These sushi bowls have all the components and flavors of a California roll without any of the work! They’re grain free, paleo, keto and Whole30 compliant and so easy to make. These bowls make a great lunch or light dinner and are perfect for meal prep as well.
If you’re up for a no-cook, throw together lunch or dinner then you’re absolutely going to love these sushi bowls!
My sushi loving kids went nuts over these when they came home from school. You can easily meal prep these bowls too for a packed lunch.
The flavors totally mimic those in a California roll to satisfy those cravings! But, you get filling, heathy meal bowls that are also low in carbs, since cauliflower rice replaces the sushi rice. I know you’re going to love them!
What You Need to Make California Roll Sushi Bowls
You’ll see everything in these bowls replicates what you’d find in an actual California roll. Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare them:
- cauliflower rice (I used frozen)
- rice vinegar
- Sea salt
- avocado
- English cucumber
- shredded carrots
- pickled sushi ginger
- crab meat – imitation crab meat or real – chopped or torn
- nori sheet, broken into small pieces
- Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
- paleo friendly mayonnaise (store bought or homemade)
- paleo friendly sriracha sauce (I used Yellowbird brand, purchased at Whole Foods)
How to Prepare These Paleo California Roll Sushi Bowls
Steam or sauté the cauliflower rice until softened. Add the vinegar to the rice and sprinkle with sea salt, then stir to combine.
Divide the cauliflower rice between the 4 bowls. In a medium bowl, gently toss the cucumbers, carrots, ginger, and crabmeat with the remaining vinegar and a bit of sea salt. Arrange this mixture over the rice along with the sliced avocado, then top with the nori.
Whisk together the mayo and sriracha, then drizzle over the bowls. If it’s too thick to drizzle, you can pipe it through a ziplock bag with a small hole cut in the corner. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.
How to Meal Prep These Sushi Bowls
To make a day ahead of time, prepare the bowls without the avocado or nori, since the avocado turns brown and the nori will get soft quickly.
Keep the sriracha mayo on the side, covered in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve, add the sliced avocado and nori to the bowls and top with the sriracha mayo.
To pack them for lunch, you can keep the sriracha mayo in a condiment container and separate out the nori so you can sprinkle it on right before digging in.
The avocado is fine to include since it should stay green for a few hours – just don’t let it sit overnight, slice it in the morning before leaving.
I know you’re going to love these simple sushi bowls with all the goodies and flavor you love in a California roll!
Grab your ingredients because it’s time to dig in – enjoy!
Paleo California Roll Sushi Bowls {Whole30, Keto}
California Roll Sushi Bowls {Paleo, Whole30}
Ingredients
- Sushi Bowls:
- 12 oz cauliflower rice I used frozen
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar divided into 2 + 1
- Sea salt
- 1 large avocado thinly sliced
- 1 English cucumber quartered and sliced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 Tbsp pickled sushi ginger optional
- 8 oz crab meat - imitation crab meat or real - chopped or torn
- 1 nori sheet broken into small pieces
- Toasted sesame seeds for garnish
- Sriracha Mayo see below
Sriracha Mayo:
- 1/4 cup paleo friendly mayonnaise store bought or homemade
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce paleo friendly (I used Yellowbird brand, purchased at Whole Foods) use as much as you like, to taste
Instructions
-
Steam or sauté the cauliflower rice until softened. Add the vinegar to the rice and sprinkle with sea salt, then stir to combine.
-
Divide the cauliflower rice between the 4 bowls. In a medium bowl, gently toss the cucumbers, carrots, ginger, and crabmeat with the remaining vinegar and a bit of sea salt. Arrange this mixture over the rice along with the sliced avocado, then top with the nori.
-
Whisk together the mayo and sriracha, then drizzle over the bowls. If it’s too thick to drizzle, you can pipe it through a ziplock bag with a small hole cut in the corner. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*To make a day ahead of time, prepare the bowls without the avocado or nori and keep the sriracha mayo on the side, covered in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, add the avocado and nori to the bowls and top with the sriracha mayo.
Nutrition
Want More Asian Inspired Paleo Recipes? Try One of These!
General Tso’s Chicken in the Instant Pot
Spicy Shrimp Egg Roll in a Bowl
Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice
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Love the idea of this recipe!!! Wish there were an organic sriracha sauce that came in glass. The vinegar will leach nasty plastic chemicals into the sauce. 🙁
Plastics are made from a non-renewable resource and do not biodegrade, so not good for the planet. BPA and phthalates are found to be hormone disruptors and affect current and future generations. Below is just one of many articles on the effects of plastic on the planet.
I would love to see sites like this partner with some folks like Life Without Plastic to create not only healthier bodies, but a healthier planet.
Thank you!
I was wondering about the inclusion of imitation crab meat. All of it I’ve seen contains wheat making it not GF/Paleo/Whole30. Is there some that does not? Where did you get it from?
I am also surprised to read this post. Thanks for writing this useful. I am Yoga Teacher Gustavo Woltmann.
Delicious! Sushi out was my favorite date with my husband pre-shutdown. As we’ve tried to go paleo and clean, we’ve missed this meal. Your recipe was easy to make and wonderful to eat. I bought a small container of real crab meat, about $12. The imitation crab I found all had sugar added into it. I used a paleo mayo and mixed in a pepper paste to make a sriracha sauce. I used roasted lime seaweed. I cannot wait to have another bowl. I do and do not want to share with my husband. Thank you for so many great recipes. I use your site often.
We really loved this recipe! We used real crab meat and Yellowbird Sriracha, both from Whole Foods. The crab meat cost about $10. It’s really great if you’re craving sushi on Whole30. I’m requesting this for Mother’s Day this weekend.
I just made this for dinner tonight and it was awesome! I was skeptical at first because it seemed too simple, but it came together beautifully and really hit the spot for a sushi craving. This will be added to my dinner rotation!
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This is absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe! I will add this to the dinner rotation for my family!
This was tasty and didn’t destroy the kitchen. Will make again.