Make your next sushi night unforgettable with this gorgeous Vegan Caterpillar Roll! It’s filled with cucumbers, marinated shiitake mushrooms, and sliced avocado, and it’s sure to satisfy. To make it even more flavourful, finish it with teriyaki sauce. Want to learn how to make it? Just keep reading.
🐛 What Is A Caterpillar Roll?
A caterpillar roll is a type of uramaki, a Japanese term for inside-out sushi rolls where the rice is on the outside. What sets this roll apart is the layered avocado on top, arranged to look like a caterpillar’s body.
While traditional versions often contain unagi (eel), I’ve created this vegan-friendly alternative filled with crunchy cucumbers and sweet soy-marinated mushrooms. This veggie caterpillar roll is drizzled with teriyaki sauce as the strips and sesame seeds as spots. Now, you’ll start to see how it resembles a cute caterpillar. 😍
🍣 Hungry for more sushi? Explore my go-to vegan sushi recipes listed below!
Recipe Ingredients
The photo below shows all the ingredients for the recipe with helpful notes for guidance.
Seasoned Sushi Rice – Please refer to this blog post’s detailed How To Make Sushi Rice (Stovetop or Rice Cooker).
Cucumbers – I recommend English cucumbers and using a mandolin with a julienne attachment for thin strips, which offer a better mouthfeel. Alternatively, a knife works well with patience.
Shiitake Mushrooms – Use my recipe for marinated simmered mushrooms in a sweet soy sauce glaze. These shrooms are dangerously good! 🤤
Avocados – Use ripe avocados for their creamy texture. Look for avocados that yield slightly to gentle pressure when squeezed.
Nori Sheets – Find dried seaweed sheets, known as nori, at Asian markets or in the international aisle of your local grocery store.
Teriyaki Sauce – Make my homemade teriyaki sauce recipe with just 6 ingredients in 10 minutes!
Sesame Seeds – I purchase roasted sesame seeds for their nutty and toasty flavour, perfect as a garnish for this sushi roll.
📸 Visual Guide: Making Caterpillar Sushi Rolls
Scroll down to find the recipe card for detailed step-by-step written instructions.
Preparing Sushi Rice
Make a batch of seasoned sushi rice and let it cool to room temperature before starting the caterpillar sushi rolls.
Preparing Ingredients
While the rice cools, you can make my 10-minute homemade teriyaki sauce and simmered shiitake mushrooms.
📝 Tip: Prepare both recipes and store them in the fridge a day ahead.
Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise, remove the seeds with a small spoon and cut it into thin strips. You can use a mandolin with a julienne attachment or a knife.
Assembling Rolls
Rolling The Sushi
Avocado Topping
👩🏻🍳 Jazz’s Tips
- Dry filling – Pat the cucumber strips and shiitake mushrooms with a paper towel to remove excess moisture before adding them to the roll. This action prevents the seaweed from getting too soggy.
- Use a water bowl – Dip your fingers in water before handling sushi rice to prevent it from sticking to your hands.
- Avocados vary in size, so you might use one whole avocado or half to cover the entire roll.
- Clean cuts – Keep a slightly wet, sharp knife handy. Cut firmly downward, dipping the knife in water before each slice and tapping off excess. Clean the knife after each use to ensure neat slices.
How To Store
For the best flavour, enjoy this vegan caterpillar roll fresh. If you have leftovers, tightly wrap them in plastic or store them in a sealed container. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ripe avocados are easier to slice thinly compared to unripe ones, which tend to be too hard and difficult to cut evenly.
To check if an avocado is ripe, gently squeeze it; ripe ones yield slightly without feeling mushy. Also, look for slight darkening of the skin as it ripens.
Yes, you can. For instance, you can make the simmered shiitake mushrooms and homemade teriyaki sauce and store them in the fridge until ready to use.
You have various options, including shredded carrots, baked sweet potato strips, or pickled daikon radish (takuan).
🇯🇵 More Vegan Japanese Recipes
- Vegan Tamagoyaki (Rolled Omelet)
- Sunomono (Cucumber Salad)
- Japanese Fruit Jelly
- Teriyaki Udon Noodles
- Vegan Shiso Pesto
- 20 Min Teriyaki Tofu
- Garlic Chili Udon Noodles
- Japanese Curry w/Chickpeas
- Vegan Kakiage Tempura
- Vegan Japanese Egg Sando
DID YOU MAKE THIS VEGAN CATERPILLAR ROLL?
I would greatly appreciate your feedback. Kindly leave a comment or star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. Also, feel free to tag me on Instagram, as I enjoy seeing photos of your recipes.
Vegan Caterpillar Roll
Equipment
- Bamboo Rolling Mat
- Sharp Knife
Ingredients
- 1 recipe seasoned sushi rice
- 1 recipe teriyaki sauce
- 1 recipe simmered shiitake mushrooms
- 1 English cucumber
- 2-4 ripe avocados
- 2 nori sheets (full size)
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
Preparing Sushi Rice
- First, make a batch of seasoned sushi rice and let it cool to room temperature before starting the caterpillar sushi rolls.
Preparing Ingredients
- While the rice cools, you can make my homemade teriyaki sauce and simmered shiitake mushrooms. Tip: you can prepare both recipes and store them in the fridge a day ahead.
- Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise, remove the seeds with a small spoon, and cut it into thin strips. You can use a mandolin with a julienne attachment or a knife.
- Dry the filling by patting the cucumber strips and shiitake mushrooms with a paper towel to remove excess moisture before adding them to the roll. This action prevents the seaweed from getting too soggy.
Assembling Rolls
- Cover the bamboo mat with plastic wrap to make cleanup easier and prevent rice from sticking. Using scissors, cut a whole nori sheet in half to create two half sheets.
- Place half a nori sheet horizontally on the bamboo mat, rough side up. Wet your hands slightly with water to prevent the rice from sticking. Grab some sushi rice (about 1/2 -3/4 cup) and spread it thinly/evenly over the nori, leaving 1/2 inch at the top bare.
- Flip the nori sheet over so the rice faces down and the bare top part is now at the bottom. Arrange cucumber strips and mushrooms in the centre.
- To roll the sushi:– Lift the edge of the nori closest to you and tuck the bare flap of the nori inside the roll.– Roll until you’ve completed the roll.– Using the bamboo mat, give a firm hug/squeeze the roll with both hands. Repeat to shape the roll further.
Make Avocado Topping
- Slice the avocado in half, remove the pit and gently use a spoon to run around the edge to scoop the flesh out in one piece. Then, thinly slice each half the short way across.
- Use your hand to fan out the avocado slices gently, lift them with a large knife, and place enough slices over the sushi roll, overlapping each other to cover the top. Tip: avocados vary in size, so you might use one whole avocado or half to cover the entire roll.
- Gently use the bamboo mat to help attach & shape the sliced avocado onto the roll.
Cutting The Roll
- Cover the roll with a large piece of plastic wrap, ensuring it's double the size of the roll and then with a slightly wet sharp knife, slice it into 8 pieces. Remove the plastic wrap, drizzle with teriyaki sauce and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Notes
- Use a water bowl – Dip your fingers in water before handling sushi rice to prevent it from sticking to your hands
- Clean cuts – Keep a slightly wet, sharp knife handy. Cut firmly downward, dipping the knife in water before each slice and tap off excess. Clean the knife after each use to prevent rice from sticking and ensure neat slices.
- Storage instructions – For the best flavour, enjoy this vegan caterpillar roll fresh. If you have leftovers, tightly wrap them in plastic or store them in a sealed container. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
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