TofuSushi the Nipha

As a vegan on a budget, finding delicious plant-based sushi that fits your diet and your wallet can be tricky. Luckily, it’s far simpler than you’d think to learn how to make delicious vegan sushi rolls (aka tofu and vegetable maki rolls) at home at a fraction of the cost, with all your favorite fillings, and it’s even better than takeout!

Although there is a slight learning curve, once you get the hang of it, you’ll be craving delicious vegetable maki all the time. Even better, you can get the entire household (or a group of friends) together for a sushi-making party—it’s an evening everyone will enjoy!

As adaptable as this vegan sushi recipe is, though, we thought we’d share one of our favorite filling options; crispy tofu and vegetables. The combination of veggies and seasoned tofu makes for beautiful, delicious, and wonderfully nutritious (hello, veggie micronutrients and tofu protein, we’re looking at you!).

You don’t even need any special equipment for this recipe. Best of all, once you have the sushi rolling ‘down,’ you can play around with the fillings of your choice. Keep scrolling for a list of all our favorite vegan sushi fillings!


🍥 1 package of firm tofu sliced to ½' thick
🍥 2 tablespoons of soy sauce or tamari
🍥 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
🍥 2 cups of sushi rice also called sticky rice (we used purple jasmine sticky rice blend)
🍥 1 avocado sliced
🍥 1 carrot julienned
🍥 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
🍥 1 package of toasted nori seaweed sheets
🍥 3 ½ cups of water
🍥 3 Tablespoons of agave
🍥 1 Tablespoon of rice vinegar
🍥 2 to 3 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds
🍥 1 teaspoon of salt or to taste


🥑 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and arrange tofu slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle with soy sauce or tamari and sprinkle with nutritional yeast, dividing it evenly among slices. Rub slices on both sides so they get coated and place in the oven to bake, roughly 10 minutes on each side, flipping once. Remove them when they are golden brown and crispy and have puffed up a little bit, and let them cool. Once cool, slice into ½' wide strips and set aside.

🥑 2. Once tofu is in the oven, prepare sushi rice according to package directions. Let cool.

🥑 3. Slice all veggies and place on a cutting board next to sheets of seaweed. Get a small bowl of cold water and place it nearby (this will be for dipping your fingers in). Once rice has cooled slightly, add sweetener, rice vinegar and salt and stir to combine.

🥑 4. Lay one sheet of seaweed on a clean work surface and place about 1 cup of rice on top. Dip your fingers in the water bowl and use them to press rice onto seaweed, spreading so it reaches the edges and forms a thin layer all the way around. Leave 1' of seaweed at the top free from rice. Lay a small amount of each veggie in a line across the middle of the sushi roll, taking care to only put a few pieces of each. Less is more here. Begin rolling away from yourself, over the veggies, squeeze tightly to get a good tight roll and keep rolling until you reach the end. Dip your finger in the water and run along the bare edge of seaweed to seal. Let rest for a minute before slicing into one inch pieces and placing on a plate. Repeat until all rice and/or fillings are gone. Your first few rolls may look a little funny but they will still taste great, they start to look better after a few tries. Sprinkle it with toasted sesame seeds.


🥕 Be patient: Our top tip for anyone new to sushi rolling is to have patience. It may take several rolls to get the hang of how much to fill them and how to roll them properly. But at least they’ll still taste great!

🥕 Keep a water bowl nearby: You’ll need it for your fingers and to dampen your knife when slicing the vegetable tofu sushi rolls.

🥕 Less is more: It’s important not to overfill the veggie sushi to avoid struggle when rolling it. Likewise, make sure to cut the fillings into thin matchstick pieces.