These California roll bowls are a deconstructed version of California sushi rolls. Filled with crab, sushi rice, cucumber, and avocado, these bowls are perfect for a quick, easy, and healthy dinner!

Two California roll bowls with a side of spicy mayo sauce, sesame seeds, and pickled ginger.

If you like California rolls, this recipe is for you. The combination of creamy avocado, crunchy cucumber, and nori, ensures that these bowls are full of flavors and textures in every bite, and the best part is that they are super easy to make.

As long as you can cook rice and chop veggies, you can make these deconstructed California roll sushi bowls that are sure to please a crowd. Whether you’re enjoying them for a quick weeknight dinner, a build-your-own dinner party, or as an easy meal prep idea for healthy lunches, this sushi bowl recipe is an easy, healthy, and high-protein meal.

Close up of California roll sushi bowl with spicy mayo and sesame seeds on top and chopsticks.

Why You’ll Love Them

Quick and Easy – These California roll sushi bowls are ready in less than 30 minutes making them perfect for a weeknight meal.
High in Protein – With over 27 grams of protein per serving, these bowls are protein-packed meals.
Versatile – Once you’ve got the basics down you can mix and match ingredients to make any type of sushi bowls you like!

Ingredeints for California sushi roll bowls: crab meat, sushi rice, cucumber, avocado, nori sheets, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, and soy sauce.

Ingredients + Substitutions

Crab – Traditional California rolls use imitation crab meat, but you can use real fresh crab meat, canned crab meat, canned crab meat, or imitation crab in these bowls. Use whatever option suits your budget, you can use cooked shrimp if you like.
Rice – To create the base of the roll bowls and add some complex carbohydrates. I used sushi rice in my recipe but any white rice or brown rice will work well.
Avocado – To add some healthy fats.
Cucumber – If you want to add some more fresh veggies, shredded carrots or thinly sliced bell peppers would also work well.
Nori – To add some dried seaweed to the sushi bowls. If you can’t find nori sheets, you can use furikake instead.
Rice Vinegar – To season the sushi rice.
Soy Sauce – To season the sushi roll bowls.
Pickled Ginger – To add some acid and cleanse the palate in between bites, although optional.
Sesame Seeds – To serve, although optional.

Although California rolls don’t typically include spicy sriracha mayo, you can make some to top the bowls for a bit more flavor and heat. You can find the ingredients in the recipe card below.

Dietary Adaptions

To Make them Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos.

To Make them Dairy-Free: No adaptations are needed, this recipe is dairy-free.

Small white bowl of spicy sriracha mayo sauce.

How to Make California Roll Sushi Bowls

Cook the rice. Bring a water and sushi rice to a boil in a small pot and allow to cook as per package direction until tender and fluffy. Once cooked, drizzle of rice vinegar, stir to combine, and allow to cool.
Chop the crab. Cut the cooked crab meat or imitation crab into bite-size pieces.
Chop the veggies and seaweed. Chop the cucumber and slice the avocado and nori sheets.
Make the sauce. In a small bowl, add the mayo and sriracha and stir to combine.
Assemble the bowls. Once the rice has cooled, fill bowls with a layer of sushi rice, top with cucumber, avocado, and nori sheets, drizzle with soy sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and top with spicy mayo as desired.
Serve and enjoy! The bowls can be enjoyed immediately or stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can find the detailed instructions in the recipe card below.

Build-your-own California sushi bowls station with bowls.

Red’s Nutrition Tip

Although you can use fresh crab in these sushi bowls, California rolls are typically made with a form of imitation crab meat known as surimi. While often referred to as “imitation” crab, surimi is made from real seafood, most commonly pollock, and is a good source of lean protein. Surimi is much less expensive than crab, making it a great option for simple weeknight meals, just be sure to read the label and ingredients to ensure you are buying the highest-quality option possible.

Serving Suggestions

These sushi bowls are well-balanced meals on their own, as they include a source of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and fiber, however, you can adapt the recipe to suit your personal dietary needs.

To make them higher in protein, add more crab to the bowls.
To add more fiber, you can swap the white rice for brown rice and/or add more vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, or
To make them low carb, you can swap the sushi rice for cauliflower rice.

Close of up California sushi roll bowls with sriracha mayo and sesame seeds on top.

Storage

These sushi bowls can be assembled and stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days, however, do not add the avocado until you are ready to serve.

More Sushi Roll Bowls:

Spicy Salmon Roll Bowls