• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • RECIPES
    • All Recipes
  • ABOUT
    • Privacy Policy
  • RESOURCES
    • How to Start a Food Blog

Chefjar logo

Home / SEAFOOD RECIPES

Philadelphia Roll Recipe

Jump to Recipe

Philadelphia Roll is easy and fun to make at home. It is loaded with smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber, all rolled in nori sheet and sushi rice.

Homemade sushi rolls are cheaper and better than rolls at your favorite sushi restaurant. Learn how to make sticky rice for sushi and how to assemble Philadelphia rolls with this recipe.

philadelphia roll

What is a Philadelphia Roll

Philly rolls are a variety of maki rolls, the most popular rolls in sushi restaurants. Another name for these rolls is Japanese bagel rolls. You have probably tried them so many times. These rolls are usually made with smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber; rolled in a seaweed sheet and seasoned sushi rice. It is an inside-out-sushi roll, the nori together with the filling is on the inside and the rice (sometimes with smoked salmon topping) on the outside.

Philadelphia sushi roll was invented in North America in 1980s and got its name from the famous Philadelphia cream cheese brand.

philadelphia roll

What is in a Philadelphia Roll

This is a traditional sushi roll, the filling includes smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber or avocado. There are two types of Philadelphia rolls. You can fill it with cream cheese and cucumber, and top with thinly sliced smoked salmon or roll everything in a nori sheet and sticky sushi rice, then roll in sesame seeds.

what is in a philadelphia roll

How to make sushi rice

You can cook rice in a rice cooker or on the stove. We highly recommend to check the instructions on the package because different rice brands require different amount of water. We usually use 1:1, water to rice ratio. If you like softer rice, for every cup of rice, add 1 ½ cup of water. Be sure to use high quality short grain rice for the best results. And always rinse the rice until the water runs clear.

If preparing it on the stove, avoid opening the lid while it is cooking.

Once it is cooked, transfer to a bowl and let it cool down for 5-10 minutes. Stir in sushi vinegar when it is still warm. You can make it at home. Simply mix together 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, ½ tablespoon sugar and ½ teaspoon salt.

how to make sushi rice

How to Make a Philadelphia Roll

  1. Cover the bamboo mat for sushi with a piece of plastic to prevent rice from sticking to the mat.
  2. Put half of the nori sheet on top of the mat (the shiny side faces down).
  3. Keep a bowl of water nearby when you are working with rice. Dip your hands in water (this will prevent rice from sticking to your hands. Spread the rice in an even layer over the nori. Flip it over. The rice faces down now.
  4. Place smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber on the nori. 
  5. Roll away from you to make a log, applying  some pressure to tighten up the roll.
  6. Spread the sesame seeds on the mat (covered with plastic) and roll the sushi roll. 
  7. Cut each sushi roll into 7-8 pieces.

If you want to make rolls topped with salmon, check the instructions in the recipe card and the picture below will give you a better idea too.

how to make a Philadelphia roll

Philadelphia Roll Calories

The Philadelphia roll has 320 calories and one piece has 40 calories which makes it the most caloric sushi roll. But, if you really love cream cheese and smoked salmon, it would be a great choice.

philadelphia roll

Best Cream Cheese for Philadelphia Rolls

Though, these rolls are made with Philadelphia branded cream cheese, any other brand will work well for this recipe. For those who watch calories, non-fat or low-fat cream cheese will be good alternatives.

Best Salmon for Sushi

Get high-quality smoked salmon for this recipe. It should have a bright color and doesn’t have a fishy smell. For the topping you’ll need to cut it into thin slices or strips for the filling.

Best Nori Sheets

Another key ingredient is nori. Good-quality nori sheets are black in color with a green hue. They are crisp and can be broken easily when they are fresh.

philadelphia roll

More Delicious Sushi Recipes

Crunchy Roll Sushi Recipe

Boston Roll

Godzilla Roll

Shrimp Tempura Roll

pinterest-chefjar

If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! I will be happy to hear from you!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
philadelphia-roll

Philadelphia Roll Recipe


  • Author: chefjar
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

elphia Rolls are easy and fun to make at home. They are loaded with smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber, all rolled in nori sheet and sushi rice.


Ingredients

For Sushi Rice

  • Short grain sushi rice-1 cup
  • Water-1 cup
  • Sushi vinegar-1 ½ tablespoons or mix together 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, ½ tablespoon sugar and ½ teaspoon salt

For Philadelphia Roll (variation 1)

  • Nori sheets (seaweed sheets)-2 
  • Smoked salmon-4 oz (115 g)
  • Cream cheese -4 oz (115 g)
  • Cucumber(cut into ½-inch strips)-½ 
  • Sesame seeds-1 tablespoon (for extra flavor, toast them in a hot skillet)

For Philadelphia Roll (variation 2)

  • Nori sheets (seaweed sheets)-2 
  • Smoked salmon (thinly sliced)-9 oz (250 g), place it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes ( this will help to thinly slice it)
  • Cream cheese -4 oz (115 g)
  • Cucumber or avocado (cut into ½-inch strips)-½ 

 

 


Instructions

Sushi Rice

  • Rinse and cook rice as per package instructions. Once it is cooked, transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool down slightly. Add in the sushi vinegar and mix well.

