A black pot filled with yellow corn kernels, a pat of butter, and black pepper sits on a wooden table next to bowls, cups, and chopsticks—an inviting presentation reminiscent of Japanese corn rice.

This Japanese Corn Rice recipe is made with fresh sweet corn and rice seasoned with soy sauce and a generous amount of butter. The rich taste of butter and burnt soy sauce brings out the familiar flavor of Japanese street food. A delicious ode to summer!

Japanese Corn Rice at a Glance

Japanese corn rice combines short-grain rice cooked with sweet corn, sake, and soy sauce, then finished with butter and black pepper. The corn cobs go into the pot alongside the kernels for added corn flavor.

Why You’ll Love It

  • Corn kernels don’t change how much liquid the rice needs, so the sake and soy sauce are counted in the total rather than added on top.
  • Adding corn cobs to the rice pot while cooking infuses the rice with their concentrated sweetness, giving it a deeper natural corn flavor.
  • Soaking the rice 20 to 30 minutes before cooking lets the rounded short-grain kernels absorb water all the way through, so they cook evenly.
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What readers say 
“I made this the other day with some of the last corn of the season and it was terrific! I used short-grain brown rice in my Instant Pot, and the nuttiness of the rice was a very nice complement to the corn flavor.”

Ken

My Recipe Story

Japanese corn rice is what I make when fresh corn shows up at the market. We tested it enough times that everyone in the house ended up with their own version. I like a moderate amount of butter and one tablespoon of soy sauce, while Mr. JOC and our son want theirs much stronger. That’s why I also shared two other versions in the Variations section. Leftovers become onigiri in my house and packed into kids bento boxes.

If you love Japanese rice dishes, try my Takikomi Gohan, Chestnut Rice, and Onigiri next!

A black pot filled with fragrant Japanese corn rice—fluffy white rice mixed with sweet corn kernels—rests on a wooden table, with a white rice paddle set neatly on the side.

What is Japanese Corn Rice?

As the short-grain rice is cooked with other ingredients (sweet corn for this case), this recipe is considered a type of Takikomi Gohan (炊き込みご飯) or Japanese mixed rice. If you cook the corn separately and add to the cooked rice, then it’s called Maze Gohan (混ぜご飯).

Butter Shoyu Flavor

The seasoning cannot be any simpler—mainly salt and soy sauce to enhance the natural sweetness and flavor of corn. Once the rice is cooked, add butter to the hot steamy corn rice. The butter soy sauce (butter shoyu) will impart the most mouthwatering aroma, enough to wake up anyone’s appetite!

A black pot filled with yellow corn kernels, a pat of butter, and black pepper sits on a wooden table next to bowls, cups, and chopsticks—an inviting presentation reminiscent of Japanese corn rice.
A hand holds a bowl of Japanese corn rice, while a wooden spoon scoops more of the flavorful mixture from a pot in the background.

Key Ingredients

  • Ears of corn
  • Japanese short-grain rice
  • Salt
  • Sake
  • Soy sauce
  • Butter – I use unsalted; if you use salted butter, adjust the amount of salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

How to Make Japanese Corn Rice

  1. Remove corn from the cobs
  2. Rinse rice and add to the heavy-bottomed pot (I used this rice donabe; you can use a rice cooker)
  3. Add seasonings, water, and corn (and cobs) on top.
  4. Cook the rice and let steam.
  5. Put the butter and freshly ground black pepper on top and fluff up the rice before serving.
A black pot filled with cooked japanese corn rice, featuring fluffy grains and vibrant yellow corn kernels, with a wooden spoon inside. Colorful dishes and chopsticks are visible in the background.
A bowl of japanese corn rice—fluffy grains mixed with sweet yellow corn kernels and topped with a sprinkle of black pepper—sits on a wooden table beside a pair of chopsticks and a blue-glass chopstick rest.

How To Adjust the Amount of Rice

For Japanese cooking, we calculate the amount of rice based on a rice cooker cup. One rice cooker cup is 180 ml or ¾ US cup.

