6 simple sushi recipes for kids

Some might see sushi as quite a fancy dish for kids. But it needn’t be! Making homemade sushi is a fun family activity (psst: it’ll also encourage them to eat some colourful veggies). Plus, the beauty of making sushi at home is that you can use your kids’ fave sushi ingredients. Nutella sushi anyone? More on that later…

Before we get down to some sushi-making fun, it’s important to note that raw fish and shellfish aren’t recommended for the under 5’s. This is because it takes until kids are around five years old for them to develop a more robust immune system.

6 simple sushi recipes for kids

Firstly, don’t worry if getting your kids to try new food is hard. Some children will eat anything, while others prefer to stick to what they know. In fact, Japanese food is ideal for kids as it’s all about delicate flavours, minimal use of herbs and spices and dainty portions. The sushi recipes below have been specially designed for kids. We want to encourage children to be adventurous and try different kinds of flavours and textures - it’s fun to explore. But if you have a child who’s unsure, just make one flavour of sushi, include an ingredient you know they love (cucumber? banana?) and offer it in a very small amount to start. 

Fruit sushi 

Juicy, sweet sushi pieces, perfect for kids’ parties!

Ingredients:

• Fresh fruit — banana, kiwi, pineapple, mango, strawberries, raspberries… ask the kids to choose!
• 250g cooked sushi rice or coconut sticky rice (add 225 ml of coconut milk and 85g sugar to the sushi rice as below)
• Nutella, melted chocolate or berry coulis
• Toppings such as shaved chocolate or shredded coconut 

Get stuck in:

1. Prepare the sushi rice (as per the packet instructions) or coconut sushi rice. For the coconut rice, simmer 225 ml of coconut milk with 85g of the sugar for 1 min. Stir in 250g of cooked sushi rice, then leave, covered, for 5 mins until it’s thick and creamy. Wait until it’s cool and firm before creating the sushi. 
2. Wash and chop the fruit. For rolls, cut the fruit into batons, and for rectangular fruit nigiri, slice the fruit to fit the top.
3. Spread out the sushi rice evenly across a bamboo sushi rolling mat covered in cling film. Then place your fruit batons in a row across the rice, about 1.5 inches from the edge of the rice. Roll forward using the sushi mat until you have a log shape and gently press together. Press lightly to mesh the two rice edges together and form a complete roll.
4. Twist the ends of the cling film together, making sure that the cling film is tight around the sushi log and pop it in the fridge for an hour. 
5. To slice, use a sharp knife dipped in water and make slices around 1-2 ins apart. 
6. For nigiri, simply mould your sushi rice into rectangular mounds using your fingers and top with fruit. Easy!
7. To help the fruit stick to the rice in either the sushi rolls or nigiri, you can spread Nutella or jam across the rice before rolling or placing the fruit. Nutella works especially well with banana filling. You can also sprinkle on your toppings, drizzle your sweet sauces, add your favourite sweet dips (melted chocolate, honey…) and serve with ice cream.

Veggie sushi rolls 

All the goodness of vegetables in appetising bites.

Ingredients:

• 100g sushi rice 
• Nori sheets
• Vegetable fillings, eg raw veggies such as cucumber, avocado, carrot, peppers, tomato or cooked veggies like roasted peppers, roasted sweet potatoes or fried vegetable tempura.

Get stuck in:

1. Cut the nori sheets into two halves and place one half on the bamboo mat. Take 100g of cooked sushi rice and spread it evenly across the nori sheet (with a 1 cm margin around the edge).
2. Flip over the nori sheet with the 1 cm margin of bare nori facing you.
3. Place the vegetable fillings on top of the nori.
4. Roll the sushi roll using the rolling mat.
5. Release it, and trim either end of the roll. Cut into eight pieces with a sharp knife.

Rainbow vegetable sushi 

So pretty; kids will love the rainbow colours — an Instagrammable party addition that tastes as good as it looks.

Ingredients:

• 250g sushi rice
• 3 sheets nori 
• 3 tbsp sushi vinegar
• 5cm piece cucumber
• ½ medium carrot
• ¼ yellow pepper
• ½ raw beetroot

Get stuck in:

1. Cook the rice as the instructions on the packet and pour over the sushi vinegar once it’s cooked through. Pop the rice into a bowl to cool.
2. Wash and peel the veggies and slice them finely. Cut up the beetroot last so that it doesn’t colour the other veg.
3. Using a bamboo mat, lay a sheet of nori shiny side down. 
4. Wet your fingers and pick up a third of the rice over ¾ of the nori sheet. 
5. Pat down the rice, leaving a strip of bare nori on the side nearest to you.
6. Place your veg in a line across the rice, taking a few of each colour. 
7. Roll up the sushi using the bamboo mat. Brush some water over the nori strip to seal it. 
8. Dip a sharp knife into the water and cut the sushi into bite-sized pieces. 

