Cucumber Sushi – Easy 20-Minute No-Rice Snack Rolls

I first made these cucumber sushi rolls because a friend kept telling me she had to give up rice rolls at parties — and I wanted to hand her something she could actually eat with her fingers. The idea is simple: thin cucumber ribbons stand in for nori and rice, and a soft, savory filling holds everything together. What surprised me was how much it tastes like the real thing rather than a consolation prize.

The technique matters more than the ingredient list here. If you slice the cucumber too thick, the ribbons crack when you bend them; too thin and they weep water into the filling. A mandoline at about 2 mm is your friend, and salting the slices for ten minutes pulls out enough moisture that the rolls stay crisp for hours.

Everything else comes together in one bowl. Cream cheese, smoked salmon or tuna, a little rice vinegar and toasted sesame give you that familiar sushi tang without any rolling mat skills required. Take your time — Tomas

About the Ingredients

2 large English cucumbers (about 500 g total)

English cucumbers have thin skins and few seeds, so they slice cleanly. If you only find regular cucumbers, peel them, halve lengthwise and scrape out the watery seed core with a spoon.

1 tsp fine sea salt (5 g), for drawing out water

Fine salt dissolves evenly across the slices. Kosher salt works too, but use 1 1/2 tsp since the flakes are larger and less dense.

200 g full-fat cream cheese, softened

Full-fat cream cheese holds its shape when piped; the light version turns runny at room temperature. Swap in thick labneh or whipped feta for a tangier, firmer filling.

120 g smoked salmon, roughly chopped

Cold-smoked salmon gives the cleanest sushi-like flavor. Canned tuna drained well and flaked is a good budget substitute — add an extra teaspoon of lemon juice to lift it.

2 tbsp rice vinegar (30 ml)

Rice vinegar brings that faint sushi-bar sweetness. Seasoned rice vinegar already contains sugar, so taste before adding more. White wine vinegar works in a pinch, diluted half-and-half with water.

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (15 ml)

Toasted sesame oil is intensely aromatic, so measure carefully. If yours smells flat, it has gone stale — replace it rather than doubling the amount.

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (9 g), plus extra to finish

Toast raw seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until they smell nutty and turn one shade darker. Black sesame seeds make a striking visual contrast.

2 spring onions, finely sliced (about 30 g)

Use both white and green parts — the white carries the bite, the green the freshness. Chives are a gentler substitute if raw onion is too strong for you.

1 tsp freshly grated ginger (about 3 g)

Fresh ginger, not powdered, gives the filling its lift. Freeze the knob first and it grates into fine, juicy threads with almost no fiber.

1 small avocado, sliced into thin strips

A ripe avocado should yield slightly to a gentle thumb press at the stem end. If it is rock hard, leave it on the counter with a banana overnight rather than fighting it with a knife.

1 tsp soy sauce or tamari (5 ml), plus more for serving

Tamari keeps the whole dish gluten-free. Coconut aminos are a good lower-sodium swap, though they are noticeably sweeter.

Tips & Tricks

Salt and drain the cucumber

Ten minutes with salt and a paper towel removes the excess water that would otherwise turn your filling soupy by lunchtime.

Chill the filling before rolling

Twenty minutes in the fridge firms the cream cheese so it pipes neatly instead of sliding out of the ribbons.

Overlap the ribbons generously

Lay each slice with a 1 cm overlap and press gently — a single ribbon will always split, but a fanned set of three bends without cracking.

Roll on a damp surface

A barely moistened cutting board grips the cucumber so the roll tightens instead of spinning away from you.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Slice the cucumbers

Trim the ends and use a mandoline or vegetable peeler to cut long ribbons about 2 mm thick, stopping when you reach the seedy core. You want roughly 18 ribbons, enough for 12 rolls with overlap.

2. Salt and drain

Toss the ribbons with the 1 tsp of salt in a colander and leave for 10 minutes at room temperature. You will see beads of water form on the surface — that is exactly what you want out of the roll, not in it.

3. Pat completely dry

Rinse the ribbons briefly under cold water, then lay them on a clean kitchen towel and pat both sides dry. They should feel tacky rather than slippery; if they still glisten, pat again.

4. Mix the filling

Beat the softened cream cheese with the rice vinegar, sesame oil, grated ginger and soy sauce until smooth, then fold in the smoked salmon, sesame seeds and most of the spring onions. Taste and adjust — it should be savory with a faint vinegar tang.

5. Chill the filling

Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cold filling pipes in a clean line; warm filling slumps and pushes the cucumber apart as you roll.

