These California roll sushi cups are the perfect handheld bites for your next party!
They’re so pretty, and much easier to make at home than traditional sushi. And since Cali rolls don’t have raw fish, this is a snack that the whole family can get in on.
These deconstructed sushi rolls have all the flavors we love about a California roll, with much less prep time.
Ingredients
- Nori seaweed
- Sushi rice
- Imitation crabmeat
- Cucumber
- Avocado
- Green onion
- Rice Vinegar
- Kewpie mayo (or regular mayo)
- Soy Sauce
- Sesame oil
- Sriracha
Equipment Needed to Make Sushi Cups
Unlike when you roll your own sushi at home, you won’t need any special equipment for this recipe.
All you will need here is a 24-cup mini muffin tin. You could also use two 12-cup tins.
How to Make Sushi Cups
Cook the Rice
Start by preparing your sushi rice. Using a rice cooker is the easiest way. I’ve also provided stove top instructions in the recipe card below.
Once your rice is cooked, stir in the rice vinegar.
Make Seaweed Squares
Use scissors to cut each nori sheet into 4 equal-sized squares. Using a knife will not give you clean cuts, so be sure to use scissors.
You should have a total of 24 small nori squares.
Make the Rice Cups
Place a spoonful of sushi rice in the center of each nori square.
Now, wet your fingers with water and press each nori square into the muffin cups.
Wet your fingers again and press the rice down into the nori cup, and up the sides. You want to make space for where the filling will go.
Make the Filling
Start by making the spicy mayo dressing: whisk together the kewpie mayo, soy sauce, sesame oil and sriracha.
Then, dice up the cucumbers and avocados and fold them into the spicy mayo. Finally, chop the imitation crabmeat into smaller pieces and fold it into the mixture.
Assemble the Sushi Cups
Place a small amount of crabmeat filling into each rice cup.
To give them a picture-perfect finish, sprinkle chopped green onions and sesame seeds over top.
Variations
1. Use raw fish: Swap out the imitation crabmeat for fresh ahi tuna, yellowtail or salmon.
2. Bake it up: Many popular sushi cup recipes call for baked salmon in the filling. Either bake the salmon separately and add it to the filling mixture, or cut the salmon into small cubes, toss it in the spicy mayo and bake it right in the sushi cups. Garnish with chopped cucumbers, avocado and scallions after baking.
3. Make it vegetarian: Try hearts of palm or tofu, cut into small pieces, in place of imitation crab for a meatless option.
Storage Instructions
These sushi cups are best enjoyed when they are fresh.
If you want to store them for the next day, and you are okay with the avocado turning brown (due to oxidation, not spoilage), pop them into an airtight container or cover them with plastic wrap.
They will stay fresh in the fridge for 1-2 days, even though the avocado will change color.
FAQs
California roll sushi cups are best enjoyed at room temperature, just like regular California rolls.
Prep the nori and rice cups ahead of time and keep them in the mini muffin tin. Then, prep the filling without the avocado, cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator.
Just before serving, fold the cubed avocado into the filling mixture and spoon the filling into the rice cups.
If you’re using sushi rice, it should be nice and sticky and will not fall apart. Be sure to use sushi rice in this recipe.
Kewpie mayo is a Japanese mayo made with egg yolks. It’s richer and slightly sweeter than traditional mayonnaise.
If you are unable to find it, substituting regular mayo is fine.
When you make these delicious sushi cups, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more sushi-inspired recipes, try these:
California Roll Sushi Cups
Equipment
- 1 24-count mini muffin pan
Ingredients
- 6 sheets nori seaweed
- 1 8 oz. package imitation crabmeat chunk style
- 3 cups cooked sushi rice
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted and diced
- 1/2 cucumber peeled, seeded and diced
- 1/4 cup kewpie mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup diced scallions
- 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. sriracha
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
Instructions
- Cut each nori sheet into 4 squares, for a total of 24.
- Stir rice vinegar into the cooked rice.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the kewpie mayo, sriracha, soy sauce and sesame oil until smooth.
- Cut the imitation crab meat into smaller pieces. Peel, seed and dice the cucumber. Peel, pit and dice the avocado.
- Fold the imitation crab, diced cucumbers and diced avocados into the mayo mixture.
- Place 1 Tbsp. of sushi rice into the center of each nori square. Press the rice-topped nori into the muffin cup. Using wet fingers, gently press the rice down into the muffin cup and up the sides of the nori square.
- Place a spoonful of the crab mixture into each sushi cup. Top with chopped scallions and sesame seeds, if desired. Remove sushi cups from muffin pan when ready to serve.
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