A kid friendly spicy tuna roll recipe you can easily make with everyday pantry ingredients! Who knew making maki sushi would be this easy! Ready in 25 minutes from start to finish.
This poor man’s spicy tuna roll was born of late-night watching-a-movie-hunger. We were craving sushi but our favorite sushi joint was closed. So I thought about my simple Japanese spicy tuna salad recipe and tried to make something similar in the form of sushi rolls. The result was delicious and it only took 8 ingredients and 25 minutes to make.
Why This Recipe Works
- It’s very easy to make – The list of ingredient is short, no sushi-grade tuna is needed, and it can be made ahead of time.
- Everyone loves it – Because canned tuna is used instead of raw tuna, it can be served to those who don’t like the taste or texture of uncooked fish. It also makes this dish kid friendly!
- It’s versatile – The heat level can be adjusted to your liking, it can be made a little sweet, or even salty. This dish can also be served for lunch, dinner, as an appetizer, snack, or a side.
Table of contents
Spicy Tuna Roll Ingredients
- Canned tuna: I prefer to use albacore wild tuna that has been sustainably line caught, such as Wild Planet, because of its fresh taste. But feel free to use any type of canned tuna you like.
- Sriracha Sauce: Sriracha delivers a peppery, spicy, and mildly sweet kick, without being overtly volcanic.
- Chili Oil: Japanese chili oil is a fragrant, nutty, and mildly spicy condiment made by sesame oil with red chili peppers.
- Rice Vinegar: Mildly tart with fruity and sweet notes, rice vinegar elevates the spicy tuna mixture from being one note. It also reduces some of the ‘fishiness’ of the canned tuna.
- Scallions: Finely chopped green onions bring a subtle crunch and freshness.
- Mayonnaise: Use whatever you have handy in the fridge. I tend to use light mayo and vegan mayo most of the time. However, many sushi restaurants use Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise.
- Seaweed Sheets (Nori): Toasted nori sheets are commonly used when rolling sushi – but the seaweed sheets aren’t just there to keep everything from spilling out of the roll. There’s a toasty, savory, marine flavor that enhances the overall bite.
- Cooked Japanese Rice: When making sushi or maki sushi, Japanese short grain rice is recommended over medium grain rice. That’s because the grains a fatter and more chewy, helping them stick together more easily. My favorite brand is Tamanishiki, which is available on Amazon.
Sushi Rice
If you would like to make sushi rice for this recipe, please refer to this how to make sushi rice tutorial, or watch the video below.
How To Make Sushi Rice Video
How To Make Spicy Tuna Roll
Rolling makizushi (sushi rolls) for the first time can be a bit of a challenge. Too loose, and the rolls are sloppy and won’t stick together. Too tight, and the fillings get squeezed out of the ends, and the sheets of nori can rip apart.
This step by step tutorial shows you how to do it the best and easiest way so every roll of sushi you make will come out looking beautiful.
Scroll below to look at the step by step images, or down to the recipe card to watch our how to make spicy tuna roll video.
- Make the spicy tuna mixture by mixing the canned tuna, sriracha sauce, chili oil, rice vinegar, scallions, and mayonnaise.
- Prep your station by placing the rice, spicy tuna mix, and nori sheet, nearby so they are easily accessible. Fill a bowl with tepid water and place it next to the ingredients.
- Place a nori sheet, shiny side down, on a sushi mat and spread about 1/4 cup of rice to one side of the sheet.
- Spread the rice using your fingers so it’s in a flat thin layer and covers about half of the sheet.
- Add a line of spicy tuna mix in the center of the rice and lightly spread it.
- Grab the bamboo from both ends of the side with the nori sheet and start rolling.
- Roll it tight enough so the rice feels tight but no so tight that the tuna mixture spills out from the ends. Keep rolling until there is a little nori sheet left.
- Wet your fingers and lightly run them across the bottom edge of the nori sheet. Continue rolling until the mat comes off.
