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Delicious keto sushi recipe made without rice.
Each sushi roll is filled with cream cheese instead of sushi rice and only 1.5 g net carbs per keto sushi roll.
You can even make keto sushi with cream cheese or cauliflower rice.
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Quick and easy homemade sushi keto recipes made with cream cheese or cauliflower rice. Perfect for your low-carb lifestyle and sushi cravings.
Is sushi keto?
No, regular sushi rolls contain sushi rice and are high carb so are avoided on the low-carb diet, keto diet, and high-protein low-carb diet.
This keto sushi rolls recipe is made with a cream cheese filling or cauliflower rice and wrapped in a nori sheet. It’s healthy, filling, low in carbs, and perfect served with soy sauce or coconut aminos.
What’s in regular sushi?
This sushi chart will show you the shocking truth of what’s really inside sushi.
Is sushi healthy? Keto sushi rolls might be healthy, but a classic spicy tuna roll is full of rice, sweet rice wine vinegar, and a thin layer of raw fish.
A typical sushi lunch of spicy tuna rolls and California rolls are the equivalent of eating 6 slices of whole bread.
But don’t despair – I’ll show you how to make easy and delicious keto sushi rolls that will satisfy any sushi cravings.
How many carbs are in a sushi roll?
6 pieces of California sushi have 12g net carbs.
2 pieces of 7-Eleven crumbed chicken sushi have 67.3 g net carbs.
Nutritional values from cronometer.com
You probably already know that traditional sushi contains white rice, sushi rice, or brown rice, but did you know that sushi rice may contain added sugar and flour to help the rice become sticky?
That’s not the only source of hidden carbs, unfortunately. There is also sugar in the Japanese pickled ginger, added sugars in the sweet teriyaki sticky sauces, and wheat in the crumbed bread or panko coatings.
And did you know a sushi roll is made with shorter grain rice which has a higher starch content than typical rice?
You may decide never to eat traditional rice sushi again. It’s just not worth the high blood sugar.
Is there protein in sushi?
Unfortunately, there’s not much protein in sushi. Here are the stats for a typical single roll:
- California roll (20g) = 1.1g protein, 2g net carbs, 0.9g fat
- vegetarian sushi (22g) = 0.4g protein, 3.3g net carbs, 0.3g fat
- sushi avocado roll (20g) = 0.3g protein, 4.2g net carbs, 0.8g fat
To eat 30g of protein, you would have to eat one of the following:
- 27 California rolls
- 75 vegetarian sushi rolls
- 100 sushi avocado rolls
- 1 chicken breast (100g/3.5oz)
What can you put inside sushi instead of rice?
The easiest way to make sushi keto-friendly, you can swap out traditional rice for the cream cheese filling (or a cauliflower rice mixture).
How to make keto rice
Keto rice is easy to make and opens the door to so many keto sushi options. Learn how to make easy cauliflower rice then add your own rice vinegar before rolling tightly in a nori sheet.
Keto sushi roll ingredients
You just need a few simple ingredients to make this delicious keto sushi recipe.
All the ingredients are in the simple recipe card below.
- Nori sheets – these are dried seaweed sheets
- Salmon – or protein of choice
- Avocado – adds flavor and vitamins
- Vegetable sticks – celery, carrots, jicama, etc.
- Cream cheese – make sure to only purchase the full-fat, plain variety.
Keto sushi options
Any of these can be used to fill your keto sushi and then wrapped and rolled tightly on the seaweed sheets.
- Tuna roll – add drained, canned tuna and spicy mayo
- Cucumber roll – thin slices or sticks of cucumber
- Salmon sushi rolls – add smoked salmon or canned salmon
- Avocado rolls – perfect for vegetarian sushi lovers. Add avocado slices or mashed avocado.
Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top and dip your keto sushi rolls in some rice vinegar for a zesty flavor.
How to make keto sushi rolls
This keto-friendly sushi rolls recipe uses a creamy sushi filling, but if you prefer, you can use cauliflower sushi rise instead.
How to make sushi filling – in a small mixing bowl, use a fork and mix up the cream cheese until it’s soft.
Next, add the avocado and mix well. Add other flavors such as smoked salmon, sesame seeds and wasabi paste.
How to roll sushi rolls – Place a nori sheet (otherwise known as seaweed sheets) across a bamboo mat.
Wet 1 inch (2cm) edge of the seaweed sheet using your finger dipped in water. This helps makes it sticky so your sushi roll doesn’t fall apart!
