This is the EASIEST way to make Japanese sushi at home! All you need to make Temaki Sushi (aka “hand-rolled” sushi) is yakinori seaweed, sushi rice and your favourite fillings. Wrap them up into a roll or cone shape and you are done!Β Serve it up with a piping hot bowl of Udon Noodles or some Creamy Japanese Potato Salad.
Why We Love This
Temaki sushi is the easiest way to make sushi at home. We love it because there’s no need to stress over using a special bamboo sushi rolling mat or having perfect rolling / slicing skills. This is a super fun / no-fuss way to make sushi your way – quickly and easily – with your favourite filling ingredients like takuan, ready for dipping in soy sauce and wasabi.
And if you have a rice cooker, it’s even easier. Simply pop your rice and water in the bowl and cook with the press of a button!
What is Temaki Sushi?
Temaki sushi is very similar to regular sushi – both have the same basic ingredients – but the difference is in the final shape and how they are rolled.
This sushi version means you won’t need a bamboo mat or perfect technique. Instead, you roll it in your hand into a cone shape.
With all the various ingredients spread out in bowls on the table, it’s easy to pick and choose your fillings and flavour combinations.
It’s a fun and social way to eat sushi, and is often enjoyed by groups of people as a sushi party or with the whole family at home.
What You’ll Need
1. Sushi Rice
Sushi rice will give your Temaki Sushi the most authentic flavour and texture, however we also tested this recipe with jasmine rice once (oops β who knew that container held sticky rice and not sushi rice!?) and it worked just fine.
2. Yakinori β Seaweed Sheets
Weβve found yakinori / roasted seaweed sheets all over the place in our travels, from grocery stores to supermarkets and import stores. But if you run out of luck, you could always order a pack of yakinori online.
3. Fillings
For those who find it a little hard to source fresh, sashimi-grade fish, weβve put together our favourite list of super simple temaki sushi ingredients, starting with a quick and easy blend of tinned tuna and kewpie mayonnaise.
Some other, easy to source ingredients include:
- Thinly sliced cucumber
- Thinly sliced carrot – today we used this style of grater
to achieve those super thin strips, but you can use a normal grater or try your hand at julienne slices!
- Shredded roast chicken
- Avocado
- Cooked prawns / shrimp
- Smoked salmon + cream cheese
- Takuan – yellow pickled daikon
- Pickled ginger
(check the Asian section at your local supermarket)
- Wasabi paste
(as above)
- Fish roe
(believe it or not we found this at our local supermarket in the fridge section near the smoked salmon packets β never realised we could source it from there before!) It may also be labelled as Caviar.
4. Next Level Sushi Fillings β If You Can Source Them / Just for Fun!
Keen to upgrade your temaki sushi experience? Try your hand at some of these:
- Japanese sliced omelette
- Sashimi grade fish (tuna, salmon, kingfish are all good places to start)
- Shiso leaves (also known as perilla leaves, weβve found shiso at fresh produce markets in our home town, and may even add them to our home veggie garden)
- Sliced or fried fofu
- Anything and everything your heart desires!
Youβre only limited by your imagination and the ingredients you can get your hands on.
How to Make Temaki Sushi
Transfer cooked rice to a wide, flat-bottomed pan or dish.
Pour the sushi vinegar over the cooked rice and mix gently with a flat rice paddle so as not to break any of the grains. Allow the rice to cool completely before serving.
Next, place your tuna in a small bowl and top with kewpie mayo.
Mix until well combined, adding more kewpie mayonnaise if needed until you have a smooth texture and delicious flavour.
To Assemble Your Temaki Sushi:
Take up a sheet of nori (remember to slice or break it in half first) and place it in your hand or on a plate, then top with a scoop of rice in the top left corner in a rough, triangular shape.
Layer up with your chosen fillings such as the tuna/kewpie blend, carrot and cucumber, then fold up the bottom left corner and roll into a cone shape. If you’re unsure how to do this, check out our video.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Rinse the rice a few times before cooking to remove the starchy powder. This will give you the best and fluffiest texture once cooked.
- Never use a metal spoon when handling the rice. 1) it could damage the rice grains, not to mention the rice cooker bowl and 2) it could react with the rice vinegar.
- Donβt be tempted to cool the rice in the fridge to save time β it can damage the rice and change the flavour.
- Feel free to experiment with the sushi rice seasoning! Thereβs no hard and fast rule that says you have to use the whole lot. Add it in gradually and taste test the rice until youβre satisfied with the strength of the flavour.
FAQs
Temaki is usually a hand rolled sushi, made into the shape of a cone. Maki sushi on the other hand is made using the bamboo roller, and then usually cut into bite size pieces. The maki style is more likely to be seen in supermarkets and restaurants, whereas temaki is much more homestyle for gatherings with friends or family.
For best results, we recommend using short grain Japanese rice such as koshihikari. It becomes sticky (but not gluggy) when cooked, making it the best choice of rice to make sushi that won’t fall apart.
