Easy Ice Cube Tray Sushi

If you love sushi but find the idea of rolling your own maki at home incredibly intimidating, you are not alone! That's why I am so excited to share this amazing, easy ice cube tray sushi hack with you!

If you've been anywhere on TikTok or Instagram lately, you've probably seen this trend taking over your feed. But what exactly is it, and why is everyone so obsessed?

The Ice Cube Tray Sushi Trend: Why is it so popular?

Ice cube tray sushi is exactly what it sounds like. You use a silicone ice cube tray as a mold to create perfect, bite-sized, layered sushi cubes.

The trend skyrocketed in popularity for a few brilliant reasons:

It's foolproof. Traditional sushi requires a bamboo mat, precise rolling techniques, and the fear of your roll falling apart when you slice it.

With an ice cube tray, the mold does all the heavy lifting.

It's gorgeous. The inverted cubes look like beautiful, colorful, bite-sized pieces of art. The distinct layers of rice, fish, and veggies look incredibly impressive on a serving platter.

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It's customizable. You can easily swap out the fillings in each cavity, making it the perfect family-friendly meal where everyone gets exactly what they want.

I personally became interested in ice cube tray sushi after getting the book Sushi Made Simple.

It's a stunning book with tasty looking suggestions, but rolling sushi rolls is kind of tricky when you have little kitchen helpers! Kids can help you make ice cube tray sushi.

Jumbo Ice Cube Tray Sushi

If you want to make the sushi as shown, you'll need a jumbo silicone ice cube tray that makes 8 ice cubes.

If you don't have a tray like this, no worries! Use whatever ice cube tray you do have.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked sushi rice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 sheets nori
• 1 small cucumber, diced or sliced thin
• 1 avocado, diced or sliced thin
• 200g smoked salmon, cut into pieces that are about 2" -or- sardines
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

This recipe uses smoked salmon in case you don't have access to sushi grade raw salmon. If you do, you can use that, instead.

Sardines make another tasty substitute, though the resulting sushi isn't as eye catching.

For Serving (Optional)

• Soy sauce
• Pickled ginger
• Wasabi

Instructions

Wash your rice before cooking it. You don't need to wash so many times the water runs completely clear, but do wash away the worst of the cloudy gunk.

Cook the rice using your favorite method. I always use a rice cooker because it's so easy.

As the rice cooks, heat the vinegar, sugar, and salt and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. You can do this in a small saucepan on the stove or in the microwave.

Carefully fold the vinegar mix into the warm rice, trying not to mush the rice too much.

Allow the rice to cool. If you place a clean, damp towel over your bowl so that the towel is resting on the rice, it will help keep the rice from drying out as it cools.

Line a jumbo ice cube tray with plastic wrap, leaving enough overhang to help lift the sushi out later.

Divide the smoked salmon evenly between the cavities. Cut or fold the salmon, as needed, to make it fit.

Top with the sliced avocado.

Add a layer of diced cucumber.

Spoon the seasoned sushi rice over the fillings.

Press the rice down firmly into each cavity so the sushi cubes hold their shape.

Cut the nori into squares slightly larger than each cavity and place one square on top of each sushi cube.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until firm.

Carefully invert the tray onto a serving plate.

Gently remove the tray and peel away the cling film.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi if desired.

Storage

Eat immediately – avocado starts to brown!

FAQs

Do I need a jumbo ice cube tray? 

This recipe was developed using a jumbo ice cube tray, which creates large, sturdy sushi cubes with distinct layers.

However, you can try making smaller ice cube sushi bites if you want to.

Does my ice cube tray need to be silicone?

No, you can use a hard plastic ice tray, but it's far easier to de-mold when you use a silicone tray.

Can I use fresh salmon instead? 

Yes. Sushi-grade fresh salmon can be substituted for smoked salmon.

Why won’t my cubes hold together? 

Make sure the rice is pressed firmly into each cavity. The sticky sushi rice acts as the binder.

Can I add other fillings? Yes. Crab, tuna, cooked shrimp, cream cheese, or mango all work well.

Don't get soy sauce on your phone! Print out the recipe using the recipe card below.

Ice Cube Tray Salmon Sushi

Print

Making stunning sushi just got easier with this ice cube tray sushi hack!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked sushi rice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 sheets nori
• 1 small cucumber, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 200g smoked salmon, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

to serve

• Soy sauce
• Pickled ginger
• Wasabi

Instructions

Wash your rice before cooking it. You don't need to wash so many times the water runs completely clear, but do wash away the worst of the cloudy gunk.
Cook the rice using your favorite method. I always use a rice cooker because it's so easy.
As the rice cooks, heat the vinegar, sugar, and salt and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. You can do this in a small saucepan on the stove or in the microwave.
Carefully fold the vinegar mix into the warm rice, trying not to mush the rice too much.

Allow the rice to cool. If you place a clean, damp towel over your bowl so that the towel is resting on the rice, it will help keep the rice from drying out as it cools.
Line a jumbo ice cube tray with cling film, leaving enough overhang to help lift the sushi out later.
Divide the smoked salmon evenly between the cavities.
Top with the diced avocado.
Add a layer of diced cucumber.
Spoon the seasoned sushi rice over the fillings.
Press the rice down firmly into each cavity so the sushi cubes hold their shape.
Cut the nori into squares slightly larger than each cavity and place one square on top of each sushi cube.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until firm.
Carefully invert the tray onto a serving plate.
Gently remove the tray and peel away the cling film.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi if desired.