Classic Maki Sushi Rolls, Ranked Worst To Best

Sushi is an edible art form that is as old as time itself. Emerging during the Bronze Age in Southeast Asia, fish was pressed and fermented with rice and vinegar as a means of preservation. This made it a reliable source of calories and protein and, thus, crucial to the development of societies in that era. As time passed and people migrated, so did sushi. The practice eventually reached Japan and — as occurs with so many things that touch Japan's shores — sushi, once utilitarian, became a highly elevated craft.

All modern sushi styles — nigiri, sashimi, chirashi, inari, maki — are credited to the Japanese. All are celebrated modes of sushi service with their own set of rules for dining and decorum, but it was makizushi, unbound from overbearing etiquette, that won over the world. Essentially ingredients rolled in seasoned rice and nori seaweed, it is the perfect vehicle for just about anything you can imagine eating.

Makizushi's simplicity also allows for endless interpretations. Uramaki, temaki, and futomaki are just a few expressions in the world of makizushi. You can also find nearly every conceivable protein rolled into rice and seaweed. Even regional variations of maki rolls found half a world away from Japan are commonplace. Nowadays, makizushi truly is synonymous with global cuisine.

It is important to remember makizushi's roots, however. As makizushi's appeal continues to grow, we find it necessary to celebrate its origins as well as modern classics. From the mundane to the insane to the sublime, it can be difficult to discern what maki rolls are worth your time and attention. Let this list be your guide.

This roll is arguably the most famous interpretation of sushi in the entire world. The funny part is, it has very little to do with its Japanese origins or its namesake. Not quite a facsimile of Japanese makizushi, this roll of avocado, cucumber, and imitation crab emerged in 1970s North America. By most accounts, its roots actually lie in Vancouver, not California. Regardless of its odd beginnings, this roll defines the majority of the globe's understanding of sushi.

But is it good? If you're looking for something inoffensive, it's perfectly fine. Imitation crab, avocado, and cucumber are not unfamiliar ingredients in sushi, but to say they work well in tandem is a stretch. If your sushi journey begins here, that's wonderful — just don't let it end here.

Just like the previously mentioned California roll, the dynamite roll is a product of Western influence. A type of uramaki, otherwise known as an "inside-out" roll, nori seaweed hugs the ingredients while seasoned rice faces outward. This style of maki roll is much more common in the West than in Japan, though that makes it no less delicious. The dynamite roll, however, might be a little too concerned with being delicious.

A dynamite roll is usually filled with tempura shrimp, avocado, and cucumber, then topped with flying fish roe. That alone makes for a delicious roll, but the dynamite roll is never done there. It also gets painted with mayonnaise, soy sauce, sriracha, and a variety of other condiments. The result is a roll that moves in the right direction but gets bogged down by too many ingredients.

The first hosomaki to make our list, this class of sushi roll is cigar-like in shape and rolled with a single ingredient. Hosomaki are common throughout Japan, found everywhere from convenience stores to sushi counters. Their external wrap of nori seaweed makes them versatile and easy to handle — perfect for a quick bite on the go.

Shinko maki usually contains takuan, thinly sliced daikon radish that takes on a profoundly sweet flavor and bright yellow color from being fermented in rice bran. Takuan is unique in that it remains extremely crunchy through the pickling process, making for a compelling texture experience. Beyond its flavor, shinko maki is just fun to look at. Its bright yellow center is a sharp deviation from the colors that frequent sushi fillings in the West.

Another hosomaki, this sushi roll is filled with shibazuke, pickled eggplant. You're probably familiar with eggplant in sushi service — grilled or fried eggplant served as nigiri has been a persistent feature on sushi menus for several decades, surely as a way to appeal to vegetarian diners. Shibazuke maki is not that. Shibazuke maki is better.

Shibazuke is thinly sliced eggplant fermented with vinegar, red shiso leaves, and myoga, a fragrant relative of ginger. A very popular pickle in Japan, shibazuke is frequently served on rice and in makizushi. Both salty and sour, it's a curious yet refreshing filling for sushi rolls. Similar to the takuan found in shinko maki, the neon purple of the shibazuke makes this an exciting roll to order at any sushi counter.

