This Sushi Bake recipe is a delicious, deconstructed version of your favorite sushi rolls. It’s perfect for sharing and easy to make at home. Filled with the same ingredients you love in a classic California Roll, let me show you how to layer the parts and pieces and prepare them as an oven-baked casserole—no rolling required!

Sushi Bake in a baking dish garnished with sauces and sliced green onions.

If rolling rice and fish in roasted seaweed seems complicated and time-consuming, our easy Sushi Bake recipe is the perfect solution! This viral recipe has taken off on social media.

This sushi casserole is prepared like a deconstructed California roll, with all the sweet and tangy sushi rice flavors and creamy, spicy crab meat textures of traditional sushi. The ingredients are stacked on a baking sheet, cooked, and served as a rectangular slice rather than rolled round.

Feeding my family of five is a small fortune, especially when we dine at our favorite Japanese restaurant. Now you won’t have to feel frugal making sushi at home because this will be your favorite way to eat sushi going forward!

The best thing about sushi bake recipes is that they can be revised to include your favorite fillings that may not fit inside a standard roll. Feel free to make your maki casserole fancier as you see fit and add sushi-grade fish, some vegetables, or spicy condiments.

What Is A Sushi Bake

A sushi bake is a great way to get your sushi fix without leaving the house. It tastes just like your favorite spicy California roll and is filled with all the familiar textures. However, the sticky seasoned sushi rice, seaweed, and crab meat mixture is layered, baked, and served casserole-style instead of rolled and sliced round.

Ingredients Notes

Water
Sushi rice: Sushi rice is a white short-grain rice that is very starchy, making it super sticky when cooked. It is easily found in most Asian grocery stores and is what you want for the base of this baked sushi dish.
Seasoned rice wine vinegar: Adds a subtle tangy flavor to the rice and helps to balance its natural sweetness. It also makes the rice slightly sticky.
Granulated sugar: This balances the acidity of the vinegar and adds a touch of sweetness to the rice.
Salt: Provides a well-rounded taste to the sushi rice.
Toasted sesame seeds: Adds some extra texture and crunch.
Nori seaweed: If you can not find the 8×8 inch sheets of nori seaweed, you can substitute smaller sheets or pieces. You will need to ensure that you have an even layer that completely covers the rice and toasted sesame seed layer.
Cream cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature for easy mixing and spreading.
Mayonnaise: When choosing a mayonnaise for this recipe, I highly recommend using either Duke’s brand or Kewpie Japanese mayo rather than an American-style mayonnaise.
Sriracha mayo: This sushi bake uses sriracha mayo, which packs quite a bit of heat. If you are not a fan of spicy food, you can substitute bottled yum yum sauce for the spicy mayo.
Low sodium soy sauce: You can use tamari as a gluten free alternative.
Imitation flake-style crab meat
Unagi (Eel) sushi sauce: Unagi, or Eel sauce, is a traditional condiment used on some sushi rolls. It is slightly sweet and savory. It can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store or at an Asian supermarket. It can also easily be ordered online. The Kikkoman brand was used to develop this recipe.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

a slice of Sushi Bake being lifted from a baking dish with a wooden spatula.

How to Make The Viral Sushi Bake

Cook The Rice: Soak the rice in water for 15 minutes. Bring the water to a low boil, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and cook for 20 minutes until all the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and allow the rice to rest for 10 minutes.
Make The Sticky Rice: Heat the rice wine vinegar, sugar, and salt on high for 30 seconds and stir to dissolve. Pour the mixture into the pot of steamed sushi rice and fluff with a fork.
Make The Crab Mixture: Stir together the cream cheese, mayo, and sriracha mayo until smooth. Mix in the soy sauce, then fold in the crab meat.
Assemble: Press the sushi rice into the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cover with nori seaweed sheets. Spread the crab mixture over the seaweed.
Bake: Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until the warmed through. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.
Decorate With A Drizzle: Drizzle the Unagi sauce and the sriracha mayo over the top of the sushi bake. Garnish with a sprinkle of sliced green onions.
Slice and Serve: Cut into 8 portions and serve. Enjoy!

Spread the cooked sushi rice in the bottom of the baking dish and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Layer the nori seaweed sheets evenly over the rice in the baking dish. Spread the crab mixture evenly over the nori seaweed sheets in the baking dish. Add a drizzle of the Unagi sauce, and the sriracha mayo.

Serving Suggestions

Sushi is fun to eat unrolled with a fork or chopsticks! Serve with an assortment of condiments, like soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger, on the side. It’s a great lunch or light dinner idea and perfect for meal prep, potlucks, and parties.

I love topping my sushi bake with sliced avocado, scallions, unagi sauce, and sriracha mayo. Get creative with your garnish and add your favorite sushi fillings and flavors.

Sliced cucumber, matchstick cut carrots, toasted sesame seeds, tempura flakes, or sliced jalapeño will all taste delicious!

sushi bake drizzled with Unagi sauce, and the sriracha mayo.

Tips & Variations

Best Mayo Brand: When choosing a mayonnaise to use for this recipe, I highly suggest using either Kewpie Japanese mayo if available in your area as it is thicker, and richer, than most American style mayonnaises. The closest brand I have found is Duke’s brand mayo as it is made with more egg yolks and apple cider vinegar making it richer and with a slight hint of sweetness from the apple cider vinegar. The Kewpie mayo is an egg yolk based mayonnaise that is made with rice vinegar and sugar. These both will be thicker and more yellow in color than most American mayos which are typically made using whole eggs and white vinegar.
Sashimi Grade Seafood: I used imitation crab for this recipe but you can use real crab meat, shrimp, salmon, tuna, or even skip the seafood altogether and add some plant-based protein instead. Better yet, use them all!
Swap The Sushi Rice: If you can not find sushi rice at your grocery store, you can alternatively use short-grain white rice. You will follow the cooking directions of the rice you have and follow the rest of the recipe as written. For a low-carb option, you can even use cauliflower rice.
Go Gluten-Free: While many of the ingredients in this sushi bake are naturally or typically gluten-free, some brands of seasoned rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and unagi sauce may add wheat, so carefully check the labels. Imitation crab meat often contains wheat as a binder, so it is usually not gluten-free. Look for a gluten-free labeled version or substitute with real crab meat.

What Is Imitation Crab Meat

Imitation crab is a mock or faux crab that relies on ingredients to mimic the texture and taste of authentic crab. It is made with a paste of finely shredded or pulverized fish. After the fish is minced, it is heated and pressed into shapes that resemble meat from a crab leg. The resulting imitation crab looks similar to the original crab in its coloring and texture.

Proper Storage

To Store: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days for best results.
To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this sushi bake as the texture of the ingredients will not be at their best quality once thawed from frozen.
To Reheat: This sushi bake can be served slightly warm or at room temperature. Reheat in the oven or microwave until heated through.

a slice of Sushi Bake on a white plate topped with chopped green onions.

More Easy Casserole REcipes

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