The easiest way to cook sushi rice for regular or temaki sushi is in a rice cooker. All you need to do is pop in the rice, fill with water to the line, set to rice mode and press start. Simple! Perfectly cooked, fluffy sushi rice with no sticky, overcooked rice stuck to the bottom. You can also cook the rice manually on the stove, however you’ll need to keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn’t overcook and become dry.
Variations
- Feel free to get as crazy as you like with fillings. We’ve given a few ideas above, but it’s completely open to your tastebuds!
- If you don’t have sushi vinegar on hand substitute with 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp sugar and a pinch of salt.
- For the rice quantities, 2 cups of uncooked rice equals 6 cups of cooked rice. So just multiply the uncooked rice amount by 2 to work out the cooked rice required.
- If you’re not a fan of seaweed, try wrapping your hand rolled sushi with lettuce or spinach instead. It will alter the flavour slightly.
- Turn it into a sushi bowl! You could also put all the ingredients and mix together in a bowl, topping with shredded nori sheets instead of wrapping them into rolls.
More Japanese snacks and sides to try next:
- Easy Homemade Pork Gyoza Dumplings
- Yudofu – Hot Simmered Tofu
- Yakisoba NoodlesΒ
- Okonomiyaki Pancakes
- Daifuku Mochi with Red Bean
β Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment & star rating below!
Ingredients
For the rice:
- 6 cups sushi rice cooked
- 2 tbsp sushi vinegar (or 1Β½ tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp sugar and a pinch of salt)
For the Wrapper:
- 2 nori sheets per person, sliced in half
For the fillings:
- 200 g tuna canned, in brine
- 2-3 tbsp kewpie mayonnaise
- 1 carrot finely sliced
- 1 cucumber sliced into strips
Instructions
- Transfer cooked rice to a wide, flat-bottomed pan or dish.
- Pour the sushi vinegar over the cooked rice and mix gently with a flat rice paddle so as not to break any of the grains. Allow the rice to cool completely before serving.
- Next, place your tuna in a small bowl and top with kewpie mayo. Mix until well combined, adding more kewpie mayonnaise if needed until you have a smooth texture and delicious flavour.
To Assemble Your Temaki Sushi:
- Take up a sheet of nori (remember to slice or break it in half first) and place it in your hand or on a plate, then top with a scoop of rice in the top left corner in a rough, triangular shape.
- Layer up with your chosen fillings such as the tuna/kewpie blend, carrot and cucumber, then fold up the bottom left corner and roll into a cone shape. If you're unsure how to do this, check out our video.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Rinse the rice a few times before cooking to remove the starchy powder. This will give you the best and fluffiest texture once cooked.Β
- Never use a metal spoon when handling the rice. 1) it could damage the rice grains, not to mention the rice cooker bowl and 2) it could react with the rice vinegar.
- Donβt be tempted to cool the rice in the fridge to save time β it can damage the rice and change the flavour.
- Feel free to experiment with the sushi rice seasoning! Thereβs no hard and fast rule that says you have to use the whole lot. Add it in gradually and taste test the rice until youβre satisfied with the strength of the flavour.
- What is the difference between Temaki and Maki Sushi? Temaki is usually a handmade roll of sushi, made into the shape of a cone. Maki sushi on the other hand is made using the bamboo roller, and then usually cut into bite size pieces. The maki style is more likely to be seen in supermarkets and restaurants, whereas temaki is much more homestyle for gatherings with friends or family.
- Which rice do you use Temaki Sushi? For best results, we recommend using short grain Japanese rice such as koshihikari
. It becomes sticky (but not gluggy) when cooked, making it the best choice of rice to make sushi that won’t fall apart.
- How do you cook sushi rice? The easiest way to cook sushi rice for regular or temaki sushi is in a rice cooker
. All you need to do is pop in the rice, fill with water to the line, set to rice mode and press start. Simple! Perfectly cooked, fluffy sushi rice with no sticky, overcooked rice stuck to the bottom. You can also cook the rice manually on the stove, however you’ll need to keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn’t overcook and become dry.
- Feel free to get as crazy as you like with fillings.Β We’ve given a few ideas above, but it’s completely open to your tastebuds!
- If you don’t have sushi vinegar on handΒ substitute with 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp sugar and a pinch of salt.Β
- For the rice quantities,Β 2 cups of uncooked rice equals 6 cups of cooked rice. So just multiply the uncooked rice amount by 2 to work out the cooked rice required.
- If you’re not a fan of seaweed, try wrapping your sushi with lettuce or spinach instead. It will alter the flavour slightly.Β
- Turn it into a sushi bowl! You could also put all the ingredients and mix together in a bowl, topping with shredded nori sheets instead of wrapping them into rolls.
32 Comments
Kelly Anthony
16/07/2019 at 9:42 pmI’m all about working smarter not harder and this recipe is super fun without taking the time of making traditional sushi.
