Rainbow Sushi

Cuisine: Japanese

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 16


This simple rainbow sushi recipe is versatile and fun to make. You can play around with ingredients to make it your own. 

  • Sushi rice - 1 ½ cups
  • Nori/Seaweed - 1 sheet, cut into two 
  • Crab sticks - 6
  • Avocado - 6 slices
  • Cucumber - 2 pieces, sliced lengthwise
  • Fresh salmon - 4 slices, raw, cut into rectangles
  • Mango - 4 rectangular pieces, slightly firm
  • Avocado - 4 rectangular pieces, slightly soft
  • Soy sauce for serving
  • Wasabi for serving
  • Sliced pickled ginger for serving

Sushi that’s pretty and delicious!

  1. Place one-half of your nori on a sheet of plastic wrap over your sushi mat. 
  2. Place ¾ cup of the rice on the nori, keeping two tablespoons aside. 
  3. Spread the rice around the nori, pressing it down to stick to the nori. 
  4. Turn the nori over. Spread the remaining two tablespoons of rice on this side, leaving approximately 1 inch on the top and half an inch on the bottom of your sheet. Press down again. 
  5. Place half of the crab sticks over the rice, forming a line. If all the pieces don’t fit, cut them to size. 
  6. Place half of the avocado and cucumber parallel to the crab sticks. 
  7. Now, roll the sushi with the mat, gently holding it down while rolling it to ensure a tight roll. 
  8. Place your rectangular pieces of salmon, mango, and avocado alternately over the Sushi roll on top of the outer layer of rice. 
  9. Now, wrap this roll with the plastic wrap and your sushi mat and roll it once more. 
  10. Once rolled, remove the plastic wrap and the sushi mat and slice your Sushi roll into 6-8 pieces. 
  11. Repeat steps 1-10 for the second Sushi roll. 
  12. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger. 

Chef Tip: Make sure your sushi knife is sharp and clean every time you slice the sushi roll. You can replace crab sticks with prawns or salmon too. Make sure that the nori you buy is unflavored. 

Making sushi at home can be a lot of fun. You can use this quick rainbow sushi recipe for a fun activity with friends and family!

Quick Bites

Fun Fact

• Wrapping up a traditional sushi experience, it is common practice to offer to buy your sushi chef a shot of sake in appreciation of your meal. If they accept, it is customary you take one with them. Cheers!

Historical Fact

• The rainbow sushi is a Japanese-American creation.

 •It originated from Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, in the late 1960s.

Nutrition Fact

• The Rainbow Roll is for those who want a little bit of everything.

• It contains 476 calories, 16 grams of fat, 50 grams of carbohydrates, and 33 grams of protein.