How Many Calories Are in Sushi? A Roll-by-Roll Guide
A piece of plain sushi roll has about 20 to 35 calories, and a piece of nigiri about 33 to 60, using the portion weights in the USDA’s FoodData Central database. That puts most 6 to 8 piece plain rolls at roughly 170 to 280 calories, with a vegetable roll lower still. If the roll on your plate seems to carry far more than that, it usually does: restaurant pieces tend to be bigger, and spicy mayo, cream cheese and tempura add up quickly.
Every number below comes from one neutral source, the USDA’s FoodData Central (Survey FNDDS data, published October 2024), so the rolls can be compared fairly with each other.
Sushi calories by roll and by nigiri
The USDA weighs one piece of a standard roll (makizushi) at 30 g, a thinner vegetable roll piece at 22 g, and one piece of nigiri (nigirizushi, a slice of topping over a pressed ball of rice) at 35 g, or 50 g for the larger egg (tamago) piece. The roll totals below are simply the per-piece figure multiplied by 6 or 8.
| Roll | Calories per piece | 6 pieces | 8 pieces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetable roll | about 20 | about 125 | about 165 |
| Avocado roll | about 28 | about 170 | about 225 |
| California roll | about 28 | about 170 | about 225 |
| Tuna roll | about 29 | about 175 | about 235 |
| Shrimp roll | about 30 | about 180 | about 240 |
| Salmon roll | about 31 | about 185 | about 245 |
| Eel roll | about 35 | about 210 | about 280 |
| Nigiri | Calories per piece | Per pair (a usual order) |
|---|---|---|
| Crab | about 33 | about 65 |
| Tuna (maguro) | about 35 | about 70 |
| Shrimp (ebi) | about 36 | about 70 |
| Salmon (sake) | about 37 | about 75 |
| Eel (unagi) | about 44 | about 90 |
| Egg (tamago) | about 60 | about 120 |
Nigiri carries more per piece than a roll mostly because each piece is heavier. If you are not sure which is which on a menu, our guide to maki versus nigiri walks through the styles. The eel figures run highest because grilled freshwater eel is a rich fish to begin with; our unagi nutrition guide has the full breakdown.
Why restaurant rolls often run higher
Search for sushi calories and you will often see 300 to 400 calories quoted for a standard roll, well above the USDA’s 225 for an 8-piece California roll. Nothing is wrong with either number. They describe different rolls, and three things account for the gap.
The pieces are bigger, and that means more rice. Sushi rice (shari) is the bulk of a plain roll. Cooked sticky rice comes in at about 96 calories per 100 g in USDA data, almost exactly the 94 calories per 100 g of a California roll, and about three quarters of that roll’s calories come from its carbohydrate, almost all of it rice. So a roll’s calories track its weight. If each piece weighs 45 g instead of the USDA’s 30 g, the same 8-piece California roll comes to about 340 calories before anything is added on top.
The sauces are dense. Spicy mayo is mostly mayonnaise, which the USDA puts at about 680 calories per 100 g. At the USDA’s tablespoon weight of 13.8 g, one tablespoon adds about 95 calories, more than three extra pieces of California roll.
The fillings change. A tablespoon of plain cream cheese (15 g by USDA’s measure) adds about 50 calories. Fried shrimp runs about 218 calories per 100 g, more than twice the 100 calories per 100 g of a plain shrimp roll, and one fried prawn (20 g in USDA’s portions) is about 44 calories on its own. Add tempura crunch on the outside and a sweet glaze on top, as many Western specialty rolls do, and 400 calories is easy to reach. Our earlier look at whether Western-style sushi is fattening goes through those ingredients one by one.
