This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
How to make a delicious, healthy Ahi Poke Bowl! Made with your choice of ahi tuna (or tofu!) Serve over brown rice with avocado, cucumber, radish, shredded cabbage, edamame, Furikake and flavorful Citrus Ponzu Dressing. Vegan and GF adaptable!
Wondering what all the hubbub is surrounding Poke, the latest food trend? Poke, if unfamiliar, is a marinated, raw fish salad, hailing from Hawaii, traditionally seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, seaweed and scallions. But what’s great about it is how creative you can get with it.
Place the ahi poke salad over a bed of brown rice – or go carb-free with zucchini noodles, seaweed salad or kelp noodles, shredded cabbage, or cauliflower rice. Very customizable. Add your favorite veggies and flavorful ponzu dressing! So simple.
How to make an Ahi Poke Bowl! | Video
ALSO….you don’t even have to use fish, just sub tofu, keeping it totally vegan!
This Tofu Poke Bowl is honestly just as good as the one with ahi tuna and it’s a very affordable alternative. Use extra-firm tofu, or purchase baked tofu.
Here below I’m making Ahi poke, cutting the ahi into small cubes. I used a frozen block of sushi grade tuna (AAA) because fresh tuna, in our area, is over-the-top expensive. But frozen ahi tuna is just fine.
Tofu is the least expensive option and is just as good in my opinion.
But if you have access to good fresh tuna, obviously it’s the BEST!
You can really elevate Poke by using a good quality Shoyu Soy Sauce, or keep it simple and GF with Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids. Regular old soy sauce works just fine too. 🙂
Be sure to use TOASTED sesame seeds and TOASTED sesame oil for the best flavor.
Assemble your bowls using what you already have. Here I’ve added cabbage, edamame, watermelon radish, avocado and cucumber. Then make the easy Ponzu Sauce to spoon over top.
This simple poke recipe is so easy! So delicious! So good for you!
Here below is the Vegan Poke Bowl made with Tofu!
HOW To make a POKE BOWL!
Pick a base for the bowl:
- brown rice or try jade rice
- kelp noodles or seaweed salad
- zucchini noodles
- kale, baby spinach or mixed greens
- shredded cabbage, jicama or carrots
Pick a Protein:
- ahi tuna
- wild salmon
- albacore tuna
- scallops or cooked shrimp
- tofu
Pick “mix-ins”:
- scallions, red onions, pickled onions
- cilantro, dill, basil, shiso
- toasted sesame seeds
- kimchi
- nuts- almonds, macadamia, cashew, peanuts, pine nuts
- seaweed- like hijiki
- fresh chilies
- fresh ginger
Pick Bowl Toppings:
- avocado
- sprouts
- edamame
- roe
- grated carrots, beets
- cucumber
- fresh mango
- radishes
- crispy shallots
- shredded cabbage
- nori
- pickled ginger
- shiso leaves
- pomegranate
- furikake seasoning
- kimchi
- chili threads
THEN ASSEMBLE!
So you can either just make the simple poke, or you can create a whole healthy poke bowl, loaded up with veggies.
I hope you enjoy this simple delicious poke recipe!
How to Make a Poke Bowl! (Vegan Adaptable!)
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 2 Bowls 1x
- Category: main, fish, tofu, healthy bowl
- Method: marinated
- Cuisine: Hawaiian
Description
Poke Bowls – made with your choice of ahi tuna or TOFU! Served over brown rice, soba or kelp noodles, with avocado, cucumber, radish and Citrus Ponzu Sauce! Vegan and Grain-free Adaptable!
Ingredients
Optional BASE – 1-2 cups of your choice of:
- cooked brown rice
- soba noodles
- kelp noodles or seaweed salad
- cucumber or zucchini noodles
- baby spinach or mixed greens
- Shredded cabbage and carrots
Marinated Ahi Poke Recipe:
- 8 ounces ahi tuna ( or extra firm or baked tofu), cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- 3 scallions, sliced thinly at a diagonal
- 1/4– 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced ( use a garlic press)
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger, or use ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoon shoyu or soy sauce (or if GF Braggs Liquid amino, go lighter, it’s more salty)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons honey or agave
- 1–2 tablespoon hijiki seaweed (optional)
- for spicy, add a teaspoon garlic chili paste, or chili flakes.
