Although the Philadelphia roll is fun and delicious, check out our other easy sushi recipes for beginners here or visit our entire library of sushi rolls sorted alphabetically!
What you need to know before ordering a Philadelphia Roll…
Philadelphia rolls are made of salmon (raw or cooked), cucumber, and cream cheese making it a simple and delicious sushi roll. A Philadelphia roll can have spicy mayo sauce on top to give it an extra kick and is frequently paired with soy sauce. This roll is typically raw but the raw salmon can be substituted for smoked or canned salmon. This roll is extremely popular for its price point at restaurants. Below you will find FAQ, ingredients lists, and an easy at home recipe!
Main Ingredients
- Salmon
SAUCES & Toppings
- Spicy Mayo Sauce (Optional)
VEGGIES & FILLING
- Creamy Avocado
- Cool Cream Cheese
Dipping Sauces
WANT THE RECIPE?
CANT DECIDE WHAT TO ORDER?
This is one of the sushi rolls everyone needs to think of when wondering what their first sushi roll they ever make should be. Of all the sushi recipes we have on this website (and there’s a lot), the Philadelphia roll ingredients are readily available at most grocery stores, you can use canned or smoked salmon instead of raw so you do not have to be worried if this first date is going to go sideways because you decided to filet a salmon in your kitchen.
Best of all, you can bust out 4 of these and be eating within 20 minutes! In all honesty, the hardest part is making the rice (which is super easy anyways). Just don’t forget to wet your hands!
Enjoy!
Click here to visit our sushi roll library!
What is a Philadelphia Roll?
A Philadelphia Roll is an inside-out sushi roll (meaning the rice is on the outside) that typically is made with smoked or raw salmon as the protein. Philadelphia roll ingredients also include cream cheese, cucumber, and spicy mayo sauce to give it an extra kick.
What is the best way to serve and eat sushi?
When Serving Sushi:
Sushi is one of those fun meals that you will frequently see pop up on friends snapchat or instagram stories or whatever social media companies sharing application. Whether it is at a restaurant or in your own kitchen, sushi is extremely instagrammable. Sushi is very trendy and typically served at higher end restaurants, therefore there is a high likelihood that the group is either on a date night or out on the town and dressed accordingly! Lots of pictures are flying around on these kind of nights therefore the presentation of the sushi tends to get some notice!
Typically sushi is plated in a very eye catching and palatable pattern on plates that have good visual appeal, frequently made of melamine in traditional japanese fashion. Restaurants tend to make a big deal of the presentation. Some ways sushi is presented can be on a small wooden boat brought out to the table or even lit on fire!
When Eating Sushi:
Experienced sushi eaters know that sauces can make or break your eating experience. There are two ways that sauces can be eaten with sushi:
Sauces on or in the sushi roll
This tends to be sauces that are either mixed in with other ingredients or added as a topping. Examples of this are spicy mayo sauce which is frequently mixed in with shredded imitation crab or drizzled on top of the sushi roll in patterns that are visually appealing. Some other sauces that are put on top or in the sushi roll are unagi eel sauce and teriyaki sauce.
Sauces that the sushi roll can be dipped in
The first sauce and most popular that probably comes to mind is soy sauce. (I have linked my favorite soy sauce to the right or below on mobile). Soy sauce is cheap and can be found at any grocery store or restaurant. Soy sauce is also an ingredient in numerous other recipes, not just sushi or even japanese based recipes.
Soy sauce can be given a little extra heat by mixing wasabi into the soy sauce.
Philadelphia Roll FAQ and Tips
Is a Philadelphia roll raw?
The Philadelphia roll is considered a sushi roll with raw fish since it contains raw salmon, however the raw salmon can be substituted with canned or smoked salmon to make it a fully cooked sushi roll!
What fish is in a Philadelphia roll?
A Philadelphia roll’s main fish is salmon, which is typically raw although can be substituted for smoked or canned salmon.
How many calories are in a Philadelphia roll?
Although there are many variations of a Philadelphia roll, it is safe to say that each roll contains less than 200 calories making it a healthy and delicious choice! Pair it with a dragon roll to fill yourself up!