Spread the keto-friendly sushi filling all over the nori sheet, place the vegetable sticks along the middle, and roll it up tightly using the bamboo roller.
Cut into rolls using a sharp knife and serve with soy sauce, sesame seeds, a tiny smear of wasabi paste, and enjoy!
Storage
Here’s how to keep your keto sushi rolls recipe fresh.
You can store any of the low-carb sushi recipes in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you take the low-carb sushi for a packed lunch, you need to ensure it is packed with a chiller block in an insulated box.
Nori rolls FAQs
If you don’t see your question in this list, please leave it in the comments.
Ask for cauliflower sushi rice or sashimi is a wonderful and healthy sushi option that is keto-friendly. Sashimi is slices of raw fish or meat that are served without rice.
Not really. From the sushi chart above, you can see how little protein is in traditional sushi. Often sushi restaurants use fake crab or imitation crab that is made with wheat and starch.
Sushi rolls are a high-carb meal. The classic sushi is full of rice, often added sugar and flour, wrapped in a nori sheet. Sushi is low-protein high-carb and is avoided on a keto diet.
You can order sushi without rice, this is called a naruto roll. A naruto roll uses thin slices of cucumber instead of rice.
The only way to order keto sushi at a restaurant is if the chef can make them with cauliflower sushi rice instead of white rice.
You can use cucumber slices instead of nori sheets. Slice a cucumber with a vegetable peeler. Place a few overlapping slices on a sushi mat, place your filling along the middle, and tightly roll.
No, you only need a sushi mat and a sharp knife.
Serve with a small dipping bowl or soy sauce, coconut aminos, wasabi paste, and sesame seeds.
A California roll is an inside-out roll. It uses rice instead of a sheet of seaweed. It is not true Japanese sushi as it was invented for the convenience of Americans who didn’t like to eat seaweed.
This is very similar to a California roll, but with Philadelphia cheese inside the rice.
More keto lunch ideas
If you want more healthy sushi alternatives, all these keto recipes and low-carb recipes are low-carb and gluten-free.
- High-protein keto chicken Caesar salad
- Crustless smoked salmon quiche
- Salmon patties with lime avocado dressing
- How to help your child eat real food
- High carb vs low-carb lunch box review
- 50 yummy sugar-free snacks for kids
Keto Sushi Rolls Recipe (without rice)
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 4 large nori sheets
- 250 g cream cheese full fat
- 1 avocado
- 100 g salmon fillet
- vegetable sticks (of choice)
- +/- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Mix the cream cheese with a fork until soft. Add the avocado and smoked salmon and mix through.
- Gently spread the cream cheese mixture along the nori sheet leaving a 1-inch strip at the end. Wet the strip of the nori sheet with a little water to make it sticky.
- Place various vegetable sticks along the centre and length of the cream cheese mixture.
- Roll tightly and enclose using the nori sticky strip.
- Leave the nori roll on the chopping board while you are making the next sheet, then cut them into small sushi rolls.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- Cut the sushi into 16 pieces. 1 serving = 4 pieces.
- Nutrition values are calculated for the nori sheets, salmon and cream cheese basic roll.
- Your choice of vegetables used is additional.
Nutrition
There are a lot of ways you can make keto sushi rolls without too many carbs that fit into a keto diet.
Please leave a comment on which is your favorite keto-friendly sushi.
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utterly awesome! now to sneak sum coconut oil in too so they arent hungry in 30 min!
I would think the fat in the cream cheese would take care of that.
Nope my kids are always hungry. Thin, strong n active. Just always hungry. Lol
Seems amazing! Just amazing! I love sushi and I never thought that it is so low on nutrients, but this one is !!!! amazing!
Cracking up at the wording “almost homeopathic dose of tuna”! Haha, gold!
Love your work.
Xx
Can you tell I’m a pharmacist?
I love you Libby. Your site (including this sushi recipe) has brought me from the brink of a keto abyss. Thank you for all the wonderful ideas and recipes !!
Thank you John, how lovely 🙂
I want to thank you soooo much for posting this visual for me!! I live right beside a sushi place-like literally next door-and since going keto I have been missing sushi the most. I’ve been tempted so many times to just go over and cheat but thanks to this photo, now every time I look that way, all I’ll see is those awful six slices of white bread and that tiny mouthful of tuna. Thank you! Thank you!
The power of visualisation. As soon as i saw this image I knew I had to share it. So many people think sushi is a health food and we have gone off our rockers when we say it isn’t.
