Rice Meals · Japan

How Many Calories in Kaisen Don?

Also known as 海鮮丼, かいせん丼, Seafood Rice Bowl, Sashimi Bowl, Chirashi Don.

Assorted raw fish and seafood, usually salmon, tuna, squid, prawn, ikura and tamago, laid over a bowl of sushi rice. Sold at fish markets, sushi shops and donburi chains for 1,200 to 2,500 yen.

580kcal / 1 bowl
A standard kaisen don is about 580 calories. The 250g of sushi rice is 400 of that. The 90g of assorted sashimi on top is only about 135 calories and gives the bowl 32g of protein. Ikura, tamago and the soy sauce make up the rest.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 bowl (380g)AmountPer 100g
Calories580 kcal153 kcal
Protein32 g8 g
Carbs82 g22 g
Fat12 g3 g

Where the calories come from

Sushi rice250g
400 kcal
Assorted sashimi (salmon, tuna, squid, prawn)90g
135 kcal
Ikura10g
27 kcal
Tamago (sweet omelette)15g
25 kcal
Soy sauce, wasabi, shiso, pickled ginger15g
5 kcal

The real talk

Kaisen don is the rare donburi where the topping is the light part. Ninety grams of mixed sashimi is 135 calories and 25g of protein. Compare that with the same bowl topped with beef for gyudon (633) or a fried cutlet for katsudon (866). The seafood is doing nothing wrong. The rice is the same 250g of sweetened, vinegared rice that goes under everything else, and that is 400 calories.

The mix matters a little. Salmon is the fattiest common fish at 200 calories per 100g, tuna akami is 125, squid is 85, and prawn is 90. A bowl that is all salmon and toro is 100 calories more than one weighted towards tuna, squid and whitefish. Ikura is 270 per 100g but you only get 10 to 15g, so 30 to 40 calories. Uni is similar. Neither is worth worrying about.

Where it goes wrong is the market 'deluxe' bowl. Tourist market kaisen don at 3,000 yen come piled with 200g of fish, a crab leg and double ikura, and the extra fish alone is another 250 calories. Still not terrible at 850 for that much protein, but it is not the 580 you had in mind. The miso soup on the side is 40 and worth having.

How the portions compare

470 kcal
Small bowl (rice 180g)
580 kcal
Standard bowl
850 kcal
Deluxe market bowl (double fish, ikura)

Kaisen Don variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Tekka don (tuna only)520 kcalLean akami tuna over rice
Standard kaisen don580 kcalMixed fish, some ikura
Salmon ikura don650 kcalFattier fish, more ikura
Deluxe market bowl850 kcal200g fish, crab, uni, double ikura

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in a kaisen don?
About 580 for a standard bowl. The rice is 400 of that and the sashimi only 135. Deluxe market bowls with double fish reach 850.
Is kaisen don good for weight loss?
One of the better donburi options. About 580 calories with 32g of protein and only 12g of fat. Gyudon has less protein at more calories, katsudon almost 300 more calories.
Which fish in kaisen don has the most calories?
Salmon and toro at about 200 calories per 100g. Lean tuna is 125, squid 85, prawn 90. An all-salmon bowl is roughly 100 calories more than a tuna and squid bowl.
How much protein in a kaisen don?
About 32g, mostly from 90g of fish. That is more than a katsudon or oyakodon manages.

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical restaurant, ramen shop or konbini serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

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