For this recipe, I used 3 rice cooker cups of short-grain rice, which yields roughly 5-6 people. Depending on the amount you would like to serve, please adjust the total rice cooking liquid as follows:

  • 1 Rice Cooker Cup – Total rice cooking liquid should be 200 ml
    • Add 2 tsp sake, 1 tsp soy sauce, and water to fill up to 200 ml.
    • Add ¼ tsp salt.
  • 2 Rice Cooker Cups – Total rice cooking liquid should be 400 ml
    • Add 4 tsp sake, 2 tsp soy sauce, and water.
    • Add ¾ tsp salt.
  • 3 Rice Cooker Cups – Total rice cooking liquid should be 600 ml
    • Add 2 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and water.
    • Add 1 tsp salt.
  • 4 Rice Cooker Cups – Total rice cooking liquid should be 800 ml
    • Add 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp sake, 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp soy sauce, and water.
    • Add 1¼ tsp salt.
  • 5 Rice Cooker Cups – Total rice cooking liquid should be 1000 ml
    • Add 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp sake, 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp soy sauce, and water.
    • Add 1¾ tsp salt.
Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Nami’s Recipe Tips

  • Add the cobs to the rice – The cobs have a lot of concentrated sweetness, so don’t throw them away! Include them in the pot (or rice cooker) for more flavor! Cut into desirable smaller pieces so the cobs will fit in your pot.
  • Use fresh corn – For a simple dish like this, it is common sense to use fresh, raw corn on the cob.
  • Remove kernels from cobs – Hold the cob steady. With a sharp knife, make long downward strokes on the cob, separating kernels from the cob. You can also buy this corn kernel peeler but I honestly prefer using a knife.
  • Always soak the rice – Japanese short-grain rice needs 20–30 minutes in the pot before the heat goes on, so the rounded grains absorb water all the way through and cook evenly.
  • Count the seasonings as part of the liquid – Corn kernels don’t change how much liquid the rice needs. Measure the sake and soy sauce first, then top up with water to the total.

Variations

The recipe below uses butter and soy sauce, which gives the most rounded flavor. Two other ways we make it:

  • Salt and sake, no butter. Leave out the soy sauce and the butter. Replace the soy sauce with the same amount of water. The corn tastes sweeter without the soy sauce competing with it.
  • More butter, more soy sauce. Reduce the water by however much soy sauce you add. The rice comes out much darker and the butter shoyu flavor is stronger.

We enjoy corn rice with beef seasoned with my Homemade Yakiniku Sauce.

This is truly a quick and easy recipe that celebrates the best of summer produce, so I hope you find joy in making it!

A donabe pot containing Japanese Corn Rice (Butter Shoyu Flavor).
Dipping grilled beef in the homemade Yakiniku Sauce.

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Japanese Corn Rice

4.72 from 95 votes
by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
A donabe pot containing Japanese Corn Rice (Butter Shoyu Flavor).
This Japanese Corn Rice recipe is made with fresh sweet corn and rice seasoned with soy sauce and a generous amount of butter. The rich taste of butter and burnt soy sauce brings out the familiar flavor of Japanese street food. A delicious ode to summer!
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Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Soaking & Steaming: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Servings: 5

For the Rice Cooking Liquid (2½ cups, 600 ml total)

For Serving

  • ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (adjust to your taste; swap with vegan butter for vegan)
  • soy sauce (for drizzling; optional)

Instructions

Before You Start

  • Gather all the ingredients. To see the metric measurements, click the Metric button above.
    Nami's Tip: I cook this in a rice donabe, but a rice cooker works with the same measurements, and so does a heavy-bottomed pot for its steadier heat. The ratio of rice to water is 1 : 1.1, up to 1 : 1.2.
    Japanese Corn Rice Ingredients