- Wet a sharp knife and slice the roll in half. Slice into bite size pieces and cut off the ends if you want the roll to look neater.
Cooking Tips
- Take your time rinsing the rice under water, in a Japanese rice strainer preferably, until the water runs clear. This gets rid of excess starch from the grains.
- Always keep a bowl with tepid water to the side when making nigiri sushi or maki sushi (sushi rolls). Dipping your hands into it prevents the rice from getting too sticky while handling it.
- Drained the canned tuna well. This prevents the spicy tuna mixture from becoming too watery.
- Top these rolls with some crunchy tempura bits to elevate the dish. Sesame seeds are also delicious and add some nuttiness.
- Add a cucumber strip to turn this roll into a spicy tuna and cucumber roll.
- Add a little honey to the tuna mixture to sweeten the taste.
Storage
These spicy tuna rolls do keep quite well for a few days! Simply transfer them to a storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
I recommend taking the rolls out 1 hour before serving to give the rice time to soften. Keep the rolls in the container or covered to prevent the rice from drying.
Frequently Asked Questions
The difference is in how the tuna is prepared. Both rolls use nori sheets and sushi rice, but the tuna in spicy tuna rolls is ground and mixed with mayonnaise, sriracha sauce (or some other spicy sauce), and sometimes chopped scallions and sesame seeds. A tuna roll, called tekka maki in Japanese, only uses raw sushi grade tuna.
Generally, yes, if it’s made with sriracha sauce and doesn’t contain any soy sauce. My recipe is gluten-free. Make sure to use gluten-free soy sauce such as tamari or liquid amino for the dipping sauce.
Yes you can! All you need to do is swap regular mayonnaise for vegan mayonnaise, and use a plant based canned tuna such as Unmeat tuna in water, or Jinka plant based tuna.
What To Serve With Spicy Tuna Rolls
Spicy tuna rolls can be served as part of a healthy lunch or dinner, as an appetizer, side, or even as a late night snack. It pairs well with other popular Asian dishes such as:
- Edamame with soy and sesame sauce
- Easy vegetable egg rolls
- Gomae (Japanese spinach and sesame salad)
- Miso soup
- Zaru soba (chilled soba noodles)
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Did you like this poor man’s spicy tuna roll recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
PrintSpicy Tuna Roll (Poor Man’s)
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 people 1x
- Category: Rice
- Method: Rolling
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
A kid friendly Poor Man’s Spicy Tuna Roll Recipe you can easily make with everyday pantry ingredients! Ready in 25 minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients
- 5 ounces can tuna in water (well drained)
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon chili oil
- 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons scallions, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
- 6 nori sheets (seaweed)
- 1 1/2 cups cooked Japanese rice, at room temperature, or sushi rice – visit my post on how to make sushi rice
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix tuna, sriracha sauce, chili oil, rice vinegar, scallions and mayonnaise.
- Place a sheet of nori on top of a bamboo mat (sushi roller).
- Set a small bowl of water next to the sushi roller and wet your fingers. Add ¼ cup cooked rice to one side of the nori sheet and spread it by pressing down (you may need to add more rice – just make sure it’s thinly spread out). Continue until at least 3/4 of the nori sheet is covered.
- Add a line of spicy tuna mix to the center of the rice (about 1½ tablespoons, or more if you like bigger rolls).
- Roll up the bamboo mat (starting with the side with the rice and spicy tuna). You have to roll it tight enough that the rice feels condensed, but not so tight that the tuna mixture spills out (or the nori sheet breaks). You’ll get the hang of it after doing it a couple of times. Keep rolling until there is only a bit of nori left visible.
- Wet your fingers and run them across the inside edge of the nori sheet. This will seal the end of the roll. Keep rolling and delicately remove the bamboo mat.
- Wipe a sharp knife with a wet cloth and cut the roll into bite size pieces.