6. Build the rolls

Lay three ribbons side by side on a damp board, overlapping by about 1 cm, and press them into one sheet. Pipe a 1 cm line of filling along the near edge, add a strip of avocado, then roll away from you, tightening gently as you go.

7. Seal and chill

Press the seam side down onto the board and refrigerate the finished rolls for 10 minutes so they set. This short rest is what keeps them from unrolling when you cut.

8. Slice and serve

Cut each roll into 3 cm pieces with a wet knife, wiping the blade between cuts, and arrange on a platter. Scatter with the reserved spring onions and extra sesame seeds and serve with soy sauce for dipping.

Delicious Variations

Tuna and Sriracha

Swap the smoked salmon for well-drained canned tuna and stir 1 tsp sriracha into the cream cheese for a spicy, budget-friendly version.

Vegan Sesame Tofu

Replace the cream cheese with whipped silken tofu and the salmon with smoked or marinated tofu strips; add an extra pinch of salt.

Herbed Labneh

Use thick labneh instead of cream cheese and fold in chopped dill and lemon zest for a brighter, Mediterranean-leaning roll.

How to Store I Had to Give this CUCUMBER SUSHI

Frequently Asked Questions

If you make these cucumber sushi rolls, tell me what you tucked inside — smoked salmon is my default, but the tofu version has quietly won over a few skeptics at my table. Take your time — Tomas

I Had to Give this CUCUMBER SUSHI

Cucumber sushi wraps crisp cucumber ribbons around creamy filling for a fresh, low-carb bite you can roll in 20 minutes with no rice at all.

★★★★½ 4.8 (214 ratings)

15 minPrep time35 minCook time6Servings285 kcalCalories

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🧂 Ingredients

• 2 large English cucumbers (about 500 g total)
• 1 tsp fine sea salt (5 g), for drawing out water
• 200 g full-fat cream cheese, softened
• 120 g smoked salmon, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar (30 ml)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (15 ml)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (9 g), plus extra to finish
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced (about 30 g)
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger (about 3 g)
• 1 small avocado, sliced into thin strips
• 1 tsp soy sauce or tamari (5 ml), plus more for serving

📋 Instructions

1. 1Slice the cucumbers — Trim the ends and use a mandoline or vegetable peeler to cut long ribbons about 2 mm thick, stopping when you reach the seedy core. You want roughly 18 ribbons, enough for 12 rolls with overlap.
2. 2Salt and drain — Toss the ribbons with the 1 tsp of salt in a colander and leave for 10 minutes at room temperature. You will see beads of water form on the surface — that is exactly what you want out of the roll, not in it.
3. 3Pat completely dry — Rinse the ribbons briefly under cold water, then lay them on a clean kitchen towel and pat both sides dry. They should feel tacky rather than slippery; if they still glisten, pat again.
4. 4Mix the filling — Beat the softened cream cheese with the rice vinegar, sesame oil, grated ginger and soy sauce until smooth, then fold in the smoked salmon, sesame seeds and most of the spring onions. Taste and adjust — it should be savory with a faint vinegar tang.
5. 5Chill the filling — Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cold filling pipes in a clean line; warm filling slumps and pushes the cucumber apart as you roll.
6. 6Build the rolls — Lay three ribbons side by side on a damp board, overlapping by about 1 cm, and press them into one sheet. Pipe a 1 cm line of filling along the near edge, add a strip of avocado, then roll away from you, tightening gently as you go.
7. 7Seal and chill — Press the seam side down onto the board and refrigerate the finished rolls for 10 minutes so they set. This short rest is what keeps them from unrolling when you cut.
8. 8Slice and serve — Cut each roll into 3 cm pieces with a wet knife, wiping the blade between cuts, and arrange on a platter. Scatter with the reserved spring onions and extra sesame seeds and serve with soy sauce for dipping.

👨‍🍳 Chef's Note: These are best eaten the same day; the cucumber stays crisp for about 24 hours and then slowly gives in. Serve them cold, straight from the fridge, for the cleanest snap.

Servings: 6

Cuisine: Japanese-inspired

Course: Appetizer

Nutrition (per serving): 285 kcal · 12g protein · 22g carbs · 9g fat

Written by Tomas Lindqvist

Tomas writes about baking and preserved foods, with a quiet focus on technique and patience over shortcuts. He explains why a dough behaves the way it does and what to watch for at each stage, so readers can adapt rather than just follow. His angle is curiosity: understand the process, then make it your own.