Is a Philadelphia roll spicy?
Typically, no. However we highly recommend adding spicy mayo sauce as a topping to give it an extra kick!
What other sushi rolls are like a Philadelphia roll?
Philadelphia rolls are by far one of the most simple rolls. Typically made of raw salmon, the Philadelphia roll can also be considered a fully cooked roll if smoked salmon is used as a substitute. The simplicity of the Philadelphia roll makes it a perfect choice for those that are trying sushi for the first time. Other rolls that are similar for their simplicity are the California roll and the Boston roll, and other sushi rolls with salmon are the Alaska roll.
What is a Philadelphia roll made of?
Sushi Rice: It is very important to use sushi rice instead of traditional long grain white rice when making sushi. Sushi rice and normal white rice differ in the fact that sushi rice is short grain and has more starch and protiens than long grain rices which is the traditional kind. The increased levels of starch and protein makes the sushi rice sticky which allows you to shape it into a roll. Click here to read our post about why you should use sushi rice instead of white rice!
Smoked, Canned, or Raw Salmon: Finding sushi grade salmon can pose a challenge to at home sushi makers. Raw salmon for sushi must be designated safe for consuming raw, do not assume all salmon can be eaten raw! With that in mind, alternative options for using raw salmon are smoked or canned salmon. My preference is smoked salmon which still has a great fresh flavor. Both of these options are easy to find in your grocery store.
Nori Sheets (Seaweed): Sheets of dried seaweed, otherwise called nori, are what are used to align the guts of the sushi roll. Nori is very healthy for you, and has relatively little flavor. Sheets of nori can be found at most grocery stores like Walmart, Kroger, or HEB or can even be ordered off of Amazon.
Cucumber: Cucumber is found in the majority of sushi rolls, not only in the Philadelphia roll. The best cucumbers to use for sushi are what are called “japanese cucumbers” which are known to be straight, thin, and contain less water than a traditional cucumber. Cucumbers are known for numerous health properties.
Cream Cheese: Cream cheese is not typically something that someone would think about when eating sushi but it sure is delicious on the Philadelphia roll. It provides a cool, mellow flavor that is perfect when combined with the salmon. In addition to sushi, cream cheese can be found commonly as a spread on a bagel or in a kitchen where sweet, savory cooking is occurring.
Spicy Mayo Sauce: Most people come to the Philadelphia roll for flavor at an affordable price. Do yourself a favor and add spicy mayo sauce. This delicious topping can add a kick to liven up numerous dishes, not just sushi! Spicy mayo sauce is just a combination of sriracha and mayonnaise. You can make the sauce spicier by adding more sriracha and mellower by adding more mayo. Check out our recipe here.
Philadelphia Roll Ingredients
- 2 Cups Cooked Sushi Rice (Click link for easy sushi rice instructions)
- 1/4 Cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar
- 4 Half Sheets Nori (Click link for folding instructions)
- 8-12 oz Smoked Salmon
- 1 small Cucumber Sliced into matchsticks
- Cream Cheese Sliced into matchsticks
- 1 tsp Sesame Seeds (optional)
- 1/2 Cup Spicy Mayo Sauce (This is optional and gives a little kick. Click the link for an easy recipe)
Cooking Equipment
- Bamboo rolling mat inside a gallon bag
- cutting board and a sharp knife
Cooking Instructions
Preparation
- Add the seasoned rice vinegar to the cooked sushi rice and mix together.
- Place your bamboo rolling mat inside a plastic gallon bag (trust us, this makes clean up much easier, all you have to do is throw out the bag!)
- Place one half sheet of nori on the rolling mat (remember we tore the full sheet in half hamburger style) with the rough side facing up.
Making the Roll
- ONLY ONCE THE RICE HAS COOLED, grab a handful of rice and cover the rough side of the nori leaving a 1 inch gap at the top without any rice. If using sesame seeds, sprinkle them over the rice. Grab the nori by the top, and flip it over so the rice is against the bamboo rolling mat and the 1 inch gap is now on the bottom.
