Spicy Tuna Hand Rolls (Lazy Sushi!)

These spicy tuna hand rolls are the simplest way to make sushi at home. You don't need to sushi grade fish, no sushi mat and no tracking down a fish monger. Using canned tuna instead of sushi-grade fish has this lazy sushi recipe ready in under 10 minutes. I'll walk you through how to make sushi rice, a 2-ingredient homemade spicy mayo, and how to easily roll the seaweed into a perfect hand roll. 

Why You’ll Love These Spicy Tuna Hand Rolls

These Spicy tuna hand rolls use canned tuna. That means no special fish sourcing, no worrying about what "sushi grade" means and where to buy it. Canned tuna is readily available at any grocery store, you can store it in your pantry for when you need it in a pinch, and it is the fraction of the cost of sushi grade tuna. 

More reasons to love this recipe:

• You can skip the sushi mat. No special equipment needed for this recipe. 
• This recipe is gluten free and naturally dairy free without making any adjustments. 
• Ready in only 10 minutes. There is no cooking required beyond the rice and to save time you can even use 90 second microwavable rice. 
• Make it as spicy as you want! Part of the perks of making this at home is that you can customize the spice level to your liking.
• The 2-ingredient homemade spicy mayo recipe is included below.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Canned tuna: Canned tuna is already cooked and flaky, so it easily absorbs sauces like spicy mayo without needing precise knife work. It gives you that rich, savory sushi flavor with way less effort and zero raw fish. I always recommended albacore tuna since it mimics the texture of sushi-grade fish closer and holds up better when mixed with the homemade spicy mayo. My favorite brand to use for canned tuna sushi is Wild Planet Tuna.
  • Albacore: firmer, meatier, and has a cleaner fish flavor. This option is the closest to raw sushi texture.
  • Light tuna: softer, flakier, stronger "tuna" taste. Ok to substitute in a pinch.
• Nori sheets or seaweed paper: this is the base of the spicy tuna hand roll recipe. It is thin, crisp and flexible. It is flexible and holds everything in your hand roll together. You can find it in your local grocery store, down the Asian or international aisle. It is usually right near the rice and soy sauces. You can purchase full size sheets and cut them into 4 pieces. Or you can buy snack size sheets and skip the cutting. These are already the right size. Even though the word "seaweed" is in both seaweed paper AND seaweed salad, seaweed salad is hydrated seaweed in small pieces to make a salad you can use on the side or on top. Make sure to buy dried nori sheets for this recipe. 
• Sushi rice: Short-grain sushi rice is naturally high in starch, which makes it sticky and slightly clumpy. This helps the rice hold together and keeps your hand rolls from falling apart! Long-grain rice (jasmine or basmati) stays separate and dry, so it won't give you that classic sushi texture and will fall apart when you pick the handroll up. To save time, use microwave sushi rice.
• Spicy mayo: 1 tbsp of mayo mixed with 1 tbsp of sriracha. This is the quickest and easiest way to recreate spicy mayo at home. Some sushi restaurants' spicy mayo contains soy sauce, which is not gluten free. This homemade spicy mayo skips the soy sauce completely and is naturally gluten free. For a vegan option to put on vegetable rolls, use vegan mayo. This vegan spicy tuna crispy rice uses the same vegan spicy mayo on top.
• Avocado: A ripe avocado should be slightly soft without feeling mushy. If the avocado is ripe, the stem nub should come off easily and be a small circle of green underneath.
• Coconut aminos/gluten free soy sauce/Tamari: all are similar in taste and are naturally gluten free. You can use any of these interchangeably to dip your handrolls in when serving. 

Recipe Variations

• If you love these spicy tuna hand rolls and want to swap canned tuna for sushi-grade fish you totally can! Any sushi grade salmon or tuna works great here. You can also use cooked options like shrimp, salmon, and imitation crab (make sure it is gluten free). 
• For toppings, you can add cucumber slices, seaweed salad, gluten free crispy onions, green onions or shredded carrots for crunch. 
• For a low carb version of this lazy sushi, skip the rice entirely or substitute cauliflower rice instead.
• When serving, add sesame seeds or furikake seasoning on top. 
• Consider a drizzle of japanese bbq sauce, korean bbq sauce, wasabi mayo or teriyaki sauce for a different flavor. All these come in gluten free versions as well.
• For a different base, you can use rice paper as the base of these tacos instead of seaweed paper like I did in these spicy tuna rice paper tacos. The rice paper wrappers become a crispy base after frying them in a little oil.

How to Make…

Step 1: In a small bowl, combine the mayo and sriracha. Mix until creamy and smooth. 

Step 2: Prepare the sushi rice according to package directions. Let the rice cool for 5 minutes. The sushi rice should be slightly warm, not hot. This way, it spreads easily, and does not steam the seaweed paper.

