Low-carb sushi

Confession: In the 18 months I’ve been keto, the food I’ve missed the most is sushi. (Ok, ok…it’s a tie between sushi and pierogis.) I have the privilege of living across the street from a fantastic Japanese market, which gives me access to wonderful ingredients. But, without rice, what is sushi?

At first, I thought it would be sad. Why not just get some sashimi and call it a day? But I pressed on. There’s something to the tiny, circular rolls that makes the simplest ingredients feel elevated.

Thanks to some Best Buy gift cards from my aunt and grandmother and an awesome sale, I was able to get a new toy for my KitchenAid mixer that made my keto sushi dreams a reality.

Is Low-Carb Sushi a Real Thing?

Yes, it is! In fact, many places have low-carb sushi on the menu. It’s called “Naruto style” sushi. And it’s sushi that is cucumber-wrapped instead of rice-wrapped.

The cucumber is prepared in thin slices that allow the ingredients to be rolled like a traditional sushi roll.

You can use any variety of low-carb or keto ingredients to make a delicious Naruto roll. The best part about keto sushi is that aside from the rice, most sushi ingredients are keto-friendly.

Making Sushi at Home

While you can order sushi “Naruto style” at many Japanese restaurants, the fact is sushi can be really expensive. As we buckle down on our budget with a goal of buying a house this year, ordering sushi is just not something we’ll be doing.

Plus, I enjoy cooking. There’s something about being mindful and creative in the kitchen that brings me peace of mind.

And, it’s really not that hard. You don’t need to turn on an oven or prepare a bunch of ingredients. The only real “work” you’ll do in making keto sushi is getting the cucumber sheets made and assembling the roll.

Low-Carb Sushi Ingredients

Sushi ingredients are surprisingly simple. For my at home keto sushi experiment, I used:

• Cucumber
• Cream cheese
• Smoked salmon
• Kewpie mayo
• Sriracha
• Soy sauce

And a surprise ingredient: pork rinds.

Now, I know what you must be thinking.

“Pork rinds, in sushi?”

Yep. You read it right.

Why add pork rinds to keto sushi?

When going keto, most people miss the texture of carbs. And when you think about it, some of your favorite sushi rolls probably have “crunch” or tempura of some kind. It gives the rolls an extra layer of flavor.

Back to the basic ingredients.

With the exception of smoked salmon, none of these ingredients is particularly expensive. And if you catch a sale on smoked salmon, your total price per roll goes down significantly.

Also, these ingredients can be used for a variety of recipes. So you don’t need to worry about buying all of the above for sushi rolls only (though I wouldn’t blame you if you did).

For added convenience, we added links to Amazon and Amazon Fresh for all the ingredients below. This way, you can click the link, add it to your cart, and never step foot in a store.

FYI, Bottlesoup is an Amazon affiliate, so we may earn money if you make an Amazon purchase after clicking through the links below.

Keto Sushi Equipment

Now, to make any type of sushi roll, there are a few things you need:

• Bamboo rolling mat (Get two for just $5.50 here.)
• Plastic wrap
• Patience (not sold in stores)

To make a keto sushi roll, you need a mandolin or a KitchenAid with a Vegetable Sheet Cutter attachment. You can buy the attachment here on Amazon. What this attachment allows you to do is cut your cucumber in thin slices. The cucumber will replace the rice.

Pro-Tip: Choose a Thick Cucumber

If you’re going to use the KitchenAid Vegetable Sheet Cutter, you’ll want to pick a thicker cucumber. The wider the cucumber, the more cucumber sheets produced. Keep in mind that the sheet comes out in one piece, but you can cut the sheet to size.

If you use a thin cucumber, you’ll still have a delicious cucumber sheet, but it will take more effort as the sheet cutter will only go so deep into the cucumber core. This can result in shorter sheets and the need to use multiple cucumbers.

So pick your produce wisely!

Pork Rind Sushi Recipe