Learn how to make sushi rice perfectly every time with step-by-step pictures and a video tutorial. All you need is simple ingredients such as sushi vinegar, sugar, salt and dashi kombu. Once you master the secret of making the rice, you will be ready to dish up all kinds of mouth-watering sushi recipes!
Perfectly cooked Sushi Rice (酢飯) is fundamental in making authentic sushi and exploring Japanese cooking. Once you’ve mastered perfectly seasoned and fluffy sushi rice, your sushi tastes much better. This authentic sushi rice recipe is easy to make at home. Follow my basic tutorial for perfect sushi rice.
What is Sushi Rice?
In Japan, sushi rice means the steamed rice that’s flavored with vinegar-based seasonings and we only use this vinegared rice when we make all kinds of sushi. If you are here looking for a recipe to make plain steamed rice, see my post on How to Make Rice post.
However, it gets a little tricky because some rice companies outside of Japan call their short-grain Japanese rice “sushi rice”. It definitely calls for attention especially if you are planning to make Japanese food, like sushi.
So when your sushi recipe says sushi rice, make sure to make “vinegared rice” with short-grain Japanese rice.
In Japanese, we call sushi rice Sushi-meshi 鮨飯, Su-meshi (酢飯), or shari (シャリ). It’s made of white, short-grain Japanese rice seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Brown rice is sometimes used outside of Japan, but it’s not common in sushi restaurants in Japan.
Why do we season rice with vinegar to make sushi?
You might wonder why the Japanese season rice with vinegar. It actually goes back to the origin of sushi. The literal meaning of sushi means “sour flavor”. Historically, the way people stored fish was by wrapping it in fermented rice. When they were ready to enjoy the fish, the fermented rice was actually tossed away. Sometime between the 1300s and 1500s, the Japanese slowly stopped using fermented rice and instead added vinegar to the rice to further increase the shelf life. The vinegar made the rice taste good as well so they started to eat the fish and the rice together, which evolved to today’s sushi.
These days with refrigeration there is no longer the issue of fish being spoiled, but the centuries of sushi rice’s umami flavor with the vinegar being added stayed.
How to Make Perfect Sushi Rice
1. Type of Rice
To achieve an authentic Japanese standard, you want to use only short-grain Japanese rice to make sushi rice. This is because the consistency and flavor of Japanese rice are very different from long-grain rice, jasmine rice, or other types of rice. With a higher content of moisture, Japanese rice is characterized by its unique stickiness and texture, which attributes to the toothsome bite of authentic sushi.
There are various Japanese rice brands out there available in the market. Some of my favorite ‘first grade’ brands for Japanese rice include Koshihikari from Toyama Prefecture, Japan, or Koshihikari from California (see my Pantry page).
2. Preparing the Rice
To produce properly cooked Japanese rice, you want to make sure the rice is washed and rinsed for a few times until no more starch comes out from the water. Then let the rice soaked for at least 30 minutes before cooking. This allows the rice grains to yield a better texture.
3. Cooking Tools
You can cook the rice using a pot over the stove, but the most convenient way is to cook sushi rice using an electric rice cooker. In my Japanese home kitchen, my trusted rice cooker brand is Zojirushi Rice Cooker. Because I cook sushi rice often, this rice cooker has ‘sushi’ option which makes it really easy to ensure perfectly cooked rice.
4. Seasonings
The basic seasonings needed for sushi rice include sushi vinegar, salt, and sugar to achieve the balance of sweet, salty and sourish taste. If you can find kombu, I highly recommend adding it to cook with the rice for a more umami flavor.
You can use pre-made sushi vinegar or simply make it yourself by combining rice vinegar, sugar, and salt.
Is My Sushi Rice Perfectly Cooked?
After the rice is steamed, the texture should be fluffy with a firm bite. And each rice grain should be sticky yet retain its shape. Mushy rice means it has too much water or it’s overcooked. If the rice is fresh, you will see a nice shiny gloss on the surface of each grain.
There you have it – the basics of making sushi rice perfectly! Once you get the rice right, you’ll be ready to make some delicious sushi recipes.
Watch How To Make Sushi Rice
Simple instruction on how to make sushi rice with kombu, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Learn how to make sushi rice perfectly every time with step-by-step pictures and a video tutorial. All you need is simple ingredients such as sushi vinegar, sugar, salt and dashi kombu. Once you master the secret of making the rice, you will be ready to dish up all kinds of mouth-watering sushi recipes!
- 3 rice cooker cups uncooked Japanese short-grain rice (540 ml, 3 gō, 3合, 450 g) (See Notes)
- Water (See Step 9)
- 2 inches kombu (dried kelp) (5 g, 2" x 2" OR 5 cm x 5 cm)(or ½ tsp Konbucha) (optional - but it will give nice aroma!)
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar (80 ml)
- 3 Tbsp sugar (You can use 2 Tbsp if you want to cut down on sugar)
- 1 ½ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
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Gather all the ingredients.
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Please note: 1 rice cooker cup is 180 ml. So when you use a rice cooker, 1 cup means a rice cooker cup.
- Put rice in a large bowl. Rinse the rice and discard the water immediately. Rice absorbs water very quickly when you start washing, so don't let the rice absorb the unclear water. Repeat this process 1-2 times.
- Now use your fingers to gently wash the rice by moving in a circular motion.
- Rinse and discard water. Repeat this process 3-4 times.
- Let the rice soak in water for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the rice into a sieve and drain completely.
- Gently clean the dashi kombu with a damp cloth but leave the white powdery substances which contribute to the umami flavor in dashi. Do not wash the kombu.
