Modified: by Dina
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This Easy Sushi Bake is flavorful and delicious, with creamy crab topping, crunchy shrimp tempura, and spicy mayo. This dish is everything you love about sushi in a recipe you can easily follow at home.
If you love this recipe, you should try our Shrimp Tempura California Roll and crispy Shrimp Tempura.
Table Of Contents
- Recipe Details
- What You’ll Need
- Ingredient Notes
- Add-ins and Substitutions
- How to Make Sushi Bake
- Recipe Tips
- FAQs
- Serving Suggestions
- Make This Recipe in Advance
- More Yummy Sushi!
- Full Recipe Instructions
Recipe Details
This recipe is so tasty and the perfect way to have homemade sushi whenever you want. A Sushi Bake is basically a deconstructed sushi roll, with all the elements you love: tangy sushi rice, seasoned crab filling, and spicy mayo to top it off.
- TASTE: Tangy, rich, umami, and spicy, this Sushi Bake has all the best flavors. The sweet Japanese mayonnaise is so good.
- TEXTURE: The crunchy cucumber, crisp shrimp tempura, and thick cream cheese give each bite of this dish so much texture. It’s addictively good.
- TIME: It takes just 35 minutes to make.
- EASE: This recipe is made in a baking dish, which makes it easier to serve to big groups. It’s super easy and a great way to enjoy sushi at home.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Sushi rice– This is short-grain rice. The starch in the cooked rice holds the bake together.
- Rice vinegar- This is used in the sushi rice to give it a tangy flavor.
- Shrimp tempura- You can follow this recipe to make your own. Or you can buy it premade from Costco to save time
- Imitation crab flakes– This ingredient has the best texture for a sushi bake, flakey and full of crab flavor.
- Cream cheese– Use full-fat for extra creaminess.
- Unagi sauce- Also known as eel sauce, this thickened soy sauce has a sweet and savory flavor that is amazing with sushi.
- Japanese mayonnaise-Sweet, tangy, and custardy, this kewpie mayo is not like American mayo. It gives the dish authentic flavor and texture.
- Rice seasoning- This mixture of seaweed and sesame seeds adds great flavor.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Make your own Japanese mayo- If you can’t find any Japanese mayonnaise, then make your own by whisking together 3 tablespoons of regular mayo with 1 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar and 1/3 tsp. sugar until combined.
- Substitute the cucumber- Try this recipe with other crunchy vegetables, like carrots or radish. You can also use other types of cucumber, like English or Persian, or add avocado.
- Use another protein- Besides crab and shrimp, this can be made with salmon, ahi tuna, or yellowtail. You can also substitute spicy crab or spicy tuna.
- Add sesame oil- This ingredient adds the perfect flavor to sushi. Its nutty, earthy flavor is potent, so just a little goes a long way.
How to Make Sushi Bake
- Clean the rice. To make the sushi rice, first clean the rice by placing it in a fine-mesh sieve. Then run it under cold water for about a minute, making sure to mix it around with a spoon.
- Cook the rice. Now place the rice in a rice cooker with the water and turn it on. Once it’s done cooking, transfer it to a 13×9-inch rimmed baking sheet that has been buttered (to avoid sticking).
- Cool. Pour the seasoned rice vinegar over the hot rice and fold it in gently with a rice paddle to avoid mashing it. Then set it aside to cool.
- Make the crab mixture. In a bowl, add the finely chopped imitation crab, chopped shrimp tempura, Japanese mayo, softened cream cheese, and Sriracha. Mix everything together until well combined.
Pro Tip:Soften the cream cheese so that it’s easier to mix with the other ingredients. Cold cream cheese will not mix smoothly. Just leave it on the counter until it’s soft.
- Assemble the sushi bake. Evenly spread and compress the cooled sushi rice into the baking sheet. Then sprinkle the top with furikake. Next, spread the crab mixture over the rice.
- Broil. Place the sushi bake in the oven and boil for 4 minutes.
- Make the spicy mayo. Now add the Japanese mayo to the Sriracha and stir.