Optional BOWL TOPPINGS: avocado, sprouts, edamame, roe, grated carrots, grated beets, cucumber, fresh sliced, mango, radishes, crispy shallots, shredded cabbage, nori ( sliced thin), seaweed salad, pickled ginger, shiso leaves, furikake (Japanese sesame seaweed spice mix), kimchi, chili threads, Sriracha
QUICK PONZU SAUCE ( optional- make this if making the whole bowl)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 1/8 cup mirin
- 1/8 cup soy sauce or GF Braggs Liquid Aminos
- 1/8 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (half an orange)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Instructions
- If cooking rice or noodles,start and cook according to directions on the stove.
- Cut fish (or tofu- blotting extra well first) into ½- ¾ inch cubes. Place in a bowl. Add scallions, garlic, ginger and sesame seeds.
- Mix sesame oil, soy sauce and honey in a small bowl, then very gently mix with ahi to coat evenly. (If using tofu, you may need to add more soy and sesame oil -in equal portions- because tofu tends to soak the liquid up like a sponge.)
- Make the quick ponzu sauce, combining ingredients in a small bowl.
- Assemble bowls – Divide rice (or other base) among two bowls. Pile poke salad high in the center, and surround with your additional toppings (avocado, cucumber, radish, sprouts, etc)
- Spoon the fresh ponzu sauce over the veggies and sprinkle with sesame seeds and chili threads (or flakes).
- Serve with chop sticks and Sriracha.
Notes
You can simply just make the poke itself ( with either ahi or tofu) or create the whole Bowl, loaded up with veggies, rice and the ponzu sauce .
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2- bowls with 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup veggies, and ponzu sauce
- Calories: 415
- Sugar: 13.3 g
- Sodium: 789.4 mg
- Fat: 8.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 53.3 g
- Fiber: 4.8 g
- Protein: 30.6 g
- Cholesterol: 33.2 mg
Keywords: how to make a poke bowl, how to make ahi poke, poke recipe, best poke recipe, poke, poke recipe, ahi poke salad, vegan poke, tofu poke, poke bowl recipe, poke recipes, best poke
This was delicious. I’m not a rice fan so I made soba noodles. I also added edamame, carrots, cabbage, avocado and I can’t remember what else. The over the top flavor came from the homemade ponzu sauce. So easy to make and absolutely delicious.
★★★★★
Yum Cheriede! Love the soba here! Glad you enjoyed an yes that ponzu is yummy. 🙂
This came out wonderful.
★★★★★
Awesome Michele!
Made this last night and it was sooo delicious. My husband said it was better than our favorite Poke restaurant in town. Thank you Sylvia for another outstanding recipe:)
★★★★★
You must be a food genius! This was absolutely divine! Enjoyed it over some lettuce and seaweed. So yummy!!!!
★★★★★
thanks Dianne, appreciate this!
I’m planning to make this and have lots of ponzu dressing left over from last night’s Zen Noodle bowls (delicious!). Good to use here? That ponzu has a large amount of toasted sesame oil which this one doesn’t.
I think it should be fine!
This was easy and turned out so good. Everyone enjoyed.
★★★★★
The is the BEST POKE I’ve ever had! So healthy and tasty.
★★★★★
So delicious! My favorite poke recipe!
★★★★★
Loved this recipe! For sure will be making this again!
★★★★★
Thanks Joy so happy you liked it!
What would you add to the marinade for the tofu instead of honey? Otherwise the bowl isn’t vegan.
Agave or a sweetener of your choosing.
We love this recipe – can we please share it on our blog? We will of course mention where we sourced it from. x
You are welcome to share the photo- but please link back to my site for the recipe. thanks!
what are those magenta and green things in your bowl?
Watermelon radish 🙂
Oh my goodness this looks delicious! I love poke and the bowl brings it to another level!