These sweet potato sushi rolls are made with tender roasted sweet potato coated in maple syrup and sesame oil, then wrapped in sticky sushi rice and nori. It's a simple vegan sushi recipe that strikes the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors!
Tempura-fried sweet potato sushi is my favorite sushi to order from a restaurant. It's fantastic and so decadent. And while I am in the know these days when it comes to making vegetable tempura, I'm also feeling a bit lazy. So I simplified things and roasted my sweet potato with a little maple syrup and some sesame oil — still decadent, still delicious, but much simpler to make and less daunting when a sushi craving strikes!
One of my favorite things about making sushi at home is that you can mix and match fillings. Pair these sweet potato rolls with my sesame shiitake sushi, spicy eggplant sushi, avocado sushi, smoked tofu veggie sushi, vegan cream cheese veggie sushi, or peanut avocado sushi for your own homemade sushi feast.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Sushi rice. Look for this in the international section of the grocery store. It's a short-grain variety that cooks up super sticky, so it's great for holding sushi rolls together.
- Rice vinegar. This is for seasoning your sushi rice, and can be found in the international aisle of most grocery stores.
- Salt.
- Sugar. Use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Conventional sugar is often processed using animal bone char.
- Vegetable oil. Whatever neutral high-heat oil you like to use for roasting will work.
- Maple syrup. Another liquid sweetener like agave or coconut nectar could be substituted.
- Toasted sesame oil. This is a seasoning oil and can be found in the international aisle of the store.
- Sweet potato. I used an orange sweet potato, but I see no reason you couldn't use a red, purple, or white one.
- Nori. These super thin seaweed sheets are used to wrap your sushi. They can also be found in the international aisle.
- Scallions.
- Toasted sesame seeds.
- Wasabi paste.
- Pickled ginger.
- Soy sauce. You could also use tamari or liquid aminos as an alternative.
Tip: This recipe is best served immediately, but if you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Variations
- Tempura sweet potato sushi. Batter and fry the sweet potato matchsticks according to my vegetable tempura recipe.
- Add seasonings. Skip the maple syrup and/or curry powder, and season your sweet potato with garlic powder, onion powder, curry powder, or anything that sounds good to you.
- Add veggies. Tender, roasted sweet potato actually pairs up beautifully with a little crunch. Try adding matchstick-cut carrots, cucumbers, or pepper.
What to Serve with Sweet Potato Sushi
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📖 Recipe
Roasted Sweet Potato Sushi
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Rice
- 1 cup sushi rice
- 1 ⅓ cups water, plus more for soaking
- 1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon organic granulated sugar
For the Roasted Sweet Potato Filling
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Stir the oil, maple syrup, and sesame oil together in a small bowl.
- Place the rice into a small saucepan and cover it with water. Let it soak for 20 minutes.
- While the rice soaks, peel sweet potato and cut it lengthwise into strips that are just under ½ inch thick, as if you were making sweet potato fries. Arrange the strips on the baking sheet and rub them with the oil and maple syrup mixture. Arrange the strips on the baking sheet. Bake the sweet potato for about 25 minutes, until tender, gently turning the pieces halfway through.
- When the rice has finished soaking, drain it, then return it to the pot. Add the 1 ⅓ cups of water, rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. Stir, then place the pot over medium heat. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 20 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
- Place a bamboo sushi mat onto a work surface and fill a small dish with water for wetting your hands. Place one of your sheets on the bamboo mat. Using wet hands, cover nori with a thin layer of rice. Arrange a third of your sweet potato strips in a single line along the width of nori, about one inch away from you. Arrange a few scallion pieces right alongside the sweet potato strips.
- Take the bamboo mat and the end of the nori closest to you and tightly roll it over your fillings. Tuck the end of the nori in and continue rolling, using the mat to press your roll tight (see Note). Once completely rolled, use a large, sharp knife to slice the roll into 8 pieces. Wipe the knife clean with a wet cloth between cuts.
- Repeat using your remaining nori sheets and fillings.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.
Notes
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Made it with tiny lemon wedges and a drizzle of honey on top! It’s the best!! Had this with some air fried teriyaki tofu ❤️ (yes you eat the rind)
I added a strip of spicy Panko breadcumbs for a crunch texture.
isn't 3/4 of a tablespoon too much salt??
It is a lot, but that's the correct amount. Sushi is saltier than you think. :) You can cut down if you're watching your sodium.
Can I substitute the sesame oil for another oil??
It's in there for flavor, but the recipe will still turn out fine without it. I'd just omit it if you don't have any available. :)
I found this recipe looking for vegan sushi to bring to a party,after feeling bored by cucumber and avocado rolls.
I just rolled a double recipe into 52 maki and devoured all the end pieces.
This is absolutely delicious and the sweet potatoes together with sesame seed and scallions even taste vaguely fish-like.
Also the dark orange taters and green onions in a white rice sushi roll look stunningly beautiful.
This is sure going to be a hit at the party
Thanks for the brilliant recipe!
I'm so glad you like it! Thanks so much Martin, and I hope it really is a hit at the party!
These look absolutely delicious, can't wait to give them a go! Japenese food is definitely my favourite cuisine, all the beautiful and aromatic flavours.
Thanks Emily! I'm all about Japanese food too. :)
We always make our own vegan sushi rolls for valentines day. It's always an experiment. Last year we included Natto!
Thanks for this new recipe idea.
Namaste ~
Oh! I've been meaning to try natto forever. Thanks for reminding me. :)
I absolutely love the idea of roast potato sushi! It has been ages since I made sushi, I'll have to have another go :)
Congrats on the OMV interview!
I have been meaning to buy a sushi roll mat, and now I feel like there's no reason I shouldn't. This sushi is so original, love it!
I don't bother with a mat - I've tried it and I find it more complicated. Clean work surface and pretending I'm rolling up a poster works like a treat!
I've heard that a dish towel works too, but have yet to try. I'll have to play around with rolling without a mat next time I make sushi. :)
I use a damp towel and it works great! Never need to buy a mat!
I'll have to try that!