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Put the rice in the rice cooker bowl and add water (not hot or warm) to just under the 3 cup line. If your rice cooker has "Sushi" option, add water to 3 cup line for "Sushi". Since you add sushi vinegar to the rice, rice is on the firm side. If you cook rice without a rice cooker, water should be about 540 ml. Place the kombu on top of the rice and start cooking.
- To make sushi vinegar, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved. You can also put the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute, or till sugar is dissolved. Set aside to let it cool.
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When the rice is cooked, moisten sushi oke/hangiri (a round, flat-bottom wooden tub) or a large glass bowl with water so the rice will not stick. Transfer the cooked rice into the sushi oke and spread out evenly so the rice will cool faster. While it’s hot, pour sushi vinegar over the rice.
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With a rice paddle, slice the rice at a 45 degree to separate the chunks of rice instead of mixing. At the same time, you need to use a fan to cool rice so the rice will shine and doesn't get mushy.
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Then gently flip the rice in between slices. Repeat this process until the rice is cooled to the temperature of human skin.
- Keep the rice covered with a damp towel (or paper towel) until ready to use.
Rice: 1 rice cooker cup is 180 ml, not the same as 1 cup (US 240 ml). 1 rice cooker cup will make 2 rice cooker cups of cooked rice. Please use short grain rice for sushi.
Want to make less sushi rice? If you want to use 2 rice cooker cups (360 ml) instead of 3 cups, you can adjust sushi vinegar ingredients as following: 4 Tbsp rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp kosher salt.
Sushi Vinegar: There is a convenient Sushi Seasoning available at Japanese/Asian grocery store.
Equipment you will need:
- rice cooker - If you don't have a rice cooker, please follow How To Make Steamed Rice (in a pot).
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Sushi Recipes
Now with Sushi Rice, you can make all kinds of sushi recipes! If you are interested in learning more about Sushi, check out Learning at Sushi Skills Seminar in San Francisco. Enjoy!
- California Roll
- Dragon Roll
- Spicy Tuna Roll
- Yellowtail Tuna Roll (Negihama Maki)
- Hosomaki (Thin Sushi Roll)
- Futomaki (Thick Sushi Roll)
- Chirashi Sushi
- Saba Oshizushi (Mackerel Pressed Sushi)
- Inari Sushi
- Temaki Sushi (Hand Roll)
- Temari Sushi
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Aug 18, 2011. Photos updated in November 2013, video added in November 2014, content updated in May 2017.
Our Recommendations for Buying Sashimi Online
When we have a sudden craving for sashimi we usually buy from our local Japanese supermarkets. If you don't have a reliable shop to purchase quality sashimi nearby, we would recommend buying from Catalina Offshore online.
They've been in business for over forty years and all the sashimi products we've tried from them are outstanding. The products we love are the saku cut tuna, hamachi loin, and all types of salmon. Disclosure: We earn a small percentage commission from your purchase of products linked to Catalina Offshore.
Hi Nami!
I tried it (with the spicy tuna) and we all loved it! Thank you for the wonderful recipe! 🙂 I have a small family though and have some leftover sushi rice. How do I keep it? Do I just leave it in the bowl covered with the damp towel until tomorrow? I’m assuming the vinegar acts as a preservative. Or can I store it in the ref and reheat when I’m going to make sushi again?
It will depend on the climate you live in. If its cool place you could leave it out covered with plastic wrap but otherwise I recommend you to store in the fridge. :). Glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you very much for your feedback!
It’s warm here so I’ll put it in the fridge. Thanks Nami! 🙂
Hi from Argentina!
I wonder if you have this same recipe (meaning your own traditional method) but without using a rice cooker!
***
Thanks for sharing lots of beautiful pictures and gorgeous dishes!
I’m a cook and I just love Japanese culture… it’s always awesome to find people like you, who share their family and/or traditional recipes. 🙂
Some day I will visit Japan and eat those wonderful meals in front of those awesome landscapes!!
Love your blooog :3
Cheers!
Paula.
Hi Paula! Thank you for your kind comment. I have to make a post on how to make rice without a rice cooker. It’s been on my list to blog, but haven’t had the time to create a post yet… Thanks for reminding me though!
I hope you can visit Japan one day! Thank you very much for your feedback! xo
I also would like to have the recipe without the rice cooker (I’m from Uruguay and we don’t really have access to this kind of kitchenware).
I’m browsing through your blog for the first time and I’m finding really interesting, will definetly come back!
Thank you Veronica! This is on my top of the list. Thank you for your request! 🙂
On an electric stove use a flame tamer to prevent Browning the bottom.
Thanks for your tip, Lisa!
hi how many sushi’s can that make?
Hi Prissie! If you make sushi roll, you will need about 1/2 cup of cooked rice per roll (about 1/4 cup of uncooked rice). For nigiri sushi, you can make 3-4 nirigi sushi with 1/2 cup cooked rice. Hope that helps. 🙂
Hi, I am from Portugal and here we do not have many chinese stores (not the food ones) and here where I live we have none, so I would like to know if I cand do the fried tofu pockets only with regular tofu… I would buy a block and fry it? Many thanks, I looove ur blog 🙂
Hi Teresa! If you’re talking about the fried tofu pockets (like a pouch) like this below, then no, the process to make this type of fried tofu is different from a regular block of tofu to make…
https://www.justonecookbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Aburaage-Fried-Tofu-Pouches.jpg
But if you’re talking about “friend tofu” (no pockets), like Agedashi Tofu, then yes we do use regular tofu to make. The recipe is blow:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/agedashi-tofu-2/
I didn’t know I need kombu when cooking sushi rice! I made some sushi at a party one time and back then, the recipe didn’t mention kombu. Was wondering why there’s some flavor missing and now I know why!
