Sweet Potato Sushi

Tasty sweet potato sushi is the perfect sweet and salty combo, with delicious sweet potato, salty nori, and sticky rice! This vegetarian sushi starts with crispy breaded sweet potato wrapped up in perfectly cooked rice, wrapped in nori, and drizzled in teriyaki sauce!

The Best Sweet Potato Sushi

Whether you’re vegetarian, don’t like raw fish, or have picky eaters in your home, this sweet potato sushi roll is for you. I love the combination of the crispy breaded sweet potato and tender seasoned sushi rice, especially when it’s drizzled with amazing teriyaki sauce!

My simple sushi recipe is perfect for beginners. It’s such an easy-to-make recipe – the most challenging part is rolling it up! I have detailed instructions, along with recipe tips that will help you make sushi like a pro!

Jump to:

• The Best Sweet Potato Sushi
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪 How To Make Sweet Potato Sushi
• 💭 Tips & Notes
• 🥡 Storing
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Reviews

Flavorful, crispy sweet potato sushi is perfect for lunch, dinner, or a light snack!

Great for Kids! Want to introduce kids to sushi? This sweet potato roll is the best way to get them started!

🥘 Ingredients

You’ll need to purchase short-grain sushi rice and nori sheets (dried seaweed sheets) for this recipe. You can find both at specialty grocery stores or your local Asian grocery.

Sushi Rice

• 1 ½ cups uncooked Sushi Rice – Make sure to rinse your rice very well! This is important to create that sticky sushi rice we need.
• 2 ¼ cups Water – Or according to your rice package or rice cooker’s instructions!
• 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar – The vinegar will be used to help season the sushi rice.
• 1 tablespoon Sea Salt – Salt is also necessary to season the sushi rice! You can also add according to your taste preference here.
• 1 tablespoon Sugar – This is optional but recommended to give that classic sushi rice flavor.

Sushi Roll

• 1 large Sweet Potato – The sweet potato should be washed, peeled, and cut into 2-inch slices that are about ½-inch thick.
• 2 Eggs – Beaten eggs will be used to help bread our sweet potato slices.
• ½ cup All-Purpose Flour – Flour is another part of our breading station! You can use GF all-purpose flour if preferred!
• ¾ cup Breadcrumbs – Use Japanese Panko breadcrumbs here if you can!
• Seasoning – ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon garlic powder will be used to season the sweet potato breading.
• Sushi Nori Sheets – Use however many sheets it takes to use up all the rice, usually 5 to 6 (See Note).
• Teriyaki Sauce – This is optional but recommended for drizzling or dipping. You can also use Japanese eel sauce or soy sauce to drizzle or dip the sushi.

*Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts & instructions!*

🔪 How To Make Sweet Potato Sushi

Use a rice cooker to cook the rice to the best texture! Rice cookers use a smaller amount of water to steam the rice, which results in stickier, chewier rice than what you might get with boiling rice.

1. Cook sushi rice & prep sweet potatoes. First, cook 1 ½ cups of sushi rice and 2 ¼ cups of water as directed by the instructions on the package. Once the rice is fully cooked, stir in 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sea salt, and 1 tablespoon of sugar if used. Next, preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C). As the oven preheats, wash and peel 1 large sweet potato. Then, cut them into slices that are about 2 inches in length and ½ an inch thick.
2. Set up the dredging station. Next, gather 3 mixing bowls or shallow dishes. In one, whisk 2 eggs. In another, combine ½ cup of all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. Then, add ¾ cup of breadcrumbs to the third bowl.
3. Form an assembly line. Place the eggs, flour mixture, and breadcrumbs in a row to move from one to another easily. After you’ve set up the breading station, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment.
4. Bread sweet potatoes. Once you have everything prepared, dip and thoroughly coat individual pieces of sweet potato in the egg, then the flour mixture, then the breadcrumbs. Repeat this step if you desire a thicker coating.
5. Set aside. Next, place the coated sweet potatoes onto the prepared baking sheet and repeat with all remaining sweet potato slices. Ensure that you leave space between the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet.

Bake Sweet Potatoes, Then Assemble Sushi

1. Bake breaded sweet potatoes. Next, bake the breaded sweet potatoes in the middle of your oven’s center rack at 400°F (205°C) for 25 to 30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are browned and crisp. Allow the sweet potato to cool to room temperature before assembling sushi.
2. Assemble sushi rolls. Once the sweet potatoes are cooled, assemble the sushi by placing the nori paper on a sushi rolling mat. Then, add a layer of sushi rice to the bottom ⅔ of the nori paper, making sure to leave about 3 inches of space at the top. Next, wet your fingers a bit and press the rice down firmly so it sticks to the nori.
3. Finish rolling sushi. After the rice has been added to the nori, add slices of the sweet potato to the bottom half of the sushi rice. Next, tightly roll the sushi until you reach the last inch of nori. Then, use a bit of water on your finger to seal the ends together.
4. Serve. Repeat until you’re out of rice, then use a very sharp or serrated knife to slice the rolls into 1-inch pieces. Drizzle teriyaki sauce over the top of the sushi rolls, if desired. Serve immediately.

Serve sweet potato sushi with teriyaki sauce, eel sauce, soy sauce, wasabi, and/or pickled ginger. You can also make the sushi into a full meal with a side of steamed edamame or a bowl of miso soup.

💭 Tips & Notes

• Add your favorite veggies to this roll. Add thinly sliced cucumber, pickled radish, carrot, or avocado to these delightful sushi rolls!
• Make your sweet potatoes extra crispy. Spritz the sweet potatoes with an oil spritzer before baking. Alternatively, fry the sweet potatoes over high heat for 1 minute or until extra-crispy. It’s a great texture contrast with the rest of the sushi roll!
• Use full nori sheets for this recipe! Be sure to use full nori sheets made for sushi to make your rolls. You don’t want to use the smaller-sized snack nori sheets!
• Find sushi rolling mats at your local Asian grocery! Alternatively, you can easily find them on online retailers.
• Be certain your knife is sharp when slicing! A very sharp knife is key when slicing the sushi – you do not want a squished roll! You can also carefully slice with a serrated knife if your other knives aren’t sharp enough.

🥡 Storing

Sushi can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, though the sushi may lose some crunchy texture as time passes.

I don’t recommend freezing the sushi for this recipe, as the sweet potato will become soggy after defrosting.

📖 Recipe Card