A Sushi Date for Sushi Lovers: How to Make Sushi at Home

How to Make Sushi at Home: Date Night Edition

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make sushi at home? Now you can! And, you can have a blast doing it with our epic Sushi Date Night! Below you will find easy-to-follow homemade sushi tips, tricks, and a little twist to make your date night one to remember!

Let’s dive right in! If you would like to get straight to the free printables, scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Download Here.” Here is what is included:

1. A digital invite to send your sweetie!
2. A variety of sushi recipes to make at home and will walk you through the steps for at-home sushi making.
3. An adorable Sushi-themed table setting decoration cards.
4. Fun Japanese conversation starter cards to keep the conversation flowing with your sweetheart.
5. A sushi memory card game to play while you enjoy your delicious homemade sushi!

A huge thank you to Courtney @  Paparelli for creating the cutest sushi printables!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about ’em, click here.

Make Sushi at Home!

Start off by inviting your sweetheart to a sushi night at home with this adorable and free digital invite! Will your sweetheart roll with you for an at-home Sushi Date?!

Download our free digital invite by scrolling down to the bottom!

3 At-Home Sushi Recipes

To make the best at-home sushi EVER, you must use the best sushi recipes. We’ve got 3 of the best (and easiest) sushi recipes below!

1. Vegas Roll – Yummy! And want to know the best part? You can serve this cooked, raw, or somewhere in between to variate the taste. Each option is fabulous!

Quick List of Ingredients:

• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1/4 Hass avocado
• 4 oz fresh salmon
• 2 nori sheets
• 1 – 1 1/2 cup seasoned sushi rice
• 2 Tbsp Kewpie mayo
• 1 cup tempura batter and oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Wash, clean and cut jalapeno pepper into halves along its length to remove all seeds (under running water to avoid hotness).
2. Slice jalapeno into thin long strips.
3. Cut avocado into long thin strips.
4. Cut salmon into long sticks.
5. Prepare the cold Japanese tempura batter, you can buy box mixed batter or follow this guide here.
6. Coat and fry jalapeño then set aside.

2. California Roll – This tastes as good as any restaurant or store-bought California roll. Plus, it’s one of the easiest sushi recipes for when you’re first learning!

Quick List of Ingredients:

• 2 cups sushi rice, cooked
• ¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 4 half sheets sushi-grade nori
• 1 teaspoon sesame seed, optional
• 8 pieces imitation crab
• 1 small cucumber, cut into matchsticks
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. Season the sushi rice with the rice vinegar, fanning, and stirring until room temperature.
2. On a rolling mat, place one sheet of nori with the rough side facing upwards.
3. Wet your hands and grab a handful of rice and place it on the nori. Spread the rice evenly throughout the nori without mashing the rice down. Season rice with a pinch of sesame seeds, if using, then flip it over so the nori is facing upwards.
4. Arrange, in a horizontal row 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the bottom, the crab followed by a row of avocado and a row of cucumber.
5. Grabbing both nori and the mat, roll the mat over the filling so the extra space at the bottom touches the other side, squeezing down to make a nice tight roll. Squeeze down along the way to keep the roll from holding its shape.
6. Transfer the roll onto a cutting board. Rub a knife on a damp paper towel before slicing the roll into six equal portions.

3. Spicy Tuna – Fiery Spicy Tuna Rolls with sashimi-grade tuna tossed in sesame Sriracha sauce, topped with spicy mayo for that extra oomph!

Quick List of Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup sushi rice (cooked and seasoned) (each roll requires ¾ cup (135 g) sushi rice. 1 rice cooker cup (180 ml /150 g) makes 330 g (12 oz, 1 ¾ cup) of cooked rice.)
• 4 oz sashimi-grade tuna
• 3 tsp sriracha sauce
• ½ tsp sesame oil (roasted)
• 2 green onions/scallions (cut into thin rounds)
• 1 sheet nori (seaweed) (each roll requires half sheet; cut in half crosswise)
• 2 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
• spicy mayo

For Vinegar Water for Dipping Fingers (Tezu)

• ¼ cup water (4 Tbsp)
• 2 tsp rice vinegar

Instructions:

1. Gather all the ingredients. Note: Cooking time is not including the time for making sushi rice. For a complete guide to make sushi rice, please check this sushi rice recipe. Important: Cover the sushi rice with a damp cloth at all times to prevent it from drying. Cover your bamboo sushi mat with plastic.
2. Make vinegar water for dipping fingers (Tezu) by combining ¼ cup (4 Tbsp) water and 2 tsp rice vinegar in a small bowl. Dipping your fingers prevents rice from sticking to them.
3. Cut the tuna into ¼” (0.5 cm) cubes (or you can mince the tuna).
4. In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, sriracha sauce, sesame oil, and some green onion (save some for topping).
5. Lay a sheet of half nori, shiny side down, on the bamboo mat. Wet your fingers in Tezu and spread ¾ cup of the rice evenly onto the nori sheet. Sprinkle the rice with sesame seeds.
6. Turn the sheet of nori over so that the rice side is facing down. Line the edge of the nori sheet at the bottom end of the bamboo mat. Place half of the tuna mixture at the bottom end of the nori sheet.
7. Grab the bottom edge of the bamboo mat while keeping the fillings in place with your fingers, roll into a tight cylinder. Lift the edge of the bamboo mat and continue to roll it forward while keeping gentle pressure on the mat.
8. With a very sharp knife, cut the roll in half and then cut each half into 3 pieces. Clean the knife with a damp cloth every few cuts. When you cut sushi rolls, dip your fingers in Tezu or cover the roll with plastic, so the rice won’t stick to your hands.
9. Put a dollop of spicy mayo on top of each sushi and garnish with the remaining green onion.

Homemade Sushi Menu + 4 Basic Tips

Print out our adorable sushi menu and bonus points – you can also take it with you grocery shopping so you know what you need to buy! This is the perfect printable to help you know how to make sushi at home.

Here are a few tips and tricks on how to make the perfect homemade sushi at home!

1. Never let your raw ingredients touch anything other than your utensils and the food you intend to eat it with.
2. Don’t overwork the rice, either when seasoning or when creating the bed for nigiri sushi or maki. Your sushi rice needs air for it to turn out best!
3. Use only short-grained sushi rice. It’s starchy and absorbent, which makes it sticky.
4. It’s best to enjoy sushi rolls on the same day you make them. Rice can get hard and dry in the refrigerator. Therefore, if you really want to store sushi rolls in the refrigerator, cover them with plastic and a thick kitchen towel so the rice will stay cool and safe, but not become too cold.

Next, assemble your equipment to ensure you have the best chance at making delicious and easy homemade sushi! You will need:

1. A chef’s knife with a heavy, curved blade.

2. Rice rolling mat and plastic wrap to keep rice from sticking to it.

3. Cutting Board.

Table Setting Decor

Spice up your homemade sushi date by adding some fun and flirty table decorations! Your sweetheart will love all of the silly sayings on each unique card.

Japanese Conversation Starters

The cutest conversation cards with a TWIST! Take turns choosing a card and enjoy the Japanese and English versions of these fun questions.

Sushi-Themed Date Activity

As you are enjoying your delicious homemade sushi, take turns playing our sushi memory card game! Simply print, cut, and play while you eat your yummy sushi! (Printable memory cards below!)

At-Home Sushi Date for Sushi Lovers

Hooray! Now that you’ve learned how to make sushi at home, it’s time to get rollin’! Hope you and your sweetheart have a very “RICE” date night! 🍣🍚