These teriyaki salmon and avocado rice bowls are one of my favourite easy and healthy recipes to make for lunch or dinner. With tender salmon, creamy avocado, and sticky rice, all topped with a sweet and rich homemade teriyaki sauce, this delicious meal comes together in just 20 minutes!
Rice bowls are one of my favourite dairy free dinner recipes. They are super simple, starting with a bed of rice, adding a protein, something green and finally a quality sauce. You can literally use hundreds of different combinations to make a delicious rice bowl, but this combination of teriyaki salmon and avocado has to be my favourite.
This recipe was inspired by a local Japanese restaurant that does a similar combination of flavours with a seared salmon. While their version involves searing the salmon with a blow torch, I decided to make things a little simpler and instead the salmon is baked and then flaked (rhyme not intentional but I’m also not deleting it).
Add some kewpie mayo and serve with some seaweed and you have the most incredible sushi-style bowl in less than 20 minutes. It’s the perfect easy weeknight dinner or prepable lunch.
Teriyaki is a sweet and tangy sauce that has bold savoury flavours from its base of soy sauce and mirin. You can of course use a store bought teriyaki sauce to make these bowls, but I haven’t found one that tastes anywhere near as good as this homemade one does. I use a version of it in my air fryer teriyaki salmon and my teriyaki chicken meal prep recipes as well.
Key Ingredients
These salmon and avocado rice bowls use minimal ingredients, plus a few key pantry staples to make the most amazing teriyaki sauce.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Salmon – I generally use skinless fillets but even if you have skin-on fillets, you can bake them as directed and the salmon will just flake off the skin which you can then discard making it super easy.
- Avocado – there isn’t much better than a deliciously ripe Hass avocado which has a rich flavour and creamy texture which work perfectly in this bowl. Plus avocado and salmon just work amazing together.
- Sushi rice – I think the sticky short grain sushi rice is an essential layer of this rice bowl. You can serve it up or season it with a store bough sushi rice seasoning if you like to really turn this into a sushi bowl.
- Japanese kewpie mayo – it HAS to be kewpie mayo. Regular mayonnaise just doesn’t taste the same in this recipe and the mayo adds so much essential flavour and creaminess to the rice.
- Soy sauce – the base of the teriyaki sauce providing that rich, umami taste.
- Brown sugar – adds sweetness and helps the sauce caramelise as it cooks.
- Ginger and garlic – add so much depth of flavour to the sauce. You can use fresh or substitute with jarred if you prefer.
- Honey – for sweetness and flavour.
- Sesame oil – a little bit goes a long way in building flavour in this sauce without being overpowering.
- Mirin – a sweet rice wine that is low-alcohol so can be found at most supermarkets, and gives the main flavour to the teriyaki sauce. As a substitute, you can also use a dry sherry and a pinch of sugar.
- Cornflour – also known as corn starch in the US, this is used to thicken the teriyaki sauce and give it that thick and glossy finish.
Equipment and Tools
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- Rice cooker – ok not essential, if you like to cook your rice on the stove you can do that. I just do not, and my rice cooker is one of the most used appliances I have in my kitchen. I don’t have a fancy one, but I love it and it cooks the rice perfectly every time!
Step-By-Step Instructions
To get started, you’ll need to make the homemade teriyaki sauce which is super simple and only takes 5-10 minutes. Add your sauce ingredients, including the cornflour mixed with water, to a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil.
Turn down the heat and let it simmer for just a few minutes until it has thickened – it really doesn’t take long. Once done, take it off the heat and pour into a jar until you’re ready to use.
Note: The sauce yields enough for 4 bowls. I’ve written the recipe as if you only are making 2 bowls at a time as that’s what I generally am doing, but feel free to scale the rest of the ingredients up or down as needed. You can keep the sauce in a jar in the fridge for up to a month so when you want to make this again, the recipe is even easier as the sauce is ready to go!
Next, preheat the oven for the salmon and put on your rice to cook. I like to do this in a rice cooker for ease, but choose what is best for you! If you are using frozen salmon fillets for this meal, set them in a bowl of water to defrost.
Line a baking tray with baking paper, place on your salmon fillets and spoon over a little of the teriyaki sauce. Bake for 8-10 minutes depending on how thick your fillets are until just cooked through. You can also cook the salmon for 6-8 minutes in the air fryer if you prefer! Gently break it apart with a fork into large chunks and mix with any sauce remaining on the pan.
While the salmon is cooking, slice up your avocado. Once the rice is cooked, spoon it into your bowls for serving and top with a drizzle of kewpie mayo and teriyaki sauce.
Add the avocado to the bowl with the rice and top with your salmon. Drizzle over a little more teriyaki sauce on top of the salmon and top everything with some sesame seeds. I like to serve mine with some seasoned seaweed pieces, it’s so good!
My Top Tips!
I have made this recipe so many times over the years I’ve actually lost count, so these are my best tips;
- Use frozen salmon fillets. I try and always have frozen salmon in my freezer as they make the perfect easy, healthy meal without too much planning. To defrost the salmon you just want to place the fillet which will be in a vacuum sealed bag into a bowl of just warm, not hot, water and let sit for about 10 minutes until the salmon has defrosted.
- Prep the teriyaki sauce ahead of time. Keep it in a jar in the fridge for when you want to make these bowls. You can also make a double batch as it lasts for ages and can be used in so many different dishes!
- Kewpie mayo is essential. Do not skip it or use regular mayo in it’s place, it’s just not the same. It turns the bowl into a sushi style bowl and the creaminess with the rice really takes everything to the next level.
- Swap avocado for broccoli. If you don’t have avocado I’ve substituted it with lightly steamed broccoli. It’s not quite as good as the avo but still delicious and will do in a pinch if you can’t get good avos.
- Make it vegetarian. For a veggie option, you can substitute the salmon with tofu. Mix some of the teriyaki sauce with cubed, firm tofu and bake until the edges are golden and crispy.
Recipe FAQs
Yes you can! You can use chicken, tofu, or prawns instead of salmon. Adjust the cooking time accordingly to ensure the protein is cooked through.
To make it gluten-free, you can substitute the soy sauce with tamari or a gluten-free soy sauce alternative.
The salmon and rice will store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days, but the avocado will brown so is best added when you’re ready to eat it. The teriyaki sauce will last in the fridge on it’s own for about a month.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More bowl-style recipes:
Taco Bowls
Burger Bowls
Spicy Prawn Rice Bowls
Air Fryer Salmon Bowls
Teriyaki Salmon and Avocado Rice Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Teriyaki Sauce:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic approx. 2 cloves
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons mirin or dry sherry
- 3 teaspoons cornflour/cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water
For the bowls:
- 2 fillets salmon skinless
- 3 cups cooked sushi rice
- Japanese kewpie mayo
- 1 avocado sliced
- toasted sesame seeds optional to serve
- seasoned roasted seaweed for serving
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, honey, sesame oil, mirin, and the water mixed with cornflour. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring regularly. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2–3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the salmon fillets on the tray and spoon some of the teriyaki sauce over the top of each fillet. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the salmon is just cooked through. Using a fork, gently flake the salmon and mix it with any sauce left on the tray.
- Divide the cooked rice between two bowls. Drizzle each serving with Kewpie mayo and a little teriyaki sauce. Top each bowl with flaked salmon and half of the sliced avocado. Drizzle more teriyaki sauce over the salmon, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
This recipe was originally published on January 11th, 2021 and has been republished to include more helpful information and new photos.
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