Perfect Sushi Rice Recipe

4.99 from 66 votes
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Learn how to make perfect sushi rice with our easy tips and tricks. From picking out the right ingredients to seasoning techniques, we’ve got everything you need to help you make delicious sushi rice at home!

Large bowl of Sushi Rice next to a plate of sushi rolls.

I absolutely love this rice, not just for sushi but for all kids of different dishes. It has a very subtle seasoning that enhances but never distracts from the other flavors it is combined with. Whenever I am craving sushi or musubi, I can always find most of the ingredients in my pantry (at least for the rice). As long as you have the right ingredients and equipment, you can easily create delicious sushi rice at home without spending a fortune!

Ingredients for Sushi Rice

Believe it or not, you can make restaurant quality sticky rice with just four simple ingredients at home! Here’s all you need:

  • Uncooked Rice – Look for a bag that says “sushi rice” on the front. I have found at most grocery stores either in the Asian food aisle or with the pasta and rice. Popular brands are Nishiki or Kokuho Rose. If you can’t find sushi rice, Calrose rice is a decent substitute. I have used it many times and although it’s not perfect, it is a solid substitute.
  • Japanese Rice Vinegar – Rice vinegar adds a rich, savory flavor that complements the fish. If you’re in a pinch, substituting apple cider vinegar for rice vinegar is a tasty alternative.
  • Sugar – Just basic granulated sugar.
  • Salt –sea salt, kosher salt, or table salt will all work fine.
  • Kombu (dried kelp, optional) – for an even more traditional, umami flavor you can add a 2×2″ square of Kombu to the rice as it is cooking. Kombu is similar to nori (dried seaweed), but thicker and more of an intense flavor. It is a great way to infuse the rice with even more delicious flavor.
Chop sticks holing a sushi roll over a bowl of sushi rice.


It All Starts with the Best Rice

The best rice for making sushi rice is actually called “sushi rice.” Most of the time it should say the exact words right on the bag. It is a Japanese-style short-grain rice and is found at any Japanese grocery store. If you can’t find the exact kind of rice, Calrose rice works well in a pinch. Be aware that not all rice is created equal. Do not use basmati rice, Jasmine rice, or any medium grain or long-grain rice. None of these rices are sticky enough for sushi. I can usually find the right rice at the grocery store, but if you can’t find it there, check your local Asian market.

Sushi Rice Seasoning

Sushi rice has a distinct taste and texture. Ideally, it should taste slightly sweet, tangy, and savory with a hint of vinegar. The sweetness typically comes from the addition of sugar, while the tanginess and savory flavors are from rice vinegar and salt which are commonly used in sushi rice seasoning. I have found actual “sushi vinegar” at the store but I like our seasoning better! You can make sushi vinegar right at home by simply combining rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. It is literally the exact same thing. No need to spend extra for store-bought sushi vinegar.

Some rices have a deeper umami flavor from kombu (dried kelp) being cooked with the rice, but sometimes kombu can be hard to find. In this recipe we make it optional so it is totally up to you if you want to add it or not. As far as texture goes, the rice itself should be tender, yet firm enough to hold its shape when molded into sushi or a ball.

Sushi Rice in a bowl with toppings next to plate of sushi and spam musubi.

Steps for Making Sushi Rice

  1. Rinse the rice in a colander or sieve until the water runs clear. Then, let the rice drain in the colander for one hour. This step is crucial to the texture of the rice, so don’t skip it!
  2. Add rice and water to a rice cooker or a large pot. If you are using kombu, add it at this point and allow it to cook with the rice. Cover with a lid and cook. See recipe card below for rice cooker and stovetop cooking times. If using an Instant Pot, you can use the “rice” setting or better yet, follow our instructions for Instant Pot Sushi Rice.
  3. While the rice is cooking, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves, but DO NOT let it boil. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. You can also add the ingredients to a small bowl and heat it in the microwave. Just remember to allow it to cool to room temp.
  4. When the rice is finished, spread the cooked rice out onto a baking sheet using a wooden spoon or rice paddle. Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and mix until all the rice is coated.
  5. Allow to cool on the baking sheet, flipping every once in a while.
  6. When the rice is completely cooled, it is ready to be made into all kinds of sushi!

Dishes Using Sushi Rice

Sushi rice, also known as shari or sumeshi, is a key component of all kinds of sushi and popular dishes, including Maki (sushi rolls), Nigiri, Hand Rolls, Chirashi, Sushi Bowls, Sushi Bakes, Sushi Burritos, and one of my personal favorites (and my kids’ #1 favorite of all time), Musubi. You can use sushi rice in poke bowls, however it’s not what is traditionally used. Typically poke bowls use plain white or brown rice but you can use sushi rice if you want a more fragrant rice base.

Close up of Spam Musubi on a cutting board.

Reader Reviews

“This came out great! Easiest instructions to follow! It was so fun making our own sushi at home!” – Suzy

“I was very skeptical of the rice cooking technique, but had never had success with any other method and have nothing but time here in quarantine. It is the best rice I have ever made ever! The texture and moisture levels are perfect. I used bottled sweetened sushi vinegar for the win.” – Pat

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Sushi Rice different than other kinds of rice?

