How To Make Sushi Donuts 

These tasty and beautiful sushi donuts are super easy and fun to make right in your kitchen. I love making these sushi donuts with friends, families, and even kids. It is a fun activity, and everyone gets to customize the sushi donut with their favorite sushi ingredients, so you don't have to worry about satisfying everyone's wants! All you need is a donut mold, sushi rice, and your favorite sushi combo ingredients to make these sushi donuts.

What I love about making sushi donuts is how easy it is. I love eating sushi but making sushi isn't exactly easy. Rolling sushi can be messy, the rice can stick to your finger, and cutting them can be very frustrating. Using a donut mold to make sushi donut can ensure all your favorite ingredients stays intact. Not to mention, it is super easy to customize what you want to put in it.

What You Will Need

Donut Mold

To make the donut shape and make personal sushi donuts, I recommend that you use the smallest donut mold or donut pan you have. This way, you can enjoy a few sushi donuts.

A food-grade silicone donut mold may be easier to pop the sushi donut out than hard mold. 

Sushi Rice

To make a sushi donut, you will need to make some sushi rice. To make sushi rice, you will need either short-grain sushi rice or sushi rice. You then soak and cook the rice in a rice cooker or instant pot with water according to the direction. Once it is done cooking, let it cool and add sushi vinegar or rice vinegar. 

For 2-3 people, I recommend that you make a cup of sushi rice to make about small 12 sushi donuts. The number of sushi donuts you can make will depend on your mold's size and how much content you are planning to use.

Protein

Just like traditional sushi, you will need sushi-grade or sashimi-grade fish to make these sushi donuts. You can find these grades of fish at most grocery stores frozen section near the seafood area, seafood market, or even your local farmers market.

Some of the common sushi-grade or sashimi-grade fish you can find at the store includes salmon, tuna, and albacore. If you have Japanese grocery stores or Asian grocery stores near you, sushi-grade ingredients can be easily found there. Another type of fish you can use is unagi, cooked lobster, cooked shrimp, roe (fish eggs), or fresh sea urchin.

If seafood is not your thing, you can still make sushi donuts. You can use other types of protein like beef, chicken, or tofu for a vegan option. The possibility of a sushi donut recipe is endless.

Fruits And Vegetables

Frequently used fruits and vegetables include cucumber, carrots, avocado, and mango. But feel free to use your favorite vegetables or even pickles (like pickled ginger, Kyurizuke, Takuan) in your donuts sushi. Regardless what fruits and vegetables you are planning to use in your sushi donut, make sure you use a sharp knife and slice it thinly. 

Nori/Seaweed Sheet

Even though this isn't your traditional sushi, it is no sushi without nori! Good quality nori has umami flavor with a hint of sweetness. If you are unable to find nori or don't like its taste, you can replace it with shiso leaf.

Toppings

You have multiple topping options, from sauce like eel sauce or spicy mayo to something crunchy like toasted black sesame seeds, white sesame, or furikake. 

Dipping Sauce

Like traditional sushi, you will need a dipping sauce for a sushi donut. You can make the same sushi sauce using soy sauce and wasabi.

How To Make Sushi Donut

Now that you have an idea of what you need to make these sushi donuts and what you want to use let's talk about how to assemble them.

1. Place your protein, fruits, vegetables, and toppings

Make sure everything is cut thinly sliced and place in the donut mold. 

2. Place Your Rice

Place your cooked rice on top of the topping and fill your mold. Give the rice a little push at the end to make sure all the ingredients are intact. 

3. Place Nori Sheets

Each donut will need its own nori sheet, so you may need to cut your sheet. To get the "donut" out, place the nori sheets to cover each donut and then flip the mold over. The nori sheet should stick to the rice, and the "donut" should come out pretty easily.

Ta-da! It is that easy!

Ingredients

1 Cup Sushi Rice
3 oz Sushi Grade Salmon
3 oz Unagi
1/2 Small Avocado
1/4 English Cucumber
2 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
1/2 Mango
1 Tablespoon Roe
Strawberry
Soy Sauce/ Coconut Amino
Picked Ginger
Wasabi Paste
Sesame Seed Blend

Directions

1. To make this recipe, make sure all the ingredients are thinly sliced with sharp knife.
2. Cook the rice according to the direction. Let it cool, add rice vinegar, and mix.
3. Place the toppings into the molds. Then place the thinly sliced fruit, vegetables, and protein into the donut molds.
4. Then place the rice mixture into the mold and packs it.
5. Place nori sheets on top and then flip it over.

Notes

•  Avoid cooling the hot sushi rice into the fridge to cool down because it will affect the rice taste and texture. 
• If a rice cooker is available, you can cook sushi rice in your rice cooker.
• There are a few ways you can display the topping on top of the rice donut. You can either place it horizontal or vertical in the mold, and how you position the ingredients will affect how it will look on the rice donut when it's pop out.
• If you have a mold that is hard to get the "donut" out, you can place a plastic wrap in the mold first and then place the ingredients. You can also make a rice donut and then place the ingredients on top after getting it out.

How To Select Nori Sheets?

The best nori sheets have a dark color with a hint of a green hue. They should have an even thickness with no peeping holes. 

What is Sushi Grade Fish?

The term "sushi-grade" and "sashimi-grade" means the same. However, sushi-grade fish is not the same as your regular raw fish at the grocery store. For the fish to be label as sushi-grade, it needs to meet FDA guidelines. This means the fish needs to be frozen for specific periods at a particular temperature to get rid of parasites.

How To Serve These Sushi Donuts?

Just like traditional sushi, to enjoy a sushi donut, you will need soy sauce and wasabi. For a healthier twist, go for low sodium or even coconut amino option. Serve on the side with some pickled ginger.