Wandercooks
17/07/2019 at 4:27 pmExactly. This is essentially home-style – still traditional just not the version we’re used to seeing at restaurants!
Danielle Wolter
16/07/2019 at 8:16 pmWhat a great idea! I love the idea of making my own sushi at home. It’s fancy π you make it seem so easy, can’t wait to try it!
Wandercooks
17/07/2019 at 4:26 pmThanks Danielle. It’s definitely easier than you think when hand-rolled. We’ve got the whole family in on it! π
Dannii
16/07/2019 at 8:02 pmWe love making our own sushi. It saves us a fortune and we can put whatever we want in them.
Wandercooks
17/07/2019 at 4:25 pmExactly. Couldn’t agree more. It’s always fun when you make them yourself.
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
16/07/2019 at 6:28 pmI love making sushi at home, this looks SO good! Will definitely give it a go.
Wandercooks
17/07/2019 at 4:25 pmYay, awesome to hear. Thanks for stopping by Bintu.
Suzy
16/07/2019 at 3:39 pmI am loving all of the tips on how to make sushi! From cooking the rice to rolling it! can’t wait to try it out!
Wandercooks
17/07/2019 at 4:36 pmWoot, woot! Thanks Suzy!
Diana
10/04/2017 at 10:10 pmLove the idea of hand rolling these sushi rolls. I’m planning to make a sushi bowl next week and share it on my blog, much easier than the traditional sushi rolls that I find too time consuming (to make not eat! haha).
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:53 amOoh that sounds delish, can’t wait to see what you create Diana! π
sara | belly rumbles
10/04/2017 at 9:54 pmTemaki is always such a great family meal. Less stress on me, and let the family assemble and make their own. Making the rice in a rice cooker just makes it all the more easier.
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:53 amAbsolutely Sara, everyone can use their favourite fillings and have fun rolling them up, just like when making Vietnamese Cold Rolls or Summer Rolls. Definitely a fun way to eat together! π
Tara
10/04/2017 at 9:08 pmI love how you broke down the ingredients and steps! The Temaki Sushi looks perfect! Such a colorful snack. I will need to check out that rice cooker.
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:52 amThanks, so glad you enjoyed and I hope they’re helpful for you when you make your own Temaki Sushi. We’re loving the rice cooker, it does a really great job but even better it’s totally hands off until the rice is cooked and fluffy. Apparently we can use it to make rice cooker cheesecake too, so that’s on the list for another experiment!
Dahn
10/04/2017 at 8:38 pmThis looks so good and what a fast and easy way to make sushi. Wouldn’t this be fun to have guests do at a casual party!?!
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:50 amYep! Also I may have just planned a little sushi party with family for Sarah’s birthday… but shh! π
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
10/04/2017 at 6:38 pmI love making sushi, but we usually just make maki. I like the idea of making individual rolls like this.
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:49 amIt’s so much fun isn’t it Dannii! You can pretty much roll these however you want, as a cone shape like we did or the more standard cylindrical maki shape… you could even make sushi sandwiches with them if you want!
Luci's Morsels
10/04/2017 at 3:17 pmThis looks so good! I am having some serious dinner envy!
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:45 amTee hee, grab your nori and jump right in! π
Cassie @ Be Forever Healthier
31/03/2017 at 3:28 pmI’ve never tried to make my own sushi! I think I might give it a go though because this is a really helpful guide! Thanks π
Wandercooks
03/04/2017 at 4:19 pmOh you’re in for so much fun Cassie! π
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
30/03/2017 at 6:40 pmLove the look of this type of sushi roll! I’ve made sushi once or twice, but I often find the seaweed quite tough to cut through once I’ve rolled it – so making individual little rolls like this looks much easier!
Wandercooks
03/04/2017 at 4:17 pmYesss! Us too! Unless you wet the knife each time before slicing it (and have a really sharp knife) it can be hard to get that perfect clean cut. No need to worry about that here though! π
jane @ littlesugarsnaps
30/03/2017 at 6:38 pmThese rolls look so colourful and appetising. The step by step pictures are a great help to a novice like me too – thanks.
Wandercooks
03/04/2017 at 4:16 pmOh that’s awesome so glad we could help π Thanks for stopping by Jane!
Lisa Bryan | Downshiftology
30/03/2017 at 12:20 pmLove this! I’ve always wanted to roll my own sushi but always thought it was difficult. Definitely going to give this a try!
Wandercooks
30/03/2017 at 12:23 pmAgreed! We often found ourselves going out for sushi or just grabbing some from the convenience stores, but Temaki Sushi is turning out to be even easier than that haha.
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
30/03/2017 at 11:16 amYou make this look so do-able! I am such a huge sushi fan — I may have to give this a try! Your photos are beautiful, too!
Wandercooks
30/03/2017 at 11:19 amAww thanks Lisa, high-fives to another sushi fan! We’re a bit obsessed after discovering this hand-roll method – we’ve had them three times this last week already!