11 Healthiest Sushi Rolls to Order at a Restaurant
Sushi rolls are generally a healthy choice when eating out, but the nutritional makeup of a roll can change dramatically depending on the style, fillings, and sauces used. While traditional rolls usually pair a seaweed wrapper with seasoned rice and a simple filling (often raw fish), modern elaborations muddy the nutritional picture (it's like trying to find the healthiest protein bar, kombucha, salad dressing, oatmeal, and bread). There are usually dozens of rolls to choose from, and your choice matters when it comes to healthy eating.
Part of the fun of going out for sushi is seeing and tasting the creativity of the sushi chef, but that same creativity means it can be hard to judge which rolls are healthier and which are calorie-dense fat-and-carb bombs.
At its best, sushi “offers heart-healthy omega-3 rich foods such as fatty fish in raw and cooked forms,” says nutritionist Angel Luk, registered dietitian and founder of SportsNutritionDietitian.com. The danger, according to Luk, is that it’s “very easy to consume a lot of rice, especially in restaurants that do mega-sized rolls where one roll might contain anywhere from 1/2 to 1 cup cooked rice.”
To help diners make educated choices at the sushi bar, we’ve compiled a short list of the healthiest rolls, ranked by their total calories to help you find lighter sushi roll fare. We’ve also provided important rules of thumb and things to watch out for to help you find rolls that fit your diet, whether you’re looking for low-carb, keto, low-calorie, or high-protein sushi rolls.
For more healthy eating guides, check out our lists of the leanest cuts of beef and healthiest soda brands.
Healthiest Sushi Rolls at a Glance
Cucumber Avocado Roll
California Roll
Tuna Roll
Shrimp Roll
Salmon Roll
Spicy Tuna
Volcano Roll
Rainbow Roll
Crunchy Dragon Roll
Philly Roll
Shrimp Tempura Roll
Listed by total calories per 100g serving (descending). Nutrition data from USDA FoodData Central Database.
Healthiest Sushi Rolls
Our list of the healthiest sushi rolls is an objective ranking based on the total calories per 100-gram serving, but of course what “healthy sushi” means to any one person is subjective.
For example, the top sushi roll in our list is kappa maki (cucumber roll), which is lower in calories but also low in protein and fats, which may not be as filling as other more calorie-dense rolls. It also may be kryptonite to a low-carb or keto dieter.
Comparing rolls using a standard 100-gram portion lets us talk apples to apples, but keep in mind that rolls vary greatly in size and composition. An entire cucumber roll may have less than 200 total calories while a dragon roll, for example, will usually have more ingredients, added sauces, and double the rice, which can result in a roll that’s two to three times the calories of simpler rolls.
Caveats to these rankings abound and we elaborate on what to look for below these more detailed rankings.
Cucumber Avocado Roll (Kappa Maki)
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Calories: 93
Fat: 1.47g
Protein: 1.81g
This vegetarian staple pairs low-calorie cucumber and fat-rich avocado with sushi rice and a seaweed wrapper in the traditional hosomaki style, which keeps the seaweed on the outside. It usually only has one or two filling ingredients and is much thinner in diameter than specialty rolls.
Cucumber avocado rolls aren't as exciting as heavily sauced rolls, but they can serve as a welcome palate-cleanser during a meal. Nutritionally, it’s not calorically dense, and offers little besides the carbs from the rice and some fat from avocado. Therefore, it’s a poor fit for low-carb eaters and won’t be as filling as other options with more protein and fat.
California Roll
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Calories: 93
Fat: 0.67g
Protein: 2.92g
Chef Tyson Cole, American sushi master, restaurateur, and author of Uchi: The Cookbook, says the California roll was created to make sushi rolls more palatable to a nervous American audience when sushi was first introduced. It pairs imitation crab (surimi) with avocado and cucumber in the now-ubiquitous uramaki (inside-out roll) style.
The mild filling and inside-out structure puts the rice flavor forward, making it a great starter roll for sushi newbies that doesn’t load up on fatty or sugary sauces. Keep in mind, however, that the inside-out style usually doubles the amount of rice used per roll, so it’s a carb-heavy choice that isn’t balanced by much in the way of protein or fat.