Hi Maggie! Yes, we usually put kombu to make sushi rice. 🙂
Hi Nami
I have just discovered your site yesterday , I love it , looking forward to trying your recipes , Japanese cheesecake , and the green tea and white chocolate biscuits are on my to do list , also the cucumber wrapped sushi looks devine , cannot wait to try these , Thank you for your beautiful recipes , I am sure I will learn a lot from you ,
Kind regards , Maureen
Hi Maureen! Thank you for writing and I’m so happy to hear you found my site and enjoy reading! Good luck with the recipes, and I hope you enjoy them. 🙂
Ummmm… I may have missed this. But how much water am I to put for a cup of rice if my cooker doesn’t have a sushi rice setting?
Hi Jack! In Step 5, I mentioned that you need to add cold water to just under the 3 cup line. Because later on you add the sushi vinegar to cooked rice, we need to cook with a little bit less water so the sushi rice won’t be too mushy. Hope this helps. 🙂
Hi Nami! So when I made the vinegar mixture, after I tipped it on to the rice, there was some undissolved sugar at the bottom, do I tipp it in or do I just leave it. Thanks, love your blog btw! 🙂
Hi Renee! In step 6, we need to completely dissolve the sugar (so we won’t leave any undissolved sugar). Hope this helps. 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind words! xo
Thanks for the easy to follow instructions, BTW can I ask whats the reason for leaving the rice to soak for 30 mins?
Hi Jonathan! Thank you for checking my recipe! For Japanese rice, we usually let the rice soak for at least 15-30 minutes so the rice have enough moisture inside. Hope this helps. 🙂
how to make that black roll …. is it fish skin ….. ?? ….
if no one wants to answer my question its fine …….. caz its a pathetic one
The black thing you see is called “Nori” and it’s sheet of seaweed. We use it for making sushi and other things. Hope this helps! 🙂
Hi can I cook sushi rice with just coconut milk instead of vinegar? If so, do i need to add anything else to the coconut? Please can you give me instructions on how to cook sushi rice with coconut milk.
Hi Fatema! Thank you for asking! First of all, “Sushi Rice” in Japan means “vinegared rice” that is ONLY used for making sushi. So if you’re not going to make sushi, this is not the recipe you follow.
You might want to check How To Cook Rice recipe below:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/how-to-cook-rice/
I never used coconut milk to cook rice, so I’m not the best person to recommend/suggest how to cook it. Sorry I can’t be good help… 🙁
can we use regular rice instead of japanese short grain rice ?
Hi Daniel! What’s “regular” rice? Long grain? Technically you should use short grain rice because each grain is stickier than let’s say long grain rice that are more separate from each other. If you try to make sushi, the rice “may” be not stick together. If you can find a small bag of short grain rice, I’d recommend to use it to make sushi. 🙂
Please tell me how far in advance I can make California rolls, etc for a cocktail party? If I can prepare ahead of time, how do I cover them?
Hi Georgie! The problem is avocado. You have to squeeze lemon to keep the avocado’s green color longer, but still the avocado turn dark after a day. It doesn’t look as nice when we don’t see green avocado in the rolls. I’d recommend to prepare in the afternoon if the cocktail party is at night. If it’s on the same day, keep it at a cool place or refrigerate especially if it’s summer. I usually put rolls on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and then cover with kitchen towel so rice doesn’t get too cold (and become too hard), before putting in the fridge. Hope this helps!
There are a lot of other rolls to make that will hold up well. I love avocado but as Nami said, the avocado will turn brown unless some type of citrus juice, lime or lemon, is added. There are other products that can be bought at the grocery store that contain citric acid, ascorbic acid (vit C), dextrose, etc. to be used to keep fruits/vegs from browning. Personally, a California roll would not be my first choice. I dislike imitation crab (my cats won’t even eat it). If you’re trying to appease an American palate, I’d lean towards a Philadelphia roll. That will keep well if pre-made the day of the party. Smoked salmon is preserved. Just don’t let the nori become soggy. Simple vegetable rolls like kappa maki (cucumber) are easy to make and will be liked by the vegetarians out there. Variations can include adding takuan (daikon pickle), beni shoga (red pickled ginger), green onion, or other Japanese pickle. This way one doesn’t have to worry about fish going bad. Main thing is to keep rice from becoming hard (yes, Nami!) and nori becoming too damp. Hope this helps!!!!
Thank you for your advice, Chieko! 🙂
Thanks!
I love shabu shabu thanks for the recipe and your siteis very helpful
Hi Maria! I hope you enjoy my Shabu Shabu recipe! Thank you so much for your kind comment! 🙂
Thank you kindly for this recipe. Would this sushi/vinegar rice work well for onigiri as well?
Hi Laura! We only use sushi rice for making sushi. For Onigiri, we use regular steamed rice (basically the steamed rice before we pour the sushi vinegar to make sushi rice).
However, if you like that flavor of sushi rice, it’s totally okay. It’s just traditionally we do not use sushi rice for rice ball.
Hope this helps! 🙂
We’ve made the sushi rice several times and it is amazing. My 5 year old is demanding sushi every weekend, he loves it so much. I also find the description very detailed and helpful for foreigners.
I have a quick question, I would like to make the rice in advance but to consume it the same day. How many hours in advance can I cook it? Can I store it outside of the fridge? The room temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius. Thanx in advance.
Hi Maria! So happy to hear your son enjoy homemade sushi! In general, sushi vinegar keeps the rice safer than just leaving out the steamed rice at room temperature. I think 4-6 hours should be okay? Make sure to keep it in a cooler place and cover with a damp cotton cloth (breathable) instead of plastic wrap (avoid condensation etc). 🙂
Thank you for your kind feedback!
