A vegan sushi roll made with Japanese-style chickpea "tuna mayo" — a plant-based filling seasoned with onion koji, a traditional Japanese fermented seasoning that pairs beautifully with rice.
Simple enough for an everyday snack, yet special enough for celebrations — and perfect as an ehomaki roll for Setsubun.
A homemade vegan sushi roll that anyone can enjoy.
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⛄️ From a Winter Kitchen｜Vegan Tuna Mayo Sushi Rolls
Chickpeas are one of my favourite ingredients to work with — endlessly versatile, and surprisingly good at standing in for meat or fish.
In my kitchen notebook, there are several dishes that bring out a savoury, almost meat-like depth with chickpeas — like vegan chickpea 'meat' miso and vegan pork and beans. Somehow, chickpeas have a depth of flavour and umami unlike any other legume — that almost meaty quality never ceases to amaze me.
This time, though, the star isn't meat — it's vegan tuna mayo.
My vegan tuna mayo uses very little olive oil, so it pairs especially well with rice — for onigiri, sushi rolls, and more. The secret is onion koji, a fermented Japanese seasoning that adds gentle, layered umami and makes all the difference with rice.
Once the rice has cooled to just warm, spread it over the nori, add the crisp shredded cabbage, and roll. That's it — your vegan sushi roll is ready.
The combination of this vegan tuna mayo and cabbage is a perfect match — before you know it, the whole roll will be gone.
My all-time favourite vegan sushi roll.
🌿 More vegetarian sushi roll recipes:
➤ Ume Shiso Cucumber Roll
➤ Avocado & Spinach Roll
➤ Eggplant Gunkan Sushi
➤ Vegan Futomaki Sushi
🧺 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Fully plant-based: A vegetarian and vegan sushi roll made entirely from plant-based ingredients
- Rich in umami: Onion koji brings gentle, layered depth of flavour
- Lighter and healthier: No vegan mayo — just a small amount of olive oil for richness
- Endlessly versatile: Swap the vegetables with seasonal ones for a different vegan sushi roll every time
- Hand roll option: Skip the rolling and serve everything temaki-style instead
🍊 Ingredients
● Chickpea Vegan Tuna Mayo:
A vegan tuna mayo made ahead with cooked chickpeas and onion koji. Make a little extra and you'll have it ready for onigiri and sandwiches too.
● Cabbage:
The best vegetable sushi filling to pair with this vegan tuna mayo.
I tried several options, and cabbage won every time (👉 other filling ideas in the 📘 Kitchen Notes).
● Rice:
About 140g of cooked rice per nori sheet.
Brown rice or multigrain rice works well too. Spread freshly cooked rice onto a flat plate and let it cool to about body temperature before using.
● Nori:
Use sushi nori sheets.
👇 Full quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom.
🥣 Tools
You don't need much — but having these on hand makes rolling a lot easier.
- Cutting board and knife: For slicing the cabbage and cutting the sushi rolls
- Bamboo sushi mat (makisu): Not essential, but makes rolling much easier
- Cling film (plastic wrap): Laid over the mat before rolling
- Rice paddle (shamoji): For spreading the rice
- Flat plate: To spread and cool the freshly cooked rice
- Damp cloth: For wiping the knife between cuts — wet it and wring it out well
📖 How to Make
For best results, make the vegan tuna mayo the day before rolling. The flavours deepen overnight and taste even better the next day.
- Prep
- Shred the cabbage finely and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
- If using freshly cooked rice, spread it on a flat plate to cool to body temperature
🌿 Make sure the cabbage is well dried before rolling — excess moisture can cause the nori to tear.
- Set up
- Place the bamboo mat on the cutting board and lay a sheet of cling film on top
- Place the nori
- Lay the nori sheet on top of the cling film
- Lay the nori sheet on top of the cling film
- Spread the rice
- Spread the rice over the nori sheet
- Keep it as thin and even as possible, leaving about 2cm uncovered at the far end
🌿 Wet your hands or the rice paddle lightly with water — this makes spreading the rice much easier.
- Add the fillings
- Place the chickpea vegan tuna mayo along the near edge
- Place the shredded cabbage right next to it, further from you
- Roll ❶
- Lift the near edge of the bamboo mat and fold it over the fillings
- Gently pull the roll towards you and press lightly to shape it
- Roll ❷
- Release the mat, then continue rolling forward until the seam is fully sealed
- Roll ❸
- Once the roll is complete, gently shape it through the bamboo mat
- Roll ❹
- Remove the bamboo mat and let the roll rest in the cling film for a few minutes — this helps the seam set and makes cutting much cleaner
🌿 If you won’t be eating right away, keep the rolls wrapped and slice just before serving to prevent drying.