- Serve with soy sauce and wasabi.
Notes
This Spicy Tuna Roll Recipe is best served immediately after making. The rice will harden very quickly if refrigerated.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 106
- Sugar: 0.5g
- Sodium: 98.1mg
- Fat: 2g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14.3g
- Fiber: 0.1g
- Protein: 6.8g
- Cholesterol: 10.5mg
For my first time making homemade sushi, I think I was mostly relieved that it came out well. It tasted good too.
This was delicious!
Soooo yummy! My only tip is to make more rice and tuna if you like to stuff your nori sheets!!
Absolutely blown away. I’ve always been wary of canned tuna- it brought back bad school lunch vibes- but love anything and everything spicy tuna. This recipe completely nails the spicy tuna we know and love with the comfort of already cooked fish. I was shocked at how quickly it came together as well. A little bit of panko added gave the tuna the perfect crunch. We used it as Onigiri filling and were blown away. Thank you for creating such an amazing recipe!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much Helen for the feedback and story. It was such a pleasure to read!
This recipe worked out just fine with a can of mackerel that I had in the pantry, with minor adjustments on the amounts of seasonings. I think the little mat for rolling is about 7 years old and I had not dared to use it, lol. I also did the California rolls, and they were delicious as well. And truly, very easy to make.
I’ve done a few of your recipes, you post good stuff Caroline! Thanks!!
Thank you so much Sandra, you just put a smile on my face 🙂
What brand of tuna did you use? I’d love to make these ASAP! I usually eat the Ace Diamond Canned Tuna back home but they don’t have any where I’m at.
Hi Jarene! I use Wild Planet Albacore Tuna which you can find at Whole Foods. The tuna is really good and it’s sustainable which protects our oceans 🙂
Excellent recipe!
This is a great recipe, and even when I use a tuna brand I don’t normally care for (availability) everything turns out tasty. Thank you!
Thank you Kyrie! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipeI! t’s become a staple the past year without the rice for my low carb lunches (Sometimes I just roll it in little seaweed snack sheets).
I also have taken the tuna mixture and added cream cheese and some dashes of low sodium soy sauce and made a spicy tuna dip for cucumber or pork rinds 🙂
I had a terrible time rolling so I gave up, poured the spicy tuna over a bowl of rice, and added seaweed chips on the side and served it to my hubby as “Deconstructed Tuna Roll.” It’s now a staple!
I do the same sometimes when I’m feeling lazy, it’s just as good! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’m currently six months pregnant and can’t go out for sushi because there’s a terrible snowstorm ! (Michigan) I need a piece of sushi like my life depends on it, making this for dinner. Looks amazing
I tried it with canned salmon today (all I had in the pantry), and it was delicious!! For a little crunch, I’d definitely mix in breadcrumbs or roll some cucumber in next time. Thank you for saving me $15 on sushi delivery ^_^
I used this recipe but swapped the tuna for chickpeas & used vegan mayo. My husband & I loved it! Super easy & delicious vegan sushi!
What a great idea Melissa, I’ve never tried chickpea and vegan mayo for a sushi filling. Thanks for sharing!
Rice vinegar, salt, and sugar should be added to the rice after cooking for proper sushi rice (sake and/or mirin can also be used if you can get hold of them)
That’s right Matty, I love the taste of sushi rice when it’s perfect otherwise it can be too acidic!
I’ve made these twice now and absolutely love them. Many thanks for posting the recipe. They really are superb, fantastically tasty and easier and much cheaper than using sashimi grade tuna. Great recipe!
Thank you Tim, I’m so glad them as much as I do! 🙂
Chili oil. Brilliant idea! I’ll be making these tonight.
Will try this recipe definitely. Since I live in Vegas I miss our local food.
So yummy. I add some cucumber to freshen it up, since it was so hot outside.
Thank you so much for the idea.
I come daily to your website to watch for more 🙂
LittlFrenchy