Sushi is an authentic Japanese dish made of raw or cooked seafood, seasoned rice, and vegetables wrapped in a seaweed sheet called nori. Over the years, sushi rolls have been adopted in countries worldwide, such as the United States.
Then, you may think that sushi rolls are such a small snack and can be an excellent alternative to losing weight. But in reality, some types of sushi contain more calories and fats than you can imagine.
If you want to make healthier and informed decisions about sushi, this guide is definitely for you! Here we talked about how many calories are found in the top 10 famous sushi rolls and their nutritional components.
Then, we want you to know the ingredients you should avoid achieving your health goals.
1. Shrimp Tempura Roll
The shrimp tempura roll is a tasty and crisp sushi roll made of baked and buttered shrimp, seafood, sushi rice, avocado, and cucumber roll. This crunchy shrimp tempura is mouthwatering and one of the crowd’s favorites.
Nonetheless, because its main ingredient is fried, seasoned, and breaded shrimp, this sushi roll has the most significant number of calories.
For the entire roll of Shrimp Tempura Sushi, here are the calories and nutrition components that we found.
- Calories:508
- Carbohydrates:64 grams
- Fat:21 grams
- Fiber:5 grams
- Protein:20 grams
For every serving with three pieces of Shrimp Tempura, these are the levels of calories and nutrition facts.
- Calories:76 calories
- Carbohydrates:5 grams
- Fat:2 grams
- Fiber:2 grams
- Protein:8 grams
2. Dragon Roll
Dragon Roll is a delicious uramaki sushi roll. The Dragon Roll, an eye-catching sushi variety, includes ingredients like shrimp tempura, avocado, and unagi, often topped with artistic avocado slices.
The inside-out dragon roll has cucumber, eel, tasty roe, and slices of avocado skillfully crafted to look like a dragon. Along with that, it is filled with a thick sauce.
While you may find that this sushi roll is packed with the tastiest ingredients, dragon rolls have higher levels of calories, carbohydrates, and fats.
Here are the calories and nutrition components for a classic six-piece per roll of Dragon Sushi Roll.
- Calories:507
- Carbohydrates:66 grams
- Fat:18 grams
- Protein:10 grams
3. Rainbow Roll
Rainbow Sushi Roll is an uramaki sushi roll made of crab sticks, avocado, and cucumber. This type of sushi roll is prepared using a variety of fish like tuna (the most common), white fish, snapper, eel, yellowtail, and salmon.
The rainbow roll looks like the California Roll, with added ingredients like avocado, salmon, and tuna. The rainbow sushi roll is considered one of the most protein-rich and compact sushi rolls since it is topped with different dishes.
Here is the list of the overall calorie count and nutritional components of this tasty and colorful meal per roll:
- Calories:476
- Carbohydrates:50 grams
- Fat:16 grams
- Protein:33 grams
On the other hand, for a 5-ounce serving of Whole Foods Market Rainbow Roll, here is the list of nutritional components and level of calories:
- Calories:290
- Carbohydrates:43 grams
- Fat:7 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Protein:14 grams
4. Eel Avocado Roll
Eel avocado rolls are pretty famous in Japan. The exciting part is there was even a special day in the country dedicated to eating and having eel sushi.
Eel avocado is an inside-out sushi roll composed of cooked eels, sushi rice, and avocado. Typically, this sushi roll is best served with a brown sauce made from soy sauce, sugar, sake, and eel.
Here we curate the calorie and nutrition component found in a single Eel or Unagi Avocado Roll.
- Calories:372
- Carbohydrates:31 grams
- Fat:17 grams
- Fiber: 8 grams
- Protein:20 grams
5. Caterpillar Roll
Caterpillar rolls, non-traditional sushi, are unique and special because of their insect-like design. Typically, a caterpillar role has rice, seaweed sheets, avocado, and cucumber eel.
The inside of the sushi roll has cucumber and eel. On the other hand, the exterior is filled with rice and layers of avocado.
Overall, this is the number of calories and nutrients found in one piece of caterpillar roll:
- Calories:329 calories
- Carbohydrates:60 grams
- Fat:5 grams
- Protein:9 grams
6. Philadelphia Roll
Philadelphia Roll, an American-made sushi roll, is filled with cream cheese, cucumber, sticky rice, and smoked salmon. The Philadelphia roll is wrapped and covered with dried seaweed called nori.
Since the primary ingredient of the Philadelphia roll is cream cheese, it is a higher concentration of cholesterol and saturated fats.
A single piece of Philadelphia roll contains the following:
- Calories:320
- Carbohydrates:32 grams
- Fat:8 grams
- Protein:8 grams
7. Spider Roll
Spider Roll is makizushi sushi made of buttered and breaded soft-shell crab. Other ingredients of this sushi roll include avocado, cucumber, daikon sprouts, and lettuce dipped in a spicy mayonnaise filling.
Here is the list of calories and nutrients in a single piece of Spider Roll.
- Calories:317 calories
- Carbohydrates:38 grams
- Fat:12 grams
- Protein:13 grams
In addition, here is the calorie count and critical nutrients found in a single order of Sarku Japan Spider Roll.
- Calories:510 calories
- Carbohydrates:68 grams
- Fat:21 grams
- Fiber:4 grams
- Protein:9 grams
8. Salmon Avocado Roll
Salmon Avocado Roll is also one famous sushi roll that you can find higher in calories. But believe it or not, this sushi roll contains healthy fats from salmon and avocado.
