Sushi Bake: 14 Easy Party Pans and Cooked Rolls, No Rolling Skills or Raw Fish Needed

Sushi bake is the party food that turned sushi into a casserole, and families cannot get enough of it. One sushi bake video from the channel Mina Makes has more than 6.8 million views, about 20 times her number of subscribers. Maangchi’s lesson on rolled Korean kimbap has more than 11 million. Lots of people love sushi flavors but are scared of rolling it or eating raw fish. A sushi bake fixes both. You press seasoned rice into a baking dish, spread a creamy cooked topping over it, bake it hot and scoop it onto crispy seaweed squares. Here is how, plus more easy cooked sushi ideas for parties..

Sushi Bake, the No-Roll Party Pan

All the flavor of a California roll, none of the rolling. Every dish in this list starts with good sushi rice, so make this first. Short grain rice gets a quick seasoning of rice vinegar, sugar and salt while it is warm. Fan it as you stir so it turns glossy and slightly sticky. Have you ever made sushi at home before..

You will need: 3 cups cooked short grain sushi rice, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt.

How to make it: 1. Rinse 1 1/2 cups short grain rice until the water runs clear. 2. Cook it with 1 3/4 cups water. 3. Warm the vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved. 4. Spread the hot rice in a wide bowl. 5. Fold in the vinegar mix with a spatula, using slicing motions. 6. Cool to room temperature before using.

Classic California Sushi Bake

This is the one that went viral. Imitation crab, which is already cooked, gets mixed with cream cheese and spicy mayo, then spread over seasoned rice and baked until bubbly. Scoop it onto roasted seaweed squares with a slice of avocado and cucumber. It disappears fast at every party. Spicy mayo on top or on the side?

You will need: 3 cups cooked short grain sushi rice, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 lb imitation crab shredded, 4 oz cream cheese softened, 1/2 cup mayo, 2 tbsp sriracha, furikake, green onions, roasted seaweed snacks, avocado and cucumber.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 400F. 2. Press the seasoned rice into a greased 9×13 dish. 3. Sprinkle a layer of furikake. 4. Mix crab, cream cheese, mayo and half the sriracha and spread over the rice. 5. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until hot and golden. 6. Drizzle with spicy mayo, top with green onions and serve with seaweed.

How to Layer a Sushi Bake

A good sushi bake has three simple layers. Firmly pressed rice on the bottom, a sprinkle of furikake for a salty crunch, then the creamy topping spread to the edges. Pressing the rice keeps it from falling apart when you scoop. You can build it a few hours ahead and bake it when guests arrive. Glass dish or metal pan?

You will need: 3 cups cooked short grain sushi rice, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp furikake, your choice of creamy cooked topping, a 9×13 baking dish.

How to make it: 1. Grease the dish lightly. 2. Spread the seasoned rice evenly. 3. Press it down firmly with wet hands or a spatula. 4. Sprinkle furikake all over. 5. Spread the topping right to the edges. 6. Cover and chill up to 4 hours, then bake.

Baked Salmon Sushi Bake

If you love salmon rolls but not raw fish, this is for you. Bake or air fry salmon fillets until flaky, then mix the salmon with mayo, cream cheese and a little soy sauce. Spread it over the rice and bake again until golden. Leftover salmon from dinner works perfectly. Would your family try salmon this way?

You will need: 3 cups cooked short grain sushi rice, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 lb cooked salmon flaked, 1/3 cup mayo, 3 oz cream cheese, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, sesame seeds, green onions, roasted seaweed snacks.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 400F. 2. Bake the salmon 12 to 15 minutes until it flakes, then cool and flake it. 3. Mix with mayo, cream cheese, soy sauce and sesame oil. 4. Press rice into the dish and spread the salmon on top. 5. Bake 15 minutes. 6. Top with sesame seeds and green onions.

Spicy Crab Sushi Bake With Jalapeno

Turn up the heat with diced jalapeno and extra sriracha in the crab layer. A lattice of spicy mayo on top makes it look like it came from a restaurant. Keep a mild pan for the kids and a spicy pan for the grown-ups. It is great for game day or a New Year’s Eve party. How spicy can you go?

