A meat-free meal without any compromise, this gluten free teriyaki tofu sushi bowl is packed with flavour and is wonderfully filling. Teriyaki-glazed tofu pieces, pickled cucumber, sliced avocado and seasoned sushi rice are a magic combination and an easy midweek meal.
It also happens to be naturally vegan, which is ideal if you are looking to cut down on your meat consumption (perhaps for environmental or cost reasons). And tofu is a great source of protein (plus lots of other great nutrients), so you aren’t missing out on anything.
My teriyaki salmon sushi bowl continues to be an incredibly popular recipe on my website, and I wanted to create this tofu version of the dish an a vegetarian alternative. Or for those of you who don’t like fish. Plus, tofu is cheaper than salmon, so if you are on a budget give it a whirl.
You’ll find that original teriyaki salmon sushi bowl in my cookbook Eat & Enjoy Gluten Free too, alongside another 99 wonderful gluten free recipes (covering both meals and baking).
Where Can I Buy Tofu?
In the UK, where I am based, tofu is widely available in supermarkets. There are lots of different varieties – for this recipe you want extra firm block tofu. The specific variety I use is the Tofoo Co Naked.
Firm tofu is tofu that has been pressed, ensuring it stays together well when sliced, and it has a nice chewy texture once cooked. It also slurps up sauces and marinades beautifully, meaning it was perfect for soaking up the teriyaki sauce in this dish.
Do I Have To Use Sushi Rice?
No, you can sub in basmati or jasmine rice if you prefer. If you do want to get some sushi rice though, my favourite brand is Nishiki. It’s excellent and I buy it in my local Asian supermarket – it can also be sourced online.
Any Other Ingredient Substitutions I Can Make?
Yep you can be fairly flexible with this teriyaki tofu sushi bowl recipe. I love the flavour you get from maple syrup, but it’s expensive so I often use a cheaper maple syrup alternative like this. You could also sub in honey or agave syrup instead.
Rice wine vinegar – this is widely available in supermarkets, but in a pinch you can you white wine vinegar. The flavour of the latter is stronger than rice wine vinegar, so use 2.5 tbsp to dress the rice instead of 3 tbsp.
Mirin – another beautiful ingredient to use for Asian cooking, but if you need to replace it use rice wine vinegar plus a quarter tsp sugar.
Avocado/cucumber – you can switch these up! Try edamame beans, mango, pineapple, peppers, anything you might add to a sushi/poke bowl.
Does This Teriyaki Tofu Bowl Have Lots of Sauce?
No, the teriyaki it’s more of a marinade that will coat the tofu and the spring onions, with a little bit of drizzle. If you want to have more sauce to drizzle on the rice, you may wish to double the teriyaki sauce.
Teriyaki Tofu Sushi Bowl Recipe
This recipe makes two teriyaki tofu sushi bowls. You can simply halve or double/triple the recipe if you need to make more or fewer portions.
As usual, you will find lots of step by step photos underneath the recipe, in case you need a visual guide. For any other help along the way or if you have questions, please do message me on social media (@myglutenfreeguide) or email me at laura@mygfguide.com.
If you enjoy this gluten free teriyaki tofu recipe, please leave a review on the recipe card below and spread the word! It makes a world of difference to me :).
Thank you so much! Laura xxx
Teriyaki Tofu Sushi Bowl (GF, V)
A delicious sushi bowl topped with teriyaki tofu, pickled cucumber and soft sliced avocado. An easy and tasty midweek meal.
Ingredients
- 280g block extra firm tofu (I used Tofoo Naked)
- 180g (6.5oz) sushi rice
- 5 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1.5 tsp caster sugar
- 0.75 tsp fine salt
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1.5 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp gluten free tamari soy sauce
- 0.75 tsp garlic granules
- 1.5 tsp mirin
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 4 spring onions
- 1 ripe avocado
- Half a cucumber
Instructions
- Cook the sushi rice according to the packet instructions and while it is cooking prepare the sushi rice dressing. To do this, mix 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sugar and 0.5 tsp salt together in a small dish, stirring well until the sugar and salt have dissolved in the vinegar. When the rice is cooked, pour the dressing over the top (while it is still hot), scatter the sesame seeds over the rice, and then stir to coat the rice and fluff it up.
- While the rice is cooking, drain the tofu and cut into slices (about 0.5cm thick), then cut each slice in half so that you have large bite-sized strips. Lay them on a clean towel towel or double layer of kitchen paper, and lay more kitchen paper over the top. Press to extract the excess water.
- You can also make the pickled cucumbers (very easy). Finely slice the cucumber using a mandoline on the thinest setting, or a knife. Place in a bowl then pour over 2 tbsp rice vinegar and scatter over 0.25tsp fine salt and 0.5 tsp caster sugar. Mix well to combine, cover and place in the fridge until needed.
- Slice the spring onions into small chunks and destone, peel and slice the avocado (in half, then each half into slices). Also prepare the teriyaki marinade by mixing the maple syrup, sesame oil, tamari, garlic granules and mirin together in a small dish. Set these aside while you prepare the sushi bowl base.
- Once the rice has cooled, and is now warm rather than hot, you can assemble the base for the bowls. Split the rice between two wide bowls so that two-thirds of each base is covered. In the remaining third, pile the pickled cucumbers and sliced avocado.
- Fry the tofu in a wide heavy-bottomed frying pan in a little oil for 3 minutes on each side, until lightly golden. Then remove from the pan and set aside. Pour the marinade into the pan, heat for 1 minute until it begins to bubble, then turn the heat down. Add the pieces of tofu and stir/turn the pieces so that they becomes fully coated in the teriyaki sauce. Cook down until it begins to glaze and then sprinkle the spring onions over the top. Turn the heat up to medium if needed, just keep an eye on the glaze as it heated too high it may catch and burn.
- Top the bowls with the teriyaki tofu and spring onions and there you have it! Serve with extra tamari soy sauce on the side if you wish.
For more delicious gluten free recipes, why not bookmark some of these for later:
Happy cooking! Laura xxx
