The Build Your Own Poke Bowl tool is a free interactive recipe builder from Kahana Designs, a Native Hawaiian–owned studio in Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi, that lets you pick a base, protein, toppings, and sauce to generate a custom poke recipe scaled to any number of servings.
Poke (say it POH-keh) is Hawaiʻi's most iconic dish — cubed raw fish tossed with shoyu, sesame oil, and island aromatics, served over rice. Everyone has an opinion about the "right" way to build a bowl, which is exactly why we built a tool that lets you build yours, your way, and walk away with an actual recipe.
What is the Build Your Own Poke Bowl tool?
It's a free, no-signup web tool that walks you through six quick choices — base, protein, toppings, crunch, sauce, and servings — then generates a printable-style recipe card. Every result includes exact ingredient amounts, step-by-step instructions, and a full recipe for whichever sauce you picked, scaled up or down for anywhere from one bowl to a full table of guests.
How do I use the poke bowl builder?
- Open the Build Your Own Poke Bowl tool.
- Pick a base — white rice, sushi rice, brown rice, mixed greens, quinoa, or cauliflower rice.
- Pick a protein — ahi tuna, spicy ahi, salmon, shrimp, tako, scallop, crab salad, or tofu.
- Choose your toppings (edamame, avocado, mango, seaweed salad, and more) and any crunch or garnish.
- Pick a sauce — from classic shoyu to spicy mayo, ponzu, wasabi aioli, or eel sauce.
- Enter how many bowls you're making, then tap "Make my poke bowl" for your custom recipe card.
Is the poke bowl builder free?
Yes. The Build Your Own Poke Bowl tool is completely free to use, with no account or download required — it's one of several free Hawaiʻi tools Kahana Designs built for anyone who loves the islands.
A little cultural context
Poke has deep roots in Hawaiʻi, going back to fishermen seasoning cut reef fish with sea salt, seaweed, and crushed kukui nut (inamona) long before it became a global trend. Traditional poke uses simple, local ingredients — shoyu, sesame oil, sweet onion, limu, and inamona — and it's worth trying that classic combination alongside whatever creative bowl you build. Respecting where a dish comes from is part of enjoying it well.
If you're stocking up for a poke night or just love bringing a little of Hawaiʻi into your everyday life, browse our Food & Drink collection — Hawaiian foodie tees inspired by island flavors, from manapua to kalua pig.
Bring the islands home: Explore our Food & Drink collection — original designs from our Native Hawaiian–owned studio in Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi. A few of the newest additions:
Aloha Wine O'Clock Tee — sunset wine vibes for happy hour on lānai time.
Hawaii Foodie Life Tee — for anyone who plans vacations around the next plate lunch.
Craft Beer Hawaii Tee — for the local taproom crowd, cold and crafted with aloha.
Manapua Bun Tee — a tee-shaped tribute to Hawaiʻi's favorite steamed bun.
Keep reading from the Kahana Designs journal
- Hawaiian Foods You Have to Try
- What Is Poke? A Guide to Hawaiʻi's Favorite Dish
- The Hawaiian Plate Lunch
- The Luʻau: Then and Now
- Hawaiian Food & Drink: Tees for Island Foodies
Frequently asked questions
Is the Build Your Own Poke Bowl tool free?
Yes — it's completely free, with no signup required, from Kahana Designs.
What is in a traditional Hawaiian poke bowl?
Traditional poke is cubed raw ahi tuna seasoned with shoyu, sesame oil, sweet onion, green onion, limu (seaweed), and inamona (roasted kukui nut), often finished with Hawaiian sea salt.
What fish is best for poke?
Sushi-grade ahi tuna is the classic choice. Salmon is a great alternative, and cooked shrimp, tako, scallop, crab salad, or marinated tofu work well for anyone who prefers not to eat raw fish.
Can I use the builder for a group or party?
Yes — enter the number of bowls you need (up to 40) and the tool scales both the main ingredients and the sauce recipe automatically.