The word sushi literally translates to ‘sour flavor.’ The rice has a subtle sweet and sour flavor from the sugar and vinegar used to season it.

Can you make sushi rice from regular rice?

Sushi rice is specifically prepared with short-grain Japanese rice, which has a higher starch content than regular white rice varieties. The starchiness gives sushi rice its characteristic stickiness, allowing it to hold together well when shaped into sushi rolls or nigiri.

Can you use Calrose rice for sushi?

Yes, but it won’t be perfect. Calrose rice can be used for making sushi, however it’s not traditionally the first choice. Calrose rice is a medium-grain rice variety that doesn’t have the exact starch characteristics of a traditional Japanese short-grain rice (such as sushi rice) but it’s close enough to get the job done.

Read Next: How to Make Jollof Rice

Recipe Ideas and Inspiration

Now that you have a solid foundation, what will you make? The possibilities are endless! Check out some of our favorite sushi rice recipes for ideas and inspiration!

How to Make Sushi Rice

Bowl of Sushi Rice. Sushi in the background.

Sushi Rice

4.99 from 66 votes
Sushi Rice is super easy to make at home! With just FOUR simple ingredients, the possibilities with this scrumptious Sushi Rice recipe are endless!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting/Cooling Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 6

Video

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the rice into a mixing bowl and cover with cool water. Swirl the rice in the water with your hand, pour off and repeat 2-3 times or until the water is clear. Rinse a few more times. After the rice is rinsed, let the rice drain in a colander or strainer for 1 hour.
    Rice being rinsed and poured into a colander to make sushi rice
  • After the rice has drained, put the rice in the rice cooker with the 3 cups of water, cover, and start. If you are using kombu (optional), add it to the rice and water before cooking and allow it to cook along with the rice.
    If you don't have a rice cooker place rice and water in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice rest, covered, for 15 additional minutes.
    Rice simmering in a pot to make sushi rice
  • While rice is cooking, prepare the vinegar mixture. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Heat mixture just until the sugar dissolves (do not let it boil). Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
    Rice vinegar in a pot to make sushi rice for sushi rolls
  • When the rice is done cooking, gently spread out the rice over a cookie sheet. Evenly distribute the cooled vinegar mixture over the rice. You may not need all of the vinegar mixture. Just sprinkle it over the rice until it is lightly spritzed. Gently turn rice over from time to time with rice paddle or wooden spatula so that rice cools evenly.
    To speed things up, fan the rice each time you turn it over. When rice has cooled to room temperature, it is ready to use for sushi rolls!
    Rice spread out on a baking sheet

Notes

If you want to wait a little bit before making your sushi or while you are making the rolls, you can keep the rice at the right temperature by placing it in a large bowl and covering with a damp kitchen towel.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 360kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 6gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 400mgPotassium: 72mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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4.99 from 66 votes (42 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Readers need to be aware that sushi rice refers to two versions of the same kind of rice…one is the variety of rice best for making sushi and the other is a processed rice comprised of the rice mentioned above mixed with vinegar and sugar. Both are the same basic rice.

    both The processed rice is what sushi is made of.

  2. 5 stars
    I find this recipe the best I have tried so far. Previous tried recipes made the rice too vinegary or too wet. This recipe works. Two thumbs up from my son.

  3. 5 stars
    For the nutrition facts. For how many servings is that? And is it calculated for cooked rice with vinegar mixture?
    I really enjoy the recipe & always use it! Just wanting to watch nutrition facts on my new health journey.

    1. It dries out a lot when you store it in the fridge, so reheat it with a damp paper towel or other moisture source. It won’t be quite as sticky but it will taste good!

    1. Maple flavor will not be conductive to over taste and experience. If you seek purer substitute, use rock sugar (you can buy in Asian supermarket).

    1. It sounds like you might need to raise the heat a little bit. It can be fairly hot, it just can’t boil.

  4. I ran out of rice vinegar..can I use distilled vinegar instead .. how about the measurement will it change

    1. Yes you can use white vinegar, just add a little bit of sugar and salt to make up for the seasoning of rice vinegar.

  5. 5 stars
    Yesterday was the fist time I made sushi at home. I followed this recipe and it was awesome! The best sushi rice I have ever eaten and it was so easy to make and work with.

  6. 5 stars
    This was my first time making sushi rice and it turned out absolutely perfectly using your recipe! Thank you so much!

  7. I have Marukan seasoned rice vinegar. According to the label, 1/4 cup would have 20g sugar and 1920 mg salt. This is the equivalent of 1.59 T of sugar and .84 t of salt– so you might not need to add much!

  8. Hello,

    I have a questions. I purchased Kikkoman Seasoned rice vinegar for the sushi rice. Do I still need to add the sugar and salt? I’m following your recipe but noticed the vinegar you used isn’t seasoned. Not sure what to do since I’m attempting to make sushi tonight for a birthday dinner.

