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My ahi tuna poke bowl features tender tuna marinated in spicy poke sauce served on a bed of sticky sushi rice with crisp veggies. Make it once, and you’ll NEVER want takeout again!
Craving more bowl recipes? Try my salmon bowl, Mediterranean bowl, shrimp bowl, or taco bowl next.
I’ve always been a lover of seafood, especially ahi tuna. Between my tuna tartare and tuna carpaccio, I thought I had stretched the limits of what this flavorful fish could do. That is until I discovered the magic of ahi tuna poke bowls.
Inspired by my salmon poke bowl, I figured paying homage to the OG of poke bowls with this tuna version only made sense.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Quick to make. The only cooking required here is to make the sushi rice, but I make it in advance so really, this comes together in no time.
- Layered with flavor. The poke sauce alone is addictive, and when you couple that with the tangy rice and delicate fish, you’ve got a dish where every bite is uniquely flavorful.
- No fishy flavor. Contrary to popular belief, ahi tuna has a much meatier flavor than other types of seafood, so even the sushi-haters will learn to love it.
- Affordable. Okay, I love a good poke bowl, but why do they need to charge over $20 for one? I did the calculations and my homemade tuna bowl costs just $4 per serving, and that includes a generous portion of tuna!
Ingredients needed
- Ahi tuna. Make sure to ONLY use sushi-grade tuna, as regular tuna (whether fresh or frozen) will likely contain parasites. You can find sushi-grade fish in the frozen food aisle of your local grocery store or a fishmonger. I prefer the latter because you can choose your specific cuts (look for center-cut tuna!).
- Sushi rice. I made my Instant Pot sushi rice, which comes together in just 15 minutes, but any type of sushi rice, white rice, or brown rice will work.
- Fresh veggies. I like to use cucumber, mixed greens, avocado, and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.
Tuna poke sauce
- Soy sauce. For savoriness. Use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari if needed.
- Rice vinegar. I highly recommend rice vinegar over other types of vinegar since it has a slightly sweeter taste, complimenting the savoriness of the soy sauce.
- Sesame oil. For an essential nutty flavor.
- Crushed red pepper flakes. Just a dash for a little kick.
- Green onion. For a fresh flavor.
How to make tuna poke bowls
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the poke. In a large bowl, whisk together the poke sauce ingredients. Add the ahi tuna to the marinade and mix to combine.
Step 2- Assemble. To the serving bowls, add the sushi rice, followed by the poke. Top each bowl with the cucumber, salad greens, and avocado. Garnish the bowls with green onion and sesame seeds, and serve with extra soy sauce if desired.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Sear the tuna. If you’re really not a fan of raw fish, you can lightly sear the tuna in a nonstick skillet for 1-2 minutes on each side to eliminate any potential “fishiness.” Just follow my simple seared ahi tuna recipe.
- Don’t over-marinate the fish. The longer the tuna sits in the poke sauce, the more it’ll absorb the flavor and become overpowering.
- Drizzle with sriracha. For an extra spicy poke bowl, drizzle some sriracha or spicy mayo on top.
- Play around with different toppings. Try fresh cilantro, pickled ginger, furikake seasoning, edamame, or diced mango.
- Use the sauce. As much as I love a classic ahi poke bowl, I’ve used this exact recipe with cooked shrimp, salmon, and tofu, and it always tastes incredible.
Storage instructions
To store: I recommend storing the tuna, rice, and vegetables in separate airtight containers in the fridge. The tuna should be consumed fresh within 1-2 days, while the rice and veggies will last 3-4 days.
To reheat: Poke bowls can be enjoyed cold, but if you’d prefer, the rice can be heated in the microwave with a splash of water for 30-40 seconds or until warm.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, of course. Replace the fresh tuna with your favorite canned tuna.
More restaurant-worthy seafood dinners
- Branzino
- Salmon Wellington
- Shrimp fajitas
- Firecracker salmon
- Or any of these seafood recipes
Tuna Poke Bowl
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound ahi tuna cubed
- 4 cups cooked rice * See notes
- 1 large cucumber sliced
- 1 large avocado sliced
- 1 cup baby spinach or mixed greens
Tuna poke sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup green onion thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, sliced green onion, and sesame seeds. Add the ahi tuna and mix until combined.
- Assemble the bowls by adding sushi rice, then a serving of the tuna poke. Add the cucumber, mixed greens and sliced avocado, and sprinkle green onion and sesame seeds on top.
This looks so tasty.
In my city there is restaurant that makes only poke bowls. I really want and must try it.
My big wish is to go to restaurant that has poke bowls. I really want to try first home and then choose the restaursnt if I like them!
Thanks for sharing so many exquisite recipes; I’m trying some of them, I’ve been wanting to make for a long time!
Thanks, Marcia!
Can the tuna be substituted with another type of meat? I don’t like tuna, and I am not much of a fish eater…
Absolutely! Do you like shrimp or tofu? I actually like chilled marinated tofu 🙂
Fun fact- One of my high school jobs was at a salad takeout shop and we made poke bowls all the time. This is the exact same poke sauce we used so it’s as good as it gets 🙂 enjoy!