Creamy crab layered over hot rice with spicy mayo, furikake and green onions. This quick and easy sushi bake is deliciously comforting and ready in 30 minutes! A great meal for the family for those sushi cravings at a less costly price!
Jump to:
A sushi bake is a baked casserole dish made of cooked short-grain white rice seasoned with furikake, layered with a cream cheese crab mixture with spicy mayo served with roasted seaweed.
It's absolutely delicious and almost addictive if you ask me! This trending seafood dish became viral on social media through the likes of TikTok adding to its popularity.
It serves well as a main dish for dinner and is super easy to make as there is no rolling required or sushi mats involved! Just a simple layering process in a casserole dish.
There are other versions of a homemade sushi bake, like my Spicy Tuna Sushi Bake which is equally delicious if you enjoy canned tuna.
When I'm feeling Japanese sushi but don't have much energy, I love to make this! The flavors are comforting and complex but the dish is so simple to make at home.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Cooked Sushi Rice: aka short-grain rice or Calrose rice which you can find at most Asian supermarkets. Avoid long grain white rice or medium grain rice as it's not sticky enough.
- Rice vinegar: or substitute with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
- White sugar: or substitute with cane sugar.
- Salt
- Imitation crab meat: or substitute with real cooked crab meat, canned tuna, or cooked salmon.
- Furikake: A Japanese style seasoning made of roasted seaweed flakes, toasted sesame seeds, sugar and salt. Most Asian grocery stores carry this or check online.
- Japanese mayonnaise: aka Kewpie Mayonnaise. Or substitute with normal mayonnaise.
- Cream cheese: You can use light or regular cream cheese. Avoid using seasoned cream cheese.
- Sriracha: for that spicy mayo.
- Green onion: as a garnish/
- Cucumber: to serve with the sushi or substitute with ripe sliced avocado.
- Nori sheets: or feel free to use seaweed snack which also come in rectangular sheets.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Microwave the rice seasoning for 30 seconds to help the sugar dissolve faster.
- Peel the imitation crab meat first and then slice into smaller pieces.
- Lightly grease the baking dish so the sushi pieces come out easily.
- Use a wet rice paddle to help you pack the rice down into the casserole dish.
- Make sure to pack the rice and crab mixture into the dish so it doesn't fall apart when you cut it.
- Cut the sushi bake with a wet and oiled sharp knife so the rice doesn't stick to it.
- Transfer the spicy mayo to a squeeze bottle (if you have one) to squeeze evenly amounts over the sushi bake.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make sushi bake:
- First preheat the oven to 450 F. In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, salt and sugar and mix until dissolved. This is your rice seasoning liquid.
- Transfer hot cooked rice into a medium bowl. Then mix in the rice seasoning liquid with a rice paddle.
- Then transfer seasoned rice to a lightly greased 9 x 11-inch baking dish. Firmly flatten and pack the rice down into the dish with a wet rice paddle. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of furikake on top of the rice.
- In a large bowl, combine shredded and chopped imitation crab meat with Japanese mayo, and cream cheese.
- Add crab mixture top of rice. Spread it out evenly and firmly pack it in. Sprinkle the remaining furikake on top of crab meat mixture.
- In a small bowl, combine Japanese mayo and sriracha to make a spicy mayo. (Not a fan of spice? Substitute with more mayo and omit the sriracha). Drizzle spicy mayo on top of crab layer.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 450F for 15 minutes uncovered. Then broil at 500 F for 1 minute. If the sauce begins to char, place aluminum foil over top.
- Lastly garnish the sushi bake with green onions. Slice with a wet oiled knife into 16 equal pieces and serve warm with a small sheet of nori and fresh cucumbers or sliced avocado.
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave on high heat covered for 2-3 minutes until warm or re-bake it in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until hot throughout.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing leftover cooked sushi bake as the rice will turn hard after reheating.
Pairing Suggestions
This sushi bake serves well with:
- starters like miso soup, or salad with Japanese ginger salad dressing or korokke.
- seafood dishes like shrimp tempura, panko shrimp or ebi mayo.
