Tuna Poke Bowl
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Build your new favorite lunch with this Tuna Poke Bowl—bold, fresh, and bursting with flavor. We’re talking tender ahi tuna tossed in a savory-sweet marinade, piled over rice, and finished with all your go-to toppings (crispy chips, anyone?). It’s quick, customizable, and seriously satisfying.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
When you’re craving something light but satisfying, a tuna poke bowl hits that sweet spot between feel-good and full-flavor. It’s the combination of fresh ingredients and salty-umami flavors that makes it so good.
It’s all about the combo of fresh ingredients, salty, umami-rich flavors, and buttery fresh tuna. This version was inspired by a poke bowl I had at a spa resort in the Poconos, made with marinated ahi tuna, sushi rice, crisp veggies, and crispy fried wontons on top. To keep things simple for a weeknight dinner, I typically swap in potato chips for the wontons—a shortcut that still gives you that craveable salty crunch. Feel free to get creative with the toppings and use whatever you have on hand or are in the mood for.
Bowls make hearty and satisfying meals served up in one dish! If you love this tuna poke bowl, try these beef hoisin bowls or my egg roll in a bowl recipes next! You won’t be disappointed.
“OMG! This was so good. I had it over brown rice with mango, avocado, pickled ginger and wonton strips…Thank you!”
Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl ingredients
- Sushi-Grade Ahi Tuna: Choose fresh sushi-grade yellowfin or bigeye tuna (both referred to as “ahi”), with a pink or reddish color. Locally (in the Washington, DC area), I’ve found fresh ahi tuna at Harris Teeter. Also, Whole Foods carries frozen yellowfin tuna that works nicely. Just be sure not to buy Albacore tuna, which is the white tuna used to make canned tuna fish.
- Soy Sauce: For that signature umami flavor you expect in a poke bowl.
- Sesame Oil: Adds that signature nutty flavor to the poke dressing. It’s mixed with vegetable oil to keep it from overpowering the sauce — too much sesame oil can taste bitter. Most Asian recipes use dark (toasted) sesame oil, which has a much bolder flavor than the light variety.
- Honey: Adds a bit of sweetness to balance out the saltiness of the soy sauce and heat in the sambal oelek. It also gives a slight body to the sauce. You can also use brown sugar, though the flavor and texture are slightly different.
- Sambal Oelek: A mixture of chiles, brown sugar, and salt, it’s added to the sauce for a bit of spice. It can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets and is sometimes labeled Chile Garlic Sauce. You can also use other chile sauces such as sriracha or even add in some diced fresh chiles.
- Ginger and Scallions: Freshly grated ginger and scallions add aroma and flavor to the dish. If you’re new to cooking with fresh ginger, I’ve put together a guide on how to grate fresh ginger, which will walk you through exactly how to use it from start to finish!
- Cooked Sushi Rice: The base of every good poke or sushi bowl, sushi rice is a short grain rice with a sticky texture that makes it different from other varieties of rice. Make sure to follow the directions for cooking it, as it cooks slightly different than long grain rice.
- Toppings: You get to choose the toppings for your poke bowl. I use avocado, cucumber, edamame, pickled ginger, diced mango, potato chips, and sesame seeds. Wonton crisps, thin red bell pepper strips, julienned carrots, or cabbage are a few other options to consider.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make a Tuna Poke Bowl
These ahi tuna bowls go together in just a few steps and are the perfect answer for an easy weeknight dinner.
Step 1: Make the Marinade. Whisk together the soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, honey, sambal oelek, ginger, and scallions in a medium bowl.
Step 2: Combine with Fish. Add the tuna to the marinade mixture and toss to fully coat all the fish. Place the mixture in the fridge and allow it to marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. This step gives the fish time to absorb all the delicious flavors.
Step 3: Assemble and Serve. Scoop the rice into bowls and top with the tuna mixture, and your toppings. Enjoy your tuna poke bowl!
Jenn’s Top Tips
- Choosing Your Fish. For making a tuna poke bowl, make sure you buy sushi-grade tuna that’s safe to eat raw and choose it from a reputable source.
