Vegan Nori Wraps with Spicy Tahini Sauce

I could eat sushi rolls every day, but of course, I like to mix up the fillings. And these vegan nori wraps are a great way to do it. They’re purely plant-based, and even made without rice. In fact, they’re almost like a salad wrap, but rolled in nori and topped with an richly flavorful, spicy tahini sauce. 

Vegan Nori Wraps are a Fresh Take on Lunch

Many years ago, my friend Amie Valpone launched her cookbook, Eating Clean, and shared this vegan nori wraps recipe with us as a sample. I recently enjoyed the wraps, and decided to update her recipe with more information and options.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• Light & Fresh: Enjoy one as a substantial snack or two for a light lunch. 
• Complex Taste: The sauce is layered with sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors.
• Healthy Fats: Each bite is oil-free, naturally rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, and quite low in saturated fat.
• High Fiber: One wrap provides over 25% of the RDI for fiber, 7 grams, for digestive health, blood sugar regulation, and satiety. 
• Rich in Micronutrients: These wraps contain a nutritious mix of antioxidants, other vitamins, and minerals.
• Versatile: You can mix up the vegetables based on what you have on hand or what is in season.

Add Protein

If you want to make these vegan nori wraps into more of a meal, I would add tofu that is baked, marinated, or cubed and stirred into the spicy tahini sauce. Another option is sauteed mushrooms. Regular button mushrooms, baby bellas, or shiitake mushrooms would be delicious. 

Ingredient FAQs

• Miso Paste: Is there an easier measurement?  Amie uses 3 3/4 teaspoons or 1 1/4 tablespoons, which is an odd amount. I simply use a rounded 1 tablespoon of miso paste.
• Miso Paste: Can I use any type of miso? I would use a light or white miso paste. Most brands do contain soy, and some contain gluten, so be sure to check if you have additional dietary needs.
• Tahini: What type of tahini should I use? Amie uses raw tahini, but raw or roasted should work fine. If you are using a salted tahini, you might want to use 1 tablespoon miso, or even a little less. I like to use whole seed tahini, which is naturally higher in calcium.

Special Diet Notes: Vegan Nori Wraps

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, plant-based, vegetarian, oil-free, and paleo-friendly.

Amie Valpone

Vegan Nori Wraps

5 from 1 vote

If you like California rolls, you’ll love these nori wraps. Though personally, I think these are so much better! The tahini sauce is truly addictive—you’re going to want to dress everything in it. I use it as a dip for crudites, or thin it to make a drizzly salad dressing.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4 wraps + 2/3 cup sauce

Course: Appetiser

Cuisine: Asian

Calories: 175

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

Spicy Tahini Sauce

• 2 medjool dates pitted
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 ¾ teaspoons miso paste use chickpea miso for soy-free
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 garlic clove minced
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Water as needed to thin the drizzle

Vegan Nori Wraps

• 4 nori seaweed sheets
• ¼ small head red cabbage thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot julienned
• 1 small yellow summer squash julienned
• 1 small cucumber julienned
• 1 large ripe avocado pitted, peeled, and sliced

Method

 

Spicy Tahini Sauce

1. Put the dates, lemon juice, miso, tahini, garlic, and crushed red pepper in your blender and puree until smooth.
2. Blend in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture reaches your desired consistency. You can keep it thick, as pictured, or make it a thin sauce or drizzle.

Vegan Nori Wraps

1. Place the nori sheets on a flat surface. Divide the cabbage, carrot, squash, cucumber, and avocado among the sheets.
2. Top each pile of vegetables with a heaping tablespoon of the Spicy Tahini Sauce.
3. Roll up the nori sheets into a tube.

Nutrition

Serving: 1wrap with 2 tablespoons sauceCalories: 175kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1.3gSodium: 155mgFiber: 7gSugar: 11g

Notes

Hand Roll Option: Cut the nori sheets in half. Place filling diagonally at one end of each nori sheet. Roll each half sheet up, starting at the filling end, into a cone.

Recipe adapted slightly from EATING CLEAN by Amie Valpone. Reproduced with permissions of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

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More Recipe Notes: Vegan Nori Wraps

Preparation Tips

• Food Processor: If possible, use a food processor to slice the cabbage so you can get it super thin.
• Even Size: Make sure the vegetable strips are all the same width and length so that they don’t hang over the edges of the nori sheets. This will make rolling up the wraps easier.

Main Ingredient Options

• Wraps: If you aren’t a nori fan, you can substitute taco-size tortillas, lettuce leaves (like Boston lettuce or iceberg lettuce), or my favorite, rice paper. This filling makes tasty summer rolls. Just follow the package directions for soaking and rolling the rice paper.
• Vegetables: Sliced bell peppers (red, yellow, green, and/or orange), bean sprouts, julienned jicama, snow peas, sugar snap peas, or thinly sliced daikon radish would also be delicious in these vegan nori wraps.

Make Ahead Tips

• Time: You can make the sauce a day or two ahead, and you can prepare the vegetables at the same time.
• Tips: Nori softens a lot with added moisture, so it’s best to assemble these vegan nori wraps as close to serving time as possible. 
• Store: Keep the vegetables and spicy tahini sauce in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store the nori separately, at room temperature, in the package. 

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