Shrimp Tempura Roll - Crispy baked tempura shrimp, cucumber, and avocado are rolled up in seasoned sushi rice and nori to create this flavorful appetizer. It’s so fun to make sushi at home!
Sushi is a fun and delicious treat but it isn’t always so friendly to your wallet. Luckily, with a few tips and tricks, you can make shrimp tempura roll or Philadelphia Roll from the comfort of your own home!
When YOU make this Tempura Shrimp Sushi Roll, take a picture & DM me your Food Creation on Instagram @MunchkinTimeBlog & hashtag #munchkinrecipes. I would love to see YOUR creation!
This homemade Shrimp Tempura Roll is made with crispy breaded shrimp, cucumber, avocado, and finished with an umami sushi sauce. Roll it all up with rice and nori in your sushi roller and you have a fun and colorful treat the whole family will love.
For the best results, you’ll need an Instant Pot or rice cooker to make soft and sticky sushi rice. A handy bamboo sushi mat will make rolling the shrimp tempura a breeze as well. If you don’t have these tools, you can always cook the rice on the stove and use a clean dish towel with a layer of plastic wrap instead of the sushi mat.
Skip the takeout and bring some excitement to the dinner table by serving this shrimp tempura sushi recipe with my Easy Fried Rice, Beef Lo Mein, and Sweet and Sour Chicken.
What is a shrimp tempura roll?
This is a crunchy and savory sushi roll made with baked and battered shrimp, sushi rice, nori, cucumber, and avocado. A little tobiko and Unagi Sushi Sauce as the garnish spruce it up and give each piece a little tang to balance the flavors.
Ingredients in shrimp tempura roll
Making shrimp tempura sushi at home is easy and quick when you use pre-battered storebought shrimp. If you’re up for the challenge, make the rolls with my homemade beer battered shrimp instead! Otherwise, these are the rest of the ingredients you need to make easy homemade sushi rolls:
- Tempura Shrimp - store bought
- Sushi rice
- Cucumber
- Avocado
- Nori (seaweed)
- Tobiko (flying fish roe)
- Unagi Sushi Sauce
How to make sushi rice
Step 1: Rinse the rice under water to wash away the excess starch.
Step 2: Place the rice and water in an Instant Pot or rice cooker. Cook it in the Instant Pot for 10 minutes on the rice setting. Quick release the pressure.
Step 3: When it’s done, transfer the cooked rice to a baking sheet or a large skillet. Cut it up using a spoon.
Step 4: Make the rice seasoning by mixing the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Heat it in the microwave for a few seconds to dissolve the sugar.
Step 5: Pour the vinegar mixture all over the rice to season and mix it together well. Leave it to cool until it’s time to make the shrimp tempura sushi.
How to make shrimp tempura sushi
Step 1: Bake the shrimp according to the directions on the package.
Step 2: Put a piece of plastic wrap over your sushi mat. Add a nori sheet on top, then add some rice. Wet your hands and spread the rice into an even layer. Finish with a sprinkle of tobiko on top.
Step 3: Flip the nori and add the shrimp, cucumber, and avocado to the other side. Tightly roll it up.
Step 4: Wet a sharp knife under cold water and cut the roll into 8 equal pieces. Drizzle with eel sauce and enjoy!
Helpful recipe tips
- Rinse the rice under cold water until the water draining out is clear. This may take a few minutes but is so worth it to get perfectly tender rice.
- Short grain rice can be finicky, which is why I recommend using an Instant Pot or rice cooker to cook the sushi rice. Both of these methods will turn out evenly cooked, shiny rice every time.
- Be careful not to mash the rice as you stir in the seasonings. Use a spoon to slice and fold the rice over and onto itself as you mix in the vinegar, sugar, and salt.
- Have a bowl of water next to you as you roll up the sushi. Wetting your hands will make it easier to spread the rice over the nori.
Serving suggestions
Have a few small dishes of soy sauce and spicy mayonnaise on the side for dipping. Feel free to season the sushi with more Unagi sauce, sesame seeds, and tobiko on top.
Sushi is filling and delicious on its own as a fun snack. The leftover rice, avocado, and cucumber can be rolled up for some extra sushi rolls and served with my Bang Bang Shrimp and Avocado Salad for a light and healthy dinner!
More delicious shrimp recipes
- Spicy Grilled Shrimp
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Baked Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Shrimp Scampi
- Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
📖 Recipe
Shrimp Tempura Sushi Recipe
Equipment
- Bamboo sushi mat
Ingredients
Shrimp Tempura Sushi Roll
- 1 lb Tempura Shrimp store-bought - baked according to instructions
- 1 english cucumber thinly sliced into julienned pieces
- 2 large avocados sliced
- 4 sheets Nori
- 2 tablespoons tobiko for garnish
- Unagi Sushi Sauce optional
Sushi Rice
- 1 ½ cups sushi rice rinsed
- 1 ¾ cups water
- ¼ cup Rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
How to make Sushi Rice
- Rinse the rice under water to wash away the excess starch. Place rice and water inside instant pot or rice cooker, and select rice sitting (instant pot) for cook for 10 minutes. Quick release the pressure.
- Place rice on a baking sheet or a large skillet, using a spoon break the rice.
- Place rice vinegar, sugar and salt into a small microwave safe dish, microwave for few seconds to dissolve sugar.
- Pour vinegar mixture over the rice and mix it well. Let it cool in room temperature.
How to make Shrimp Tempura Sushi Rolls
- Bake the shrimp according to the directions on the package. Place plastic wrap over sushi mat. Add 1 nori sheet and ½ cup of rice and evenly spread it using wet hands (have a bowl of water next to you and wet your hands often for easier rice spreading). Sprinkle ½ tablespoon of tobiko.
- Flip the nori on the other side and add shrimp, cucumber and avocado slices. Tightly roll the sushi roll using a sushi mat.
- After, wet a sharp knife with cold water and cut each sushi roll into 8 equal pieces. Drizzle Unagi Sushi Sauce ( eel sauce) over the top and enjoy with soy sauce and spicy mayo.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Q. Do YOU like this Sushi Recipe?
Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!
Thank YOU for YOUR Comment, Share & Recipe Review!
Quote of the Day
Happy Cooking!
Dan G.
Here's a tip I learned early on about using cucumber and avocado in a sushi roll. Put the main ingredient in the middle, put the avocado slices on the near side and the cucumber sticks on the far side. When you start to roll it you can put your finger tips against the cucumber as you start to bring the roll over and then reposition your fingertips on the makisu (rolling mat) as you complete the roll. This arrangement makes it far easier to roll because the cucumber doesn't smash like avocado does under your fingers when you start to roll it. It's easier to do and makes much more consistent results.
Munchkin Time
Thank you for the tip, Dan! 😀
Tracys
This recipe is exquisite! I’ve made it twice so far and my husband and I are always blown away by the incredible flavors and textures! Thanks for sharing…
Julie
Making this tonight. Minor error in the photo caption: "...cut the roll into 8 equal pieces. Drizzle with plastic wrap and enjoy!" lol. (I did read through the recipe card and found it was the eel sauce. That will have to be for *next* time.)
Munchkin Time
Thank you so much for catching that error, Julie, not sure how I missed it! I appreciate you! The error is now fixed.
Jessica
Does this keep well overnight in the fridge for a lunch(work)?
Munchkin Time
Hi Jessica! This is a great question, they can be kept in the fridge till next day but it wouldn't be as fresh tasting as if you were to make them the same day. They will still taste good. Hope this helps!