If you like food and are on TikTok, you may have seen the beautiful Emily Mariko make this TikTok Salmon and Rice Bowl that has gone viral. Trust me, it lives up to the hype, and the best part is that you don’t even have to “cook” it!
Emily Mariko’s salmon rice bowl took TikTok by storm in 2021. The simple yet delicious recipe features cooked salmon, rice, avocado, kewpie mayonnaise, sriracha mayo, and soy sauce. It became an overnight sensation, with millions trying out the bowl thanks to its short ingredient list and ease of preparation.
But is this bowl secretly packed with calories? At first glance it seems healthy with salmon providing protein and healthy fats. Yet the avocado and creamy sauces stirred in make you wonder if it adds up to more calories than expected.
In this article, we’ll break down the nutrition facts and calculate the calories per serving in Emily Mariko’s viral TikTok salmon bowl recipe Read on to find out if you can enjoy this bowl guilt-free!
Calculating the Calories in Emily Mariko’s Signature Salmon Bowl
Here’s a look at the calorie count for each ingredient that goes into the original recipe
- Salmon (3 oz cooked): 179 calories, 10g fat, 22g protein
- Rice (1/2 cup uncooked): 165 calories, 0g fat, 3g protein
- Avocado (1/4 avocado): 56 calories, 5g fat, 1g protein
- Kewpie mayo (1 Tbsp): 57 calories, 6g fat, 0g protein
- Sriracha mayo (1 Tbsp kewpie mayo + 1/2 tsp sriracha): 60 calories, 6g fat, 0g protein
- Soy sauce (1 tsp): 5 calories, 0g fat, 1g protein
When you add up the calories for all the ingredients, the total comes to 522 calories per serving.
Here’s a breakdown of the full nutrition facts in Emily’s viral TikTok salmon bowl:
- Total Calories: 522
- Total Fat: 27g
- Total Carbs: 33g
- Total Protein: 27g
So while not exactly a low-calorie dish, it remains under 600 calories for a satisfying meal.
How 522 Calories Fits Into Your Daily Calorie Needs
To understand how 522 calories fits into your overall diet, let’s see how it compares to recommended daily calorie intakes.
The average moderately active woman needs around 2,000 calories per day. For men, it’s 2,500 calories per day.
That means this salmon bowl makes up about 26% of the average woman’s total daily calories. For the average man, it’s around 21% of their daily calorie needs.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
- Sedentary adult female (19-25 years old): 25% of 2,000 calories
- Moderately active female: 26% of 2,200 calories
- Active female: 24% of 2,400 calories
- Sedentary adult male (19-30 years old): 21% of 2,400 calories
- Moderately active male: 21% of 2,600-2,800 calories
- Active male: 20% of 3,000 calories
As you can see, while not low-calorie, Emily’s bowl can work as a meal for most adults while staying within recommended daily calorie intakes.
Tips for Enjoying the Salmon Bowl Guilt-Free
Here are some tips to enjoy Emily Mariko’s viral salmon bowl as part of a balanced diet:
- Use it as a lighter dinner option
- Pair it with veggie sides like salad or roasted broccoli
- Go easy on the mayo-based sauces
- Stick to reasonable portion sizes
- Balance it out with lighter meals and snacks
- Substitute cauliflower rice to reduce carbs/calories
- Add more veggies like edamame or spinach
Making a Lighter Version at Home
You can also make healthier tweaks at home, like this lightened-up version:
Ingredients:
- 3 oz salmon
- 1⁄2 cup riced cauliflower
- 1⁄4 avocado
- 1⁄2 Tbsp kewpie mayo
- 1⁄2 tsp sriracha
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 cup spinach
Steps:
- Cook salmon and rice cauliflower.
- Gently mix in avocado, mayo, sriracha, soy sauce, and spinach.
Nutrition for Lightened-Up Version:
- Calories: 370
- Fat: 18g
- Carbs: 13g
- Protein: 30g
So by using cauliflower rice and increasing veggies while decreasing mayo, you can enjoy a lighter take on this viral recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in a grilled salmon bowl?
A grilled salmon bowl has around 990 calories total.
What are the calories in a spicy salmon bowl?
A spicy salmon bowl contains approximately 470 calories.
How many calories in a salmon rice bowl TikTok recipe?
The TikTok viral salmon rice bowl recipe has about 575 calories per serving.
How many calories in salmon and rice?
A serving of salmon and rice contains 358 calories.
Who created the famous TikTok salmon rice bowl?
The viral TikTok salmon bowl recipe was created by Emily Mariko.
The Bottom Line
Emily Mariko’s wildly popular TikTok salmon rice bowl contains around 522 calories per serving. This makes it a reasonable meal option that can fit into a balanced diet when enjoyed in moderation. Use healthy preparation tips and balance it out with lighter meals to feel good about enjoying this crave-worthy bowl!
What readers are saying…
“This is 100% my jam. I love salmon, and bowl meals are always a treat. Definitely making this beauty again.
TikTok food trends don’t really make sense to me. I’ve tried a lot of them, but only SIX have made it onto the blog. The “Tortilla Trend” is one that I’ve made more times than I can remember. Gigi Hadid’s spicy vodka pasta and Baked by Melissa’s Green Goddess Salad are two more that should be on this list.
This TikTok Salmon Rice Bowl recipe was a hit when I made it! I couldn’t even take a picture of it because I was so hungry!!! Here is the recipe and all of my tips for making it perfect. Since I’ve made this exactly 40,000 times, I have it down to a TikTok science .
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this delicious TikTok Rice Bowl with Salmon:
Salmon: This recipe was written to use ONCE-USED salmon, but you can also cook some “fresh” salmon! My Easy Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon works great in this dish. I always use wild-caught salmon fillets for the best taste.
Rice: Cold, leftover rice straight from the fridge is what Emily uses in her recipe. The ice cube trick she uses is pretty handy, too. You can cook fresh rice in a rice cooker or Instant Pot, or you can use Trader Joe’s microwaveable rice packets.
Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise: I am able to find this delicious Japanese mayo at my regular chain grocery store. But if you can’t find it, regular mayo works just fine. Even better, make the sriracha mayo from my shrimp bowl recipe!.
Soy Sauce: You can use any kind of soy sauce you have in the fridge. Regular, low sodium, or even Maggi works great. You can also use Tamari or coconut aminos instead.
HOW TO MAKE THIS VIRAL SALMON AND RICE BOWL: STEP BY STEP
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that the recipe card below will include full instructions with exact ingredients!.
Step 1: Flake leftover salmon into small pieces with a fork.
Step 2: Add rice and an ice cube. Throw it in the microwave for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes until it’s warm. Cover it with parchment paper or a paper plate.
Step 3: Add a drizzle of soy sauce, mayo, and sriracha; mix well.
Step 4: Top with avocado slices and more sriracha, if you like!
Step 5: Serve on it’s own or in mini wraps using seaweed sheets!
The salmon and rice bowl should have a loose lid when it’s in the microwave so that the ice cube can steam the food. You can use a paper plate or even just a paper towel instead of parchment paper in the TikTok video. Make sure it’s loose so the steam can escape.
Fish and rice from the night before make up most of this dish, so it doesn’t keep or reheat very well.
That being said, if you have any leftovers, store the salmon and rice in an airtight container. I put some seaweed around some leftover salmon and rice and nuked it for about 30 seconds. It was heaven. It’s not unheard of, just not ideal .