Hi, I dont have rice vinegar. Can I use other vinegar?
Hi Joy! Unfortunately I only recommend to use rice vinegar. Other vinegar tastes and smells very different and you probably don’t want to use for sushi rice…. Hope this helps!
I want to make all Japanese recipes. But v r vegetarian so Pls send me all kinds of vegetarian recipes.
Hi Tejal! Here is a collection of vegetarian recipes on my blog:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/categories/by-type/vegetarian/
Hope you enjoy!
What is kombu n wasabi? ?
Please read about kombu here:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry/kombu/
and wasabi here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasabi
Thanks for sharing you recipe for sushi rice Nami! When Bobby and I go out for sushi, he want sashimi and I want sushi because I want the rice. I love it! I’m so excited that I can now make it at home! Have you ever tried making it with Japanese short grain brown rice? I have a bag of that in the pantry.
Hi MJ! Me too, I love rice, so I always prefer sushi over sashimi. 🙂 About the Japanese short grain brown rice, no, I haven’t tried it yet. Let me know how it is! 🙂
I work in chinese rest.but they make sushi is very bad. I word recipes for me!
Hi Danny! I hope you can make good authentic sushi rice following my recipe! 😉
Hi Nami, I have bottle of sushi vinegar which I rarely use (to make sushi). Do you have any suggestions or recipes using this ingredient aside from sushi? Salad sauce or put it into some cooked dishes? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Margie! Since it’s somewhat sweetened you need to adjust the sweetness but I would use for salad dressing (similar to my wafu dressing) or “sunomono”. 🙂
This is probably the best sushi rice recipe I have found. I’ve always seasoned the water with kombu, and very few sites ever mention this. I had to take yours seriously. I also season my rice water with a bit of sake. Have you done that? Am i mad? Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you Brian! Yes you can use 1-2 Tbsp sake too. I omitted sake for this recipe as I have a lot of readers who don’t consume sake (or alcohol) and didn’t want to discourage making sushi. 🙂 I feel sake doesn’t make a huge difference but Kombu does! Happy to know you put Kombu too. 🙂
Hi Nami
tried to make sushi from a kit with not much success will give your recipe ago cheers
Hope you enjoy!
i work at sushi king , first agemono and then yakimono , after that i went to kaiten , for sushi , now im learning how to make sushi , nigiri-type , gunkan-type , maki-type , need some advice .
Hi Daniel! I’m just a home cook and not a sushi chef specialized in making sushi. Hope you have a great sushi master at the restaurant who can teach you sushi making skills. I can only share some home cook recipes. Thanks for the comment! 🙂
too good…..
Thanks! 🙂
hello nami…i always try to cook these japanese recipes but i am not finding the ingredients ,please tell me recipes that can be done easily with the ingredients that are available in india.please……..i am very passionate about ur recipes….and love japanese food
Hi Sishitha! Thank you so much for trying to make my recipes! I really appreciate it. I understand your frustration, but as I don’t live in India, I also don’t know what’s available to you…. Most of recipes should be easy to make, and made by made readers who have limited Japanese ingredient supplies. If you have a specific recipe you want to make, but can’t find the recipe, let me know. I’ll try my best to give you suggestion on substitution. Some recipes might be difficult with substitution or there may be no substitution though. But I’ll try! 🙂
Hey my name is Freda.My kids and I love sushi so much.I want to try to make it.but we don’t have any stores in Augusta, Ga.that have the ingredients.Can you tell me where can I buy the items?
Hi Freda! Is there any Asian supermarket in your area? To make good (authentic) sushi rice, you will need short grain Japanese rice. You can omit kombu but you will need rice vinegar instead of other kinds of vinegar. If you can find an Asian supermarket, try finding “sushi seasoning”. It’s ready made sushi vinegar you just need to pour over steamed rice. That is the quick way. Of course you can make sushi vinegar from scratch if you can find rice vinegar. 🙂 If you can’t find an Asian store, try Amazon. They usually have some Japanese ingredients. Good luck!
Freda, if you can make a trip near Atlanta there are lots of Asian supermarkets. There are even a few Japanese grocery stores that sell nothing but Japanese products. Most are imported from Japan. Let me know if you need some names or addresses of places.
Thank you so much for your information! I really appreciate it! 🙂
Nice one Nami
Thank you Sunmi! 🙂
hello! I was curious can you substitute The rice vinegar mixture for aji-mirin? I have some of that leftover but didn’t realize I was out of rice vinegar. Also I am making the rice over the stove since I don’t own a rice maker. Thank you so much! Very excited to try this recipe out!!
Hi Rachel! For sushi rice, you will need the vinegar taste… Aji mirin (or Mirin) is basically sake + sugar so there is no vinegar taste to it. Mirin can’t be a substitute unfortunately. 🙁 I’m not sure what kind of sushi you are making but I feel more comfortable suggesting using refuse steamed rice without mirin…
Sorry typo using iPhone… Regular, not refuse.
Lol! I figured! Okay! Thank you so much. I will put it off until I can get more rice vinegar. ☺️
Hope you like this recipe! 🙂
What is the ideal moment to put kombu away from the rice cooker? Once the water is boiling? After the rice is cooked? Thank you!
Hi Rccao! When the rice is finished cooking. You open the lid and you can take it out before you fluff the rice. Thanks for asking! 🙂
I know this sounds “sacrilegious,” but I add my seasonings to the rice before it cooks. It comes out great! My Japanese mother was really surprised when I made some for her. I had watched her make sushi rice so many times, I kept thinking there must be a simpler way! She was watching me in the kitchen and I knew she was thinking, “That’s not how you make it!” But she kept quiet but the look on her face was definitely not believing. So, afterwards, she really enjoyed it. That was a HUGE compliment coming from an old-fashioned Japanese okaasan! Lol! May she RIP! Love you Mom!
