You are going to love this Hawaiian poke bowl! Full of fresh marinated fish, warm rice, crisp vegetables and a variety of toppings and sauce, these poke sushi bowls are so delicious!

Have you ever tasted a Hawaiian poke bowl? Pronounced “poh-keh”, these deconstructed sushi bowls are SO delicious. We took our little one to Hawaii for spring break and she wanted to eat poke for breakfast, lunch AND dinner.
In Hawaii, you can find these sushi poke bowls everywhere – including fancy restaurants, roadside shacks, and every single grocery store.
You can create sushi poke bowls filled with any kind of fish, cooked seafood, or even grilled chicken, but a traditional Hawaiian poke bowl typically consists of ahi tuna, a simple soy sauce, sweet onions, and a bed of warm rice.
Where to Find Ahi Tuna

We won’t be cooking the ahi tuna for these sushi poke bowls, so it’s extremely important that you are using a high-quality ahi tuna that is SAFE TO EAT RAW. You’ll know it’s safe to consume raw if it’s labeled as “sushi quality” or “sashimi grade” on the package. I found sushi grade ahi tuna at Aldi of all places, in the freezer section! This is great because freezing ahi tuna makes it safe to eat. I’ve also seen it at Costco, Whole Foods, and my local Japanese market.
This is what I got from Aldi – notice how it’s labeled as “sushi quality” across the top of the packaging?

Why You’ll Love These Hawaiian Poke Bowls
- Fresh, healthy and FULL of flavor. Marinated fresh fish + vegetables and rice is pretty close to my perfect meal. I could eat this every single day!
- Easy to customize for your personal macros. Want to eat a little lower carb today? Swap out the sushi rice for cauliflower rice or serve your Hawaiian poke bowl on a bed of fresh lettuce. Need a little more protein? Double your ahi tuna, or add in some cooked shrimp.
- It’s so simple. Dice up your fish and marinate, slice a few veggies, press “start” on your rice cooker and dinner is basically done.
Hawaiian Poke Ingredients

Ahi Tuna
It’s very important to make sure your ahi tuna is safe to eat raw, so make sure you’re grabbing fish that’s labeled “sushi-quality” or “sashimi-grade”.
Sweet Onions and Scallions
In Hawaii, it’s common to use sweet Maui onions, but you can use any sweet or yellow onion, thinly sliced.
Sauce
A mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, chili-garlic (or sriracha) and just a touch of sugar.
Base & Toppings
This is the fun part! I like the traditional base of sushi rice, but you can substitute cauliflower rice or a bed of greens as your base. And then add your favorite toppings to the Hawaiian poke bowl like edamame, cucumbers, avocado, sesame seeds and pickled radishes!

How to Make Sushi Poke Bowls
Make sure your ahi tuna is thawed. Pat dry and slice into small cubes. In a small bowl, add your soy sauce, sesame oil, chili-garlic or sriracha and sugar and whisk together until blended.

To Make Sushi Rice
If you’re serving with sushi rice, start cooking your short-grained white rice in the rice cooker. Once cooked, spread out in a flat dish (I like to use a pie plate) and sprinkle on 2-3 tablespoons of seasoned rice vinegar. It’s important to use seasoned rice vinegar and not regular rice vinegar as they have different flavor profiles.
Next add your sliced ahi tuna to a bowl, add in your sliced onions and scallions, and drizzle in the sauce. Mix well for one minute until everything is well coated in the sauce. Then, marinate in the refrigerator for AT LEAST 15 minutes but, if you have enough time, 1 -2 hours is best.



After your tuna has marinated, it’s time to build your Hawaiian poke bowl! Add your sushi rice (or cauli-rice or lettuce) and then a generous scoop of the marinated ahi tuna. Sprinkle on sesame seeds, edamame, avocado, cucumbers, and my personal favorite – pickled radishes!
Serve with extra soy sauce and sriracha if desired.


Hawaiian Poke Bowl with Ahi Tuna
Ingredients
- 12 oz (340g) ahi tuna (sushi quality)
- 1/4 cup (20g) sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 3 stalks (15g) scallions, sliced
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp chili-garlic sauce (or to taste)
- 1 tsp (4g) sugar
Sushi Rice, optional
- 1 cup short grain sushi rice
- 2-3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (Do not use plain rice vinegar)
Toppings, optional
- cucumbers
- edamame
- pickled radish
- avocado
- sesame seeds
- scallions
- additional soy sauce
Instructions
- Make sure your ahi tuna is fully thawed. Pat dry and slice into bite-size cubes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, chili-garlic sauce and sugar. Taste and adjust by adding more of these ingredients to your preference.
- Add your sliced tuna to the bowl, along with the thinly sliced scallions and sweet onions. Stir to combine for one minute until ahi tuna is fully coated in sauce.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes, but if you have the time, 1-2 hours is better.
Preparing Sushi Rice
- If you are planning to serve these Hawaiian poke bowls with rice, we can prepare the rice now while the fish is marinating.
- Rinse one cup of short grained sushi until the water runs clear.
- Add rinsed rice to your rice cooker and cook.
- Once rice is cooked, scoop out into a flat dish (I like to use a pie plate).
- Sprinkle on 2-3 tablespoons of SEASONED rice vinegar. Using a spatula, gently fold rice to mix well. The seasoned rice vinegar will make the rice shiny and taste just like sushi rice!
To Make Sushi Poke Bowls
- Add a scoop or two of your base to a bowl (sushi rice, cauliflower rice, or even a bed of greens.)
- Top with 1/4 of the marinated ahi tuna (approximately 105g) and add in your favorite toppings.PLEASE NOTE: Nutrition breakdown is for the marinated ahi tuna only.
NOTE
Nutrition information for this recipe is provided below. For more information on the nutrition facts provided on this site, please visit our nutrition disclaimer.
Leave a Reply