This Ahi Poke Bowl is a Hawaiian-inspired recipe with marinated tuna, sushi rice, avocado and seaweed that tastes just like the takeout dish!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Tuna steak – you can also use salmon if you don’t like tuna.
- Soy sauce – tamari is the best substitute for soy sauce.
- Sesame oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado, grapeseed or canola oil.
- Lime juice – orange juice would also be good.
- Green onion – white or red onion would also work.
- Cucumber – feel free to swap this out for another veggie of your choice like bell peppers, sliced cabbage, corn or edamame.
- Avocado – leave this out altogether or swap for the veggie of your choice.
- Seaweed salad – feel free to leave this out altogether.
- Sesame seeds – black or white sesame seeds would both work
- Jalapeno – if you don’t want your bowl to have any kick then leave the jalapeno out.
- Sushi rice – use cauliflower rice for a low-carb option or try brown rice.
- Butter – a little bit of olive oil will also help make the rice nice and moist.
- Rice vinegar- leave this out if you want plain rice.
- Sugar – leave this out if you want plain rice.
- Salt – to taste.
How to make poke bowls
- Marinate the tuna.
- Cook the sushi rice.
- Stir in the rice vinegar, sugar and salt.
- Assemble your bowls and dig in!
Tuna poke sauce
Most of the sauces in a poke bowl are made with a soy sauce or tamari and sesame oil base, with most sauce ingredients being pantry staples you should already have on hand at home.
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The tuna is marinated in the sauce with additional sauces such as spicy mayo or an Asian-inspired vinaigrette for extra flavour. Personally, I find that the marinade serves as enough flavour for the bowl! I just drizzle a little bit of extra soy sauce over top along with some sriracha.
If you need this ahi poke bowl to be gluten-free, substitute tamari for the soy sauce. You can also use cauliflower rice in place of the sticky rice to make it low carb. This is such a versatile recipe that can be altered to fit any diet!
Frequently Asked Questions
Poke is a popular Hawaiian dish made up of rice, raw fish (usually either ahi tuna or salmon), veggies and Asian-inspired flavours.
Yes! These bowls are packed full of nutrients and fresh veggies and can even be gluten-free if you substitute tamari for soy sauce and low-carb if you substitute cauliflower rice for sushi rice.
Poke is pronounced POH-kay.
There are 386 calories per serving based on the original ingredients, but you can mix up the toppings to whatever you have on hand.
Storing and reheating
You can store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in airtight glass containers. They’re eaten cold, so you don’t need to worry about warming them up afterwards. I suggest keeping all your toppings separate then assembling fresh.
Freezing components of this recipe
Unfortunately, these bowls won’t freeze well, but you can freeze certain ingredients separately. The rice and the tuna will both freeze really well for up to 3 months in airtight glass containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags. When you’re ready to enjoy, let it thaw in the fridge overnight then assemble your fresh poke bowls.
More healthy bowl recipes
Meal prep tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning these 30-Minute Ahi Poke Bowls into your weekly lunches.
The Easiest 30-Minute Ahi Poke Bowl
Ingredients
Tuna poke
- 2 8oz tuna steak, cut and diced against the grain
- 3 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp lime juice or orange juice
- 1 green onion, sliced
Toppings (add what you'd like)
- diced cucumber
- Diced avocado
- seaweed salad
- sesame seeds
- sliced jalapeno
- sliced green onions
Sushi rice
- 1 cup dry sushi rice (also known as sticky rice)
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp butter
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Dice up tuna and toss with poke marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside and let sit for 15-20 minutes in the fridge. To make tuna easier to slice (optional), freeze for 30-60 minutes or so before slicing.
- Meanwhile, cook rice, water and butter together in a rice cooker. Let cool, then stir in rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Rice can be made up to 2 days in advance and is best served cold.
- When ready to serve, add tuna poke on top of cool rice and add whatever toppings you desire. Enjoy!
Ava says
Absolutely a culinary feast! I used Tamari sauce. I made for my boyfriend who used to work for a Japanese company and he said it was as good as any poke bowl he ever had in Japan.
Thank you for your recipe guidelines. They were spot on!!
Taylor Stinson says
WOW, what a compliment! I’m so happy you guys enjoyed, Ava! Thanks so much for leaving your review 🙂