Hi Chieko! Haha, I’d be worried too if I see you cook the rice with seasonings inside the rice cooker! Sushi rice has a very particular technique to follow and I don’t think anyone has ever tried changing things up! This is so cool that you gave it a try and found out it works! Thanks so much for sharing your tip! 🙂
Not in rice cooker..stove top!
Kazuko, my mother would be laughing now!!
Hi, Nami! First I just want to say your blog is really amazing! Secondly, yesterday I attempted to make asparagus sushi for the first time. It was beyond successful thanks to your recipe! I’m so excited to try more of your recipes. Thank you sooo much for posting pictures with your recipes; it’s very helpful. 🙂
Hi Anna! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! I’m glad to know step by step pictures help. 🙂 Asparagus roll sounds delicious!
Hi Nami! I hope this rice will taste as good as it looks 🙂
Unfortunately my rice cooker, which we usually use for basmati rice, doesn’t have any marks on the inside at all. Therefore i don’t know how much water i have to put in it. Could you tell me how much mililiters of water that would be?
And my second (and third) question:I never cooked rice before, so how long do i have to cook the rice? My rice cooker has 5 different options and i would suggest to choose the lowest one to avoid the rice getting burned on the bottom. Am i right?
Hi Shan! I don’t use basmati rice so I’m not familiar with the right amount of water for it. However, if you use Japanese short grain rice, usually 1 1/4 cup (300 ml) for 1 cup (240ml). Both rice is quite different, so I’m not sure how we can convert… I think you can try 1 cup water for 1 cup rice and adjust from there.
What are the 5 options on your rice cooker (what brand and model?)? Depends on the quality of rice cooker, there is no burn on the bottom. My rice cooker never gives burnt rice. Hope this helps…. 🙂
Hi Nami, thanks for the quick response!
You misunderstood something. I want to cook japanese short grain rice and not basmati rice, but we usually use our rice cooker for cooking basmati rice. That’s why I mentioned it. I apologize for being unclear 🙂
The 5 options decide how long the rice will cook and are used to make the (basmati) rice crispy on the bottom. Because of that i feared that the japanese rice could get “crispy” on the bottom as well. However, if you could tell me how long I have to cook the short grain rice I am a happy man.
PS.: You wrote in your recipe that 1 cup of rice is 180ml, but now you said 1 cup equals 240ml
What’s the right one?
Sorry for the long post!
Hi Shan! Ohh so sorry, it’s my bad. I understand now. First of all, 1 “Japanese rice cooker” cup is 180 ml (and it’s for Japanese rice cooker). However, if your rice cooker is not Japanese and didn’t come with the “rice cooker cup”, don’t worry about it. Just treat 1 cup as 240 ml. I make the recipe here:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/how-to-cook-rice/
Once the water is boling, we cook rice on low heat for 12-13 minutes.
Japanese rice cooker cooks rice (slowly) for 45 minutes but I don’t think your rice cooker does the same. The rice cooker has non-stick coating so it doesn’t get burnt. Hope my answer helps…
Hi Nami! I made kimbap the other day and want to have a shot at Japanese sushi – I want to make it for me and my mum’s packed lunch but as I already have to wake up early in the morning to go to uni, I can’t really see myself waking up even earlier to cook rice. Is there a way I can make the rice the night before and reheat it in the morning so I would only have to prepare the sushi filling?
Can I freeze the rice and reheat it in the morning? If I can, it’s better to add the vinegar after reheating it right? I find that refrigerating rice makes it hard and even after moistening & microwaving it’s never really as nice as it originally was.
Hi Barbara! I never refrigerate my rice for the same reason (https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to/how-to-freeze-rice/)! I actually do both ways – season the rice before freezing and after freezing. I don’t see much difference. However, you will need to cool down the rice (or sushi rice) to room temperature before using for sushi rolls (so the seaweed won’t get too soft). 🙂 Hope that helps!
Amazing recipe. I love rice now so much. Before I used to hate eating rice but now I love it the Kombu made it smell even better. Once again very amazing. 😀
Thank you Kira! 🙂
Great Recipes. Very Helpful.
Thank you for checking my recipe! 🙂
I do not have a sushi measurement on my ricecooker.
Could you give the rice by weight? (grams)
And water in cups/ml?
Hi Cole! To make it easy…
1 rice cooker cup is 180 ml (volume) and if you put Japanese short grain rice till top, it’s 150 gram.
1 rice cooker cup will make 330 g of cooked rice.
For 1 rice cooker cup (150 g or 180 ml), you will need 200 ml water. Rice to water ratio is 1 : 1.1 or 1.2.
Hope this helps!
I’m honored for you to respond, especially so quickly. I have made more than a dozen recipes of yours and they are all better-than restaurant quality. (Okonomyaki is next) The rice turned out wonderfully, as did the dragon roll recipe. I’ve been struggling to slice the avocado in the past, your technique is the secret I’ve needed.
Hi Cole! I’m happy to hear you have tried many recipes from my site. Thank you!! I’m glad you are eating well at home, instead of at a restaurant! 🙂 Okonomiyaki is so good, I hope you enjoy it! I’m glad the rice came out well, too, and dragon roll! Nice! Happy that I shared how I slice the avocado on the site. Thank you for your kind feedback. It means a lot to me!
Hi Nami-san, thanks for sharing! Just wondering if toddler (2 years old) can take the rice vinegar seasoning? The brands that I can buy in my country are quite selected. I saw Mizkan, and it mentioned about made from alcohol.. Is that ok? Or do you have any recommended brands?