Tuna Roll (Maguro Roll)
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Calories: 93
Fat: 0.26g
Protein: 7.4g
A simple hosomaki tuna roll lets the flavor of the raw fish shine—as long as you don’t drown it in soy sauce and wasabi. It’s also usually a cheaper option. While slightly higher in calories than the rolls above, there’s plenty of protein and not a lot of fat thanks to lean tuna and lack of added sauces.
Shrimp Roll (Ebi Roll)
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Calories: 100
Fat: 0.67g
Protein: 7.01g
A simple shrimp roll isn’t as common as tuna, but it’s a cooked seafood that’s appealing to Americans still wrapping their heads around eating raw fish. Like most of our healthier sushi roll options, it's a traditional roll with seaweed on the outside and less rice than inside-out rolls. Like a tuna roll, it’s low in fat, higher in protein, and free of heavy sauces.
Salmon Roll (Sake Roll)
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Calories: 103
Fat: 1.28g
Protein: 6.88g
Salmon, alongside tuna, is one of the most popular raw fish used in North American sushi restaurants. Like the tuna roll, the flavor of the rice and the raw fish is allowed to shine and is a great way to start a dinner of sushi rolls before overwhelming taste buds with more elaborate choices.
Because sushi chefs usually use farm-raised salmon, there’s a bit more fat than tuna rolls, but still plenty of protein plus carbs from the seasoned rice.
Spicy Tuna Roll
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Calories: 130
Fat: 2.17g
Protein: 7.83g
Spicy tuna rolls are another staple of modern sushi menus. The roll is a much bolder spin on the classic tuna roll, using a spicy sauce usually made from sriracha and mayo. Even with the introduction of the sauce, this is still usually a healthier choice since the smaller hosomaki roll keeps the total calories low by using less rice.
However, keep an eye on the ingredients when at the restaurant. Some spicy tuna rolls are made with sriracha only, while others include mayonnaise, too, which can up the fat and calories.
Volcano Roll
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Calories: 158
Fat: 3.7g
Protein: 4.44g
"Volcano roll" can mean many things, but it usually combines spicy, sauced seafood and veggies with sauce drizzled on top. Sauces are where the nutritional makeup of sushi rolls veer away from healthy to heavy, so tread carefully with volcano rolls and evaluate the ingredients carefully if you’re trying to keep calories in check.
Rainbow Roll
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Calories: 160
Fat: 3.5g
Protein: 8g
Rainbow rolls are another staple of sushi menus and stand out on a platter thanks to a layer of thinly sliced raw fish (and often avocado) wrapped around the outside of an inside-out roll (uramaki).
As a specialty roll, these fattier rolls are usually higher in calories because of their size, but pound for pound they are high in protein thanks to a solid dose of raw fish.
Crunchy Dragon Roll
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Calories: 162
Fat: 6.62
Protein: 7.35
The word “crunchy” in a sushi roll usually indicates a fried topping such as tempura flakes or fried scallions, which introduce more fat into the macros of a roll. The ingredients in a dragon roll can vary widely, but the defining characteristic is a colorful exterior created by wrapping the roll in anything from avocado to raw tuna and salmon to thinly sliced mango and the arranging it on the plate with a curve to resemble a dragon. It is sometimes called a caterpillar roll.
Philly Roll
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Calories: 181
Fat: 6.51g
Protein: 4.65g
The Philly roll is decidedly non-traditional and pairs the inside-out construction with salmon and cream cheese (and often cucumber). This roll is higher in fat and lower in protein than most of the other rolls on this list, but is popular with American diners for its more familiar flavors and a richness that calls to mind a thick spread on a bagel.
Shrimp Tempura Roll
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Calories: 182
Fat: 6.51g
Protein: 4.65g
“Tempura” is another word to watch if you’re minding your calories. Tempura is a Japanese style of deep-frying used on everything from vegetables to shrimp that’s a popular filling in all manner of sushi rolls.
While the tempura batter is lighter than southern fried chicken, when it's in a roll, it generally cranks up the calories. These rolls have a richness not found in simpler sushi rolls and can be more filling, but should be avoided if you’re counting calories.
How to Choose the Healthiest Sushi Rolls
Sushi is a food steeped in Japanese tradition. James Beard Award-winning chef Tyson Cole is one of few American sushi masters and says that while the construction of most basic, traditional sushi rolls doesn’t vary too much, the creativity used in “specialty” rolls can change the nutritional makeup significantly.
