Vegan version of the famous Emily Mariko's trend using Red Lentil as Salmon. It's easy to make, flavor-packed and very realistic!
Salmon Rice Bowl trend with a Plant-based Twist
Previously, I recreated the TikTok trend Salmon Rice Bowl with a soy tofu version here. If you are foodie or who watches a lot of food content, you have probably encountered the famous Salmon Rice Bowl. It's still one of my go-to quick and easy meals that I have pretty often!
I have recently started a series of recipe blog posts about Soy-Free tofu and made Tofu from Red Lentils. As the color of the tofu is pink and very similar to salmon, I also decided to make another version of this trend using Red Lentil Tofu. I love how the final product turned out and how realistic the taste and texture of this vegan salmon is!
Red Lentil 'Salmon'
To learn how to make tofu from red lentils, go here!
To give it a fishy taste, we are marinating the red lentil tofu with:
- Soy sauce
- Vinegar
- Sugar
- Nori sheet
- Garlic powder
- Vegetable stock or water
Fry in oil until both sides of the vegan 'salmon' are golden brown then pour in the remaining sauce.

How to serve this Red Lentil 'Salmon'
You can serve this Red Lentil 'Salmon' in a mixed rice bowl like suggested in this recipe or in other salmon dishes: pasta, stir fry or on its own!
To assemble the rice bowl with classic ingredients like cucumber, avocado and a generous drizzle of vegan mayonnaise and sriracha! Do not forget to use nori sheet to hold the ingredients into a bite!

📖 Recipe

Vegan Red Lentil 'Salmon' Rice Bowl
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Vegan version of the famous Emily Mariko's trend using Red Lentils as Salmon. It's easy to make, flavor-packed and very realistic!
Ingredients
- ½ block of red lentil tofu (~200g)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 nori sheet
- 1 cup vegetable stock or water
Assemble the Bowl
- 1 avocado
- ½ a cucumber
- cooked rice
- vegan mayonnaise
- sriracha
- sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the Vegan Salmon
- Cut the red lentil tofu into thick blocks. Place chopsticks at the bottom and score the tofu diagonally.
- In a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients: soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic powder, water. Shred the nori sheet with your hands or scissors and mix well.
- Mix the sauce with the red lentil tofu pieces and let marinade for 15-30 minutes.
- Fry the tofu pieces with some oil, let them sit for a few minutes until the other side turns golden brown before flipping.
- .When both sides are golden, pour in the remaining marinade and use a spoon to pour the marinade on the tofu.When most of the sauce is evaporated, remove the tofu from the heat.
Assemble the Vegan Red Lentil 'Salmon' Rice Bowl
- Cut the cucumber and avocado into thin slices.
- In a bowl, add rice, followed by the red lentil 'salmon', cucumber, avocado slices. Drizzle the sauces on top and garnish with sesame seeds.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Fusion
Keywords: 20-minute meal, red lentils, rice bowl, tofu, vegan salmon
Emma says
My boyfriend discovered this recipe few days ago. Today we tried it and we're really happy with the result! It's really easy and sooo delicious! Next time we want to let it longer in the fridge, to get a better concistence. We definitely recommend it! 🙂
★★★★★
Veggie Anh says
Thank you so much Emma! I am so glad you liked it! 😀
Sophie Colley says
I made my lentil tofu the day before I wanted to use it so it was nice and firm by the time dinner came around. I found the tofu so easy to make and was surprised at how well it worked! The marinade for the tofu was delicious and I only had to buy the nori so it was nice to be able to use what was already in the cupboard. The tofu absorbs a surprisingly large amount of flavour and looks great when it’s scored and fried too. All in all, this was a really simple yet delicious meal to make; I’m not very experienced in cooking but am proud of myself for making this dinner and can’t wait to cook it for my friends and family!
★★★★★
Veggie Anh says
Thank you so much Sophie! <3 I'm so glad you loved it and hope you will make it more!