PHILADELPHIA ROLL RECIPE AND A SUSHI SHORTCUT

The Philadelphia Roll is one of our favorites! Also called Philly Rolls and Japanese Bagel Rolls, these tasty homemade sushi rolls are super simple and only require a few ingredients to make!

I may or may not have eaten these Philadelphia Rolls for breakfast yesterday morning.

Not even the “Oh there’s leftover sushi in the fridge, I suppose I’ll eat it!” kind of breakfast either.

Oh no. I flat out made this, from scratch, while sipping my morning coffee.

What? I was out of bagels!

I regret nothing! I could eat sushi every day and be oh so happy about it. I even have a homemade sushi tutorial here on the blog with full step-by-step instructions and photos.

We make it a LOT and it’s become a fun date night activity for my husband and I. Even my kiddo likes to help!

SHORTCUT SUSHI RICE

You can make your sushi rice the standard way, which takes about 20 minutes on the stove or in a rice cooker, or try my shortcut method! Our grocery store has these little Nishiki microwavable steamed sushi rice packages that are perfect amount for two sushi rolls!

I love this option when I want sushi for lunch but don’t want to deal with takeout prices or hassle. It’s super easy!

HOW DO YOU MAKE A PHILLY ROLL?

To make these tasty homemade rolls, you’ll only need a few ingredients: sushi rice, seasoned rice vinegar, nori seaweed sheets, smoked salmon, and cream cheese.

Tasty extras include sesame seeds, sliced cucumber, sliced chives or scallions, and of course some Sriracha and soy sauce for dipping.

PHILADELPHIA ROLL RECIPE

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Homemade Philadelphia Roll

The Philadelphia Roll is one of our favorites! Also called Philly Rolls and Japanese Bagel Rolls, these tasty homemade sushi rolls are super simple and only require a few ingredients to make!

COURSE MAIN DISH

CUISINE JAPANESE

KEYWORD PHILADELPHIA ROLL

PREP TIME 15 MINUTES

COOK TIME 2 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME 17 MINUTES

SERVINGS 2 SERVINGS

CALORIES 273 KCAL

AUTHOR JENN LAUGHLIN - PEAS AND CRAYONS

Ingredients

• 3-4 oz raw sashimi-grade or lightly smoked salmon
• 1/2 cup sushi rice
• 2 TBSP seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 sheet of nori seaweed
• 2 oz cream cheese or to taste
• 1-2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• Sriracha chili sauce and/or soy sauce for dipping

TOOLS NEEDED

• bamboo sushi mat
• plastic wrap to prevent sticking (totally optional)

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

• sliced cucumber
• chives or scallions
• everything bagel seasoning

Instructions

1. Thoroughly rinse 1/2 cup of sushi rice in cool water using a mesh strainer. Rinse until water runs clear then shake it a little to drain through the strainer.
2. In a medium saucepan, add rice and 2/3 cup cold water and heat to high. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 20 for 20 minutes covered, then remove from heat (keeping lid on) and allow rice to steam an additional 10 minutes. 
3. Transfer to a non-metallic bowl and fluff with a fork. Add 2 TBSP of seasoned rice vinegar and mix well. Allow to cool while you prep the rest of your sushi ingredients.
4. Roll/shape chilled cream cheese into ropes long enough to spread across your seaweed sheet horizontally. Set aside.
5. Slice salmon into strips. If adding optional cucumber or scallions (or add them both - they're so tasty every which way!) prep those as well. I like to cut my cucumber into matchsticks and then use only the green parts of the scallions.
6. Next line a bamboo mat with plastic wrap and top with nori, rough side facing up.
7. Spread rice thinly on the seaweed sheet and turn it so that the rectangle is vertical/tall. For seaweed on the outside, place toppings directly on the rice. For rice on the outside with the filling inside, flip your sheet of nori so the rice is touchign the plastic wrapped mat and place filling directly on the nori.
8. In a horizontal row about an inch from the bottom, place sliced salmon, cream cheese, and optional veggies on top of your rice.
9. Grab the nori and the mat, and roll approx. 1/4 of the mat over the fillingand gently squeeze (so it sticks) to the rice below it and unfold the bamboo mat. Repeat the process until you’ve rolled the sheet of rice, seaweed, and veggies into a spiral. Give it one last squeeze to seal the deal. For a full photo tutorial of the process, click here.
10. Slice each roll into 6 bite-sized discs with a freshly sharpened chef’s knife. Sprinkle the cut side with sesame seeds and dive in with soy sauce and/or Sriracha chili sauce.

Recipe Notes

Recipe Yields 2 tasty sushi rolls.

Looking for my shortcut method? This rice is great for speedy sushi for one. It makes enough for two rolls and is ready in 90 seconds. Simply heat, mix in a spoonful of rice vinegar, season with a pinch of salt and sugar, and fluff with a fork. So. Flipping. Easy. You can pick it up on Amazon, at local International food stores, or in many (if not most) grocery stores in the International or rice section.

Nutrition Facts below are an estimate gathered using an online recipe nutrition calculator. If adding topping and extras, simply adjust as needed.

NUTRITION FACTS

AMOUNT PER SERVING

CALORIES 273 CALORIES FROM FAT 63

% DAILY VALUE*

FAT 7G11%

SATURATED FAT 3G19%

CHOLESTEROL 25MG8%

SODIUM 384MG17%

POTASSIUM 130MG4%

CARBOHYDRATES 38G13%

FIBER 1G4%

PROTEIN 11G22%

VITAMIN A 295IU6%

VITAMIN C 0.5MG1%

CALCIUM 19MG2%

IRON 1.1MG6%