Hi Cherie! Yes, your 2 years old can take rice vinegar. Rice vinegar is made from Rice Wine that has be converted into Vinegar. None of them s has an alcohol content, since the alcohol is converted into vinegar during the processing. 🙂
Mizkan is great. Japanese kids start to eat food that is cooked with mirin and sake that contain alcohol. Alcohol is usually evaporated after cooking, and there is no harm. Japanese food uses sake and mirin in almost every meal… but that’s our culture and if you don’t feel comfortable, you can omit it. 🙂
I have a question. Can you use plain rice for the sushi or would it make a difference?
If you’re not a fan of vinegar flavor you could use plain steamed rice. You can’t find sushi with regular steamed rice in Japan, but I think it’s personal preference. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thank you for this wonderful video on shish rice making. I am planning to get a sushi oke/hangiri but I am not sure how many cups of cooked rice a 10″ sushi hangiri will take? What size is yours in the video? We are a family of 4 and we LOVE sushi!!!
Thank you for you help!!
Kathy
Hi Kathy! I’m so sorry for my late response. I just went downstairs to check my sushi oke. It’s 10 inch and I usually make sushi rice with 3-5 cup of uncooked rice. That cup is Japanese rice cooker cups by the way, 180ml. 🙂 This is a perfect size for family of 4 (just like us)!
No apology needed!! Thank you so much for sharing the information. Off to shopping for the oke now.
Oh, by the way, can I say that I LOVE LOVE the tiny egg beaters that your shared and also show up on a lot of your photos. I bought a set with your recommendation and I’ve been using them almost daily now. They are the best kitchen tool I’ve ever own and I own many!!!! Thank you Nami! Keep up the good work. LOVE LOV LOVE your recipes and blog. Well thought and well executed!!
Kathy
Hi Kathy! Good, hope you enjoy making sushi rice in there. 🙂
AWESOME! I also use the flat whisk daily too, way more than regular whisk! Mostly beating eggs, sauce, and salad dressing. 😀
I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my recipes. Thank you so much for your kind words!
Happy to knowing this good and clear recipe. i’m searching this recipe long times ago and happy that i get this recipe really useful. i will go into all your recipe and learn more about Japanese food.
Thanks a lot Nami.
Hi Moon! I’m happy to hear you like this recipe. Hope you enjoy cooking Japanese food at home! 🙂
This is a amazing recipe I have ever found. Thank you so much to teach me how to make sushi.
Hi Samina! Thank you for your kind feedback. I hope you try making sushi at home! 🙂
Nami:
I need help!
Yesterday I put (don’t shoot me ) the minute rice in the microwave for 6 minutes.
When I took it out the water was gone and the rice was only partially cooked. So I put just a little more water in it and back in the microwave it went.
The time came to take it out and it was just one big glutinous mess.
This has never happened in over 40 years of cooking!
Do I just toss it, or can it be salvaged? Please no sushi.
Can you help me?
Hi Charlie! I’d love to help if I can. I want to know a little bit more info. What’s Minute Rice means? Is that instant microwave rice that you can microwave and ready to eat? If you use microwave, make sure the wattage you use is right. Some product might requires 600w. Mine is 1400w. You could be overcooking/undercooking if you don’t know the wattage even though you follow the cooking time. I’m not sure the rice’s condition, too mushy?
If I don’t make the sushi vinegar from scratch and just use sushi seasoning, how much do I use? Is rice vinegar in addition to that? TIA
Hi Tina! If you use sushi seasoning (in a bottle), you don’t need any additional seasoning. There should be an instruction on the bottle… I think each brand has different recommendation. 🙂
Thank you! I attempted to make Dragon Roll sushi and Gluten-free Tempura for family dinner tonight. I used your recipe for making Sushi Rice and it was perfect! It tasted exactly like what we get when we go out for sushi. The Tempura was also good, just very time-consuming to fry everything in small batches for a family of 4. The Dragon Roll was good, but it will take practice getting the roll just right. My granddaughter (she is 21) helped make the sushi and she agreed, it is actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it! Not too bad for our 1st attempt! We also made the Sunomono and my daughter said it tasted exactly like we get at out local sushi restaurant!
Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Thanks again!
Hi Judy! I’m so glad you liked my sushi rice recipe! It’s wonderful that your granddaughter cooked together with you! With a few practice, I’m sure your sushi roll skill will improve “visually”. 🙂 Thank you very much for your kind feedback! xo 🙂
Some recepies use in the Sushi Vinegar SAKÉ, thats correct?
Hi Carlos! Sushi rice (that we use ONLY for making sushi) needs sushi vinegar. It’s not sushi vinegar sake. Sake is rice wine. Rice wine becomes rice vinegar, but when I say sushi vinegar, that’s not including sake. 🙂
Hope this makes sense? 🙂
hi,
i have a rice cooker but doesn’t have the marking for sushi 🙁 how much water should i add? will it be safe to have to make 1 rice cooker cup of rice : 1 rice cooker cup of water ratio? btw, the rice i have doesn’t have an instruction on how to cook it 🙁
thanks
Hi Kathy! First of all, I want to know if your rice is Japanese short grain rice. Each rice is different when it comes to the right amount of water. Japanese rice tends to require more water than other rice. Having said that, if you are using Japanese short grain rice to make sushi rice, just reduce the water slightly, you will pour the sushi vinegar, so you don’t want your rice to be the same result as regular steamed rice. Just a tiny bit less water. Not sure your rice cooker size, but it’s more like 5 mm lower than regular marking. Hope this helps.
Thank you for all the recipes on your website, there’s a lot I want to try but tonight I wanted to make sushi and your instructions were very easy to follow!
Hi Christine! I’m so hpapy to hear that! Thank you for your feedback, Christine!
