This Easy Sushi Bake (Spicy Kani Mayo) will be your new weeknight favourite!
If you love sushi but are tired of the same old rolls, sushi bake is the perfect dish to spice up your sushi game. Sushi bake is a simple and delicious casserole-style dish that combines all the flavours of sushi in one easy-to-make dish.
If you have your rice ready to go already, you can have this ready in less than 30 minutes even. Here’s everything you need to know to make your own easy casserole.
Jump to Recipe
What is Sushi Bake?
Sushi Bake is like a deconstructed sushi roll turned into a casserole. Instead of rolling up seaweed and rice, you layer everything in a baking dish: starting with seasoned sushi rice, then a creamy topping (usually a mix of imitation crab, mayo, and a little sriracha). It’s baked until it’s heated through and slightly golden on top, making it rich, savoury, and so, so satisfying.
This dish first went viral on TikTok, and it’s easy to see why. It’s all the flavours of sushi, minus the fuss of rolling… and absolutely perfect for feeding a crowd or when you’re craving sushi without the extra work. You just scoop, and enjoy.
It’s fun, shareable, and honestly one of those recipes that never left the trend because it’s that good and easy to love.
Why you will LOVE this Easy Sushi Bake recipe
Key Ingredients to Make Sushi Bake
The beauty of sushi bake is that it’s completely customisable, so you can use any combination of ingredients that you like. Some common ingredients include cooked crab meat, cooked shrimp, avocado, cream cheese, tobiko (fish roe), green onions, and spicy mayo to give your sushi bake even more flavour.
Sushi Rice:
- Japanese rice
- Rice Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar: These two vinegar types are the most ideal because they have a hint of sweetness to them.
- Salt
- Mirin (or Sugar)
Spicy Kani Mayo Topping
- Imitation crab sticks: Feel free to substitute with cooked salmon or canned tuna. Personally I like to do a mix of imitation crabsticks and canned tuna.
- Mayonnaise: I live by Kewpie mayo for this recipe! If you want to use regular mayo, you can, just be sure to add some sugar.
- Sriracha: Or any hot sauce of preference. This is my personal fave!
This is really all you need for the topping, but to level this up even more, add the following:
- Cream cheese: This will give it that creaminess, but I rarely add this, since I don’t always have this at home.
- Egg Yolk: Mix in a raw yolk. Trust me, this makes it that much richer!
Additional Toppings
- Mozzarella Cheese
Serve with
- Roasted Seaweed: This is a MUST-HAVE! Only open the packaging when you’re ready to eat, as the seaweed will wilt.
- Cucumber: Thinly sliced cucumber
How to make Easy Sushi Bake
1. Make the Sushi Rice
- Cook Japanese rice, and once rice is cooked, gently fluff with a paddle. While rice is still warm – this is important – add vinegar, salt and mirin or sugar.
- If using leftover rice, sprinkle on some water, and microwave to steam before adding the seasonings. Gently combine with the rice paddle. Sushi Rice is ready. Cover the lid back, or with a cloth if you’ve transferred it out into a bowl, so it doesn’t lose moisture. Allow to cool.
How to cook Sushi Rice
Before you start layering your ingredients in a baking dish, you’ll need to cook the sushi rice. Sushi rice is a short-grain rice that’s stickier and more tender than other types of rice. It’s important to cook the rice properly to get the right texture and flavour for your sushi bake.
To make sushi rice, start by rinsing the rice in cold water until the water runs clear. This will remove any excess starch from the rice and help it cook evenly.
I use a rice cooker for my Japanese rice, and the general water to Japanese rice ratio is 1 cup rice: 1.2 cup water. This is more than the standard rice to water ratio, which tends to be 1:1. Soak the Japanese rice in water for 30 minutes before cooking. This will allow the rice to absorb some of the water, for more even cooking.
2. Make the Kani Mayo Salad
- While your rice is cooking, let’s make the kani mayo salad. Grab your imitation crab sticks, and start to either chop them up, or shred them. I like to shred them to get the long strands. To shred, I simply slice them length-wise and work through with my fingers so it comes loose into shreds.
- Combine the crab sticks with mayo and sriracha and we’re done. Pop this in the fridge until your rice is ready.
3. Layering Your Ingredients
- Now that your sushi rice is cooked and cooled, it’s time to start layering your ingredients in a baking dish.
- Start by spreading a layer of sushi rice on the bottom of your baking dish. Pat it down to an even layer. Top with furikake or sesame seeds.
- Layer on the Kani Mayo. Optional, to layer on mozzarella cheese. You can also stir in the mozzarella cheese with the kani mayo itself but I much prefer adding a layer of it like this.
- Drizzle on more mayo and sriracha over the cheese or Kani Mayo. Top with more furikake.
4. Baking Your Sushi Bake
- Bake your sushi bake in the preheated air fryer (or oven if you’re making a huge tray) for about 12-20 minutes or until golden brown or heated through. Once it’s done, sprinkle on more furikake over the top and let it cool for a few minutes before serving.
5. Serve!
- While the sushi bake cools down, slice cucumbers. Right before serving, open up your roasted seaweed so it stays crisp for longer.
- Slice sushi bake into bite-sized sections… or you can just be like me and scoop up a portion with a spoon! Spoon it on the seaweed, layer on cucumbers… and eat!
