Our light & refreshing Spicy Salmon and Avocado Cauliflower Rice Sushi Roll is the perfect way to enjoy your beloved sushi roll while still keeping it Whole30, Paleo, & Gluten-Free! Made with real, simple ingredients. Feel free to switch-up the filling ingredients to any of your favorite sushi ingredients!
The Best Cauliflower Rice Sushi Roll
Sushi is one of my favorite things to eat, so you know I had to made a Whole30 version! If I am doing a full Whole30, the thing I miss most is eating sushi. I love the combination of rice, salmon, avocado …. all of it :-). So I knew I had to make an attempt at cooking up some Whole30 compliant sushi that I could enjoy from time to time! The recipe card is pretty detailed, but my best pieces of advice in working with cauliflower rice is to grate it (yes, I know, it takes time but the texture is SO much better) and make sure you have a very thin layer on your piece of nori. I am not going to pretend it is as easy as working with sticky sushi rice, but it does work!
FYI – you will need a simple Bamboo Sushi Kit to make these – let’s face it, you should probably have one anyways 🙂
What You Will Need
- cauliflower rice – we love making our own homemade cauliflower rice, but you can also grab a store-bought version from your local grocery store.
- rice vinegar – always added to any sushi rice that we are making for some great flavor!
- tapioca starch & kosher salt – a little bit of both are great for flavor and holding it all together.
- fresh salmon – checkout your local grocery store or fish market for a sushi-grade salmon fillet.
- hot sauce – highly recommend Frank’s Red Hot sauce, but sriracha would be good too.
- avocado, cilantro, & cucumber – some of our favorite filling ingredients, option to switch them up with your favorites.
- nori sheets – your local grocery store should have some seaweed sheets for purchase.
- dipping sauces – option to dip in coconut aminos or soy sauce.
How To Make A Cauliflower Rice Sushi Roll
The first steps to making this easy sushi roll are to make the cauliflower rice. Bring a cast iron skillet to a medium high heat and add the cauliflower rice to heat. Stir in the salt, rice vinegar, and salt to coat and warm. Spread the prepared rice in a thin layer on a nori sheet, leaving the top inch without rice. Place the filling ingredients in a line in the middle of the sheet.
Carefully pick-up the end of the nori sheet without rice, fold over the fillings, and continue to roll away from you with the bamboo roller. Use a sharp knife to cut the sushi roll into bite-sized pieces.
Best Way To Serve A Spicy Salmon Cauliflower Sushi Roll
To keep this sushi roll Whole30/Paleo compliant, we suggest drizzling some spicy mayo over the top (with compliant mayo) and then dip in coconut aminos. If you aren’t concerned about keep it compliant, feel free to serve with soy sauce for dipping, sprinkle on some sesame seeds, or drizzle wasabi mayo on top.
Made this delicious recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Sushi Recipes You Might Like
Spicy Salmon Cauliflower Rice Sushi Roll
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 rolls 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Counter Top
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
Our Spicy Salmon Cauliflower Rice Roll recipe is so you can enjoy your favorite sushi roll in a way that is gluten-free, Whole30 and Paleo!
Ingredients
Cauliflower Rice:
- 3 cups cauliflower rice, grated
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons tapioca starch
- pinch of salt
Sushi Roll:
- 1/2 lb sushi grade salmon (or tuna or smoked salmon)
- 1/2 tablespoon Franks Red Hot (sub sriracha instead, if not Whole30/Paleo)
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cucumber, cut into small “sticks”
- 3–4 nori sheets
Dipping Sauce:
- coconut aminos (sub soy sauce)
- spicy mayo or wasabi mayo (optional)
Tools:
- bamboo sushi roller
- parchment paper
Instructions
- Make Cauliflower Rice: Place grated cauliflower in a large skillet and turn to medium-high heat. Start moving the cauliflower around constantly with a wooden spoon, letting it cook for about 3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and rice vinegar, continue cooking for 2 minutes. Add the tapioca starch and stir to fully combine. Remove from heat and pour rice into a large bowl to allow to cool slightly.