- Garnish the sushi bake. When the sushi bake is done, drizzle it with the spicy mayo, unagi, and garnish it with chopped cucumber, furikake, and green onion (optional).
Recipe Tips
- Wash the rice- Before cooking the rice, you want to make sure to thoroughly wash it to remove surface starch, which can cause the rice to become gummy as it cooks.
- Add the rice vinegar to hot rice- When rice is hot, it is better able to absorb the vinegar. The acidity of the vinegar then breaks down the starch inside the rice, making it even more absorbent and fluffy when cooked.
- Compress the rice once cooled. After the rice has cooled, the grains will hold their shape better. Compressing it into the baking sheet helps the sushi bake hold together once cooked.
FAQs
What is sushi bake made of?
A sushi bake is basically a deconstructed California roll in a casserole dish. It’s layers of rice, imitation crab meat, and sauces like unagi and spicy mayo. You can add other seafood, sauces, and vegetables to change up the flavor and texture. There are lots of variations.
Is sushi bake supposed to be eaten cold?
Sushi bake can be eaten cold or warm from the oven. Either way, it’s delicious!
Serving Suggestions
This Sushi Bake is a versatile dish that combines tangy, spicy, and sweet flavors. It tastes great with salads, sushi rolls, and other Asian-inspired dishes.
- Sushi: Serve this Sushi Bake alongside a Salmon Skin Roll, Dynamite Roll, Spicy Salmon Roll, or California Roll Sushi Bowl.
- Salads: Pair this dish with a Spinach Salad, Cabbage Cucumber Salad, Salmon Potato Salad, or Broccoli Salad With Bacon and Cheese.
- Rice: Serve it with Wild Rice, Wild Brown Rice, Pork Fried Rice, or Hibachi Fried Rice.
- Asian-inspired dishes: Enjoy this recipe along with Mongolian Beef, Grilled Honey Soy Salmon (VIDEO), 30-Minute Shrimp Chow Mein, or Teriyaki Chicken Wings.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can prepare the sushi rice in advance and keep it covered on the counter for a few hours before you make this sushi bake.
Storing: Store the Sushi Bake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should stay fresh for up to 3 days. Then reheat it in the microwave or in the oven until warmed through.
Freeze: This dish is best served fresh, so freezing is not advised. The mayo, shrimp tempura, and cream cheese will lose their texture when they thaw.
More Yummy Sushi!
Full Recipe Instructions
Easy Sushi Bake
This Easy Sushi Bake is made with creamy crab filling, spicy mayo, and tangy sweet rice. You'll love how easy and delicious it is.
4.94 from 60 votes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Japanese
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 434kcal
Author: Dina
Ingredients
For the Rice
- 2 cups dry Calrose Sushi Rice
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar Marukan
Crab mixture
- 16 oz imitation crab chopped into small pieces
- 10 cooked tempura shrimp, chopped (I get mine premade from Costco)
- 1/2 cup Japanese mayonnaise
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1 Tbsp sriracha
- 3 tablespoon furikake
Toppings
- 1/2 cup Spicy mayo
- 1-2 Tbsp Furikake
- 1/4 cup Unagi
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
Start off by making the sushi rice first. To clean the rice, add the dry Calrose Sushi Rice into a fine-mesh sieve. Then run it under cold water for about 1 minute making sure to mix the rice around with a spoon.
Then place the rice in your rice cooker and add the water and turn it on. Once the rice is cooked, transfer it to a rimmed baking sheet. Now pour 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar over the rice and fold it in. You want to use a rice paddle to do this. Make sure to be gentle with the rice and not mash it up. Then set that aside and let it cool.
Now for the crab mixture: In a bowl, add the chopped imitation crab, chopped tempura shrimp, Japanese mayonnaise, softened cream cheese, and 1 Tbsp sriracha.
Mix everything together until all the ingredients are well combined.
Now evenly spread and compress the cooled sushi rice into the baking sheet. Then add 3 Tbsp furikake of your choice over the rice.