Horenso maki, otherwise known as a spinach roll, applies to quite a few different types of rolls. Sometimes, it can be as simple as simmered and chopped spinach rolled into an uramaki. Other iterations find it tucked into the center of a rolled omelet or wrapped in rice and grilled pork belly. While all of these are delicious, they are not our featured maki. The horenso maki we're discussing can be difficult to find in sushi restaurants. It is most common in the ready-made food section of Japanese grocery stores.

Easily the most vibrant roll on the list, this maki sushi is wrapped in spinach leaves that glow green from being lightly blanched. Usually filled with cucumber, carrot, and pickled daikon, horenso maki is a vegetarian sushi lover's dream.

Natto, the most dreaded of all Japanese ingredients. For the uninitiated, natto can be truly horrifying. Natto is silky, sticky fermented soybeans that clump together in a spiderweb-like mucus and smell strongly of something similar to a foot odor — not exactly everyone's idea of a delicious meal. Yet, in Japan, it is sacrosanct. Truth be told, there is a lot to love about natto if you can make it past the initial shock. It adds depth and deliciousness to soups, dressings, rice, and, of course, sushi.

Natto maki is ubiquitous in Japanese convenience stores. Sold both whole and precut, it is the snack of choice for many of the country's salarymen. It makes sense, as well. Natto maki is among the cheapest rolls on the market, boasts a hefty amount of protein, and is quite tasty. The off-putting smell of natto is greatly diminished once rolled into sushi. Any lingering funk simply adds to the character of this mighty maki.

Is the spider roll really so different from the dynamite roll? Absolutely not. Is it simply more fun? Unequivocally, yes.

A spider roll consists of breaded and fried soft-shell crab, cucumber, and avocado wrapped in an uramaki roll. Mayonnaise, soy sauce, and Japanese Worcestershire frequently make an appearance here as well. All the complaints about the dynamite roll hold true here — the spider roll is flavor overload — but the plating of this roll makes it one of the most exciting things you can order at a sushi restaurant.

Fried soft-shell crab is already a great justification for ordering this roll, but the fact that the crab's little legs poke out the ends of the uramaki like the itsy-bitsy spider? Incredible. It's whimsical and borders on genius. Even sushi purists cannot deny the personality of this roll.

The most visually stunning of all uramaki, the rainbow roll is a great example of the West's slow adoption of Japanese principles in sushi. At its core, the rainbow roll is just a California roll — cucumber, avocado, and imitation crab — but with layers of thinly sliced salmon, tuna, and avocado, it launches itself into the next echelon of the maki hierarchy.

The rainbow roll serves as a great stepping stone in many Westerners' sushi journeys and an even greater example of the wonderful possibilities of fusion. Many variations of this roll exist, featuring different types of tuna, such as bluefin and yellowfin, as well as snapper, flounder, and even eel. The beauty of the rainbow roll lies in the sheer possibility it contains within its name.

Unagi is freshwater conger eel, and it is an immensely popular protein in Japan. Lauded for its tender flake and subtle flavor, you can find it sizzling on charcoal grills throughout the country. The preparation is consistent wherever you go — thin strips of eel are coated in a thick lacquer of soy sauce, sugar, and sake (a concoction also known as eel sauce) — and sprinkled with prickly, numbing sansho pepper. The flavor of this preparation is so famous that unagi permeates many food products in Japan, from potato chips to sandwiches to sushi.

Unagi is usually found on nigiri in Japan, but it has made its way into uramaki in America. Variations exist — eel can be inside or outside the roll, and cream cheese may or may not be present — but one nonnegotiable element of the unagi roll is the syrupy eel sauce that gives this roll its signature sweetness.

Surely the most common makizushi in all of Japan, kappa maki is a perfect example of the country's traditional cuisine. Sliced cucumber rolled in seasoned rice and nori seaweed — that's it! Kappa maki is, in that way, a meditation. Its simplicity is its charm. That's not to say variations don't exist. Kappa maki can also be found with pickled plum paste at its center, offering a tart take on the roll that is particularly popular in the summertime.