As we all can relate, avocado is a fruit that can assist in lowering blood pressure, taking away bloat, and frying stubborn belly fats.
Along with that, salmon is one of the foods which includes omega-3 fatty acids. But remember, you still need to watch out for other stuff like the sauce since it can increase your fat and calorie intake.
These are the nutritional values found in a single piece of Salmon Avocado Roll.
- Calories:304
- Carbohydrates:42 grams
- Fat:7 grams
- Fiber:8 grams
- Protein:13 grams
Further, the calorie count and nutritional concentration are found in a single Sarku Japan Salmon Avocado Roll.
- Calories:350 calories
- Carbohydrates:49 grams
- Fat: 11 grams
- Fiber:4 grams
- Protein:13 grams
9. Spicy Tuna Roll
Usually, a spicy tuna roll includes only three primary ingredients: steamed sushi rice with vinegar, seaweed, and sashimi tuna.
Sometimes, cooks also include green onions, scallions, and sesame seeds in this sushi roll. Altogether, spicy tuna roll has impressive health benefits.
These sushi rolls are much lower in calories compared to others. Plus, they have many omega-3 fatty acids and high protein levels.
Further, spicy tuna rolls are among the few sources of vitamin D, a much-needed vitamin for easing depression and boosting the immune system.
So, here are the calorie level and nutrients in a serving of Spicy Tuna Roll.
- Calories:290
- Carbohydrates:26 grams
- Fat:0
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Protein:24 grams
Also, these are the calories and nutritional value found in a single order of Sarku Japan Spicy Tuna Roll:
- Calories:430
- Carbohydrates:55 grams
- Fat:14 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein:17 grams
10. California Roll
California roll is classic sushi made of avocado, cucumber, genuine or imitated crab meat, and seasoned sushi rice.
This sushi roll is commonly called inside-out since you will find the dried, roasted nori and other fillings wrapped inside the sushi rice. Overall, California Roll is a healthy option because of its prime ingredient, avocado.
A single piece of California Roll includes:
- Calories:255
- Carbohydrates:38 grams
- Fat:7 grams
- Fiber: 8 grams
- Protein:9 grams
Along with that, a ¼ roll of California Sushi Rolls contains the following:
- Calories:129 calories
- Carbohydrates:1 grams
- Fat:7 grams
- Fiber: 8 grams
- Protein:3 grams
*Quick Facts: We want to help you make healthy and informed decisions about sushi. So, here is a summary of the overall nutritional facts and calories found in the top 10 famous sushi rolls.
Standard 6-piece servings/roll
| Sushi Roll | Calories | Carbohydrates | Fat | Protein |
| Shrimp Tempura Roll | 508 | 64 grams | 21 grams | 20 grams |
| Dragon Roll | 507 | 66 grams | 18 grams | 10 grams |
| Rainbow Roll | 476 | 50 grams | 16 grams | 33 grams |
| Eel Avocado Roll | 372 | 31 grams | 17 grams | 20 grams |
| Caterpillar Roll | 329 | 60 grams | 5 grams | 9 grams |
| Philadelphia Roll | 320 | 32 grams | 8 grams | 8 grams |
| Spider Roll | 317 | 38 grams | 12 grams | 13 grams |
| Salmon Avocado Roll | 304 | 42 grams | 8.4 grams | 13 grams |
| Spicy Tuna Roll | 290 | 26 grams | 11 grams | 24 grams |
| California Roll | 225 | 28 grams | 7 grams | 9 grams |
How to Make Sushi Much Healthier?
Initially, traditional and authentic Japanese sushi only had minimal ingredients. So, generally, these have a lower number of calories.
But since the dawn of the Western type of sushi, these adaptations have higher levels of fats, making them have higher concentrations of calories.
But we wanted you to make healthier and nutritious choices, so we collected five practical but straightforward ways to make your sushi much healthier.
- Choose brown rice. Unlike white rice, brown rice will enhance the nutrients and fiber in your meal.
- Choose fresh. As much as possible, always choose freshly made sushi rolls rather than package sushi rolls. Most often than not, package sushi rolls have added preservatives to extend their shelf life.
- Choose low fat. Sushi rolls made with cream cheese or mayonnaise have higher calories. So, it is better to choose other sushi rolls with lower fat alternatives.
- Choose rice-free. Other sushi rolls like sashimi are rice-free. In return, they have lower levels of calories. If you are not allergic to raw fish, you can go for this.
- Choose side dishes. Sushi rolls come with side dishes like wasabi, ginger, and miso soup. Focus on these alternatives rather than soy sauce.
What Are the Ingredients to Avoid?
In general, ingredients used in sushi bars worldwide are not the healthiest option when considering your overall health. At times, these ingredients are not potentially harmful.
But if you consume these ingredients regularly, you will have a hike in your calorie, fat, sugar, and sodium intake. Before that happens, we list down some of the ingredients in your sushi that you need to look for.
- Sweetened Sauces
- Mayonnaise and Cream Cheese
- Huge Amounts of Rice
- Tempura
- Sauce with High Sodium
The Moment of Truth
All in all, sushi rolls can be healthy snacks. It all depends on the ingredients found inside the sushi rolls. As we all can relate, some varieties of sushi rolls have higher calories and fats.
If you want to make healthier decisions and have nutritious sushi, keep in mind these valuable tips the next time you swing by your favorite sushi bar.
Hiroshi Nakamura, a Tokyo-born sushi chef turned US-based writer and critic, is the voice behind ichisushi.com, blending traditional sushi wisdom with modern insights.