- Dry Rice: Take a large plate and place a paper towel on it. Pour cauliflower rice onto paper towel and the place another paper towel on top; press down to absorb excess water. Place cauliflower rice back into bowl.
- Prep Salmon: take salmon and cut into small cubes and place in a bowl. Add Franks Red Hot or Sriracha and stir to coat; set aside.
- Assemble Sushi Roll: place bamboo sushi roller on cutting board. Take one sheet of nori and place on top. Start spooning some cauliflower rice onto nori; use the back of the spoon to press down and spread out the cauliflower rice – you want a very thin, compressed layer. Leave approximately the top 1 inch of nori uncovered with rice. Take some cucumber, cilantro, salmon and avocado and lay across in a straight line, parallel with the bottom of the nori sheet, about 1 inch from the bottom. Take the bottom of the nori sheet (closest to you) and lift up and fold over the filling ingredients, lifting the bamboo roller along with it, tucking the bottom of the nori sheet under the salmon, etc. and then continue pulling the bamboo roller away from your body, pressing down firmly on the roll as you go. Continue pulling away from you until your roll is complete.
- Cut + Serve: Cut sushi roll into 1 inch slices using a very sharp knife, wiping the knife off into between cuts. Serve immediately with coconut aminos. Garnish with additional cilantro, black sesame seeds and spicy mayo.
Notes
- Sushi Rolls: if you aren’t concerned about being Whole30/Paleo compliant, feel free to follow our easy tutorial on how to make sushi!
- Storage: this recipe is best enjoyed immediately after making, we do not recommend saving any leftovers.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sushi roll
- Calories: 171
- Sugar: 1.9 g
- Sodium: 277 mg
- Fat: 8.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.7 g
- Protein: 15.1 g
- Cholesterol: 29 mg
Rachelle Herle says
I really want to try this. I was wondering if the “rice” mixture is sticky enough that I could make this onside out: rice outside with everything else inside. I just have this weird thing with texture when it comes to biting into nori.
Erin says
Hi Rachelle! I totally get that – I haven’t personally tried having the “rice” on the outside, so I can’t guarantee results, but having made this many times my guess is some would still, but some would probably fall off too! If you try it let me know!!
Fatima says
This looks so good! Can frozen cauliflower rice be subbed for fresh?
Erin says
Hi Fatima – I haven’t tried frozen cauliflower with this recipe before, it would really depend how small it is. If it is too chunky it will be difficult to make it stick together. But if you try let us know how it works!
Barb D says
I am going to make this over the weekend. Do you have the Nutritional Facts on this? This is going to be a splurge, as I am trying to get my blood sugar in order, but would love to know the Nutritional Facts 🙂
Erin says
Hi, Barb! We are working on adding nutritional facts to all of our recipes – thank you for your patience!
Rachel says
Can you substitute arrowroot starch for the tapioca? Can’t wait to try it! Thanks
Erin says
Yes, I think that would work just fine!
Maggie Kim says
Really enjoying reading your posts, and you may single-handedly yank me out of this food rut that I’ve found myself in for way too long. I’m particularly keen on this post since a sushi-making class is the only cooking class I’ve ever taken. Loved the class and love the take-away content.
Elizabeth says
Perfect to satisfy my sushi craving during WHOLE30! This might be on a weekly rotation.
Erin says
This makes me so happy to hear, Elizabeth! I love this recipe so much and it really does hit the spot during a Whole30 🙂 Thank you so much for your feedback!
Josie says
Just letting you know, doing the cauli this way has changed my life! Thanks so much!
Erin says
Yay! So happy to hear that, Josie! Thanks for your feedback – I really appreciate it!
Amanda says
Where can I find sushi grade fish? I have never seen it anywhere other than all of our sushi restaurants,
Erin says
I have had good luck with Whole Foods!
Ichi Tokyo says
Omg that food looks so delicious!
Erin says
Thank you!
Jourdan says
Is the cauliflower steamed or cooked before grating or raw? Making this weekend 🤗
Erin says
Hi, Jourdan! The cauliflower is raw when you grate it and then you will cook it a bit in a skillet before using! Don’t forget I have a tutorial saved in my Instagram Highlights for this recipe as well! Enjoy!