Then spread the spicy crab mixture over the rice and broil for 4 minutes in the oven.
Once the sushi bake is done, drizzle some spicy mayonnaise and Ungai on top. Then garnish with chopped cucumber, furikake, and green onion (optional).
Notes
How To Store Sushi Bake
Store the Sushi Bake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should stay fresh for up to 3 days. Then reheat it in the microwave or in the oven until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 434kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 600mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 199IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
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Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!
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Reader Interactions
Comments
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jessica says
Hi Dina,
You left a link to Furikake above. Is that the one with roasted sesame seeds? and the one you usually use in this recipe? “Item Form- Powder” in it.I found this one
and it says ” Item Form -Granule”
So I’m just confused about which one i need to order from Amazon
Thank you!Reply
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Dina says
Hi Jessica, I just checked the link to the furikake that I have posted here in the recipe and it opens up to the same link that you linked. I am a little confused by what you are asking. The furikake that I used it titled “Nori Fume Furikake Rice Seasoning – 1.7 oz”. I hope that helps 🙂
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Zhanna m says
Wow wow wow I’m blown away! Eating this as we speak! Sooo good! I’m blown away how easy this recipe is and so delicious! Will be my go to in the future!Reply
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Dina says
Wow Zhanna! I am so thrilled to hear that you loved this sushi bake! Thank you for taking the time to write your awesome feedback! I really appreciate it! 🙂
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Laurie says
Planning to make this tomorrow for lunch for guests. At some point, the recipie mentions tempura shrimp, chopped, yet it isn’t listed in the initial instructions. So, do you use the shrimp or not? (Unfortunately, I didn’t buy any tempura shrimp.) Also, can this be prepared up to the point before baking, and refrigerate to bake a few hours later?
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Dina says
Hi Laurie, I wanted to clarify some confusion. I am in the process of updating the sushi bake recipe to make it tastier and overall better. It looks like part of it is updated in the printable recipe card but the rest isn’t updated in the post. I am so sorry for the confusion. Please follow the recipe in the printable recipe card for the full updated recipe. Also, the shrimp is optional 🙂 So don’t worry if you don’t have any! I hope you enjoy this recipe. Again, so sorry for the confusion. In regards to refrigeration, I would not recommend any refrigeration since it hardens the rice and makes the texture not as good. You can make the sushi bake and keep it at room temperature for a few hours before baking 🙂
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Lisa says
I’m so glad you clarified that you’ve updated this recipe! I’ve made it roughly a million times and never saw the tempura shrimp in the ingredients. I thought I was losing my mind, lol!
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Dina says
I am so sorry for the confusion Lisa! Thank you for being so understanding. And thank you for making this recipe so many times! I hope you give the updated version a try! It was such a hit with my family 🙂
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LAH224 says
This is going to be a new obsession- my sushi-loving kids also enjoyed! One note, there was not nearly enough of the crab topping; I doubled that except for the kewpie mayo. We put bites on nori squares and kept commenting how good it was!
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Dina says
I am so glad you all loved this sushi bake! Thank you for taking the time to write you recipe review!
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Barb says
This was very good. I read comments about some doubled the crab mixture because as recipe written was not enough mixture. I decided to use a 9×9 dish instead and keep ingredients as is. I won’t do that again, too much rice. So that’s all on me. I also don’t do sriracha so I decided to try a wasabi Mayo drizzled on top. It was good. I did include soy sauce and pickled ginger on the side.Reply
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Dina says
Thank you for the feedback Barb!
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Laura says
So easy and so delicious! I doubled the imitation crab mixture, added avocado, wasabi, pickled ginger, & soy sauce on the side because that is how I like my “sushi”. But there’s a ton of great flavor without those side additions. I will make this often. Thanks!Reply
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Dina says
That’s awesome Laura! I am so glad you loved this recipe so much!
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Calvin Lam says
If you are using unseasoned rice vinegar, this is what I added to the 1/4 cup:
– 2 tablespoons of sugar
– 1 teaspoon of saltReply
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Amanda says
Can you use jasmine rice instead of sushi rice?
