Sushi Bake Cups are a bite-sized handheld twist on the viral sushi bake! Made with crispy nori cups, seasoned sushi rice and a creamy, spicy salmon and crab topping. Baked in a muffin tin with no rolling required, they're an easy sushi appetizer perfect for parties and game days. Add all your favorite sushi toppings and enjoy your sushi snacks without the stress of rolling sushi!
Sushi Bake Cups Recipe
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Sushi Bake Cups are all the flavors of the viral sushi bake packed into bite-sized cups! Crispy nori cups are filled with seasoned sushi rice and a creamy, spicy salmon and crab topping, then baked until golden and finished with all your favorite sushi toppings. We love the combination of unagi sauce (eel sauce), sriracha, kewpie mayo, and green onions! It's the most irresistible flavor combination packed with umami!
These are perfect for parties because everyone gets their own little handheld sushi bake, no plates required! They're made in a muffin tin with simple ingredients and no sushi rolling needed. Serve them for game days, New Year's Eve, birthday parties or a fun sushi night at home.
What are Sushi Bake Cups?
A sushi bake is a deconstructed sushi casserole made with layers of seasoned sushi rice and a creamy seafood topping, baked until warm and golden. For these sushi bake cups, squares of nori are pressed into a muffin tin with a little sushi rice, then topped with a creamy mixture of flaked salmon, crab, Kewpie mayo, cream cheese and Sriracha. They're baked until the nori is crispy and topped with avocado, cucumber, sesame seeds, spicy mayo and eel sauce.
What to Serve with
- Wonton Soup
- Instant Pot Fried Rice
- Crab Rangoons
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Hot and Sour Soup
- Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- Salmon - seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper and cooked in the air fryer or oven, then flaked for the sushi cups topping.
- Crab Meat - real cooked crab or imitation crab works great for the recipe. Imitation crab is a great budget friendly option and is what most sushi restaurants use anyway!
- Cream Cheese - cream cheese makes the topping extra creamy, just like a Philadelphia sushi roll.
- Kewpie Mayonnaise - Japanese mayo is extra rich and creamy. Regular mayo works in a pinch.
- Sriracha - optional, for a spicy kick.
- Furikake - a Japanese seasoning blend of seaweed, sesame seeds and salt. This is used to season the rice but you can omit it if you cannot find it. It's available in Asian grocery stores and some regular grocery stores.
- Nori Sheets - seaweed sheets are cut into squares to create the crispy cups. Look for them in the Asian aisle.
- Sushi Rice - short grain sushi rice is sticky and holds together for sushi recipes.
- Rice Vinegar, Sugar and Salt - to season the rice for that classic sushi rice flavor. If you cannot find rice vinegar you can swap for white wine vinegar instead.
- Garnish - green onions, avocado, cucumber, sesame seeds, Kewpie mayo, eel sauce and Sriracha. Or any combination of your favorite sushi toppings!
How to Make Sushi Bake Cups
Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of page
- Prepare the rice stove top or in a rice cooker according to package directions. Once the rice has finished cooking transfer to a bowl and fluff the rice with a fork.
- In a small bowl combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture over the cooked rice and gently stir until evenly combined. Set the bowl aside and let the rice cool to room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F degrees.
- While the rice is cooling, prepare the topping. Pat dry the salmon with a paper towel. Brush with the oil and then season with the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Place salmon in air fryer and cook at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, or bake it in the oven on a lined baking sheet, at 400°F for 10-12 minutes. Once cooked set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, shred imitation crab and flake the cooked salmon. Then add mayonnaise, softened cream cheese and sriracha. Mix until evenly combined and set aside.
Prepare the Cups
- Cut each sheet of nori into 4 even square pieces.
- Working on a cutting board or plate, add 2 tablespoons of the seasoned rice to each nori square. Flatten the rice in the center of the nori (do not push the rice out to the edges of the nori, keep it in the center only).
- Press each nori sqaure with rice into the cups of a 12 count muffin tin. Gently press the rice down to spread it out on the bottom of the muffin tin.
- Evenly distribute the salmon and crab mixture on top of the rice and spread it out to fill the cups (about 2-3 tablespoons per muffin cup).
- Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes, or until the nori has gotten crispy. Optional: broil for 1-2 minutes until the top is crispy and golden.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 2-3 minutes before removing from the muffin tin.
