilled!
★★★★