How To Make Candy Sushi: Fun and Tasty Treat For Kids (And Adults, if We’re Being Honest)

Grab some Rice Krispie Treats, Fruit Roll-Ups, and various candy to create a colorful and exciting candy sushi treat for kids.

Create candy sushi, this sweet version of sushi, by using Rice Krispie Treats as the sushi rice, Fruit Roll-Ups as the nori (seaweed), and candy as the fish and veggies. Try to find Fruit Roll-Ups that are green or dark in color to mimic seaweed. If you can’t find a dark color Fruit Roll-Up, it’s very easy to make your own like I did, using blueberries, with this simple recipe.

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As for the candy, there are so many options — you can get creative. I like to use large Swedish Fish, orange and red Airheads to mimic salmon and tuna, any translucent gummy candy because it looks like raw fish, and fruit-flavored Tootsie Rolls with colors that mimic raw veggies, avocado, and wasabi.

Candy Sushi Instructions:

Make some Rice Krispie Treats using Rice Krispies, marshmallows, and butter following the instructions on the Rice Krispie cereal box. Or you can save time and dirty dishes, and buy them already prepared.

For the next step, it’s really important to lay out all of your candy. Open up all the packages and place each type in little dishes. This way, you can grab from different candy types and get creative. Cut some into smaller pieces to make it look more like sushi ingredients.

Now for putting together the sushi. I’ve imitated these two popular types of sushi – Sushi Rolls (Maki) and Hand-Pressed with fish over rice sushi (Nigiri).

For the Candy Sushi Rolls: 

Spread or roll out your Rice Krispie Treats to a thin layer, about ¼ inch thick, on a piece of wax paper or a silicone baking mat. Cut a piece, about 5-6 inches wide by 4 inches.

At this point, you can make standard or inside out rolls. For a standard roll, fill it with candy and roll it first, then wrap it in the Fruit Roll-Up and cut it into pieces. For an inside out roll, place the fruit roll-up over the flat Rice Krispie Treat before you fill it with candy and roll it.

Fill it with gummy candy, Sour Patch Kids, or fruit-flavored Tootsie Rolls. Roll it up using the wax paper to help mold it, and then cut into bite sized pieces. Optional decorating idea: top with green and yellow Fruit Roll-Ups to mimic avocado or top with brown or orange icing to create the look of eel sauce or spicy mayo.

For the hand-pressed candy sushi: 

Using the wax paper so your hands don’t stick, create an oval shape with the Rice Krispie Treats, about two inches long and one inch high. Place a large Swedish Fish over the Rice Krispie Treat and wrap with a thin strip of Fruit Roll-Up.

Use a vanilla Tootsie Roll to create the look of salmon on an orange Airhead and place over the Rice Krispie Treat. Or place a red Airhead on top of the Rice Krispie Treat and use green Fruit Roll-Up to cut out a circle to mimic a jalapeno.

Optional plating ideas: 

Place all sushi pieces on a platter or plate and serve. If you are feeling extra festive, you can also add side items that replicate soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger. Squeeze some chocolate syrup in a small dish for dipping. You can also roll up some green Tootsie Rolls to look like a ball of wasabi. Or buy some pink gum or candied ginger to place on the side.