How to Make Sushi Rice (Stovetop or Rice Cooker)

This easy sushi rice recipe is the first step to making great sushi at home! Sushi rice is the foundation for all sushi, and it's the first thing you'll want to master as you learn to make sushi at home. Luckily, making perfect sushi rice isn't as hard as you think, and this recipe will walk you through everything you need to know! The post section below answers tons of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to homemade sushi rice!

What is sushi rice?

Sushi rice is seasoned rice that is typically made using short-grain rice, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and sometimes kombu (kelp). The seasoning is what gives sushi rice its distinct flavor and sticky rice texture. Sushi rice is the foundation for all of your sushi creations, so mastering sushi rice is the most important step when learning to make sushi at home.

FAQ

Is rice vinegar necessary for sushi rice?

Vinegar is necessary for sushi rice. It's the vinegar mixture, including sugar and salt, that turns regular rice into sushi rice. You can subsitute another kind of vinegar or lemon juice if necessary, but I strongly recommend picking up rice vinegar for the best results.

What is the best rice for sushi?

Short-grain rice is typically used for sushi, it is short and stubby compared to long-grain rice like jasmine rice. Technically you can make seasoned sushi rice with any type of white rice, but for the best results purchase some short grain rice. I can't guarantee this method will work for other varieties of rice, and the water to rice ratio may need to be adjusted. Please note, glutinous rice is not the same as sushi rice.

I purchase my rice at a Japanese grocery store. You can likely find medium grain rice suitable for sushi at any Asian grocery store, or online through Amazon. The brand isn't too important, but I purchase Kokuho Rose brand rice. See the image below of the packaging!

How much rice vinegar for 1 cup of rice?

The ratio of rice vinegar to rice can vary based on personal preference. This recipe calls for 4 tablepsoons of rice vinegar per one cup of uncooked rice, which is about 2 tablespoons per cup of cooked rice

How long to soak rice for sushi rice?

Some recipes suggest soaking sushi rice for about an hour before cooking. I've tested this recipe both ways and I get great results without soaking the rice, so for simplicity I do not soak my sushi rice.

Do you put rice vinegar in rice before or after cooking?

Rice vinegar is added to sushi rice after the rice is cooked. Do not add the rice vinegar into the pot with uncooked rice, the results will not be the same.

Can you make sushi rice with regular rice?

If it's all you have on hand, technicaly you can season regular rice with rice vinegar, salt, and sugar to create sushi rice. This rice will likley not stick together as nicely as short grain rice, so I don't recommend this because it will make it more difficult to prepare the sushi.

What is the sushi rice seasoning ratio?

The sushi rice seasoning ratio can vary by chef and personal preference. I like my sushi rice more strongly flavored, I use a ratio of 1 cup cooked rice, 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 2 teaspoon white sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt.

What is the sushi rice water ratio?

The sushi rice water ratio is typically 1 cup rice to 1 to 1.5 cups water, depending on the variety and the cooking method. For this recipe I use 1.5 cups of uncooked rice and 1.75 cups of water which is a ratio of 1 to 1.17.

Should sushi rice be cold before rolling?

You should allow your sushi rice to cool down to about room temperature before rolling. You don't want the rice to be hot or cold, it should be close to neutral. Both cold and hot sushi rice may be more difficult to work with.

How much sushi rice for 1 roll?

I use about ¾ cup of prepared sushi rice per roll, but you can adjust this to your own tastes. This recipe uses 1.5 cups uncooked rice to prepare about 3 cups of sushi rice, which makes about 4 sushi rolls.

What kind of vinegar is used for sushi rice?

Unseasoned rice vinegar is what I recommend you use for this recipe. Subbing other types of vinegar is not recommended and will alter the flavor of the sushi rice. You can find rice vinegar at a standard US grocery store near the other vinegar and/or in an "Asian foods" section, additionally you can find a much wider variety of brands at an Asian grocery store. Akasu, Japanese red vinegar, is another option, but I haven't tested the recipe with this variety.

The main thing to look out for when purchasing rice vinegar is to make sure you get the unseasoned variety if you plan on adding the sugar and salt yourself (which I recommend). Check the bottle carefully, if you're unsure just look at the nutrition information, unseasoned vinegar will have 0 calories while seasoned vinegar will have calories. If you've already purchased seasoned vinegar, you can still use it, just omit the sugar and salt from this recipe. I don't think the brand is super important for the vinegar, but I typically use Mizkan or Marukan brands.

Is sushi rice gluten-free?

Yes, sushi rice is gluten-free. It's prepared with medium grain rice, vinegar, sugar, and salt.

What makes this recipe easy?

While there are multiple approaches to preparing sushi rice, I think that my approach yields delicious rice with the perfect texture for a fairly low amount of work compared to other options.

The biggest deviation in my method from a more traditional method is that I don't combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt before they're poured over the rice. Commonly, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt will be combined in a pot and warmed until everything is fully dissolved, then this mixture is used over the rice. While there's nothing wrong with the approach, the extra step is unnecessary because the sugar and salt will dissolve completely when added directly to the warm rice. You can find rice vinegar that is already seasoned with sugar and salt in most stores, however, I don't think the flavor of these are as good as adding the sugar and salt yourself.

Additionally, using some kombu (kelp) to season the rice is a fairly common practice. Personally, I don't think the flavor changes that dramatically with the use of kombu, so for simplicity I typically omit it. When kombu is used, it's added to the rice and water before the rice cooks and is removed after cooking. Pre-soaking rice is also somewhat common for sushi rice recipes. I've had great results without pre-soaking, so my method does not involve that extra step.

What equipment do I need to make sushi rice at home?

You don't need much specialty equipment to get started making sushi rice. Below are the basics:

• A large pot with a tight-fitting lid & a stove top, or a rice cooker
• A large, non-metallic bowl (such as a plastic mixing bowl or traditional wooden hangiri rice bowl)
• A Japanese rice spatula (or a non-stick silicone spatula, or a wooden spoon)

Many people ask me if a rice cooker is necessary for preparing sushi rice. It isn't, and personally I prefer to prepare my rice in a pot. If you already own a rice cooker, I would recommend trying it both ways and determining which gives you the best results.

A large mixing bowl is used to mix and cool the rice. Metal bowls should not be used because the vinegar can react with the metal, resulting in an off flavor. Traditionally, this process is done in a shallow wooden bowl called a hangiri. It can be fun to own one, but it isn't necessary because a large plastic mixing bowl will do the job as well. If you need to purchase a new bowl, this set of mixing bowls will work well for this and offer some usefulness for other cooking. If you'd like to purchase a hangiri, I own this hangiri, and it's a good choice.

Picking up a Japanese rice paddle is definitely worth it since they're so inexpensive. You can use a non-stick silicone spatula in its place, but I would recommend dropping the ~$5 to pick up a rice paddle like this one.

How to season sushi rice

The video below shows the sushi vinegar seasoning step of the recipe. Dust the sugar and salt over the warm rice, then pour the rice vinegar over top. Gently mix until every grain of rice is coated.

What to make with this sushi rice:

You can use this sushi rice in all kinds of sushi recipes! Make homemade sushi rolls, nigiri, hand rolls, sushi rice bowls or poke bowls, pressed sushi, or whatever you like! Check out my Sushi Recipes for tons of ideas. Some good sushi rolls for beginners are california rolls, spicy tuna rolls, onigiri rice balls, and sushi bowls.

More Sushi Recipes →