Sashimi: the low-rice option
Sashimi is sliced fish served without rice, so its calories are almost all protein and fat. The difference from sushi is more than the rice, as our explainer on sushi versus sashimi covers.
| Raw fish (USDA) | Per 100 g | Per 3 oz (85 g) | Protein per 3 oz |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salmon, chinook | about 179 calories | about 150 calories | about 17 g |
| Tuna, yellowfin | about 109 calories | about 95 calories | about 21 g |
Salmon has more calories because it is a fattier fish. Note that the USDA figure is for chinook (king) salmon; other species and farmed salmon differ. Raw fish should always come from a supplier who handles it for raw eating, and people who are pregnant, older or immunocompromised should check current advice on raw fish and on mercury in tuna before ordering it.
Protein and sodium
Rolls with fish in them carry far more protein than rice-and-vegetable rolls. Using the same USDA weights, an 8-piece roll gives about:
- Tuna roll: 18 g protein
- Salmon or shrimp roll: 17 g
- Eel roll: 14 g
- California roll: 7 g
- Avocado or vegetable roll: 3 to 4 g
Sodium is where sushi adds up fastest. Soy sauce (shoyu) has about 5,490 mg of sodium per 100 g in USDA data, so a 16 g tablespoon holds about 880 mg. The USDA’s own estimate for dipping is 2 g of soy sauce per piece of sushi, or about 110 mg a piece, which also comes to roughly 880 mg across 8 pieces. The roll itself carries sodium too: an 8-piece California roll already holds about 1,030 mg before any dipping. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans set the limit at less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day for everyone 14 and older, so one roll with soy sauce can use most of a day’s allowance. Soy sauce also contains wheat and soy, and many rolls contain shellfish, so check before ordering if allergies are a concern.
Is sushi good for losing weight?
Sushi can fit into a calorie-conscious way of eating, but whether it helps depends on what you order and how much. The USDA figures point to a few practical patterns:
- Count the pieces. At 20 to 35 calories each, a plain roll is moderate; three specialty rolls are a large meal.
- Rice is the main lever. Sashimi and a side of miso soup give protein with little rice, and nigiri pairs each slice of fish with one small ball of rice.
- Watch the additions. Spicy mayo, cream cheese, tempura and sweet sauces add the most calories for the least food.
- Go light on soy sauce, especially if you are watching sodium.
The traditional Japanese approach to a meal, with small portions of several dishes, is a useful model here; our look at the Japanese food pyramid explains it.
Sushi calorie FAQ
How many calories are in an 8-piece sushi roll? About 165 to 280 by USDA portions, depending on the filling, with a vegetable roll at the low end and an eel roll at the high end. Larger restaurant rolls and sauced specialty rolls often land at 300 to 400 or more.
How many calories are in a California roll? About 28 a piece, so roughly 170 for 6 pieces, 225 for 8 and 340 for 12.
How many calories are in an avocado roll? About 28 a piece, close to a California roll: roughly 170 for 6 pieces and 225 for 8.
How many calories are in a tempura roll? The USDA has no tempura roll entry, so there is no single figure. Fried shrimp has more than twice the calories per gram of a plain shrimp roll, so expect a tempura roll to land well above the 240 of an 8-piece shrimp roll, and higher again with mayo.
How much protein is in sashimi? About 17 g in 3 oz of raw salmon and about 21 g in 3 oz of raw yellowfin tuna.
How many calories are in a sushi bowl or a sushi plate? The USDA has no entry for either, but the parts add up: a cup of cooked sticky rice (174 g) is about 167 calories, so a bowl with 3 oz of salmon comes to roughly 320 before avocado or sauce. A plate of one 8-piece California roll and a pair of salmon nigiri is about 300.
References
- USDA FoodData Central · Survey (FNDDS) entries for sushi rolls, nigiri and cooked sticky rice, with portion weights
- USDA FoodData Central · Survey (FNDDS) entry for soy sauce, with sodium and the per-piece dipping portion
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 · The guidelines, including the 2,300 mg daily sodium limit (PDF)
USDA FoodData Central entries used, by FDC ID: sushi rolls 2708960 to 2708966; nigiri 2708967 to 2708972; cooked sticky rice 2708422; mayonnaise 2710204; cream cheese 2705760; fried shrimp 2706364; soy sauce 2707442; raw chinook salmon 173688; raw yellowfin tuna 175159.