Sushi is Japan’s most famous dish, and it’s inspired dozens of cookbooks showing you how to make it at home. But the best recipes and guidance come from sushi chefs and Japanese masters.
Whether you’re a beginner just starting out, an enthusiast looking to level up, or a professional chef wanting to get closer to sushi’s soul, these books make the learning curve a lot easier.
Here are my 11 best sushi cookbooks.
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How I chose these sushi cookbooks
Before I get into the books, here’s the process I used to put this list together.
From beginners to sushi chefs
First, I wanted this list to include books for everyone, from beginners through to professional sushi chefs.
If you’re just starting out, temaki (hand-rolled) is one of the easiest types of sushi to make at home, though most people begin with maki using a rolling mat.
From my experience living in Japan, the sushi I most often saw made at home was temaki (hand-rolled) and chirashi (scattered). With great-value and high-end sushi restaurants so easy to find, it makes more sense in Japan to go out for sushi.
At the other end of the scale, I also wanted to include books for professional chefs and serious home cooks.
That’s why I’ve also featured books by Japanese sushi masters focused on the elaborate techniques used to create authentic Edomae sushi (Edo-style) and traditional Tokyo-style nigiri sushi.
How I narrowed the list down
From my initial Amazon research, I ended up with around 50 sushi books, of which more than 40 were cookbooks. From there, I narrowed the list down using the following criteria:
1. Amazon and Goodreads
For each book, I noted the rating, number of reviews, and URLs for both Amazon and Goodreads. For Amazon, I also recorded the price.
2. Amazon rating
Next, I sorted the list by Amazon rating and moved all books with a rating of 4 out of 5 or higher to the top.
3. Detailed research
From that point on, I carried out more detailed research on each book, including:
Reviews: I checked Amazon and Goodreads reviews for authenticity. Red flags included lots of high Amazon Vine ratings, poorly written reviews, and Goodreads reviewers claiming to have read many thousands of books.
Publisher reputation: I checked whether the book was published by a reputable publisher, an Amazon-only publisher, or self-published. I found more red flags here, especially with self-published books.
Author credentials: I searched each author to learn more about their background. Many had real authority in this space, including sushi chefs in Japan, and Japanese food bloggers and YouTubers.
Availability and publication date: Finally, I checked whether each book was still available, in which formats, and when it was published. In many cases, older books were already going out of print.
One thing that stood out was how many low-trust and spammy books I filtered out along the way.
By this stage, I had narrowed the list down to 18 books, and it was time to refine it further.
How I shaped the final mix
For the final stage, I looked at each book in more detail. I’ve made sushi many times and have a good sense of what goes into it. In particular, I looked at:
Book contents and pages: Where available, I read the Amazon sample to check the contents and preview pages. I thought about how I’d approach writing a book like this myself and whether the photography would be genuinely useful.
Further reviews: I looked more closely at reader feedback and also checked for outside coverage. I’ve left out some newer books for now until they build a stronger track record.
Out of print: When I updated the list, I kept some highly rated books that are currently only available on Kindle or second-hand in print.
Going back to my initial point, getting the right balance in the final list was important. So I’ve included:
Traditional Japanese / Edomae: I’ve given more weight to books that show how to make authentic sushi. Top sushi chefs in Japan train for up to 10 years. It’s a unique culinary art, and the style of sushi is very different from what you’ll find in most places outside Japan.
Western and other styles: At the same time, I recognise how sushi has been adapted in the West and elsewhere. I’ve included books that cover these styles, too, and most of them also cover authentic Japanese sushi.
Vegan and vegetarian: I’ve included two books here, as plant-based diets are popular in English-speaking countries.
Best for: To help you decide, I’ve added a short “best for” recommendation for each book.
I hope this helps you find the right sushi cookbook for you.
The Complete Guide to Sushi and Sashimi: Includes 625 step-by-step photographs
By: Jeffrey Elliot and Robby Cook
The Complete Guide to Sushi and Sashimi is a must-have sushi cookbook for beginners, enthusiasts and professional chefs. It’s both easy to follow, with lots of useful colour photography, and comprehensive enough to develop more advanced sushi-making skills.
Elliot and Cook have created an essential resource for learning how to make mouthwatering sushi and sashimi.
- Well-organised and detailed covering ingredients, equipment, cutting fish, preparing sushi rice and dozens of delicious sashimi and sushi recipes
- Step-by-step, easy-to-understand instructions with over 600 colour photos
- Master the art of sushi from start to finish with this incredible guide
- Best for: Beginners through to chefs who want a broad, practical guide that covers classic Japanese sushi basics and popular Western-style rolls.
The Art and Science of Sushi: A Comprehensive Guide to Ingredients, Techniques and Equipment
By: Jun Takahashi, Hidemi Sato & Mitose Tsuchida
The Art and Science of Sushi is a masterpiece covering the complete process and artistry of creating Edomae (traditional Tokyo-style) sushi. It’s written by Jun Takahashi, who honed his skills at a three-star Michelin restaurant and now runs Sushi Takahashi, a prestigious sushi restaurant in Tokyo’s upmarket Ginza district.