Step 3: Combine drained canned tuna with 1 tbsp spicy mayo and mix until creamy and cohesive. The texture should be moist and scoopable, holding together but not runny or watery.

Step 4: If using full seaweed paper or nori sheets, cut them in quarters. 

Step 5: Place one quarter piece on the cutting board.

Step 6: Gently, spread a thin layer of rice over one side of the nori, leaving room at the edges to fold.

Step 7: Next, spoon a small diagonal mound of spicy tuna across the rice from corner to corner. Do not overstuff or it won't roll easily.

Step 8: Once the tuna is added, layer on a slice of avocado on top. 

Step 9: Top with a pinch of furikake, and drizzle of spicy mayo.

Step 10: Roll the hand roll. Start at one corner and fold over the center filling, tucking it in as you roll it into a cone shape. The nori will naturally stick to itself as it softens. Hold it gently but keep the wrapping tight so nothing falls out.

Step 11: Serve the spicy tuna hand rolls and eat immediately while the nori is still crisp, the rice is warm and the filling is fresh. This will have the best crunchy and chewy texture. 

Recipe Tips

• Do not overfill the spicy tuna hand rolls. This is the most common beginner mistake. An overstuffed handroll is hard to roll and will easily fall apart. 
• Make sure to eat immediately after rolling. Nori softens very quickly once it is filled. Since the rice is still a little warm it can seam the nori sheets and get soggy. To make sure the nori is as crispy as possible, eat as soon as the hand roll is rolled. 
• Always completely drain the tuna. Any extra moisture will make the nori soggy.
• Adjust the spiciness of the spicy mayo to your liking. For a neutral sauce use a 1:1 ratio. For a spicier sauce, add another ½ – 1 tsp sriracha and then taste test. Start with less sriracha and adjust, it heats up faster than you expect!
• Slightly warm rice rolls more easily than cold rice straight from the fridge. Let your rice cool down after it is done cooking but don't store it in the fridge. You want to make the rice when you are ready to enjoy these, not ahead of time. If you make the rice ahead of time, you will need to microwave it for about 30 seconds to warm it again.
• If you have leftover canned tuna, you can use it in this spicy tuna poke bowl with canned tuna recipe.    

Make Ahead & Storage Tips

Hand rolls do not store well once assembled, as nori softens quickly and will get soggy. The spicy tuna and the spicy mayo can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container. 

Rice can be cooked ahead and stored separately but you will need to reheat slightly before assembling the hand rolls. Assemble the spicy tuna hand rolls right when ready to eat for the best texture.

Recipe FAQs

More Sushi-Inspired Recipes

• spicy tuna crispy rice 
• spicy tuna poke bowl with canned tuna 
• sushi tacos 
• spicy tuna rice paper tacos 
• The best poke bowl in 15 mintues

Made this recipe and loved it? Please leave a comment and a 5-star rating below! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for more recipes and inspiration!

Spicy Tuna Hand Rolls (Lazy Sushi!)

Kayla Cappiello

These spicy tuna hand rolls are the simplest way to make sushi at home. You don't need to sushi grade fish, no sushi mat and no tracking down a fish monger. Using canned tuna instead of sushi-grade fish has this lazy sushi recipe ready in under 10 minutes. I'll walk you through how to make sushi rice, a 2-ingredient homemade spicy mayo, and how to easily roll the seaweed into a perfect hand roll.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save to Email

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 13 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Dinner, lunch, Snack

Cuisine American, asian

Servings 1 serving

Ingredients

  

• 1 can albacore tuna drained well
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp sriracha
• 1 cup sushi rice cooked, slightly warm
• 2 nori sheets cut in quarters
• 1 avocado sliced
• 1 tbsp furikake seasoning

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl, combine the mayo and sriracha. Mix until creamy and smooth.
• Prepare the sushi rice according to package directions. Let the rice cool for 5 minutes. The sushi rice should be slightly warm, not hot. This way, it spreads easily, and does not steam the seaweed paper.
• Combine drained canned tuna with 1 tbsp spicy mayo and mix until creamy and cohesive. The texture should be moist and scoopable, holding together but not runny or watery.
• If using full seaweed paper or nori sheets, cut them in quarters.
• Place one quarter piece on the cutting board.
• Gently, spread a thin layer of rice over one side of the nori, leaving room at the edges to fold.
• Next, spoon a small diagonal mound of spicy tuna across the rice from corner to corner. Do not overstuff or it won't roll easily.
• Once the tuna is added, layer on a slice of avocado on top.
• Top with a pinch of furikake, and drizzle of spicy mayo.
• Roll the hand roll. Start at one corner and fold over the center filling, tucking it in as you roll it into a cone shape. The nori will naturally stick to itself as it softens. Hold it gently but keep the wrapping tight so nothing falls out.
• Serve the spicy tuna hand rolls and eat immediately while the nori is still crisp, the rice is warm and the filling is fresh. This will have the best crunchy and chewy texture.

Keyword gluten free