To Rinse the Rice

  • Add 2¼ cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice to a large bowl with just enough water to submerge. Discard the water immediately.
    Nami's Tip: Don't let the rice sit in the first few rounds of cloudy water. Dry grains drink the first water fastest, and that water carries the bran left from milling. If the rice takes it back in, that bran smell ends up in the cooked rice.
    Japanese Corn Rice 1
  • Use your fingers to gently wash the rice in a circular motion for 15–20 seconds.
    Two images show hands mixing or washing rice in a large metal bowl filled with water. The rice is being stirred and rinsed, likely to remove excess starch before cooking—an essential step for preparing perfect rice for dishes like kimbap.
  • Add water to rinse, then discard the water. Repeat this process a couple of times until the water is nearly clear.
    Japanese Corn Rice 3
  • Drain the rice well once the water runs almost clear.
    Nami's Tip: A fine-mesh sieve drains it fastest. Shake off the water still clinging to the grains, or it adds to the cooking liquid you measure later.
    Japanese Corn Rice 4

To Prepare the Corn

  • Peel the outer leaves off 2 ears sweet corn down to a thin inner layer. Grip the leaf tops and tassel together and pull straight down in one firm tug, inverting the husk off the cob. Break off the leaves and silks at the base, pick away any strays, and rinse under cold water.
    Japanese Corn Rice 8
  • Lay a cob on the cutting board and hold it steady. Slice the kernels off in long downward cuts with a sharp knife, or use a corn kernel peeler. Cut the stripped cobs in half or smaller so they fit your pot.
    Japanese Corn Rice 9

To Measure the Cooking Liquid

  • Combine 2 Tbsp sake and 1 Tbsp soy sauce in a measuring cup, then add 2⅓ cups water. The total should come to 2½ cups (600 ml).
    Nami's Tip: For a more strongly seasoned rice, add more soy sauce and take away the same amount of water. The total has to stay at  2½ cups (600 ml), or the rice cooks with the wrong amount of liquid.
    Japanese Corn Rice 5

To Layer and Soak

  • Add the well-drained rice to the rice donabe, rice cooker, or heavy-bottomed pot. Pour in the cooking liquid that you just measured.
    Japanese Corn Rice 6
  • Add 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and mix well. Level the rice so the surface is flat.
    Japanese Corn Rice 7
  • Scatter the corn kernels on top in an even layer. Don't mix them into the rice.
    Nami's Tip: Anything stirred through the rice stops it cooking evenly. The corn stays on top until the rice is done.
    Japanese Corn Rice 10
  • Lay the cobs on top of the corn and close the lid. Let the rice soak for 30 minutes before cooking.
    Nami's Tip: Japanese short-grain rice needs the soak. The rounded grains absorb water all the way to the core, and that is what makes them cook evenly.
    Japanese Corn Rice 11

To Cook the Rice

  • For the rice donabe: Cook on medium-high heat until it whistles, about 12–13 minutes, then cook for 1 more minute.
    For a rice cooker: Cook on the regular setting.
    For a heavy-bottomed pot: Cook on medium-high heat. Once it‘s boiling, reduce the heat to low and cook for 13–15 minutes.
    Japanese Corn Rice 12
  • Turn off the heat and take the pot off the stove. Leave the lid on and let it steam for 15 minutes.
    Japanese Corn Rice 13
  • Open the lid and remove the cobs.
    Japanese Corn Rice 14
  • Sprinkle with ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper and add 2 Tbsp unsalted butter on top. Put the lid back on and bring the pot to the table.
    Japanese Corn Rice 15

To Serve

  • Fluff the rice gently and serve right away. Drizzle with additional soy sauce, if desired.
    Japanese Corn Rice 16

To Store

  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days, or in the freezer for 1 month.

Notes

Rice cooker cups – One rice cooker cup is 180 ml (¾ US cup), and this recipe uses 3. To cook a different amount, see the post—it gives the amount of sake, soy sauce, and salt for 1 to 5 rice cooker cups.
Equipment – I use a rice donabe. A rice cooker takes the same measurements for cooking liquid, and a heavy-bottomed pot works well for its steadier heat.
Variations – For the salt-and-sake version without butter, or a stronger butter shoyu version, see the post.

Nutrition

Calories: 404kcal, Carbohydrates: 79g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 424mg, Potassium: 169mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 208IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 4mg

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on June 23, 2021. It was updated with improved step-by-step instructions and updated expert notes on September 5, 2026