Soy paper substitutes

The default sushi wrapper, in every supermarket, and structurally better at the job than soy paper is. Toast it for a few seconds over a low flame or in a dry pan if it feels limp, which makes it crisper and easier to roll tightly.

Best for

maki rolls, inside-out rolls, hand rolls, onigiri, any sushi where flavour is welcome

The trade-off is entirely flavour, and it is a large one. Nori is distinctly marine, savoury and slightly bitter, with a toasted crackle, and it will dominate delicate fillings in a way soy paper never does. It also turns chewy and rubbery within about half an hour of meeting rice, which is why soy paper exists. If nori's taste is the problem, roll inside out so the seaweed is hidden inside against the rice rather than on the outside against your tongue.

The closest thing to soy paper in spirit: translucent, almost flavourless and pliable, and available in any Asian grocery and plenty of supermarkets. Dip it far more briefly than you would for summer rolls, because it keeps softening while you work.

Best for

sushi rolls without seaweed flavour, gluten-free rolls, colourful rolls, rolls for people who dislike nori

Neutral in flavour like soy paper, but noticeably stickier and chewier, so it clings to your fingers, to the bamboo mat and to the knife, and it has a faint slippery tackiness where soy paper is dry and smooth. It also seals itself shut a little too eagerly. Wipe the knife between every cut with a damp cloth, and if the sheets tear, use two. Roll and eat within an hour, because rice paper stiffens as it dries.

A traditional Japanese wrapper rather than a workaround. Beat two eggs with a pinch of sugar and salt and a teaspoon of water, strain them, and cook in a wide oiled pan over low heat until just set, then cool flat.

Best for

fukusa zushi and datemaki style rolls, rolls for children, sushi without seaweed, bento sushi

Soft, tender and mildly sweet, with a warm yellow colour that looks lovely against pink and green fillings. It is richer than soy paper, so it adds real egg flavour rather than staying out of the way, and it is more delicate, so it tears if you roll too tightly. It also will not hold a roll as firmly, so a thin line of rice pressed at the seam helps it stay closed.

Peel long continuous ribbons from a seedless cucumber, overlap three or four of them slightly on the mat to make a sheet, pat them dry, then roll. Widely done in restaurants as a naruto roll.

Best for

low-carb rolls, fresh light rolls, sashimi-forward rolls, rolls without any wrapper flavour

Genuinely refreshing and pretty, but it changes the roll from something soft and sealed to something crisp, cool and wet. Cucumber sheds water, so the rice on the outer edge gets damp and the roll slides apart if you cut it clumsily. Pat the ribbons dry, roll firmly, and cut with a very sharp wet knife. Eat immediately rather than making these ahead.

The closest thing to soy paper by ingredient, since both come from soybeans. Look for the flat dried sheets rather than the sticks, soften them briefly in warm water, and blot them well.

Best for

soy-based rolls, vegan rolls, rolls with a savoury wrapper

Beanier and much more assertive than soy paper, with a distinct soymilk flavour and a slightly chewy, faintly creamy bite. It is also thicker and stiffer, so it cracks along fold lines and needs a gentler hand. Do not oversoak it or it goes to mush. Worth trying if you like the taste of tofu skin, but it is not the invisible wrapper soy paper is.

Often the best answer, and honest about it: there is no truly close substitute for soy paper, and the alternative to a mediocre wrapper is no wrapper. Press seasoned rice into a small ball with a piece of fish on top for temari or nigiri style, roll it inside out and coat the outside in toasted sesame seeds or tobiko, or simply build a chirashi bowl with the same ingredients over rice.

Best for

sushi bowls and chirashi, temari sushi balls, nigiri, inside-out rolls coated in sesame, feeding people who dislike seaweed

You lose the neat cylinder and the wrapper's structural help, so an uncoated roll needs firm pressure and a genuinely sharp knife, and it will not survive a lunchbox. What you gain is that the fish and the rice taste of themselves, which is the whole reason to prefer soy paper in the first place. A tight layer of toasted sesame seeds does much of the wrapper's job of stopping the rice sticking to everything.