- Get Creative. The toppings when making a tuna sushi bowl are the fun part so feel free to get creative with them. You can experiment with different vegetables, sauces, and other toppings. Try some pickled red onions or other pickled vegetables, add different seasoning blends and toppings like furikake or nori, add some heat with some wasabi or diced fresh chilies, or even add a creamy sauce, like sriracha mayo. The possibilities are truly endless!
- Enjoy Cold. A poke sushi bowl is meant to be enjoyed cold (rather than warm) and is best when freshly made. You may save leftovers for up to 2 days, but I find they are best on day one.
- Other Variations: Swap out the ahi tuna for cooked shrimp or another variety of sushi-grade fish if you prefer!
More easy bowls and salads to try
Tuna Poke Bowl
This ahi tuna poke bowl combines tender marinated tuna, sushi rice, and all the toppings you love—from creamy avocado to crispy chips. Customize it to your tastes and dig into a fresh, flavor-packed meal in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek (see note)
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger (see note)
- 3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 1 pound sushi-grade ahi tuna (such as yellowfin or big-eye tuna), diced into ¼ or ½-inch pieces
- 2 cups sushi rice, cooked according to package instructions (any other type of rice or grain can be substituted)
Optional Toppings
- Sliced avocado
- Sliced cucumber
- Edamame
- Pickled ginger
- Diced mango
- Wonton crisps or potato chips
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, honey, sambal oelek, ginger, and scallions. Add the tuna and toss. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
- To serve, scoop rice into bowls, top with tuna poke and desired toppings. You will have extra sauce for drizzling over the toppings; serve on the side.
- Note: Sambal Oelek can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets. It is sometimes labeled Chile Garlic Sauce.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (Nutritional data does not include optional toppings -- 6 servings)
- Calories: 411
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 59 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Sodium: 943 mg
- Cholesterol: 29 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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This recipe is absolutely delicious. I’m lucky that I can get fresh sushi grade tuna on a regular basis. I’ve served it the night I made it AND the next night, and the only difference was more intense flavor the second time. A personal note–I’m not a fan of ginger so I cut it in half, and it was still amazing. Also, when I made sushi rice, I added seasoned vinegar at the end, and this made the entire dish quite delicious. Yum!
I love your husband’s honesty. LOL hahaha
Can it be eaten next day too? Will the tuna still be ok?
Hi Jeanette, I think it really depends on how fresh the fish was when you purchased it (which you may not necessarily know). To be conservative, I’d air on the side of not eating it on the second day (also, it would get really salty by the second day as it continues to absorb the marinade).
My trick for eating it the next day, is to only add the amount of marinade to the portion of the tuna being eaten the night before, avoiding the over marinated scenario.
YUM, YUM, YUM. Another winner, Jen.
I made this tonight, and it was excellent! (as are all of Jenn’s recipes!) It was surprisingly quick and easy, and I will definitely be making again.
This recipe has a great flavor profile. It was a bit spicier than I was expecting. I have had poke bowls in restaurants that had less or no spice. As a result, I think this should be called Spicy Tuna Poke Bowl. When I make it again, I’ll certainly use the sriacha but probably a bit less.
Agreed!! So freaking spicy! Lol.
Really a delicious recipe! My family wolfed it down. I was suspicious about the honey but it balanced the flavors well. I served with mango, avocado, shaved cabbage, more chopped scallions, toasted coconut, and siracha mayo. Will definitely make this again and will try the potato chips on top too!
Do you serve it warm rice or cold ?
Hi Christine, I would eat it cold. Hope you enjoy!
Will it work with salmon?
Yep!
I am from Hawaii and your recipe is spot-on authentic. The trick is getting the fresh, raw ahi.
Unfortunately, I cannot each sushi, sashimi or poke as often as I would like. Now that the West has discovered the joy of raw game fish (marlin, tuna), we are eating the creatures to extinction.
Could you please tell me where to enter the contest for the cutting board? The page says to enter below, but there isn’t any place to enter or I am not seeing it. Thank you