- protein dishes like chicken katsu or tonkatsu, tofu katsu, fish katsu bites, karaage, teriyaki tofu, teriyaki chicken, or ginger miso salmon.
- rice dishes like oyakodon, katsudon, spicy tuna rice bowl or omurice
- noodle dishes like ramen, yaki udon, creamy mushroom udon, or udon carbonara.
- rice balls like shrimp tempura rice ball, tuna onigiri, spicy tuna onigiri, pork katsu onigirazu
FAQ
Can I make this in advance?
Sushi bake can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave for a few minutes until hot.
Can I substitute the sushi rice with long grain rice?
Unfortunately I wouldn't recommend that as the long grain rice won't be sticky enough to hold the sushi bake together.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Sushi Bake
Creamy crab layered over hot rice with spicy mayo, furikake and green onions. This quick and easy sushi bake is deliciously comforting and ready in 30 minutes! A great meal for the family for those sushi cravings at a less costly price!
Ingredients
For the Sushi Rice:
- 4 cups cooked short grain rice aka sushi rice or calrose rice (or see below Notes for quantity of uncooked rice)
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 2 teaspoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Toppings:
- 14 oz imitation crab meat peeled into thin strands and chopped into 1 inch long pieces
- 2 teaspoon furikake or toasted sesame seeds and crushed roasted seaweed
- ½ cup Japanese mayo aka Kewpie mayo or sub with regular mayo
- ½ cup cream cheese light or regular both work
- 1 green onion finely chopped for garnish
Spicy Mayo:
- 4 tablespoon sriracha
- 4 tablespoon Japanese mayo aka Kewpie mayo or sub with regular mayo
Serve with:
- 1 cucumber thinly sliced, or sub with sliced avocado
- 4 nori sheets each sheet cut into 4 squares
Instructions
- First preheat the oven to 450 F. In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, salt and sugar and mix until dissolved. This is your rice seasoning liquid.
- Transfer hot cooked rice into a medium bowl. Then mix in the rice seasoning liquid with a rice paddle.
- Then transfer seasoned rice to a lightly greased 9 x 11-inch baking dish. Firmly flatten and pack the rice down into the dish with a wet rice paddle. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of furikake on top of the rice.
- In a large bowl, combine shredded and chopped imitation crab meat with Japanese mayo, and cream cheese.
- Add crab mixture top of rice. Spread it out evenly and firmly pack it in. Sprinkle the remaining furikake on top of crab meat mixture.
- In a small bowl, combine Japanese mayo and sriracha to make a spicy mayo. (Not a fan of spice? Substitute with more mayo and omit the sriracha). Drizzle spicy mayo on top of crab layer.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 450F for 15 minutes uncovered. Then broil at 500 F for 1 minute. If the sauce begins to char, place aluminum foil over top.
- Lastly garnish the sushi bake with green onions. Slice with a wet oiled knife into 16 equal pieces and serve warm with a small sheet of nori and fresh cucumbers or sliced avocado.
Notes
How much uncooked rice do I need for this recipe.
1.5 measuring cups or 300 grams of uncooked short grain rice is required to make 760 grams of cooked short-grain rice. Be sure to rinse the uncooked rice in cold water a few times until it turns clear and cook in a rice cooker or how you would normally cook your rice.Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave on high heat covered for 2-3 minutes until warm or re-bake it in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until hot throughout.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing leftover cooked sushi bake as the rice will turn hard after reheating.
Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!
Suggested Equipment & Products
Nutrition
Calories: 746kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 20g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 1848mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 595IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 3mg
Laura B
I’ve been wanting to make this for a while, so I’m happy you posted this recipe! It was so simple and absolutely delish! I topped with sliced fresh jalapeños before baking for an extra kick and served with slices avocado and cucumber. I’ll be making this again!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for sharing this kind review! Super pleased to hear that you enjoyed it 🙂
Nanajee Travels
This sushi bake sounds absolutely amazing! Creamy, spicy, and packed with flavor—perfect for a cozy meal at home. Definitely a must-try for sushi lovers! 🍣🔥😋
Christie Lai
Thank you so much! It definitely is a must try!