This easy inari tofu sushi recipe makes this meal the perfect for busy families and college students. Add seasoned sushi rice inside the inari (deep fried tofu pockets) and enjoy them by itself or filled with avocado, spicy tuna, or seaweed salad.
INGREDIENTS:
The variety of ingredients may change depending if you want to add fillings to your inari sushi. The filling is optional, but highly recommended for great flavor.
Please keep in mind that the more fillings you do, the longer the cooking time ◡̈ If you want to do half tuna and half avocado, you will need to half the recipe below. I recommend combining them both too for super excellent flavor as the acidity of the avocado balances the tuna mayo!
Sushi Rice –
- 1.5 cup cooked short grain rice (known as sushi rice) is used so the rice sticks to the inari tofu pocket.
- 1.5 tablespoon rice vinegar – helps lightly season the sushi rice
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
- sesame seeds (optional)
Tuna Mayo Filling (serving: 16 pouches) –
- 1.5 tablespoon kewpie mayo
- ½ teaspoon togorashi (Japanese 7 spice)
- 1.5 teaspoon sriracha
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 can tuna (korean tuna preferred)
- green onions and sesame seeds to garnish
- avocado slices to garnish
Avocado Filling (serving: 16 pouches) –
- 1 avocado, mashed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch of sugar
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- sliced korean yellow radish, to garnish (optional, adds a nice crunch!)
Stuffed Inari –
- sushi rice
- 1 packet of store bought inari (seasoned tofu pouches) – 16 pouches
- filling of choice (tuna mayo, avocado, salmon, or furikake)
- sesame seeds (to garnish)
- green onions (to garnish)
More Filling Ideas –
- salmon shoyu poke or how to make fresh salmon sashimi
- seaweed salad
- tobiko
- seaweed salad
- furikake seasoning
HOW TO MAKE:
Make sushi rice
Step 1. Heat up cooked white rice and let it cool. Then, add 1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar, ½ teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon sesame oil (optional) to the cooked rice. Mix together and set aside. It is optional, but I like to sprinkle in some sesame seeds.
Make fillings of choice (optional)
Step 2. Reference the avocado, or tuna mayo ingredients for the filling. Mixing all the ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Add rice and filling to inari pockets
Step 3. I used store bought inari pockets. Open the inari carefully because it has a lot of liquid inside. Gently squeeze out the liquid from the inari pouch and be careful not to rip open the tofu. Discard the liquid.
Step 4. Open the Inari pockets. Stuff the inari packets with little bit of rice to start. To make the stuffed inari, you will need to make a well in the middle. Add enough rice so the pouch looks filled with rice on all edges.
Step 5. Add your filling of choice inside the inari pocket. You can add garnishes such as sesame seeds, green onions, and radishes to the top. Hope you enjoy this inari sushi recipe!
Recipe FAQ
Inari is a Japanese ingredient that is deep fried and cooked in a sweet dashi sauce. It tastes sweet and savory with a hint of umami because the tofu skin is cooked in a soy sauce, mirin, and dashi broth. They are known as tofu pouches or pockets because the center is open.
These inari sushi pockets are usually served in a bento or lunchbox to be enjoyed at a picnic or for a quick lunch at home.
I bought my inari tofu at my local asian grocery store, H-Mart. You can find them at most Korean or Japanese grocery stores.
I have found that most of them taste very similar so I don’t have a particular brand I like. When I buy the store bought versions, I throw away the vinegar packet because I like to adjust according to my personal taste (how sour and sweet). If you’re in a rush, you can add their vinegar pocket.
I recommend to make as many stuffed inari pouches that you will eat. If you have extra leftover, you can place them in the fridge in a storage container. When you want to eat them, take out the filling and heat the inari and rice ONLY in the microwave for 1 minute with a moist paper towel. Then, add the filling back on top of the inari pouch.
More Delicious Vegetarian Ideas:
- The Best Avocado Egg Rolls – inspired by Cheesecake factory’s famous appetizer of creamy avocado filling and crispy egg rolls exterior.
- Turkish Style Eggs in Garlic Yogurt Sauce – jammy eggs served with a creamy sauce for a delightful breakfast or appetizer!
- Korean Braised Tofu (Dubu Jorim) – tofu braised in a spicy and savory soy sauce is best served with white rice!
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Easy Inari Sushi
Ingredients
Sushi Rice
- 1½ cup cooked short grain rice
- 1½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil optional
- sesame seeds optional
tuna filling (optional)
- 1½ tablespoon kewpie mayo
- ½ teaspoon togorashi
- 1½ teaspoon sriracha
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 can tuna
- green onions and sesame seeds to garnish
- sliced avocado to garnish (optional)
avocado filling (optional)
- 1 avocado mashed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch sugar
- ½ lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- sliced korean yellow radish to garnish (optional)
assemble stuffed inari (time to put together!)
- sushi rice
- 1 packet inari 16 pouches
- filling of choice tuna mayo, avocado, salmon, furikake
- sesame seeds garnish
- green onions garnish
Instructions
Sushi Rice
- Heat up cooked white rice and let it cool. To make sushi rice, add 1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar, ½ teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon sesame oil (optional) to the cooked rice. Mix together and set aside. It is optional, but I like to sprinkle in some sesame seeds.
Filling of Choice (optional)
- Make your filling of choice by mixing all the ingredients together. The more fillings you make, the longer the recipe will take ◡̈ tuna filling – 1.5 tablespoon kewpie mayo, ½ teaspoon togorashi, 1.5 teaspoon sriracha, ¼ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, 1 can tuna (korean tuna preferred)avocado filling – 1 mashed avocado, ¼ teaspoon salt, pinch of sugar, ½ juiced lemon, ½ teaspoon sesame oil and sliced korean yellow radish (optional, adds a nice crunch!)
- I used store bought inari packets. Open the inari carefully because it has a lot of liquid inside. Gently squeeze out the liquid from the inari pouch and be careful not to rip open the tofu. Discard the liquid.
Assemble Stuffed Inari
- Open the Inari pockets. Stuff the inari packets with little bit of rice to start. To make the stuffed inari, you will need to make a well in the middle. Add enough rice so the pouch looks filled with rice on all edges.
- Add your filling of choice inside the inari pocket. You can add garnishes such as sesame seeds, green onions, and radishes to the top. Enjoy while fresh. If you refrigerate the stuffed inari, the rice may get hard 😉
Notes
- If you don’t have time to make white rice, you can use microwaveable pre-made rice.
- Use sushi rice for this recipe so the rice sticks together when stuffing inside the tofu pouch.
- squeeze out the inari tofu pouches after opening them. They have been soaked in the liquid for a long time. If you don’t squeeze out the sauce, your inari sushi will be overly sweet/salty and soggy.
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