Sushi Bake Variations
Sushi bake is SUCH a versatile dish that can be customised to your liking.
Don’t want to use kani or imitation crab meat? Try any of these:
- California Roll Sushi Bake: This is what’s everyone’s making when they say sushi bake! To make this, simply add a dollop of cream cheese to the sauce combination.
- Spicy Salmon Sushi Bake: Swap out cooked salmon with the imitation crab. I also like to add some fish roe as a topping for a delicious pop with every bite.
- Spicy Shrimp Sushi Bake: Swap out the imitation crab with cooked, chopped up shrimp
- Spicy Tuna Sushi Bake: Use canned or cooked tuna mixed with spicy mayo to give your sushi bake a kick.
- Okonomiyaki Sushi Bake: Combine shredded cabbage and carrots with a raw egg. Stir in bacon bits or chop up some cooked bacon (I’ve used turkey and beef bacon). Add okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, sriracha (optional), and stir to combine. Top rice with more bacon bits, before layering on the cabbage mixture. Bake in the oven until fully heated through – i prefer it if batter is still ‘wet’, but if you want your egg fully cooked through, bake it for longer. Drizzle on more okonomiyaki sauce, mayo and sriracha before serving.
Make it Vegan!
- Tofu Sushi Bake: Chop up some firm tofu, and saute with light soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Combine it with some teriyaki sauce, vegan mayo, sriracha, and top rice. Vegetarian Sushi Bake: Use a variety of vegetables such as carrots, radishes, and bell peppers to make a vegetarian-friendly sushi bake.
How to Make Ahead Sushi Bake
Sushi bake is one of those dishes that’s perfect for prepping ahead, especially if you’re hosting friends or family. It’s easy to assemble, fun to eat, and always a crowd-pleaser because everyone gets to scoop and wrap their own bites with seaweed. It feels interactive, like a mini sushi bar at home!
Here’s how to prep it ahead:
- Cook and season the rice: You can prepare the sushi rice up to 1 day in advance. Once seasoned, let it cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Make the kani mixture: Mix up your crab mayo filling and keep it in a separate airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Assemble (optional): If you prefer, you can assemble the whole sushi bake (rice + kani mixture + toppings) ahead of time, cover it tightly with cling wrap or foil, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before baking.
When you’re ready to serve, just pop it straight into the oven or air fryer! If baking it straight from the fridge, add a few extra minutes to the baking time since it’ll be cold.
Storing & Reheating
If you have leftovers (rare, but it happens!), sushi bake keeps really well.
- To store: Let it cool completely, then cover the baking dish tightly or transfer portions into airtight containers. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: Reheat in the oven or air fryer at 180°C (350°F) for about 8–10 minutes, until warmed through. You can also microwave individual portions for about 1–2 minutes, though the texture will be softer.
- To serve cold: Sushi bake also tastes amazing chilled — just serve straight from the fridge with roasted seaweed for a refreshing, sushi-like bite.
More Recipes Like This
Easy Sushi Bake (Spicy Kani Mayo)
2
servings30
minutes12
minutesThis Easy Sushi Bake (Spicy Kani Mayo) will be your new weeknight favourite!
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- Sushi Rice
1 cup Japanese sushi rice, cooked
1 tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp mirin or sugar
- Spicy Kani Mayo Topping
100 g or 7-8 sticks of imitation crab meat
3 tbsp kewpie mayo
3 tbsp sriracha
3 tbsp cream cheese (optional)
3 tbsp mozzarella cheese (optional)
1 tbsp furikake or sesame seeds
- Serve with
roasted seaweed
cucumber
- Equipment:
Directions
- Cook the rice
- Rinse and cook your sushi rice according to your rice cooker’s instructions. The general sushi rice to water ratio is: 1 cup rice to 1.2 cups water.
- Once the rice is cooked and still warm, season it with rice vinegar, mirin or sugar (optional), and salt. Gently mix with a rice paddle or spatula—try to not mash it. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Prepare the Topping
- While the rice is cooking, shred or finely chop the imitation crab sticks (kani).
- In a bowl, mix them with mayonnaise and sriracha until creamy and well combined. If using cream cheese, mix it in as well. Store in the fridge until ready for use.
- Assemble the sushi bake
- Spread the seasoned rice evenly on the bottom of a baking dish. If needed, spread sesame oil or a thin layer of neutral oil at the bottom of the dish to prevent sticking.
- Sprinkle furikake evenly over the rice layer.
- Add the kani mayo mixture on top and spread it out smoothly.
- (Optional) Add a layer of mozzarella cheese if you like it extra creamy and melty.
- Add toppings
- Drizzle more mayonnaise and sriracha over the top, then finish with another sprinkle of furikake.
- Bake!
- Preheat your oven or air fryer to 180°C (350°F).
- Bake accordingly:
– Air fryer: Bake for 12 minutes.
– Oven: Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and bubbly. - Serve and enjoy!
- Let cool slightly before serving. Serve straight from the baking dish!
- Scoop out a portion with a spoon and serve with roasted seaweed, cucumber slices, or any toppings you love such as avocado. This sushi bake tastes great both hot or cold, so you can enjoy it fresh or pack leftovers for later.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @nomadetteats on Instagram
){kind=link}