You will need: 3 cups cooked short grain sushi rice, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 lb imitation crab, 1/2 cup mayo, 3 tbsp sriracha, 1 jalapeno seeded and diced, 1 tbsp lime juice, furikake, green onions.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 400F. 2. Press rice into the dish and add furikake. 3. Mix crab, mayo, 2 tbsp sriracha, jalapeno and lime. 4. Spread over the rice. 5. Pipe a lattice of mayo mixed with the rest of the sriracha. 6. Bake 15 to 20 minutes and top with green onions.

Shrimp Tempura Sushi Bake and Rolls

Crispy shrimp tempura adds crunch to a soft sushi bake. Bake the crab layer, then pile chopped tempura shrimp on top just before serving so it stays crisp. Or roll a few easy tempura rolls for the platter. Frozen tempura shrimp from the grocery store makes this simple. Crunchy topping or classic roll?

You will need: 3 cups cooked short grain sushi rice, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 12 frozen tempura shrimp, 1/2 lb imitation crab, 1/3 cup mayo, eel-style sweet soy sauce, sesame seeds, nori sheets for rolls.

How to make it: 1. Bake the tempura shrimp as the package says. 2. Make a crab sushi bake and bake 15 minutes. 3. Chop half the shrimp and scatter over the hot bake. 4. Drizzle with sweet soy sauce and sesame seeds. 5. For rolls, lay rice on nori, add shrimp and roll with a mat. 6. Slice with a wet knife.

Spam Musubi, a Hawaii Favorite

In Hawaii, Spam musubi is everywhere, from gas stations to family parties. A slice of canned luncheon meat is fried with a sweet soy glaze, set on a block of rice and wrapped with a strip of seaweed. Kids love them, and they travel well for lunch boxes and road trips. You can also bake it as a musubi casserole. Have you tried one?

You will need: 3 cups cooked short grain sushi rice, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 can (12 oz) luncheon meat sliced into 8, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp mirin, 4 nori sheets cut in half, furikake.

How to make it: 1. Fry the slices until browned on both sides. 2. Add soy sauce, sugar and mirin and cook until sticky. 3. Press rice into the empty can or a mold. 4. Top with furikake and a glazed slice. 5. Wrap a strip of nori around the middle. 6. Serve warm or wrap in plastic for later.

Teriyaki Chicken Sushi Bowls

A sushi bowl is all the parts of a roll without any rolling. Sticky teriyaki chicken goes over seasoned rice with cucumber, avocado, carrots and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Add crumbled seaweed snacks on top for that sushi flavor. It is a great weeknight dinner for picky eaters. What would you add to your bowl?

You will need: 3 cups cooked short grain sushi rice, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 1/2 lb boneless chicken thighs, 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce, 1 cucumber, 1 avocado, 1 carrot shredded, sesame seeds, seaweed snacks.

How to make it: 1. Cook the chicken in a skillet until browned and 165F. 2. Add teriyaki sauce and simmer until glazed. 3. Slice the chicken. 4. Divide the rice between bowls. 5. Top with chicken, cucumber, avocado and carrot. 6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and crumbled seaweed.

Vegetarian Avocado and Cucumber Rolls

Not everyone at the party eats seafood, so make a plate of simple veggie rolls. Avocado and cucumber are the classic pair, and you can add carrot or red pepper for color. Inside-out rolls with sesame seeds on the outside are easier than they look. A bamboo mat helps, but plastic wrap works too. Which veggie would you add?

You will need: 3 cups cooked short grain sushi rice, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 4 nori sheets, 1 avocado sliced, 1 cucumber cut in sticks, sesame seeds, soy sauce for dipping.

How to make it: 1. Lay a nori sheet on a mat. 2. Spread a thin layer of rice, leaving a 1 inch strip at the top. 3. Lay avocado and cucumber across the bottom. 4. Roll tightly away from you. 5. Seal the edge with a little water. 6. Slice into 8 pieces with a wet knife.