- A wonderful book with stylish photography and illustrations, it takes you on a culinary journey from the perspective of a sushi master chef.
- Discover the science of Edomae sushi, from preparation through to presentation
- Includes detailed sections on preparing seafood and other ingredients, from slicing to shaping sushi
- Produced by Tuttle Publishing, a highly respected specialist publisher of books on Japanese cuisine
- Best for: Chefs and accomplished home cooks who want to learn traditional Edomae sushi techniques—no shortcuts, substitutions, or Western-style rolls
Sushi Cookbook for Beginners: 100 Step-By-Step Recipes to Make Sushi at Home
By: Chika Ravitch
Sushi Cookbook for Beginners is ideal if you’re starting your sushi-making journey, but also suitable for more experienced home cooks. Alongside sushi, you’ll learn how to make sauces, side dishes, soups, and other staples such as tempura.
It’s a popular beginner-friendly book with a wide variety of traditional and Western-style recipes, including plenty of vegetarian options.
- Simple, clear explanations and techniques for making sushi at home
- Includes a comprehensive range of sushi styles, from maki (rolled) and nigiri (hand-pressed) to inari (tofu-wrapped), gunkan (battleship), chirashi (scattered), temari (hand-ball), and temaki (hand-rolled)
- Written by an Osaka-born Japanese home cook and blogger, now based in the US
- Best for: Beginners and intermediate cooks who want an eclectic mix of ingredients and a strong selection of vegetarian dishes
How to Make Sushi at Home: A Fundamental Guide for Beginners and Beyond
By: Jun Nakajima and Stephanie Nakajima
How to Make Sushi at Home is a comprehensive guide to making sushi, packed with step-by-step recipes and practical prep tips. It also covers complementary dishes and drinks to complete the meal.
Jun Nakajima is a former sushi caterer and the creator of the popular YouTube channel The Sushi Man (111,000+ subscribers), as well as The Sushi Man website.
- Learn how to make maki (rolled), nigiri (hand-pressed), gunkan (battleship), temari (hand-ball), chirashi (scattered), and inari (tofu-wrapped) sushi
- Detailed guidance on sourcing and preparing fish and seafood
- A good mix of Japanese and Western-style sushi, plus a solid section on vegetables
- Note: Some recent reviews mention copies arriving in black and white; Jun has addressed this on his YouTube channel and says it’s now fixed
- Best for: Beginners through to chefs who want a thorough, start-to-finish guide, with plenty of variety beyond the basics
Sushi: Taste and Technique
By: Kimiko Barber and Hiroki Takemura
Sushi: Taste and Techniques is an easy-to-understand guide to making sushi with beautiful illustrations. Organised into three sections – basics, fish, shellfish and roe, and making sushi – it covers everything from utensils, ingredients and recipes to sushi etiquette.
Kimiko Barber and Hiroki Takemura have created an excellent resource for traditional Japanese-style and contemporary sushi cooking techniques.
- Learn how to make five types of sushi: nigiri (hand-pressed), maki (rolled), chirashi (scattered), oshi (pressed), fukusa (stuffed) and sashimi (raw fish)
- Includes recipes for fish and vegetarian sushi, rice bowls, omelettes and sandwiches
- Enjoy a fun and colourful approach to making sushi at home
- Note: It’s currently only available new on Kindle, or second-hand in paperback
- Best for: People who want to learn how to make traditional Japanese sushi, from basic to advanced techniques
Muko-Ita Cutting Techniques I: Fish
By: Japanese Culinary Academy
Muko-Ita Cutting Techniques I: Fish is a tour de force guide to Japanese-style fish cutting and sashimi preparation for professional chefs and serious culinary enthusiasts. Created by the prestigious Japanese Culinary Academy as part of its Complete Japanese Cuisine series, it’s a beautifully produced book with high-quality writing, photography, and design.
Learn Japanese fish butchery by fish type with step-by-step photos and commentary from the most comprehensive and authoritative English-language guide available.
- Discover the art of sashimi, advanced Japanese knife skills, and the cultural and historical context of eating raw fish in Japan
- Includes highly detailed sections with photos on filleting and cutting techniques for tuna, salmon, sea bream, bonito, yellowtail, flounder, and more
- Master Japanese-style fish cutting to create authentic, high-quality sashimi and other dishes
- Note: This book is not strictly about sushi, but I had to include it. An earlier edition is rated 4.8/5 on Amazon
- Best for: Professional chefs, advanced seafood cooks, and culinary book collectors who want to go deep into Japanese fish preparation and culture
Sushi Chef: Sukiyabashi Jiro
By: Shinzo Satomi
Sushi Chef: Sukiyabashi Jiro is the ultimate Edomae (Tokyo Bay) sushi guide and cookbook, featuring colourful stories from the revered chef and restaurateur Jiro Ono, of Jiro Dreams of Sushi fame. It’s a delightful book to learn from the world’s most famous sushi master, with beautiful photography, detailed instructions, and thoughtful explanations.
Shinzo Satomi has created a true ‘Sushi Chef Bible’, and a must-have for serious sushi lovers and sushi chefs looking to master their craft.
