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These Cucumber Rolls are fresh, crunchy, and perfect for an easy homemade sushi night. Made with seasoned rice, crisp veggies, and spicy mayo, they’re simple, satisfying, and totally doable at home.
If veggie sushi is your thing, don’t miss my vegan sushi, avocado roll, and sweet potato roll!
Reasons This Recipe is a Must Try
If you love sushi but don’t want to deal with raw fish (or the price tag), these cucumber rolls are the perfect solution. They’re fresh, crunchy, and surprisingly easy to make at home — no sushi bar required. With quick-pickled carrots, creamy avocado, and a drizzle of spicy mayo, this is the kind of recipe that feels impressive but is totally doable, even if you’ve never rolled sushi before.
Raise your hand if you love sushi! I sure do and I love going out for sushi, but it can be crazy expensive. I feel like every time we go out for sushi, it’s a minimum of $60 for two people. I decided it was time to learn to make sushi at home and started with this vegan sushi roll. I was surprised by how easy it actually is to make homemade sushi and it turned out so delicious!
- Fresh & flavorful: Crisp cucumber, creamy avocado, and tangy pickled carrots make every bite pop.
- Super simple: Don’t be intimidated to make sushi at home! You just need a mat, some rice, and a few fresh ingredients.
- Totally customizable: Add your favorite veggies or swap in tofu for extra protein.
- Fun to make: Rolling sushi at home is easier than you might think and a unique meal to prepare for your friends and family!
Ingredients you’ll need
Just a few simple ingredients and you’re well on your way to a tasty vegetarian roll! Here are some notes on the key ingredients. The full list and measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.
- Quick pickled carrots. These are super flavorful and easy to make with matchstick carrots, apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt.
- Spicy mayo. Optional, but so good! This is a simple mix of mayo, sriracha, soy sauce and lime juice.
- Sushi rice. You definitely need to use short grain rice for this recipe. I’ve experimented with long grain rice and it does NOT work out well.
- Nori sheets. You can find these at most grocery stores and they’re relatively inexpensive! If all else fails, you can most certainly find them on amazon.
- Filling. Pickled carrot, cucumber, and avocado is what I used for this cucumber roll. Feel free to use any favorite ingredients, though. Radish, marinated tofu, and mango are all great options!
How to make a cucumber roll
Making a cucumber roll is really easy! There are three components to this vegetarian roll: the rice, filling and spicy mayo dipping sauce. Here’s a quick rundown of the process, but for full instructions, reference the recipe card at the bottom of the post. If you’d like to see a visual tutorial of the process, check out my video in my vegan sushi post.
- Once you have your sushi rice prepared, place a sheet of nori on the rolling mat. Press about ⅓ cup of sushi rice onto the mat, making sure to go all the way to the edges on three sides, but leaving about 1” of exposed nori on the side farthest away from you.
- Place strips of carrot, cucumber, and some avocado slices to the nori on the side closest to you.
- Starting from the side closest to you, roll the nori up over the filling and continue rolling (as tightly as you can) until you reach the end of the rice.
- Brush the last 1” of nori with water and then roll it to seal. Cut the rolls into 6-8 slices. Garnish with sesame seeds and spicy mayo and enjoy!
Tips for making sushi at home
For the mat: Aside from the ingredients, you will need a sushi mat. You can get one on Amazon for just $4 (affiliate link) and I highly recommend it, if you plan to make sushi at home regularly. I’ve also seen them at Target and World Market. It’s possible to roll sushi WITHOUT the mat, but I’ve found that it’s much harder to get a tight sushi roll.
Slicing the ingredients: I recommend slicing the filling ingredients thinly, so that everything will fit nicely in the center of the cucumber roll.
Cover the mat: Before rolling the cucumber roll or any sushi roll, I like to cover my rolling mat in plastic wrap for easier cleanup.
Variations & Add-Ins
- Add cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
- Swap carrots for bell pepper or mango
- Sprinkle in toasted sesame oil for extra flavor
- Turn them into inside-out rolls if you’re feeling fancy
Frequently Asked Questions
They’re best fresh, but you can prep all components a few hours in advance and assemble right before serving.
It helps a lot, but you can use a clean kitchen towel wrapped in plastic wrap in a pinch.
English or Persian cucumbers are ideal since they’re less watery and have fewer seeds.
Cucumber Roll
Ingredients
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar, For the Quick Pickled Carrots
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 large carrots, cut into matchsticks
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise, For the Spicy Mayo
- 2 teaspoons sriracha, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce, optional
- 1 teaspoon lime juice, optional
- 1.5 cups sushi rice, For the Sushi Rice, see notes
- 1.5 cups water
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 sheets Nori
- Quick Pickled Carrot, from above
- 1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 1 avocado, sliced
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- For the Quick Pickled Carrots Place the apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a small, heatproof bowl. Microwave until the sugar has dissolved– about 2 minutes. Place the carrots in a large jar or other airtight container. Pour over the liquid mixture and transfer the carrots to the fridge to cool for at least ten minutes.
- For the Spicy Mayo Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside until ready to use.
- For the Sushi Rice Rinse the rice until the water runs clear- about 2 minutes. If using a rice cooker, add the rice and water and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- If using the stovetop, add the rice and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer on low for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow the rice to sit for 10 minutes.
- Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small, microwave safe bowl. Microwave until the sugar and salt have fully dissolved- about 1 minute. Pour the mixture over the rice and stir the rice constantly for 5-7 minutes, or until it is cool to the touch. Cover with a damp towel and set aside until ready to use.
- To Make the Rolls Wrap a sushi rolling mat with plastic wrap (this will help keep it clean). Place a sheet of nori on the rolling mat. Press about ⅓ cup of sushi rice onto the mat, making sure to go all the way to the edges on three sides, but leaving about 1” of exposed nori on the side farthest away from you. Add a few slices of carrot, cucumber, and avocado to the nori on the side closest to you.
- Starting from the side closest to you, roll the Nori up over the filling and continue rolling (as tightly as you can) until you reach the end of the rice. Brush the last 1” of nori with water and then roll it to seal. Use the sushi mat to seal the roll tightly. Using a sharp knife, cut the rolls into 6-8 slices, depending on how large you like them. Garnish with sesame seeds and spicy mayo.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yummy, easy to make!