"Ingredients and flavors from all over the world are easily accessible now," Cole says. "The food we create is playfully multi-cultural, combining Japanese traditions with unexpected ingredients."
The inclusion of Western ingredients such as cream cheese takes sushi far from its simple roots of seasoned rice paired with raw fish, so paying attention to the ingredients is your best bet for evaluating the relative healthiness of a particular roll.
Sushi Rice
The most constant ingredient in most sushi rolls is sushi rice, which mixes cooked short-grain white rice with sushi vinegar made up of sugar, salt, and vinegar. Saying "sushi rice” is actually a bit repetitive—the literal meaning of “sushi” is “sour rice” or “vinegar rice”.
In heavily sauced rolls, the rice makes up the majority of the calories. While carb-conscious eaters may raise their eyebrows at the mention of added sugar, the amount of sugar used is fairly small, dwarfed by the carbs from the rice. All it takes is a tablespoon or two of sugar per cup of rice which, when cooked, makes several rolls.
If you’re trying to eat low-carb, sushi isn’t a great fit. But there are non-traditional rolls than keep carbs in check. Some sushi menus will feature rice-free rolls or low-carb soy wrappers. And there are nearly carb-free rolls such as bossam that use cabbage wraps around purely meat filling.
Roll Construction
When it comes to total calories and carbs, “inside-out” versus traditional is perhaps one of the most significant choices on a sushi menu. Cole says that the amount of rice used in the more popular inside-out rolls is about double that in a traditional maki roll with seaweed on the outside.
If you’re monitoring your intake by the number of rolls rather than by their weight (most of us aren’t bringing digital scales to the sushi bar), you can count inside-out rolls as nearly double the calorie count of traditional rolls.
Cole says that true sushi chefs generally stick to a fairly standard ratio of rice-to-filling. But the creativity of specialty rolls and fusion preparations allows for a lot of variability.
Because sushi is so popular in North America, not all sushi is made by sushi masters who are focused on small portions of high-end ingredients.
“Supermarket sushi is generally more standardized, using cheaper ingredients, more rice, and fewer fillings to reduce costs,” says Tommy Collins, executive chef of Painted Pickle in Atlanta. “Restaurant sushi, particularly in high-end establishments, focuses more on quality and presentation, with a higher ratio of fresh, premium ingredients.”
Sauces and Toppings
Sauces and toppings elevate specialty sushi rolls with intense flavors, but when applied with a heavy hand, they can also blow a diet.
“Sauce is the big variable,” says Cole. “[Sushi] can get disgusting when the chef uses too much.”
Not all sauces are sugar or fat bombs, but Cole says many of the sauces are mayonnaise-based to make the lightness of traditional sushi more palatable to American tastebuds. While there are lighter, vinegar-based drizzles, other less-fatty sauces such as the common eel sauce are heavy on sugar and can even be comparable to frosting in their sugar makeup.
Toppings can be as innocuous as shredded scallions and fish roe or as dense as tempura flakes, which are essentially bits of fried batter. The biggest challenge with toppings is that they may not even be indicated on the menu. If you’re not willing to gamble on toppings and sauces, avoid the specialty rolls and stick to traditional hosomaki rolls, which are much less likely to get drizzled or topped with unhealthy ingredients.
Roll Alternatives
For folks on stricter diets, avoiding rolls altogether may be their best bet. There are plenty of non-roll options on sushi menus. Sushi diners can start a meal with veggie-heavy apps such as edamame and sunomono (Japanese cucumber salad), then choose healthier rolls and roll alternatives.
Sashimi ditches the rice and is usually restricted to small pieces of raw and cooked seafood used as filling in sushi rolls. Nigiri or nigiri sushi are the small pieces of seafood laid on top of a small mound of rice. Nigiri still uses a similar ratio of rice to fish, but rarely includes unhealthy sauces and toppings.
Why You Should Trust Us
I first tried sushi late at night as a junior high kid when a friend’s dad carried several rolls home from a work trip. Since then, I've made hundreds of rolls myself and eaten sushi at high-end restaurants in Japan, Korea, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Austria.
For this article, I spoke with sushi masters and nutritionists to understand the variations in sushi around the world and the ingredients and techniques that affect the nutritional makeup of the diverse array of rolls on offer in the world’s sushi bars.
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