Baked Tofu Temaki Sushi with Cauliflower Rice

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These easy sweet, savory, and spicy Baked Tofu Temaki Sushi with Cauliflower Rice are a host's best friend. Each guest can customize their own!

Baked Tofu Temaki Sushi with Cauliflower Rice on a plate.

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What is Temaki Sushi?

Temaki, also known as a hand-roll, is a large cone-shaped piece of nori wrapped around sushi rice and other ingredients. It is eaten with hands instead of chopsticks.

These Baked Tofu Temaki Sushi with Cauliflower Rice were inspired by my pantry ingredients - or lack thereof. I wanted a wrap but was out of tortillas.

I have been making wraps and cones out of nori sheets for years but didn't know there was a name for the cones until recently.

Temaki sushi is hand-rolled sushi, so you don't need a bamboo mat (although I never use one anyway). It just takes a little practice to get your sushi rolls tight.

It is best to eat them right away so that the nori doesn't get soggy. They are great for a party because everyone can roll their own, which is great for the guests because they can customize their ingredients.

I marinated and baked the tofu in maple syrup and tamari, making it sweet and savory. Baked tofu adds a great texture to this dish. It is crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. The marinade gets baked on, adding a lot of flavor.

For the cauliflower rice, I added similar flavors to sushi rice. You wouldn't even know it is cauliflower instead of rice. That's a win in my book!

Dijon mustard adds a spicy touch and compliments the sweetness of the baked tofu and cauliflower rice. Mustard is similar to wasabi, in fact, they are in the same plant family, so it works well when you don't have any (which I didn't at the time of making this).

Other recipes to try are my Vegan Tofu Fried Rice, Teriyaki Tofu with Cauliflower Rice, Vegan Tofu Meatballs with Asian Glaze, Wasabi Chips, and Stir-Fried Tofu and Peppers.

Jump to:

What is Temaki Sushi?
❤️ Why You'll Love It
🧾 Ingredients
📖 Variations / Additions
🔪 Instructions
🍽 Serving
👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs
Other Asian-Inspired Dishes
📋 Recipe
💬 Comments

❤️ Why You'll Love It

It's a perfect recipe for people who have never rolled sushi before because it is very forgiving.
You would never know that it is made with cauliflower rice.
It has the perfect balance of flavors.

🧾 Ingredients

Baked Tofu

Tofu: I used extra-firm tofu packaged in water found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store when I first published this recipe and firm tofu when I updated it. Both work.
Maple syrup: Adds sweetness. You could also use agave syrup.
Tamari: I used low-sodium gluten-free tamari because I like to control the amount of sodium.
Paprika: Adds spice. You could leave it out.

Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower: I used fresh cauliflower that I chopped in a food processor when I published this recipe and frozen cauliflower rice when updated it. Frozen riced cauliflower is a lot less messy.
Brown rice vinegar: Adds a tangy flavor. You could also use lime juice.
Sugar: Adds sweetness so that it tastes similar to the sticky rice in sushi.
Tamari: I used low-sodium gluten-free tamari because I like to control the amount of sodium.
Olive oil: For cooking the cauliflower rice.

Temaki Sushi

Cucumber: I like to use English cucumbers because they are less bitter and have fewer seeds than American cucumbers.
Nori: I found nori sheets in the Asian section of my local grocery store. You can also buy them online.
Dijon mustard: Adds a spicy flavor. You could also use wasabi paste or make your own wasabi paste from wasabi powder.

To see the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

📖 Variations / Additions

Red pepper
Avocado
Shiitake mushrooms
Cabbage
Bok choy
Carrots
Jackfruit
Tempeh
Quinoa, like I did with my Tofu Sushi Rolls recipe
Brown or white rice

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🔪 Instructions

Collage of tofu on a towel, then getting pressed with a skillet. Next, baking dish with marinade, and tofu strips in the marinade.

Step 1: Drain and press a block of tofu. If you don't have a tofu press, you can place it in between a clean kitchen towel.

Step 2: Place a heavy object on top, like a cast iron pan to get out the excess water.

Step 3: Add maple syrup, tamari, and paprika into a shallow dish. Whisk.

Step 4: Slice the pressed tofu and marinate in the mixture 1 hour to overnight.

Collage of tofu on a baking sheet before and after baking, then sauce in a bowl and cauliflower rice in a skillet.

Step 5: Place marinated tofu on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Step 6: Bake, flip, and bake until crispy on the outside.

Step 7: In a small bowl add brown rice vinegar, sugar, and tamari. Whisk.

Step 8: If using a head of cauliflower, put it into a food processor. Pulse until you get a rice consistency.

Heat a skillet and add olive oil. Add cauliflower rice and sauce. Cook on medium heat until tender.

Collage of cauliflower rice on nori sheet, then sliced cucumber added, then tofu strips added, and last being rolled.

Step 9: Place a nori sheet on a cutting board. Spread cauliflower rice on half the sheet. Drizzle mustard on top of cauliflower rice.

Step 10: Place sliced cucumber on top.

Step 11: Place tofu on top of the cucumber.

Step 12: Roll the nori into a cone shape and secure the edge by wetting it with marinade.

🍽 Serving

These all originated from different countries, but the flavors pair nicely together!

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

What is the difference between temaki and sushi?

Temaki, also known as hand-roll sushi, is cone-shaped and eaten with hands. Sushi rolls are rolled into cylinders and sliced, then eaten with chopsticks