Salmon Rice Sushi Bake
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on Aug 3, 2026 
This salmon rice bake has all the flavors of a sushi bowl but is ready straight from one-dish! With garlic honey salmon over seasoned rice and topped with spicy mayo; it’s made without imitation crab or cream cheese for a baked salmon and rice dinner the family will love.
Baked Salmon Rice Casserole with Spicy Mayo
Okay, let’s talk sushi bowls. I love the idea, but sometimes I’m just in the mood for a one-pan dump-and-bake dinner situation, if ya know what I mean. For my take on the viral sushi bake, I’m using seasoned rice, which goes straight into one baking dish, then topping it with honey garlic salmon piled right on top, and popping it in the oven so cooks in about 15-minutes. Warm, caramelized edges on the salmon, perfectly seasoned rice underneath, and serving straight from the dish? I mean, how could you possibly go wrong?
For my take on the viral recipe I also opted to make my version without the imitation crab and without cream cheese (to keep in dairy-free and gluten-free) as well as skip a couple steps (as I do), and I think the final result is better (or at least easier) than the original. I love that the honey garlic marinade takes only ten minutes of sitting time, which is just long enough to fold the rice vinegar into the rice and whisk together the spicy mayo. Then the quick spicy mayo drizzle goes on at the end along with fresh avocado, cucumber, scallions, and sesame seeds.
Serve with nori sheets on the side for scooping, which is such a fun way to mix things up at the diner table. Annnnnd, if you’re already in sushi bowl mode, try my salmon rice bowls next, which are definitely the next thing worth adding to the rotation! Or, for another easy salmon dinner idea, you’ll love my salmon orzo dump-and-bake casserole.
Welcome to My Kitchen, Let’s Make Salmon Sushi Bake!
Robyn’s Testing Tips for Salmon and Rice Bake
- Don’t skip the 10-minute marinade on the salmon, it’s just long enough for the soy honey garlic to start penetrating the fish and makes a real difference in flavor compared to going straight into the oven!
- I tested with both sushi rice and regular long-grain white rice and sushi rice wins for texture and flavor, the slight stickiness holds up better under the salmon and absorbs the juices from the bake in a way that regular rice just doesn’t. But, if all you have is long grain cooked rice, go for it, the recipe will still work.
- Don’t overbake the salmon, check it at 12 minutes, as you want it just cooked through with caramelized edges, but not dry, and a minute or two makes all the difference with salmon cubes this size.
Salmon Rice Sushi Bake
Ingredients
For the Salmon
- 1 ½ pounds salmon fillets, skin removed, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons reduced sodium tamari
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
For the Sushi Rice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups cooked sushi rice (or short-grain white rice)
For the Spicy Mayo Drizzle
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 3 teaspoons sriracha
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
For Serving
- 1 avocado, small diced
- 1 medium seedless cucumber, small diced
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- Optional: nori sheets or seaweed snack sheets
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat and Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease or lightly spray with cooking spray a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Marinate the Salmon: In a medium bowl, toss the cubed salmon with the tamari, honey, and garlic. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Season the Rice: In a small bowl, stir together the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved. Fold into the cooked rice until evenly combined. Spread the seasoned rice into the prepared baking dish, pressing into an even layer.
- Bake: Remove the salmon from the marinade and discard any remaining marinade. Arrange the marinated salmon evenly over the rice in a single layer. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through and lightly caramelized at the edges.
- Make the Spicy Mayo: While the salmon bakes, whisk together the mayonnaise, sriracha, rice vinegar, and sugar until smooth. Note: If you have Kewpie mayo on hand, use it in place of the regular mayo and skip the rice vinegar and sugar.
- Serve: Drizzle the spicy mayo over the baked salmon and rice. Top with the avocado, cucumber, scallions, and sesame seeds. Serve directly from the dish with nori sheets on the side for scooping.
Notes
- Kewpie Mayo: I tested this one with Kewpie mayo, which was so yummy! I decided not to make it a requirement for the recipe (always trying to avoid specialty ingredients, ya know), but If you have it on hand, definitely swap it for the quick spicy mayo!
- Tamari: Use gluten-free tamari to keep this recipe gf. You can also use soy sauce if not gf for the same result.
- Note: Skip the sriracha in the mayo for younger kids and serve it on the side instead.