California Rolls Everyone Recognizes

The California roll was made for people new to sushi, with cooked crab, avocado and cucumber. It is the perfect starter roll for kids and nervous guests. Make the crab filling the same as the sushi bake topping, just with less mayo. Set out a platter next to your sushi bake and see which goes first. Bake or roll: which wins?

You will need: 3 cups cooked short grain sushi rice, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 4 nori sheets, 1/2 lb imitation crab, 2 tbsp mayo, 1 avocado, 1 cucumber, sesame seeds.

How to make it: 1. Mix the crab with mayo. 2. Spread rice on nori and sprinkle with sesame seeds. 3. Flip it over so the rice is on the outside. 4. Add crab, avocado and cucumber. 5. Roll tightly with a mat covered in plastic wrap. 6. Slice and serve.

Cooked Shrimp and Avocado Rolls for Beginners

Cooked shrimp is one of the easiest fillings for your first rolls. Buy cooked, peeled shrimp, slice them in half the long way and roll them with avocado. A little cream cheese makes the roll extra creamy and helps it hold together. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger. Is this your first time rolling sushi?

You will need: 3 cups cooked short grain sushi rice, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 4 nori sheets, 1/2 lb cooked peeled shrimp, 1 avocado, 2 oz cream cheese cut in strips, soy sauce.

How to make it: 1. Slice the shrimp in half lengthwise. 2. Spread rice on a nori sheet. 3. Lay shrimp, avocado and cream cheese along the bottom. 4. Roll tightly and seal with water. 5. Let it rest 2 minutes. 6. Slice into 8 pieces.

Korean Kimbap With Egg and Veggies

Kimbap is Korea’s rolled rice, and it is made with cooked fillings like egg, carrot, spinach, pickled radish and ham or beef. The rice is seasoned with sesame oil instead of vinegar. Maangchi’s kimbap video has more than 11 million views, and her rolls are a picnic favorite. It is perfect for a lunch box. Have you ever had kimbap?

You will need: 3 cups cooked short grain rice, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 4 nori sheets, 3 eggs made into a thin omelet and sliced, 1 carrot cut in sticks and sauteed, 1 cup spinach blanched, pickled radish strips, 4 strips cooked ham.

How to make it: 1. Season the warm rice with sesame oil and salt. 2. Spread rice over a nori sheet. 3. Lay egg, carrot, spinach, radish and ham in rows. 4. Roll tightly and brush the outside with sesame oil. 5. Slice into rounds. 6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Sushi Stacks in a Cup or Ring Mold

Sushi stacks are a fun way to serve sushi at a dinner party. Layer rice, creamy crab, avocado and cucumber in a ring mold or a cup, then turn it out onto a plate. They look like a fancy restaurant appetizer but take only minutes. Kids love making their own. Would you serve these or a sushi bake?

You will need: 3 cups cooked short grain sushi rice, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 lb imitation crab mixed with 2 tbsp mayo, 1 avocado diced, 1 cucumber diced, sesame seeds, a ring mold or clean cup.

How to make it: 1. Set the ring mold on a plate. 2. Press in a layer of rice. 3. Add a layer of avocado and cucumber. 4. Top with the creamy crab. 5. Gently lift off the mold. 6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with spicy mayo.

Tips for Serving a Sushi Bake at a Party

Set your sushi bake out with a stack of roasted seaweed snack squares and let guests build their own bites. Add bowls of avocado, cucumber, pickled ginger and extra spicy mayo. A sprinkle of furikake over plain rice is also a good option for kids. Keep any raw fish very cold and use only fish labeled sushi grade. Watch the Mina Makes sushi bake video to see it in action. For more Japanese flavors, see our easy Japanese dinners at home. Who would you serve it to first?

You will need: Roasted seaweed snack squares, sliced avocado and cucumber, pickled ginger, spicy mayo, soy sauce, furikake, small serving spoons.

How to make it: 1. Bake the sushi bake right before guests arrive. 2. Set the dish on a trivet in the center of the table. 3. Arrange seaweed squares and toppings around it. 4. Add small spoons for scooping. 5. Keep leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours. 6. Eat leftovers within 1 to 2 days.