Is sushi gluten-free? Often not by default: what to order and ask

Sushi can be gluten-free, but it often isn’t by default. Rice and raw fish contain no gluten. The trouble is what goes with them: soy sauce, some sushi vinegars, sauces, tempura and imitation crab. With coeliac (celiac) disease, sushi works well once you know what to order and what to ask.

Where the gluten hides

• Soy sauce. Most soy sauce is brewed with wheat. That covers the little dish on the table and the soy brushed on nigiri, marinated fish (zuke) and many rolls. Bring a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari, and check tamari’s label too: not all tamari is wheat-free.
• The rice seasoning. Sushi rice is seasoned with vinegar, sugar and salt. Pure rice vinegar (米酢) is gluten-free, but some restaurants use ready-made sushi vinegar or a brewed grain vinegar (穀物酢) that can come from wheat or barley. Ask what the rice is seasoned with.
• Tempura and anything crunchy. Tempura rolls, “crunch” toppings and fried onion are wheat batter.
• Imitation crab (kanikama, カニカマ). Usually contains wheat starch. It’s in California rolls and many salads.
• Sauces. Eel sauce (unagi tare), teriyaki, ponzu and many spicy mayos contain soy sauce.
• Other extras. Inari (the sweet tofu pouches) is simmered in soy sauce; tamago (the sweet omelette) often contains soy sauce; seaweed salad and some marinated fish roe are dressed with soy. Restaurant miso soup can contain barley miso or a soy-sauce stock.

What usually works

• Sashimi: plain raw fish, no rice, no seasoning. Eat it with your own gluten-free soy sauce or tamari.
• Nigiri or simple rolls (cucumber, avocado, salmon, tuna) once the kitchen has confirmed the rice seasoning and that nothing is brushed with soy sauce.
• Edamame, plain rice and plain grilled fish, where nothing is glazed.

Questions to ask

• What is the sushi rice seasoned with? Is it pure rice vinegar?
• Is any soy sauce, eel sauce or teriyaki brushed on this piece?
• Does this roll contain imitation crab, tempura or crunchy topping?
• Do you have gluten-free soy sauce or tamari?

Our free card tool explains coeliac disease in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai and 50+ other languages, with answer buttons for the staff. The Japanese card also lists the local traps.

Supermarket and conveyor sushi

Pre-packed sushi in supermarkets and konbini almost always comes with soy sauce and often contains imitation crab or a seasoned rice you can’t check. Read the allergen box: in Japan look for 小麦 (wheat); in the EU and UK, wheat and barley are printed in bold in the ingredients. Conveyor-belt restaurants vary a lot, so ask at the counter rather than picking plates.

Keep reading

• Is soy sauce gluten-free?
• Is vinegar gluten-free?
• How to say gluten-free in Japanese
• Free restaurant card tool, 60+ languages
• Gluten-free Japan: our country page

Sources: Codex Alimentarius (gluten-free = 20 mg/kg or less), EU Regulation 1169/2011 (allergens in bold), Japan’s allergen labelling (wheat mandatory), Coeliac UK. Last checked: 28 September 2026. We inform, we don’t diagnose.