Hello, is a wooden bowl necessary? I only have metal bowls at home and lots of recipes tell me not to use metal and I don’t know why
Hi Stephen! Nope, not necessary, but I recommend to use a big bowl or plate so that rice cools down faster and don’t keep the moisture (otherwise the rice will be too sticky and mushy). I believe a metal bowl doesn’t let the steam escape and ends up trapping the steam, so that’s why it was not recommended? That’s my guess. If you have a large plate, that’s better. You have to use a fan to cool down quickly after you pour sushi vinegar. The nice shine (we call “teri” – same word from teriyaki) comes from the good combination of sushi vinegar + cooling down. Hope this helps!
I accidentally bought cal rose rice instead. Does it work the same way as short grain rice? Cal rose is medium grain.
Thanks.
Olivia.
Hi Olivia! I have never used Cal Rose before, but hopefully it is not too different. 🙂
Hi Nami, I’m a bit confused as to why you have Homemade sushi vinegar and Sushi Vinegar for 2 Rice Cooker Cups (360ml) of Japanese rice underneath the ingredients.
The recipe for Homemade sushi vinegar is for much uncooked or cooked sushi rice? Also “Sushi Vinegar for 2 Rice Cooker Cups (360ml) of Japanese rice”, is that cooked or uncooked sushi rice? I’m trying to figure out how much to make in order to season your recipe of 3 rice cooker cups of uncooke Japanese sushi rice.
Thank you.
Hi Christina! Sorry my recipe was confusing. The sushi vinegar for 2 cups is only used when you cook 2 cups of rice. I moved the sushi vinegar for 2 cups in Notes section so it’s less confusing.
Sushi vinegar is poured over cooked rice at step 11.
Hope this clears up. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Hi Nami, thank you for the clarification. I went ahead and used the first sushi vinegar amounts (currently underneath the ingredients part) for my 3 cup sushi rice. I tried making temaki hand roll sushi. They were very tasty but lacking in form. It’s not easy to roll them properly. The top is pretty looking but the bottom is always short of sushi filling. Lol.
Btw, the sushi vinegar measurement for 2 cup is not showing up properly. I can see the bullet points but no text.
Hi Christina! I found out the measurement I added disappeared after I saved the recipe plugin. I don’t know what caused it, but I have fixed it.
Regarding temaki… hope my step by step pics are helpful: https://www.justonecookbook.com/temaki-sushi-hand-roll/
Ah now I can see the information. Your temaki instructions were very clear. Thank you 🙂
I made this today for the sushi that I made for my husband’s Birthday and we loved it! The rice turned out perfect, and the sushi vinegar flavoured the rice beautifully! We ended up having some leftover rice, which I think would be yummy turned into rice balls. Thank you for the recipe!
HI Carrisa! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the sushi rice! Hope you enjoyed making sushi! 🙂
Hello Nami! I love following your blog! A quick question — is this doable with the Instant Pot? and if so, how would you set the pressure cook time and release method? Please advise. Thank you!
Hi Holly! Thank you for following my blog! 🙂 You can make steamed rice in the Instant Pot. I have my reliable rice cooker so I never used it so I am not sure about the detailed instructions… but probably it should be easy to follow. I heard that Japanese rice sticks at the bottom as it is more stickier than other types of rice so… I’m a bit hesitant to try and waste my precious rice. 🙂 Let me know how it goes. Maybe I’ll try making it one day just to see how it’s like.
Hi Nami! Thanks for the quick response; I really appreciate it. So we tried the recipe out on the instant pot!!! it worked out! I used a corelle bowl instead to hold the rice… to help with the stickiness factor. For a first attempt, it worked very well although practice will make it better. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe once again.
Hi Holly! Interesting, and thanks for sharing about corelle bowl! I googled and now I know what it is – and you can use it in the pressure cooker. I’ll try making rice again… if it sticks… I’ll turn it into porridge. 😀
Really great website. Love sushi and sukiaki
Thank you, John! I’m happy to hear you enjoy my site! 🙂
Hi, 1 1/2 mean 1 + 1/2 tea spoon of salt?
1/3 mean 1 cup of vinegar ?
Because in France we would not understand dosages necessarily like that. I can understand thanks to the parenthesis 80 ml and the picture of the bowl of salt. Otherwise I love your job, thank you for everything !
Hi Cat! The recipe says:
⅓ cup rice vinegar (⅓ cup = 80 ml)
3 Tbsp sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
Please read the unit after the number.
⅓ cup means a third of a cup.
1 ½ tsp means one and half teaspoons.
tsp means teaspoon. Tbsp means tablespoon. Japanese ingredient names are long, so I have to shorten these words so it is easier to read the ingredient list.
I always put metrics in parenthesis (I also prefer ml and grams as I grew up in Japan). More than half of my readers are Americans who prefer cup measurements, so I keep it that way except for my baking recipes. 🙂
Hope you enjoy!
You explain very well. In our country too, we speak in milliliters and grams but not in cups. I appreciate your availability and the clarity of your answers. Thank you Nami !
Thank you Cat! I love the metric system because of its accuracy. I get frustrated when there is no measurement between 1 cup and 3/4 cup. Sometimes the subtle difference is so important in flavors and the result. 🙂
I’ve sushi so I purchased some sushi vinegar at a local Asian market; however, the bottle I purchased doesn’t have directions in English. How much pre-seasoned sushi vinegar should I use per cup of cooked rice?
Hi Dakota! It depends on the brand but in general, you can drizzle and mix. It shouldn’t be soaked but should coat the rice with the seasoning. I’d say 1/4 to 1/3 cup for 3 cups rice. But you may want less, so start with a smaller amount. 🙂
I’ve just discovered you! What a terrific website and e-book. I’ve always loved Japanese cooking but am just now learning to cook it. Your recipes and directions are terrific. Keep up the good work.