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Dina says
Hi Amanda, I would not recommend Jasmine rice since it is not a short-grain rice and is not sticky enough. The texture just won’t be the same.
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Kate says
OMG so good! I used real crab meat and doubled it. I also used my muffin tins and silicone cups so they came out like little mini sushi cakes. Threw some avocado on top and it was so tasty and everyone loved it!Reply
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Dina says
I am so happy to hear that you loved this sushi bake recipe, Kate! Thanks for taking the time to write your awesome feedback 🙂
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Lisa says
Oh my gosh!!! This turned out amazing… even my 8 year old granddaughter loved it. At first I was concerned that the crab minter would be bland but once I added each ingredients it all came together… I’ve got alot of ideas to tweak it… can’t wait to make againReply
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Dina says
Lisa, that’s amazing! I am so happy to hear that you all loved this sushi bake recipe! Thank you for taking the time to write your kind feedback 🙂
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Justeena says
Loved this recipe. I added another 16 Oz of crab along with another 8 Oz of salmon to the recipe. Get that meat into the recipe for my growing teens and husband. Super simple and fast. ThanksReply
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Dina says
I am happy to hear that you all loved this sushi bake Justeena! Thank you for taking the time to write your feedback!
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Samantha says
This was very good. Followed NYT recipe for sushi rice. Personally, the ratio of rice was too high for the amt of crab. Next time, I’ll probably double the crab and serve with something lighter like a cucumber salad. Will be making some iteration of this again.Reply
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Dina says
Hi Samantha 🙂 Very happy to hear you enjoyed this sushi bake! Thank you for your support and honest feedback! 🙂
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Erica says
I’m
Highly allergic to crab… even the imitation kind 🙄 how can I make this with salmon?!?Reply
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Dina says
Hi Erica, you can totally replace the imitation crab with cooked salmon 🙂 It will have a pretty prominent salmon flavor though.
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Isa says
I have done this recipe once and I loved how delicious, easy, fast and simple it is. Thank you, DinaReply
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Dina says
I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Isa! Thank you for the positive feedback 😊
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Karly D says
Can you freeze and reheat it?
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Dina says
Hi Karly 🙂 I have never tried freezing and reheating this sushi bake but I would not recommend it. I hope that helps and I hope you love this recipe! Let me know if you give it a try 🙂
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Rose says
Do not freeze because mayo separates in the freezer.
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PMAZ says
Planning on trying this.
When I shopped for furikake seasoning there where several combinations/ varieties. Which do you recommend?Also can I use seaweed snack chips (found at Costco) instead of nori sheets?
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Dina says
Hi 🙂 I hope you love this sushi bake! I used the roasted sesame and seaweed flavor of furikake seasoning. However, it is also a personal preference. Some people like the bonito and egg flavor but I don’t like a super strong fishy smell or taste.
I haven’t tried using the seaweed snack chips from costco but I think it should be fine. Let me know how it goes 🙂
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Kassandra Albano says
Just made this tonight it’s so delicious !! 🤤☺️
Thank you for the recipe!!Reply
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Dina says
Thank you so much, Kassandra! I am so happy that you enjoyed the sushi bake 🙂
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Jess says
Found the crab mix to be less flavourful than I had hoped.Reply
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Dina says
I am sorry to hear that Jess. Sometimes a little extra saltiness is all you need to bring out the flavor. Some people prefer their food saltier than others.
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Anna says
I’m thrilled to find this recipe! We will be making it this week. Can we substitute the crab for salmon? Maybe even smoked? Thanks.
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simplyhomecooked says
I hope you love this sushi bake recipe Anna! Technically you can, however, it will give it a different taste. Most sushi recipes don’t use smoked salmon. A lot of the salmon in sushi is seared salmon. If you imagine what you like on your sushi then that could work as a substitute. Hope that helps clarify 🙂
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4.94 from 60 votes (49 ratings without comment)
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