- Starting 1/3 of the way up from the bottom begin to align the “guts” of the sushi roll in a horizontal line beginning with the rolled up smoked salmon. The horizontal row of smoked salmon should be about half an inch to an inch thick all the way across the nori.
- Above the smoked salmon, add a row of cucumber and cream cheese.
- Grab both the sushi mat and the nori and roll the mat over from the bottom until the empty space we left at the bottom is touching the other side, squeezing down on the roll to make it nice and tight and allowing to hold its shape.
- If not using the spicy mayo sauce, you can skip this step. Once the roll is formed, it is time to add the spicy mayo sauce! There are two ways to do this. 1) The easy way is to just spread it across the top of the roll with a fork. 2) The “Instagram-worthy-way” is to put the spicy mayo sauce in a small bag, cut off the corner and then push the sauce out of the bag while doing zig-zags up and down the roll.
- Place the roll on a cutting board and get a knife and damp paper towel. Cut the toll into 8 equal sizes (easiest if you start by cutting the roll in half). Before you make each cut DAMPEN THE KNIFE WITH THE PAPER TOWEL or else the roll will fall apart when you slice through it.
- Serve with soy sauce, take some pictures for your friends, and enjoy!
If you enjoyed this recipe or have feedback, please scroll down and leave a rating, comment, or critique!
See our printer friendly recipe version below!
Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind while making sushi
- Check out our easy rice recipe here!
- Always wet your hands before handling rice. Rice is extremely sticky!
- While on the topic of rice.. please wait for it to cool. Getting excited and touching hot rice is no fun.
- Use a wet paper towel and wipe down your knife between cuts while slicing your rolls! If you do not, the roll will fall apart!
Philadelphia Roll- Simple Recipe, Great Flavor!
Equipment
- Bamboo rolling mat inside a gallon bag
- cutting board and a sharp knife
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Cooked Sushi Rice (See below link in notes for easy sushi rice instructions)
- 1/4 Cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar
- 4 Half Sheets Nori (See below link in notes for folding instructions)
- 8-12 oz Smoked Salmon
- 1 small Cucumber Sliced into matchsticks
- Cream Cheese Sliced into matchsticks
- 1 tsp Sesame Seeds (optional)
- 1/2 Cup Spicy Mayo Sauce (This is optional and gives a little kick, see below link in notes for easy recipe)
Instructions
- Add the seasoned rice vinegar to the cooked sushi rice and mix together.
- Place your bamboo rolling mat inside a plastic gallon bag (trust us, this makes clean up much easier, all you have to do is throw out the bag!)
- Place one half sheet of nori on the rolling mat (remember we tore the full sheet in half hamburger style) with the rough side facing up.
- ONLY ONCE THE RICE HAS COOLED, grab a handful of rice and cover the rough side of the nori leaving a 1 inch gap at the top without any rice. If using sesame seeds, sprinkle them over the rice. Grab the nori by the top, and flip it over so the rice is against the bamboo rolling mat and the 1 inch gap is now on the bottom.
- Starting 1/3 of the way up from the bottom begin to align the "guts" of the sushi roll in a horizontal line beginning with the rolled up smoked salmon. The horizontal row of smoked salmon should be about half an inch to an inch thick all the way across the nori.
- Above the smoked salmon, add a row of cucumber and cream cheese.
- Grab both the sushi mat and the nori and roll the mat over from the bottom until the empty space we left at the bottom is touching the other side, squeezing down on the roll to make it nice and tight and allowing to hold its shape.
- If not using the spicy mayo sauce, you can skip this step.Once the roll is formed, it is time to add the spicy mayo sauce! There are two ways to do this:1) The easy way is to just spread it across the top of the roll with a fork2) The "Instagram-worthy-way" is to put the spicy mayo sauce in a small bag, cut off the corner and then push the sauce out of the bag while doing zig-zags up and down the roll.
- Place the roll on a cutting board and get a knife and damp paper towel. Cut the toll into 8 equal sizes (easiest if you start by cutting the roll in half). Before you make each cut DAMPEN THE KNIFE WITH THE PAPER TOWEL or else the roll will fall apart when you slice through it.
- Serve with soy sauce, take some pictures for your friends, and enjoy!
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