- Cut
- Unwrap the cling film and slice the sushi roll into pieces
🌿 Wipe the blade with a damp cloth between each cut for clean, beautiful cross-sections
🫙 Storage & Shelf Life
- Best eaten sooner rather than later
- Refrigerating sushi rolls makes the rice firm and dry— not ideal for making ahead
- Prepping the night before? Make only the vegan tuna mayo in advance, then cook fresh rice and prepare the cabbage on the day. You'll get the best texture and flavour that way.
📘 Kitchen Notes｜Filling Variations
I tried swapping the cabbage for julienned carrot and blanched spinach to make a more colourful version.
The layering order is shown in the photo below:
- Place the chickpea vegan tuna mayo at the front
- Place the julienned carrot right next to it
- Lay the spinach along the border between the two, then roll
This gives you a beautifully neat cross-section.
The colours were beautiful ー but cabbage is still my favourite.
When summer comes, I'd love to try rolling it with:
- Julienned cucumber
- Lettuce
- Cherry tomatoes
— for a bright, fresh summer vegetable sushi roll.
📚 FAQ
It usually means the rice is spread too thick or there's too much filling.
Leave a gap at the far end of the nori and keep the rice layer thin — this makes rolling much easier.
Wrapping the finished roll in cling film and leaving it to rest for a few minutes also helps it hold its shape.
I use about 140g per nori sheet as a guide.
It might feel like not enough — but using slightly less rice than you think is the key to a neat, tight roll.
Absolutely. Just prepare all the fillings and let everyone assemble their own hand rolls — it's fun to roll your own.
I don't recommend making the assembled rolls in advance.
Make the vegan tuna mayo ahead of time, then cook fresh rice and roll on the day for the best texture and flavour.
If you feel like whispering a thought, asking a question, or simply saying hello — the comment section is always open 📮
🛷 Recipe ❶ More Ways to Use Leftover Chickpeas
More vegan recipes using cooked chickpeas:
🧣 Recipe ❷ More Vegan Sushi Recipes
More plant-based sushi rolls and sushi ideas:
🐕 Recipe ❸ Pairings
Vegan sides and soups for the same table:
✏️ Recipe Card
Vegan Tuna Mayo Sushi Rolls
Equipment
- Cutting board and knife
- Bamboo sushi mat (makisu)
- plastic wrap
- Rice paddle (shamoji)
- Flat plate
- Damp cloth
- paper towel
Ingredients
- ½ batch vegan tuna mayo
- 50-70 cabbage (about)
- 140 g freshly cooked Japanese short-grain rice (from about ½ Japanese rice cup / 90ml uncooked rice)
- 1 nori sheets (for sushi rolls)
Instructions
Preperation
- Prepare the vegan tuna mayo ahead of time — ideally the day before.½ batch vegan tuna mayo
- Shred the cabbage finely, then pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.50-70 cabbage
- Spread freshly cooked rice onto a flat plate and let it cool to about body temperature.140 g freshly cooked Japanese short-grain rice
Roll
- Place the bamboo mat on the cutting board and lay a sheet of cling film on top.
- Lay the nori sheet on top of the cling film.1 nori sheets
- Spread the rice over the nori as thinly and evenly as possible, leaving about 2cm uncovered at the far end.*Wet your hands or the rice paddle lightly with water to make spreading the rice easier.
- Place the chickpea vegan tuna mayo along the near edge, then place the shredded cabbage right next to it, further from you.
- Lift the near edge of the bamboo mat and fold it over the fillings. Gently pull the roll towards you and press lightly to shape it.
- Release the mat, then continue rolling forward until the seam is fully sealed.
- Once the roll is complete, gently shape it through the bamboo mat.
- Remove the bamboo mat and let the roll rest in the cling film for a few minutes.
Cut
- Unwrap the cling film and slice into pieces, wiping the blade with a damp cloth between each cut for a neat cross-section.
Notes
- Make the vegan tuna mayo the day before for deeper flavour.
- If not eating right away, keep the rolls wrapped and slice just before serving to prevent drying.
- Best eaten sooner rather than later.
- Refrigerating firms up the rice — not ideal for making ahead.
If this recipe made its way into your kitchen, and you'd like to share that moment, feel free to tag @veginveganvegun or use #vegin_vegan_vegun.
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