- Discover Jiro Ono’s secret recipes, the seasonal flavours of his restaurant, his techniques, and fascinating stories drawn from decades of experience
- Includes precise instructions on preparing seafood and making seasonal sushi, including nigiri (hand-pressed), maguro (tuna), maki (rolled), gunkan maki (warship roll with seaweed), sushi rice, and more
- A timeless classic, with a detailed section on hon maguro (Pacific bluefin tuna) and exclusive insights into the world of authentic Tokyo-style sushi
- Note: It’s currently only available new on Kindle
- Best for: Professional chefs, accomplished home cooks, and anyone interested in Japan’s upscale sushi culture
Edomae Sushi: Art, Tradition, Simplicity
By: Kiuo Shimizu
Edomae Sushi: Art, Tradition, Simplicity reveals how to make authentic Edo-style Japanese sushi. In this beautifully illustrated book, Tokyo-based sushi master chef Kikuo Shimizu takes you on a journey through the elements of sushi, offering detailed explanations and insights.
It’s a wonderful book for serious chefs and anyone who wants to immerse themselves in Japanese sushi culture.
- Discover sushi’s soul and traditions, refined over decades
- Includes sections on essential authentic sushi ingredients and techniques, including Edo-style nigiri sushi (hand-pressed), wasabi, nori (seaweed), rice, nihonshu (sake), and classic fish and shellfish
- A must-have book for discovering the art and simplicity of sushi
- Note: It’s currently only available as a high-priced collectible
- Best for: Professional and serious chefs, and collectors of Japanese culinary books
Vegetarian Sushi Secrets: 101 Healthy and Delicious Recipes
By: Marissa Baggett
Vegetarian Sushi Secrets: 101 Healthy and Delicious Recipes is full of delightful vegetarian sushi recipes. It’s more than just a vegetarian sushi book; it covers sauces, condiments, soups, appetisers, salads, pickles, desserts, and drinks, too.
Marisa Baggett brings years of sushi experience to this cookbook, which is packed with exciting and eclectic recipes.
- Learn how to make vegetarian nigiri (hand-pressed), maki (rolled), futomaki (jumbo rolls), gunkan (seaweed-wrapped, also known as battleship or warship rolls), inari (tofu-wrapped), temaki (hand-rolled), and uramaki (inside-out rolls)
- Includes sushi rice recipes using traditional white rice, multi-grain rice, brown rice, and quinoa
- Enjoy making both Japanese and Western-style vegetarian sushi
- Best for: Plant-based cooks, from beginners to advanced, and anyone who appreciates adventurous vegetarian sushi recipes
Sushi Modoki: The Japanese Art and Craft of Vegan Sushi
By: Iina
Sushi Modoki: The Japanese Art and Craft of Vegan Sushi is the world’s first and only vegan sushi cookbook. Modoki means ‘to mimic’ in Japanese, and in this book you’ll find tomatoes instead of fatty tuna, mushrooms instead of scallops, carrots instead of salmon, and much more.
Japanese chef Iina has created a unique and inventive cookbook full of delicious, healthy, and colourful vegan sushi recipes.
- Learn how to make vegan nigiri (hand-pressed), maki (rolled), chirashi (scattered), inari (tofu-wrapped), and oshi (pressed) sushi with step-by-step instructions
- Includes over 50 recipes for vegan sushi, salads, soups, sauces, pickled vegetables, and hot and cold drinks
- Discover the art of making vegan sushi that looks and tastes like the real thing
- Best for: Vegan chefs and anyone who loves exciting plant-based recipes
The Complete Book of Sushi
By: Hideo Dekura, Brigid Treloar and Ryuichi Yoshii
The Complete Book of Sushi features traditional, contemporary, and inventive sushi recipes you can make at home. It also covers the health benefits of sushi, sushi etiquette, traditional customs, and what to expect when eating at a sushi restaurant.
Dekura, Treloar, and Yoshii have created a comprehensive book with step-by-step instructions and photos for every recipe.
- Learn how to make eight types of sushi: nigiri (hand-pressed), hosomaki (thin rolls), futomaki (thick rolls), temaki (hand-rolled), uramaki (inside-out rolls), inari (tofu-wrapped), gunkan (battleship), and chirashi (scattered)
- Includes recipes for vegetarian sushi, sashimi (raw fish), sushi rice, soups, decorative sushi, sauces, accompaniments, condiments, and drinks
- An excellent book for beginners and anyone who wants to develop their sushi-making skills further
- Note: It’s currently easiest to find second-hand in print
- Best for: Aspiring home sushi chefs who want to pick up a bargain second-hand book
Are you feeling inspired? I hope you’ve enjoyed my round-up of the best sushi cookbooks.
While sushi exemplifies Japan’s refined approach to cuisine, at the other end of the scale, ramen is the countries most famous soul food. Discover how to make ramen with my recommended best ramen cookbooks.
Image: Sushi!!! / 鮨 by Toshihiro Gamo is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED / Edited from original
Discovering washoku through travel in Japan. Sharing the best Japanese food and drink experiences. Living in Osaka. Join me on my journey!