I would think that you could use the 0 calorie-0 carb rice from Miracle Noodle. I just ordered my angel hair today and noticed they had “rice”….could prove interesting.
For me, one of the hardest things about going low carb has been giving up sushi. Sushi is probably my all time favourite food and I’ve spent years working on my sushi making skills and recipes. Family members often request me to make sushi on special occasions and let me tell you, it is hard to put in all that work and effort to make the sushi and then have to sit back and watch everyone else enjoy it while I go without. When I saw this recipe I thought ‘there’s no way it is going to be anything like the real thing’ but I thought I’d give it a go. WOW! While it isn’t quite the same as rice sushi it’s pretty damn close and the taste is almost exactly the same, it’s just the different texture of the soft cream cheese vs the sturdier rice that was the only big difference. I don’t know how you keep coming up with these golden recipes but I’m sure glad I found this website. Now to enjoy my low carb sushi goodness! 🙂
Hey thank you so much for this amazing comment. My kids love this and you have just reminded me to start making it again. It is so much easier and healthier than regular sushi. Sushi is packed with carbs, sugar and very little fish. Try sashimi instead and leave the sushi for someone who is carb loading, or my use recipe instead. So glad you liked it.
What about the resistant starch factor?
Exactly! ?
Okay, I have a confession. Although I’m down 43 lbs with my keto lifestyle so far, I have been unable to give up sushi night, a tradition we’ve had for a decade!! We’ve always done take out sushi on Wednesdays! When I dove in with serious keto, I made the obvious choice – I ripped out the nutritious bits and left the rest behind! We are lucky that our sushi place gives a generous amount of fish, and I avoid anything with sugary sauces. I peel off all of the rice, and leave myself with a pile of fish, and imo crab. I know the imo crab isn’t perfect… but the sushi I get is salmon, cream cheese, capers, thin hint of lemon slice, imo crab. I go fat heavy for the day, and very low carb, planning ahead. I use coconut aminos, and no longer break out my extra jar of ginger… just use sparingly what comes with it. Last night was sushi night… and I woke up today at a new low. Sure, it looks like a waste… My husband plows through it, and I sit there carefully peeling away the rice, leaving a giant pile when I’m done… but in the end, I get a pile of yummy fish, some imo-crab, avocado, and cream cheese… and I LOVE IT. I know it’s not ideal, but I’ve also found that without the rice and soy sauce, I don’t even have that bloated feeling afterwards.
A great alternative would be to order sashimi at the sushi place – just the fish!
Totally on board with low carb goodness, but I’m always annoyed at infographics or photo breakdowns that are visually misrepresentative. If it’s only like eating 6 pieces of bread (obvs still way too much) then only show six pieces of bread, and not twelve. I get it is for the impact factor but it is also why people are so confused about food!
Look again – the photo clearly shows 12 pieces of bread – cut in halves – last time I looked 12 divided by 2 = 6 slices …. and it is clearly labelled as such … no confusion .
Really? This is meant as a joke right?
That is 6 pieces of bread cut in 1/2
Wow! Do you think it would work with cauliflower rice mixed in with the cream cheese? I love your website so much! 🙂
Now that would be amazing. I love this idea. Go for it.
2 questions for you……..#1 where do I get the wrap from as I live in small town Canada…….#2 how long can you keep them once they are made up as I am making for one but don’t want to make daily
I just buy the nori (seaweed) sheets in the Asian aisle of my supermarket. They will keep fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days, but the nori sheets do tend to go a little soft and chewy after the first day.
Amazon carries Nori sheets
If you’re planning to use raw salmon in your sushi, be sure to freeze it for at least 24 hours before thawing and using it. There has been an uptick in cases of parasites (notably tapeworms) in fresh salmon, so better safe than sorry. Also be aware that GMO salmon is out there, and while they tell us it’s not dangerous, IMO it hasn’t been around long enough to really know that for sure.
Thanks for your wonderful work helping people to live healthier!
Hi Libby
Not sure if this idea has been posted by anyone else yet, but I have a suggestion… I know for some it’s the rice that they like in sushi, so to keep more of the rice consistency you could use cauliflower ‘rice’ (cauliflower that’s finely grated or processed), used either by itself or preferably mixed with some of the cream cheese (which would help it stick together better, and be yummier).
Yes, I have a cauliflower sushi recipe here. Yummo!
Please give a link to the video! “Tap to play” doesn’t do it for someone on a laptop!
The video is there unless you have an ad blocker installed on your laptop. Alternatively, you can see all my cooking videos on my YouTube channel.