These plant-based spicy “tuna” bowls are made with canned white beans. An easy and satisfying meal that’s ready in just 30 minutes.
At some point last year, there was a buzzy recipe going around for spicy tuna bowls. It was basically tuna salad – but jazzed up with sriracha, sesame oil, soy sauce, and scallions – served with rice and cucumbers.
While I am generally immune to internet food trends, I do have a soft spot for tuna salad so I gave it a go and was instantly hooked. It’s amazing what just a few extra fridge door condiments did to the retro staple. The salad was nutty, a little spicy, and I loved the peppery crunch of the scallions.
Seeing as I’ve now figured out I could make a plant-based tuna salad alternative with white beans, I recently decided to apply the “spicy tuna bowl” treatment to beans, and the result was just as fabulous. Alongside sushi rice and fresh veggies, it has become one of our favorite weeknight meals.
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
- White Beans: Cannellini or great northern work best here.
- Pickles: Mimic the brininess of canned tuna. I use Kosher baby dill pickles.
- Mayo: You can use conventional or vegan.
- Sriracha: This garlicky sweet-savory chili sauce is a key flavoring here. It’s available in most supermarkets and there are a million ways to use up the bottle.
- Chili Crisp: Although optional here, a little bit of this Chinese condiment goes a long way. Made of cooked chilis, onion, garlic, and spices, the flavor and spiciness can vary widely depending on the brand (I love Fly by Jing), and again – there are a million ways to use it.
- Sushi Rice: Serving this bean “tuna” with sushi rice really drives home the sushi vibe of the salad. You can find it in most supermarkets these days, as well as online. But if you don’t have any, serve the bowls with any other rice you have.
- Cucumber + Avocado: Round out the bowls. You can also sub in some carrots or radishes.
How to Make Spicy Bean “Tuna” Bowls (Step-by-Step Photos)
Find complete instructions with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Cook + Season the Sushi Rice
Begin by simmering the rice with water and salt. After all the water is absorbed, set the pot aside to let the rice steam for 10 more minutes.
Then sprinkle the rice with seasoned rice vinegar and sesame oil, and gently toss to distribute. Be careful not to stir the rice vigorously, or you will end up with mushy rice.
Note: If you don’t have sushi rice, serve the bowls with any other rice but skip the seasoning step.
Step 2: Mash Half of the Beans
Meanwhile, place half of the beans in a bowl and crush with a potato masher. (This will help the bean salad become more homogenous, like tuna salad).
Step 3: Finish the Bean Salad
Add the whole beans and the rest of the seasonings to the bowl, and stir to combine.
Step 4: Serve the Bowls
Divide the rice, bean salad, cucumbers, and avocado among bowls. Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.
Notes on Leftovers
This vegan “tuna” salad keeps well in the fridge; store leftovers in an airtight container and eat within 3 days. Apart from rice bowls, you could eat the salad on toast, in a sandwich, or in a wrap.
More Plant-Based Bowls to Try
- Veggie Poke Bowls
- Vermicelli Tofu Bowls
- Roasted Cauliflower Bowls with Curried Tahini
- Tofu Rice Bowls with Peanut Sauce
Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with @thenewbaguette on Instagram.
The Full Recipe
Spicy White Bean “Tuna” Bowls
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian-American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This spicy vegan “tuna” is also excellent on toast, in a sandwich, or a wrap.
Ingredients
For the Bowls
- 1 cup sushi rice* (see note below)
- 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 Persian or kirby cucumbers, diced
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- Sesame seeds, for serving
For the Beans
- Two 15-ounce cans white beans (cannellini or great northern)
- 3 baby Kosher dill pickles, finely chopped
- 1 medium scallion, chopped (plus more for serving)*
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (conventional or vegan)
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons chili crisp (optional)*
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place 1 cup sushi rice in a medium pot and fill with water. Swirl with your fingers until the water is cloudy, then drain and repeat the process 1 to 2 more times until the water runs mostly clear. Drain off all the water.
- Measure out 1 1/2 cups fresh water and add to the pot, along with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover tightly with a lid and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to very low and simmer gently until all the water is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes (do not stir rice during cooking). Lastly, turn the heat off and let the rice stand covered for 10 more minutes (still without stirring) to absorb the steam in the pot.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon sesame oil over the rice. Using a wooden spatula, gently fluff the rice to distribute the seasonings. (Avoid vigorous stirring as this will result in mushy rice.)
- While the rice is cooking, drain the beans in a mesh strainer and rinse under running water. Shake off excess water.
- Place half of the rinsed beans in a large bowl. Using a potato masher, smash the beans until most of them are crushed.
- To the bowl, add the remaining beans along with all the other bean seasonings (from pickles through black pepper) and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.
- To serve, divide the rice, beans, cucumbers, and avocado among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.
Notes
- Sushi rice is available in most supermarkets and online. If you can’t find it, serve the bowls with any other rice but skip the seasoning step.
- You can sub the scallion with a couple of tablespoons of finely diced onion.
- Chili crisp is also available in most supermarkets. The taste and spiciness level vary widely depending on the brand. I recommend Fly by Jing. (If you don’t have any, you can skip it.)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
- Calories: 475
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 16.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.5 g
- Fiber: 11 g
- Protein: 13.7 g
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