How To Make Tuna Sushi Rolls

Name: How To Make Tuna Sushi Rolls
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1.5 cups cooked sushi rice; 2-3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar (✅); 2 sheets nori (✅); 5 ounces tuna in water; 1/2 cucumber, cut into strips; 1/2 avocado, cut lenthwise

Learn how to make Tuna Sushi Rolls using canned tuna. A simple and delicious kid-friendly lunch or dinner idea. Learn to make your own sushi rolls at home in just a few simple steps. Gluten-free.

Tuna rolls can be a filling meal for parents and kids alike. Sushi rice is layered with tuna, cucumbers and avocado before being wrapped in nori (also known as edible seaweed).

For more simple kid friendly recipes, check out Fruit Salad for Kids, Orange Smoothie Recipe, and Yogurt Parfait Cups.

Makizushi (Sushi Rolls)

Making makizushi aka tuna sushi rolls at home is both delicious and fun to make with kids.

With all the different sushi rolls to be made, kids can get very creative. Let them pick the veggies that go inside the roll. The recipe is easy enough kids can make them all on their own.

If they don’t like tuna, you can try making these with canned chicken or salmon or just make them with veggies and a little cream cheese.

Just like our Chicken & Veggie Pinwheels and Baked Spaghetti Cups, homemade sushi rolls teach kids many valuable kitchen skills. Plus, all of these make for a delicious appetizer you can pick up and eat.

To get started, gather the equipment and ingredients then follow the written instructions or printable recipe card. Enjoy!

Ingredients to make tuna sushi on a table.

Equipment

sushi mat or plastic wrap
small dish of water

Ingredients

1.5 cups cooked sushi rice
2-3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar ✅
2 sheets nori ✅
5 ounces tuna in water
1/2 cucumber, cut into strips
1/2 avocado, cut lenthwise

Gluten-Free Guide: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten.

seaweed wrap on counter surrounded by sushi ingredients

How To Make

Lay nori, shiny side down, on a sushi mat or plastic wrap.

Blend the rice and vinegar

Grab a bag of sushi rice and a bottle of seasoned rice vinegar. You do need to use sushi rice – this rice is sticky rice that holds the roll together.

Follow the directions on the back of the bag of sushi rice or follow step-by-step instructions to make Instant Pot Sushi Rice.

After cooking the rice, add 2-3 tbsp. of seasoned rice vinegar using a sideways chopping motion.

It must be rice vinegar, not regular vinegar or apple cider vinegar whose flavors are too strong for rice. Seasoned rice vinegar is just rice vinegar with a little sugar and salt added for flavor.

Rice vinegar is needed to help with the consistency of the rice and when using raw fish, it helps balance the acidity.

After you have the rice cooked and cooled, you’re ready to roll the homemade sushi.

top down shot of sushi ingredients on seaweed

Build the tuna roll

Spread 3/4 cup rice mixture onto each sheet of nori, leaving a little space without rice on top.

Top each roll with a horizontal line of cucumber, avocado, and tuna. Roll nori tightly around veggies and tuna.

You can choose any additional ingredients you want in your tuna sushi roll and add at this point.

Seal the roll then slice

Continue rolling, removing plastic wrap as you go if using.

Dip your fingers in water and run them along the top portion of the nori, and finish rolling. The water seals the roll, keeping it wrapped together.

Using a sharp knife, slice the roll in half, then into thirds.

Serve

Best if served right away.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you add cream cheese?

Of course! Sushi with cream cheese is delicious. Simply add a thin layer of cream cheese on top of the sushi rice.

Why is the tuna roll falling apart?

Be carefully not to overfill the roll. Adding a thin layer of each ingredient will help the roll to stick together. Overstuffing will cause ingredients to spill out of the roll when sliced.

How much sushi per person?

You can plan on one roll (roughly 6 pieces when sliced) per person. For smaller children, half a roll will likely be enough.

What are other sushi fillings?

Pick any of your preferred ingredients to upgrade flavors. From spicy mayo, crabmeat, shrimp, asparagus or cream cheese, you can customize each roll.

Can you make in advance?

This recipe is best enjoyed immediately after rolling and slicing. The sushi rice can be made in advanced and stored in the fridge until ready to roll.

Kids In The Kitchen

Cooking tips and suggestions for kids making this recipe.

When the nori is removed from packaging, look for the shiny side. That side should face down on the mat or plastic wrap.
Use a measuring cup for the rice to prevent adding too much to the nori. Overstuffing the seaweed will cause your roll to fall apart.
Ask a helper when slicing sushi. A serrated knife may be helpful in slicing through the seaweed.
Enjoy right away! Storing leftover sushi may become soggy and unappetizing.

More Gluten-Free Seafood Recipes

Salmon Buddha Bowl
Crab Artichoke Dip
Gluten Free Crab Cakes
How to Cook Frozen Salmon in Air Fryer
Healthy Authentic Seafood Gumbo
Broiled Haddock
Broiled Fish
Seafood Pasta Salad
Air Fry Shrimp
Tuna Pasta
Salmon Patties

CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.

The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.

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