    Thank you,
    Delilah

    1. Yes, I would still add the sugar and salt. The seasoning will just add more flavor, but the sugar and salt are important to the texture of the rice. Hope this helps!

      1. I use the Marukan brand of seasoned rice vinegar, and have used others before (just not sure if one was Kikkoman, but they all appear the same).

        These are seasoned WITH sugar and salt, so I would not and never have, added any additional sugar/salt. Probably not as good as ‘homemade’ but, works great for me.

  9. 5 stars
    worked out perfectly, i added a bit less of the rice vinegar/salt/sugar liquid because I didnt want it too sticky and it was great.

    1. Most rice triples in size, so 3 cups of uncooked rice would yield 9 cups cooked. You can always half the recipe if you don’t need as much rice.

  10. How much rice do you end up with? Three cups seems a lot… how would you half the recipe to make sushi for 2ppl? If I was using one cup of rice for example how much vinagre sugar abs salt would I need? Thanks

  11. 5 stars
    I was very skeptical of the rice cooking technique, but had never had success with any other method and have nothing but time here in quarantine. It is the best rice I have ever made ever! The texture and moisture levels are perfect. I used bottled sweetened sushi vinegar for the win.

  12. 5 stars
    This is a wonderful recipe.! My kids love sushi rice. I prepared this recipe and they were in heaven. I did not have time to drain the rice for an hour but it was still wonderful after 15 min drain. I halved the recipe and used calrose rice (price was right) and the texture was perfect. I also microwaved the vinegar sugar and salt to dissolve then let it rest to room temp. Best sushi rice I’ve ever made. Thank you!

  13. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious Rice, how long would should it keep if refrigerated? Thinking of sushi lunches during the work week!

  14. 5 stars
    I love the recipe! Question: can I just add the vinegar mixture to the rice together and cook? Thanks!!

    1. You risk making the rice too clumpy if you add it sooner and it won’t taste as fresh. You can try it though! You might be just fine but I have never done it that way so I can’t tell you for sure.

    2. Quick question how soon do you have to make the rice before use? I wanted to be ready before my hubby came home but wasn’t sure if I can make in the morning and use this evening or if it can’t sit too long. Thank you in advance. Excited to try this out.

      1. I try to use it as soon as it cools. However, I have stored it in a bowl with a wet dishcloth over it for a few hours and it holds up pretty well.

  15. 5 stars
    I made my first ever California roll this evening. I love nigiri, which is my ultimate goal, but I wanted to start with something that is cheaper and allowed me ample practice with both the making & working with sushi rice. I use Botan calrose rice and it was perfect. It tasted great & had a wonderful texture. I made extra of the seasoned vinegar & it is amazing on the left over cucumber slices. I’m thrilled with my first experience & will definitely continue to work towards making salmon & tuna nigiri.

    1. Hi Rachelle- so happy to hear this rice was a success for you! Once you get California Rolls down, nigiri should be no problem! Thanks so much for the 5-stars!

  16. 5 stars
    My sushi rice finally came out perfect when I follow your recipe and instructions. Now my and I can enjoy a hand roll with any filling!

    1. So glad this rice worked so well for you! Hand rolls are the best! You should be able to make quite a few with this recipe. 🙂

  17. 5 stars
    This sushi rice recipe takes more involvement than most recipes, but I keep coming back to it because it is the best! It comes out perfect every time. I have started heating the vinegar, sugar and salt in the microwave to make it easier.

    1. Thank you so much for this nice comment! Yes, it is more involved but I agree, it’s the only way it comes out just right. 🙂 Great idea to microwave the vinegar, sugar, and salt together!

  18. Why does the recipe talk about drain the rice for an hour but in the comments you talk about soaking for an hour.
    You wanna fix that?

    1. The recipe is correct. The rice will still soak up some water, even while the excess if being drained off.

  19. When the recipe calls for 3 cups of rice… is that a standard cup or a “rice cup” which is less than a standard measuring cup?

  20. Hi,

    Quick question, I am done swirling the rice in cool water and I let it stand for an hour.

    Does the recipe call for 3 cups of uncooked rice and 3 cups of water? By looking at the cooking instructions on the calrose package it seems like this is not enough water.

    Love your site. Thank you,
    Romy

    1. It should be enough water. The rice should have absorbed up a bunch of water during that hour so you will only need the 3 cups to finish cooking. It has always come out great for me that way!

      1. 5 stars
        Perfect – although I wasn’t sure whether to drain or soak – I drained and it was a little dry next time I soaked and it was perfect. It’s quite hard fanning and drizzling and ‘cutting’ the rice so I employed my wife Sue – my “Sue Chef”

      2. Hi! I made the rice by your cooking instructions and the rice was not cooked. It was 1/2c light of water and not enough cook time. I would suggest changing the recipe to cook the rice via instructions on the bag and then follow the rest of your recipe. Going to try again tonight!

        1. Did you let the rice sit in the colander for 1 hour? That step helps soak the rice a little bit before cooking. Sorry yours didn’t turn out!