When you’re in the mood for a lighter meal to satisfy taste buds and give you a boost energy, flavor, and nutrition, sushi rolls offer just that. Sushi rolls are a popular dish from Japan deemed to be healthy and delicious at the same time. 

But not also rolls contain the same ingredient or amount of calories. Today, I’m sharing a roundup of low calorie sushi rolls you should consider the next move for sushi for lunch or dinner.

What Are Low-Calorie Sushi Rolls

If you’ve ever had a sushi roll before you’re probably doubting if this dish is in fact, low calorie, with all of the carbs from the rice, sauces, and extras. However, there are several popular sushi rolls you’ve probably already tried that are in fact low-calorie. 

Low calorie just means a dish that’s 100-200 calories for a snack or under 500 calories for lunch or dinner.

Today I’m going to give you a breakdown of a few low calorie options you can try when you want sushi rolls.

How Many Calories In A Sushi Roll

Generally speaking, an average serving size (about 6-8 pieces) of sushi rolls can come out to be roughly 300-400 calories. However, there are a number of different factors that can increase the caloric content of sushi rolls including the amount and type of sauces (e.g. sriracha mayo), if there are fried components like tempura shrimp, and the inclusion (or exclusion) of cream cheese to name a few.

We’re going to go over a few different types of sushi rolls, the key ingredients in these healthy and low calorie snacks, and name some of the best low calorie sushi rolls out on the market. 

What Are The Best Low-Calorie Sushi Rolls

Pair any one of these sushi rolls with miso soup or a seaweed salad and you’ve got yourself a tasty, low calorie, and well-balanced meal that’s perfect for weight management.

California Roll

262 calories in 6 pieces

When you’re looking for sushi in a grocery store, you’re almost always guaranteed to find the classic california roll. You can usually find this type of sushi with the following key ingredients: imitation crab, cream cheese, cucumber, avocado, wrapped in sushi rice. A california roll doesn’t have a high protein content, but it does however have a decent layer of healthy fat. 

A standard California roll is about 28g carbs, 14g fat, and 5.9g protein. 

Here’s the macronutrient breakdown:

• Carbs: sushi rice
• Fats: avocado
• Protein: Imitation crab

Rainbow Roll

146 calories in 2-3 pieces

A Rainbow Roll is a type of uramaki sushi that is typically found in sushi restaurants. This variety contains a breakdown of about 50g carbs, 16g fat, and 33g protein. It’s also a good source of vitamin B and healthy fat like omega-3 fatty acids, and other nutrients due to the variety of sliced raw fish toppings.

Here’s the macronutrient breakdown:

• Carbs: sushi rice
• Fats: avocado
• Protein: tuna, salmon, white fish, yellowtail, snapper, eel, crab stick

Cucumber Roll

239 calories in 2-3 pieces

The calorie count on the cucumber roll is on the higher end for sushi rolls due to the high carb content. A cucumber sushi roll is veggies rolled in traditional sushi rice. It comes out to be about 70% carbs, 22% fat, and 8% protein.

Here’s the macronutrient breakdown:

• Carbs: sushi rice
• Fats: avocado, cream cheese
• Protein: rice

Shrimp Tempura Roll

175 calories in 2-3 pieces

Tempura roll is another low calorie sushi roll option that you can expect to find in a grocery store or at a sushi restaurant. A traditional tempura roll is heart healthy and made up of about 42g carbs, 5g fat, and 6g protein.

Here’s the macronutrient breakdown:

• Carbs: sushi rice, tempura batter, and fillings: cucumber 
• Fats: Avocado, deep fried shrimp batter
• Protein: shrimp, fish sauce

Spicy Tuna Roll

175 calories in 2-3 pieces

The spicy tuna roll is another favorite sushi roll option to try that happens to also be low calorie. The spicy tuna roll is made up of roughly 58% carbs, 17% fat, and 25% protein. It’s raw tuna wrapped in nori and seasoned sushi rice drizzled in a spicy sriracha or mayo sauce. 

Here’s the macronutrient breakdown:

• Carbs: sushi rice
• Fats: mayo
• Protein: scallions, raw tuna, 

Nigiri Sushi

117 calories in 2 pieces

A nigiri sushi is thin slices of raw fish on top of a mound of vinegared rice. Kikka nigiri sushi rolls are roughly 70% carbs, 9% fat, and 21% protein.

Here’s the macronutrient breakdown:

• Carbs: sushi rice, soy sauce
• Fats: nori
• Protein: varies based on type of nigiri (ex: salmon, tuna, eel)

Looking for something a little more filling than sushi? See also this list of high volume low calorie foods.