If you’ve ever ordered sushi at a Japanese restaurant in North America, you’ve probably seen a Dragon Roll on the menu. With crispy shrimp tempura inside and creamy avocado layered on top, it’s one of the most popular sushi rolls outside Japan.
While a Dragon Roll has quite a few components and can feel a little overwhelming at first, making it at home is absolutely doable. There are several steps involved, but this recipe will walk you through the process step by step so you can recreate a restaurant-style Dragon Roll in your own kitchen.
What Is a Dragon Roll Sushi?
A Dragon Roll is a sushi roll made with shrimp tempura and cucumber wrapped inside-out style with sushi rice on the outside. Thin slices of avocado are arranged across the top to resemble dragon scales, giving the roll its signature appearance.
There are several variations, including Green Dragon Rolls, which are topped with avocado and sometimes eel, and other regional versions found throughout North America.
What Differentiates American Sushi Rolls from Traditional Japanese Sushi?
Two Signature Sauces
One of the most noticeable differences is the use of bold sauces. Dragon Rolls are typically topped with both unagi sauce and spicy mayo. Unagi sauce is a sweet-savory glaze made from soy sauce and sugar, while spicy mayo combines mayonnaise and sriracha for a creamy, spicy kick.
These sauces have much stronger flavors than those commonly used in traditional Japanese sushi. Their rich taste is one of the biggest reasons Dragon Rolls feel distinctly American rather than traditionally Japanese.
Uramaki (Inside-Out Rolls)
Another major difference is the style of the roll itself. Dragon Rolls are usually made as uramaki, or inside-out rolls, with the rice on the outside and the nori hidden inside.
Traditional Japanese sushi rolls are more commonly made with nori on the exterior. The inside-out style became popular in North America and is now a defining feature of many American sushi rolls, including the Dragon Roll.
What’s in a Dragon Roll?
Most Dragon Roll recipes include:
- Shrimp tempura
- Cucumber
- Sushi rice
- Nori
- Avocado
- Unagi sauce
- Spicy mayo
- Tobiko
The combination of crispy shrimp, creamy avocado, sweet-savory sauce, and sushi rice makes it one of the most approachable sushi rolls for beginners.
Ingredients
Sushi Rice
Cooked rice: 1½ cups
Rice vinegar: 1 tbsp
Sugar: 2 tsp
Salt: ½ tsp
Shrimp Tempura
Shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails on: 4
Cake flour: 2 tbsp
Potato starch: 1 tbsp
Salt: ¼ tsp
Water: 3 tbsp
Egg: 1
Extra flour: for dusting
Oil: for frying
For the Spicy Mayo
Mayonnaise: 2 tbsp
Sriracha: 2 tsp
For the Unagi Sauce
Soy sauce: 4 tbsp
Water: 4 tbsp
Sugar: 4 tbsp
Potato starch: 1 tsp
For Assembly
Nori sheet: 1
Cucumber: ½
Avocado: 1
Tobiko: for topping
Black sesame seeds: for topping
Instructions
- Mix the mayonnaise and sriracha in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
- Combine the soy sauce, water, sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved. Pour over the warm rice and gently fold until evenly seasoned. Let the rice cool to room temperature.
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Make four shallow cuts along the belly side of each shrimp. Turn them over and gently press to straighten them.
- Lightly dust the shrimp with flour. Whisk together the egg and water, then add the cake flour and mix lightly. A few lumps are fine.
- Heat about 1 inch of oil in a frying pan. Dip the shrimp in the batter and fry until crisp and light golden brown. Transfer to a rack or paper towels and let cool.
- Trim both ends of the cucumber and cut it lengthwise into quarters. Remove the seeded center and cut into long strips.
- Cover both sides of a bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. Cut the nori sheet in half crosswise. Place one half on the mat and spread sushi rice evenly over the surface with wet hands. Flip the nori over so the rice side faces down.
- Place the cucumber and shrimp tempura about 1/3 inch from the edge closest to you. Using both middle fingers, hold the filling in place. With your thumbs and index fingers, lift the edge of the bamboo mat and the roll together, bringing the edge of the nori just beyond the filling.
- Once the roll lands, firmly press it several times to shape it. Squeeze from the center outward, then from the outside back toward the center, making sure the filling is secure and the roll holds together.
- Next, use your right hand to pull the bamboo mat slightly forward while your left hand supports and rolls the sushi. When the roll lands again, repeat the same shaping motion, pressing firmly from the center outward and from the outside inward.
- Repeat this rolling and shaping process one more time to create a tight, compact roll that won’t fall apart when sliced. For exactly what I do, please watch the video.
- Thinly slice the avocado lengthwise. Fan the slices out and place them across the top of the roll. Cover with the bamboo mat and gently shape the avocado around the roll.
- Wet your knife before each cut and slice the roll into 8 pieces. Top with unagi sauce, spicy mayo, tobiko, and black sesame seeds before serving.
Ingredients
Method
- Mix the mayonnaise and sriracha in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
- Combine the soy sauce, water, sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved. Pour over the warm rice and gently fold until evenly seasoned. Let the rice cool to room temperature.
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Make four shallow cuts along the belly side of each shrimp. Turn them over and gently press to straighten them.
- Lightly dust the shrimp with flour. Whisk together the egg and water, then add the cake flour and mix lightly. A few lumps are fine.
- Heat about 1 inch of oil in a frying pan. Dip the shrimp in the batter and fry until crisp and light golden brown. Transfer to a rack or paper towels and let cool.
- Trim both ends of the cucumber and cut it lengthwise into quarters. Remove the seeded center and cut into long strips.
- Cover both sides of a bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. Cut the nori sheet in half crosswise. Place one half on the mat and spread sushi rice evenly over the surface with wet hands. Flip the nori over so the rice side faces down.
- Place the cucumber and shrimp tempura about 1/3 inch from the edge closest to you. Using both middle fingers, hold the filling in place. With your thumbs and index fingers, lift the edge of the bamboo mat and the roll together, bringing the edge of the nori just beyond the filling.
- Once the roll lands, firmly press it several times to shape it. Squeeze from the center outward, then from the outside back toward the center, making sure the filling is secure and the roll holds together.
- Next, use your right hand to pull the bamboo mat slightly forward while your left hand supports and rolls the sushi. When the roll lands again, repeat the same shaping motion, pressing firmly from the center outward and from the outside inward.
- Repeat this rolling and shaping process one more time to create a tight, compact roll that won’t fall apart when sliced. For exactly what I do, please watch the video.
- Thinly slice the avocado lengthwise. Fan the slices out and place them across the top of the roll. Cover with the bamboo mat and gently shape the avocado around the roll.
- Wet your knife before each cut and slice the roll into 8 pieces. Top with unagi sauce, spicy mayo, tobiko, and black sesame seeds before serving.
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