Chirashi sushi — which literally means “scattered sushi” — is a bowl of seasoned sushi rice topped with a mix of ingredients. Traditionally it includes fish, but this version proves you don’t need any seafood to make it just as satisfying.
If you love sushi but don’t feel confident in using fresh raw fish at home, this vegetarian chirashi sushi is the easiest way to get your fix at home.
This version is fresh, colorful, and packed with flavor. The mix of tender and crunchy vegetables, savory mushrooms, and vinegared rice hits all the right notes: it’s nutty, savory, and umami-rich. And the best part? You can throw it together in about 20 minutes.
Why You’ll Love This Version
- No rolling, no stress — just assemble and eat
- Fully customizable with whatever vegetables you have
- Light but satisfying
- Perfect for lunch, dinner, or meal prep
- Naturally vegetarian (and easy to make vegan)
Table of contents
What is Chirashi Sushi?
Chirashi sushi is one of the simplest types of sushi to make since everything is served in a bowl over seasoned sushi rice. It’s fast, versatile, and perfect for using whatever you have in your fridge.
While traditional versions often include raw fish, vegetables are just as common — things like shiitake mushrooms, cucumber, carrots, and tofu are classic additions. That’s why this vegetarian version works so well — nothing feels like it’s missing.
Ingredients
- Rice: Use Japanese short grain rice such as koshihikari.
- Sushi rice seasoning: Rice vinegar, sugar, and salt.
- Ginger carrots: Julienned fresh ginger and carrots are pan fried until soft but slightly crunchy, seasoned with sesame oil and sesame seeds for plenty of nuttiness.
- Miso tomatoes: A mix of chopped tomatoes, white miso paste, and olive oil. The result if packed with umami and fruity flavors.
- Umami mushrooms: Earthy shiitake mushrooms cooked with soy sauce, sake, and sugar, for the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
- Spinach: Freshly chopped spinach for color and a refreshing taste.
- Green onions: For a sweet and satisfying crunch.
- Shredded nori: Optional but delicious! Nori adds a subtle toasted/smoky flavor.
Topping Variations
Crunchy: Cucumber, radish, snap peas, cabbage, broccoli.
Umami: Seasoned shiitake mushrooms, roasted eggplant, seasoned tofu, soy marinated egg, shredded cheese.
Fresh: Avocado, microgreens, shiso leaves, basil leaves, cilantro.
Sweet-savory: Tamagoyaki, sweet corn, kiwi, strawberries.
Extra flavor boosters Sesame seeds, pickles, pickled red cabbage, wasabi, gochujang, sriracha sauce, squeeze of lemon or lime juice.
How to Make Vegetarian Chirashi Sushi
- Cook the rice and season it with sushi rice seasoning. Mix gently until evenly coated.
- Season the tomatoes. Toss the tomatoes with miso paste and olive oil until well coated.
- Make the ginger carrots: Slice, cook, and season the ginger and carrots.
- Make umami mushrooms. Slice, cook, and season the shiitake mushrooms.
- Slice the other toppings. Chop the spinach, green onions, and nori.
- Serve. Divide the rice into bowls and top with vegetables and shredded nori.
The Secret Better Flavor
The difference between a good chirashi bowl and a great one comes down to balance.
You want:
Acidity → from the sushi rice
Umami → mushrooms + miso
Freshness → raw vegetables
Texture → soft + crunchy contrast
That’s why the miso tomatoes and mushrooms work so well — they add umami and depth that replaces the usual seafood flavor.
Are you a sushi lover? Then you might also like these recipes: maki sushi, temari sushi, inari sushi, California roll, spicy tuna roll, Philadelphia roll.
What to Serve With it
Turn this into a full meal:
- Classic miso soup or a daikon miso soup, or my favorite, onion miso soup.
- Seaweed salad, Japanese potato salad, or kani salad.
- Cucumber sunomono, nasu dengaku, salted pickled cabbage.
To make this bowl even more flavorful, try drizzling one of these homemade Japanese dressings.
Storage Tips
Chirashi sushi is best eaten fresh. You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 day, but the rice will firm up and lose its texture. If storing, keep toppings separate and assemble just before eating. Take the rice out of the fridge and let warm up a little on the kitchen counter (away from direct sunlight) for about 30 minutes, to soften the grains, before eating.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
PrintVegetarian Chirashi Sushi
A vegetarian chirashi sushi recipe full of color and flavors.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 people 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Chopping
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked Japanese rice
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 smalls carrot, julienned
- 1 thumb size ginger, peeled and julienned
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, chopped bite size
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sake
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 plum tomato, sliced bite size
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup baby spinach, finely chopped
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- shredded nori, optional
Instructions
- Ginger carrots: In a small pan over high heat, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, ginger and carrots, and fry for 3 minutes until ingredients have softened. Turn the heat off and add 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, sesame seeds and a little salt. Stir, transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Umami mushrooms: Using the same pan over high heat, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and shiitake mushrooms and fry for 3 minutes. Add soy sauce, sake and sugar, and fry until all the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Miso tomatoes: Put the tomatoes in a small bowl together with miso paste and extra virgin olive oil. Mix well until the tomatoes are coated evenly.
- Make the sushi rice: Mix the sugar, salt, and rice vinegar until dissolved. Warm up the Japanese rice for a few seconds in the microwave or let it warm up to room temperature for about 30 minutes on the kitchen counter, away from direct sunlight. Pour the seasoning over it and mix well until rice is evenly coated. Do not over mix as it will make the rice mushy!
- Serve: Divide rice among two bowls and top evenly with ginger carrots, miso tomatoes, umami mushrooms, spinach, green onions, and shredded nori. Serve immediately.
Notes
Make ahead of time: Cook, chop, and season all the toppings, and refrigerate them separately. Only add the toppings to the rice when you are ready to eat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 604
- Sugar: 5.6g
- Sodium: 423mg
- Fat: 17.4g
- Saturated Fat: 3.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 96.4g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 11.3g
- Cholesterol: 7mg
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but expect a different texture. Brown rice is less sticky and slightly nutty, so the bowl won’t hold together the same way as traditional sushi rice. But it will still be very yummy!
It’s best served at room temperature. Warm rice enhances the flavor of the vinegar and toppings, while cold rice can taste dull and firm.
Soy sauce is the classic choice, but you can also drizzle a little sesame dressing, ponzu, or a light miso-based sauce for extra depth.
This recipe is so delicious. I make it often — a bit intimidating at first but not actually. I add some marinated baked tofu cubes and half an avo — and love it. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much Peggy! We also make this all the time and love it 🙂
Boy am I glad I found your site! I never would have thought of miso and tomatoes for this dish! Very delicious! I had to switch the carrots for bell pepper and put in some crab sticks but the dish very tasty. Everything so umami!
That’s wonderful Sunny, I’m so happy you enjoyed this dish! And I agree – tomato and miso go so well together! 🙂
This looks amazing! and such a great recipe to start the New Year with clean eating. Thanks for sharing!
I hope you love it as much as I do Juliana! Happy New Year!
This is lovely! I might actually try something similar in a few days!