If it seems surprising that a roll this simple would be featured so highly on this list, it's worth considering how sushi is presented to us. When we are granted such flavorful condiments as soy sauce and wasabi, simple rolls like kappa maki become the best vehicle for expressing those flavors. No part of the ensemble is lost.

Salmon and ikura are common compatriots in sushi. They are frequently found together on nigiri as well as in sushi rolls. It makes sense — pairing salmon with its own eggs creates a fantastically briny combination. The only flaw in this strategy is how easily the round ikura roll off their sushi bed. The answer to this problem lies in the largest of all sushi rolls: temaki.

Temaki means hand roll, referring not only to how it is made but also to how it is meant to be eaten. Temaki is quite literally the Japanese version of a burrito. It allows for a greater amount of ingredients to be held within a sushi roll, making it the most filling roll on our list. In addition to the hefty helpings of this roll, ikura and salmon are often paired with a green shiso leaf when in temaki. The balance of conflicting flavors — briny, bitter, and herbaceous — creates a deeply compelling sushi roll.

The king of all hosomaki, tekka maki stars bluefin tuna as the filling in this simple maki roll of vinegar-seasoned rice and nori seaweed. Bluefin tuna is by far the most prized fish in sushi culture and can fetch obscene prices in sushi restaurants, depending on the cut. Maguro, chutoro, and otoro are widely accepted as the finest cuts of the tuna, with prices increasing based on quality and fat content.

What sets tekka maki apart is that its filling isn't taken from those premium cuts at all. Instead, it's made with tuna scrape — the bits of leftover muscle located closest to the bone. While some consider it an off-cut, its location near the fish's skeleton makes it arguably the most flavorful part of the fish, not to mention the most affordable. Tekka maki is a great way to experience a bit of luxury on a budget.

Kanpyo seems like a strange ingredient for sushi if you've never heard of it. There's a good chance you haven't — and that's OK. That's why we're here.

Kanpyo is dried calabash gourd. Simmered in a bath of seasoned dashi and then rolled into hosomaki, it offers a delightful balance of salty, sweet, and sour flavors packed into a tiny sushi roll. It looks quite a bit like caramelized onions when rolled up in rice, but the flavor is distinctly kanpyo. The gourd is naturally sour — a quality it maintains even after being simmered in the mirin-sweetened dashi stock.

Kanpyo's texture is shockingly similar to red meat, albeit slightly squeaky. This unique texture, in combination with its dazzling flavor, makes kanpyo maki a standout among its hosomaki peers.

The dynamite roll, the spider roll — we've been slightly critical of other uramaki with fried ingredients on this list. Those criticisms, however, only exist because there is a better choice. That choice is the crunchy shrimp roll. The crunchy shrimp roll is everything right about fusion: tempura-fried shrimp, avocado, and cucumber, rolled uramaki style and dressed with bright orange flying fish roe. It is the perfect balance of flavor, crunch, and visual appeal.

As always, variations exist. Sometimes it gets sauced with Worcestershire or stuffed with mayonnaise, but the classic is what stands up to all other uramaki. As evidence of its supreme interpretation of sushi, the crunchy shrimp roll has been readopted in Japan, where it's called ebi maki. It exists as a testament to our shared tastes in the food world. We all agree this roll is good.

The number one maki roll on our list, the champion of them all, is futomaki. While it may not be as big as a temaki, this is still the largest roll in the hosomaki family. Futomaki is probably the one sushi roll you should never try to eat in a single bite, regardless of the circumstance. Circumstance, by the way, has everything to do with this maki.

The most revered of all maki rolls, futomaki is reserved for spring picnics, holidays, and special celebrations. It can contain many ingredients, but the traditional futomaki is the most well-known and most delicious. Cubed omelet, kanpyo, simmered shiitake mushrooms, spinach, cucumber, and fried bean curd are all usual suspects in this esteemed roll.

Outside of its lofty place in Japanese culture, all the ingredients in this maki culminate to create something truly delicious. Salty, savory, sweet, sour, and slightly bitter, it is everything you want in a single serving of makizushi.