- Garnish the sushi bake cups as desired. Drizzle with Sriracha, Kewpie mayonnaise, eel sauce, sesame seeds, furikake, or diced avocado. Serve and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Sushi Bake Cups
- Nori - when working with the nori ensure your hands are very dry. Any bit of moisture will cause the nori to stick to your hands. The nori is also fairly fragile and will break or rip easily. We recommend using kitchen scissors to cut the nori into 4 square pieces.
- Topping Options - you can get creative with the toppings for these sushi cups. You can drizzle any sauces you like such as sriracha, kewpie mayo, unagi sauce, sweet chili sauce, or spicy mayonnaise. You can add some diced cucumbers or avocado on top for some freshness too!
- Flavor Variations - for a fun twist you can make a different flavor combination. You can use any combination of salmon, crab, shrimp, scallops, or tuna! If you prefer to not use seafood you can use finely diced cooked chicken!
FAQ
Oven - reheat at 350°F for 7-8 minutes on a baking tray covered with foil or until warmed through.
Microwave - reheat on a microwave safe dish in 30 second internals until warmed through (they will not be crispy anymore).
Air Fryer - reheat at 350°F for 3-4 minutes or until warmed through.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
We recommend freezing fully cooked sushi cups. Allow the sushi cups to cool completely at room temperature then transfer to a freezer safe container. Arrange the cups in a single layer and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen on a baking tray covered with foil and bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, then uncover and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Please note the texture of the nori will change after freezing and reheating.
You can fully prepare and cook the sushi cups a day in advance and then reheat before serving.
You can swap the salmon and crab for plant based fish product of choice or tofu.
For a gluten free recipe be sure to use gluten free eel sauce, soy sauce and imitation crab.
For a dairy free recipe swap the kewpie mayonnaise and cream cheese for a dairy free mayonnaise.
More Easy Sushi Recipes
Enjoy!
- Sab
Sushi Bake Cups
Ingredients
- 3 sheets nori (seaweed sheets for sushi, cut each sheet into 4 square pieces)
Sushi Rice
- 1 cup uncooked sushi rice (or uncooked jasmine rice, plus water measurement according to package)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Sushi Bake Topping
- 5 oz salmon fillet (skin removed, approximately 1 salmon fillet)
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, paprika (each)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup cooked crab meat (sub imitation crab meat, chopped)
- 3 tablespoon Kewpie mayonnaise
- ¼ cup cream cheese ( room temperature, 4 ounces, ½ a brick)
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha (optional)
- 2 tablespoon Furikake (Japanese rice seasoning, optional)
Garnishes (Optional)
- Green onion (sliced)
- Avocado (sliced)
- Cucumber (diced)
- Sesame seeds
- Kewpie mayonnaise
- Eel Sauce (unagi sauce)
- Sriracha sauce
- Furikake seasoning
Instructions
- Prepare the rice stove top or in a rice cooker according to package directions. Once the rice has finished cooking transfer to a bowl and fluff the rice with a fork.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F degrees.
- While the rice is cooling, prepare the topping. Pat dry the salmon with a paper towel. Brush with the oil and then season with the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Place salmon in air fryer and cook at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, or bake it in the oven on a lined baking sheet, at 400°F for 10-12 minutes. Once cooked set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture over the cooked rice and gently stir until evenly combined. Set the bowl aside and let the rice cool to room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- In a large bowl, shred imitation crab and flake the cooked salmon. Then add mayonnaise, softened cream cheese and sriracha. Mix until evenly combined and set aside.
- Cut each sheet of nori into 4 even square pieces.
- Working on a cutting board or plate, add 2 tablespoons of the seasoned rice to each nori square. Flatten the rice in the center of the nori (do not push the rice out to the edges of the nori, keep it in the center only).
- Press each nori square with rice into the cups of a 12 count muffin tin. Gently press the rice down to spread it out on the bottom of the muffin tin.
- Evenly distribute the salmon and crab mixture on top of the rice and spread it out to fill the cups (about 2-3 tablespoons per muffin cup).
- Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes, or until the nori has gotten crispy. Optional: broil for 1-2 minutes until the top is crispy and golden.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 2-3 minutes before removing from the muffin tin.
- Garnish the sushi bake cups as desired. Drizzle with Sriracha, Kewpie mayonnaise, eel sauce, sesame seeds, furikake, or diced avocado. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Ana says
Highly recommend! Packed with flavour.