Hi Richard! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my recipes. Thank you for following along and I look forward to cooking with you!
Hello Nami,
May I ask where you got your beautiful rice paddles?
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful recipes.
Best regards,
Ken.
Hi Ken! Thank you! I got the paddle from my grandma. She passed away already so I’m not sure where she got it from. 🙁
My go to sushi rice recipe. Made it twice exactly as outlined. It was perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned!
Hi Nico! Thank you for using my sushi rice recipe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
Hello, can i use himalayan salt for the vinegar seasoning? How much should i use it? Thank you
Hi Vee! Yes, you can, just use the same amount specified. 🙂
Thank you Nami. Great instructions as usual :-). Whenever I make sushi rice, and I fold in the sushi su in the hangiri, my husband provides the cooling with the ‘cool-function’ on the hairblower! (we don’t own a fan and basically don’t use the hairblower for anyting else). Our guests allways find it hilarious and we are in many pictures like that 🙂 Big fun. Whatever works, right?
Hi Ina! Ahahahahaha! You two are a smart and cute couple! In Japan, we use an electric fan too, but I don’t think I’ve seen anyone use a hairdryer! I LOVE IT!! Thank you for making me smile. 🙂
Hi Nami, how to I make sushi with brown rice using rice cooker. I have the Zojirushi brand. Thanks
Hi Mary! You can make regular steamed (brown) rice and then follow this recipe to make sushi rice. You’re making sushi rice for your sushi right? Just wanted to confirm as many people call Japanese rice “Sushi Rice”. We don’t season the steamed rice unless it’s for sushi (sushi rolls, nigiri sushi, any kinds of sushi). 🙂
How do you get leftover sushi rice to the same consistency as fresh made so that it can be used the next day?
Hi Brenda! If I know I’d be using my leftover sushi rice, I would keep the rice in the pyrex glass container in the fridge, and microwave the container with the paper towel on top. Now, for sushi rice, we serve/use at close to room temperature, so I won’t heat up until steam coming up. Just warm enough. If it looks a bit dry, you can sprinkle a bit of sushi vinegar (it’s convenient if you already have sushi vinegar in a bottle here) to give a nice zing. Hope this helps!
Thank you very much for the recipe <3 i have a question, can i replace the kombu for miso paste? how much should i put on it?
Hi Lilian! No, we never add miso for sushi rice (to make sushi). 🙂 You’re making sushi right?
If you were looking for just steamed rice, this is the recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-cook-rice/
How do I stop Nori being tough and chewy. I’ve tried many things. Could it be pressing too hard when rolling and squeezing moisture from rice into Nori? Store bought sushi is always nice and Nori is soft and that has usually been sitting in a chilled place
Hi Maurice! It usually comes down to the quality of nori. You mentioned “chewy” and that’s the kind of description used for bad quality nori. Having said that, it’s REALLY hard to get good quality nori outside of Japan. I live in San Francisco and we have good Japanese grocery stores here, but nori is something I always have trouble finding. I buy the most expensive nori from the selections and I feel that’s still average quality to ones we can get in Japan. If you get a chance, please try to use one of the most expensive nori you can find and compare. Hope that will solve the problem and it won’t be gummy and chewy.
If i want to make less rice (i.e. 1 cup of rice), how can I adjust the amount of kelp? Can I just cut it into smaller pieces?
Hi Lillian! Yes, cut a smaller amount of kombu and use it. 🙂
Hi! Can I use brown rice vinegar instead of white rice vinegar in making sushi?
Hi Cath! I think you can, but the color of sushi rice won’t be clear?
I read and reread the article, how to cook/make Japanese rice.
I do not have a rice measuring cup. Tell me, the difference if I use a regular measuring cup.
Please, how much rice, e.g. 1 cup, how much water?
Please reply,
I love your recipes and have made many. Your instructions are very clear.
Living alone, you need to pick recipes that don’t yield a lot.
Sincerely
Hi Barbara! For 1 (American measuring) cup of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice (240 ml), you will need 1 ¼ cups water (300 ml). Make sure to soak rice for 20-30 minutes before cooking. Are you making sushi? Sushi rice is used for all kinds of sushi recipes.
If you’re planning to make just regular steamed rice to go with your main dish, etc, please follow this recipe.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-cook-rice/
Hope you enjoy!
Thank you! I’ve made sushi rice many times but it has never turned out as well as it did with your suggestions. I think for me the biggest contributor was soaking the rice for 30 minutes after rinsing and prior to cooking. Never knew about that! (We have the same rice cookers so that part was a snap!). I also let it rest after cooking for 15 minutes before adding the vinegar mixture, which I have never done. . The ratio of rice vinegar:sugar:salt was perfect. The best ratio that I have ever tried. And the rice was indeed shiny and the grains separate entities and as my grandmother would say, perfectly al dente. I did not have the nori because we were not making rolls, but will make sure I get some for the next time. Many thanks! Aloha!
Hi Teresa! I’m so happy to hear you improved your sushi rice, and thanks for trying my recipe! Sushi rice is SO important for making all kinds of sushi. From your description, it seems like you made the perfect sushi rice! Yay!
Making sushi always felt daunting to me, but this recipe for the rice made it taste absolutely spot on! Since sushi rice is hard to get around here, I thought I would try this with risotto rice and the result was still perfect.
Thank you so much for this 🙂
Hi Peter! Aww I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you so much for your kind feedback! So happy this recipe worked out for you!
thank you very much for the in depth info of making sushi rice. mind blowing.
Aww! Thanks so much for your kind compliment. 🙂