Philadelphia Roll (Variation 1)

  1. Cover the bamboo mat for sushi with a piece of plastic to prevent rice from sticking to the mat.
  2. Put half of the nori sheet on top of the mat (the shiny side faces down).
  3. Keep a bowl of water nearby when you are working with rice. Dip your hands in water (this will prevent rice from sticking to your hands. Spread the rice in an even layer over the nori. Flip it over. The rice faces down now.
  4. Place smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber on the nori. 
  5. Roll away from you to make a log, applying  some pressure to tighten up the roll.
  6. Spread the sesame seeds on the mat (covered with plastic) and roll the sushi roll. 
  7. Cut each sushi roll into 7-8 pieces. 

Philadelphia Roll (Variation 2)

  1. Proceed with the steps 1-3 above.
  2. Place cream cheese and cucumber or avocado on the nori.
  3. Roll it up tightly, using a bamboo mat.
  4. Arrange the salmon slices in a single layer in front of the sushi roll. Roll it up to cover with salmon, using a bamboo mat. Give a tight squeeze and remove the plastic wrap.
  5. Transfer the roll on the cutting board. Cut into 8 pieces with a wet sharp knife. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and Japanese pickled ginger.
 

Equipment

rice vinegar

Rice vinegar

Buy Now →
sushi mat

Sushi mat

Buy Now →
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 50 min
  • Category: Seafood recipes
  • Cuisine: Japanese

Nutrition

  • Calories: 320 kcal
  • Sugar: 1g
  • Sodium: 320mg
  • Fat: 12g
  • Saturated Fat: 6g
  • Carbohydrates: 37g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 12g
  • Cholesterol: 38mg

Keywords: philadelphia roll, sushi rolls, sushi

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

All rights reserved. CHEF JAR. All images and content are copyright protected. PLEASE do not use my images without my permission. If you want to share this recipe, PLEASE provide a link back to this post.

If you make this recipe, take a photo of your creation and hashtag  it # CHEFJAR on  Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

Seafood Recipes

  • baked-fish-fillets
    Baked Fish Fillets with Creamy Sauce
  • Tuna salad
    TUNA SALAD WITH CHERRY TOMATOES, CUCUMBERS AND OLIVES
  • IMITATION CRAB MEAT SALAD RECIPE
    IMITATION CRAB MEAT SALAD RECIPE
  • Baked salmon
    BAKED SALMON IN MUSTARD SAUCE
  • Fish cutlets
    FISH CUTLETS IN 30 MINUTES
  • Shrimp scampi recipe
    BUTTERY SHRIMP SCAMPI ( BAKED)
  • Baked salmon recipe foil
    BAKED SALMON RECIPE FOIL WITH CHORIZO AND CHEESE
  • Pesto baked salmon
    PESTO BAKED SALMON ( WITH BROCCOLI PESTO)
  • Stuffed squid
    SICILIAN STUFFED SQUID RECIPE( Seppie Ripiene)
  • spaghetti alle vongole
    BEST SPAGHETTI ALLE VONGOLE ( spaghetti with clams)
  • Salmon pasta
    Salmon Pasta Recipe
  • Parmesan crusted salmon
    PARMESAN CRUSTED SALMON
  • Baked fish fillets
    BAKED FISH FILLETS ( PERCH IN SAUCE SUPREME)
  • Baked trout
    BAKED TROUT IN PARISIENNE SAUCE
  • Shrimp alfredo
    SHRIMP ALFREDO IN 30 MINUTES FROM SCRATCH
chefjar

More SEAFOOD RECIPES

  • How to Reheat Salmon in Air Fryer, Oven and Microwave
  • salmon marinades in plastic bags
    How Long To Marinate Salmon (The Ultimate Guide)
  • Air fryer salmon with creamy garlic sauce in a white bowl with mashed potatoes and asparagus.
    Air Fryer Salmon Bites with Garlic Cream Sauce
  • salmon marinades in plastic bags
    Easy Salmon Marinades

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

LOOKING FOR RECIPES? SEARCH HERE!

About Me

Hi, I am Tati and welcome to my online kitchen. A foodie, wife and mom of 2 adorable boys. Read More…

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Phone
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube



Search Recipes

Footer

SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE RECIPES STRAIGHT INTO YOUR INBOX!

CONNECT WITH ME – CHEFJAR

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Privacy Policy
  • ABOUT ME
  • Recipe index

Copyright © 2023 · CHEFJAR