Omelette sushi roll 

For kids who love an omelette! 

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp plain yoghurt
• 180g rice 
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 3 sheets nori
• Cucumber, sliced into strips
• Boiled carrot, sliced thinly into strips

Get stuck in:

1. Let the kids help with cracking the eggs into a mixing bowl (the fun part!) and add the yoghurt, soy sauce and a pinch of salt. Beat the mixture until blended. 
2. Add oil to a frying pan and add the egg mix on low heat. Let it cook for a few minutes and flip it over until the other side is browning. 
3. Make up the sushi rice as per the packet instructions. 
4. When cooled, mix the sushi rice with the sugar and vinegar. 
5. Put the strips of cucumber and the boiled carrot strips in the oven for a few minutes to reduce the moisture content.
6. Put a nori sheet on top of your sushi rolling mat. Wet your fingers and then using your hands pick up some rice, and spread it evenly on your nori sheet. Add strips of the omelette, cucumber and carrot to the centre, and lift the edge of the mat nearest to you and roll away from you.
7. Chill the sushi log in the fridge. Then, slice into bite-sized pieces with a sharp, wet knife. 

Sandwich sushi roll 

Kids will be the envy of their school friends with sandwich sushi rolls!

Ingredients:

• Bread
• Ham
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Mayonnaise and/or spreadable butter
• Cheddar cheese

Get stuck in:

1. Take a slice of bread and cut the crusts off. 
2. Flatten the slice of bread with a rolling pin (fun task for kids!).
3. Slice the cheese and veggies.
4. Spread mayonnaise or spreadable butter.
5. Put your toppings of choice on the top (ideas in ingredients list above).
6. Roll the bread.
7. Cut into bite-sized ‘sushi’ bites.
8. Serve with a dip if you’d like (sour cream, guacamole, cheesy dip…)

Top tip: replace the bread with soft tortilla wraps and roll and cut the same way. We can recommend spreading Nutella onto a wrap with chopped banana, rolling and cutting into ‘sushi’ rolls…yum. 

Avocado sushi rolls

Avocados are superheroes: a fabulous source of vitamin C, K, folate, fibre and magnesium, all ready to supercharge a kid’s immune system and healthy growth. And what better way for little mouths to eat them than in perfect juicy bites?

Ingredients:

• 250g sushi rice
• 60ml sushi vinegar
• 3 sweet peppers 
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 25g caster sugar
• 4 sheets nori seaweed
• 2 sliced avocados (strips)

Get stuck in:

1. Preheat the oven to 220˚C, gas mark 7. 
2. Slice peppers up, drizzle over oil and roast until soft with blackened edges. When cool, peel off the skins.
3. Cook the sushi rice as per the packet instructions.
4. Mix the sugar, salt and rice vinegar over low heat until the mixture is clear.
5. Pour the vinegar mixture over the rice and stir in. Let the rice cool.
6. Place a nori sheet shiny-side down on a sushi rolling mat. With wet hands, spread ¼ of the rice over the nori.
7. Arrange ¼ of the avocado and ¼ of the pepper in the middle.
8. Roll up firmly from the edge nearest you, using the sushi bamboo rolling mat to create a tight cylinder.
9. Cut into bite-sized pieces with a wet, sharp knife.

Sushi-making tips for kids

Getting children involved in making sushi at home engages them and increases the chance of them enjoying the food. Seeing what ingredients go in takes the mystery away for kids who find eating new foods intimidating. Plus, the sushi process isn’t a dangerous one as long as a grown-up uses a sharp knife. There should be no risk of injury when rolling sushi.

Do cook the rice before the children arrive, and ideally set up the table ready with all the ingredients to hand and the rolling mat ready. This means they won’t be waiting around, which could put them off. You need to get straight into the action!

Get creative with presentation 

Our stylish Kelly Loves bento box makes the perfect presentation box for a kid’s party! You can also mould sushi rice into shapes using baking moulds and cutters. Get creative with teddy bear moulds, cutters in the shape of stars or hearts or their favourite cartoon character — all kinds of cute designs!

Choose kid-friendly ingredients 

Kid-friendly alternatives to raw fish include cooked meat and vegetables. But you can also add fun ingredients like raisins, maple syrup, peanut butter and puffed rice… so many options! And instead of nori sheets, you could use rolled-out brioche, fruit roll-ups, flattened cinnamon bread — enjoy experimenting!