How to make sushi rice – the complete recipe
Preparing sushi rice may seem complicated, but once you get started, you’ll find out that it is a bit like cooking ordinary rice, but with vinegar added to it, and a dash of Japanese technique. There are four key steps to making sushi rice: washing, soaking, cooking, and seasoning. Let’s review everything you need to know:
Choosing the right rice
Japanese short-grain rice has a higher starch content than long-grain rice and takes a different amount of water than long-grain rice. Short-grain rice is stickier and better for holding its shape when rolled into sushi. Long-grain (‘regular’) rice just isn’t sticky enough for sushi-making. Here is what a bag of sushi rice should look like.
Measuring sushi rice
Prepare 1 cup of sushi rice per 3 sushi rolls. Each roll makes up 6-8 little sushi pieces. 2 rolls are recommended per person, depending on personal preferences. Wash the rice (1 cup = 3 rolls) with running water for 1-2 minutes until there is no more starch coming out of it. For best results, let the rice soak in water for 30 minutes to help soften it.
After washing the rice, place it gently in a pot and add more water than rice. It should be about 1.2:1 in favor of the water. That is 20% more water compared to the rice. Do not add more water or you will end up with dough instead of rice.
Still not sure? Check out our Quantity Calculator.Cooking the rice
Cook the rice on high heat at first, stirring every minute or two until the water boils. Then, lower the heat to low and cover the pot. After 6-8 minutes, check the water level – if there is no more water, only bigger grains of rice in the pot, the rice is ready. If not, check back every minute, making sure not to burn the rice at the bottom.
Quantity calculator
We are here to help with all the calculations. Select how much you will be making, and the calculator will provide you with the quantities. Have a go!
Units:
Taking out the rice
When taking the rice out of the pot, only use a wooden spoon to handle the cooked rice. A metal spoon will cause the rice to be damaged, and it can also react with the vinegar that we will be adding later.
Second, do not scrape the rice out from the bottom of the pot. If it comes out easily, that is great. Otherwise, do not use it. The rice will taste bad. Put it in wooden or plastic bowls to chill.
Seasoning the rice
Rice vinegar mixed with sugar and salt is essential for giving sushi its distinct combination of flavors. If you neglect this part, your sushi won’t quite taste like sushi should. It is not recommended to substitute rice vinegar as most types of vinegar are much too strong. Rice vinegar is more delicate and blends in perfectly with the rice.
How to season the rice
- For 3 cups of dry sushi rice, use 0.5 cup of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Use only rice vinegar! Any other kind of vinegar will taste bad. Alternatively, you could use sushi rice seasoning powder.
- Mix together in a small pot on medium heat until all the solids are mixed together.
- Pour the mixture onto the rice and mix well. That should take a minute or two.
- Let the rice cool down for a few minutes until it reaches room temperature. Don’t put the rice in the fridge to make it cool faster – that will damage the rice. You can, however, use a fan, A/C, or put it by the window.
Important tip – Some people prefer less seasoned sushi rice. Also, the strength of rice vinegar can vary depending on the brand. If it is your first time making sushi rice, or you are uncertain, prepare half the amount of seasoning described above. Mix it with the rice and taste.
Trust your own palette if you want to use the full amount or not.
Final thoughts
That’s it, you’ve made it! For the sake of the internet, please take a moment to share your experience in the comments section below. Did it turn out as you expected? Better? Ask any questions you have, somebody will be able to answer, and it might even help other folks with the same question in the future. And most importantly, enjoy making sushi!
Hi guys! I want to try my luck with sushi making at home. This recipe is definitely the best to follow (all replies help to build trust as well), but I have one question. It’s OK to use a glass bowl to rest and season the rice, instead of plastic or wood, right? Thanks in advance 🙏
You can use a glass bowl, yes. Just don’t use a reactive metal bowl of any sort. Avoid metal altogether – the vinegar reacts with the metal and can produce metalic flavours. Also, to rest, use the widest, and most flat bowl you have to maximise realease of steam.
Kori!! Can’t believe I missed your reply! Thank you so, so much. After so much time I wil definitely give it a try 💪😁
Best regards
Brilliant, just brilliant! I always thought sushi rice was too complicated so never tried. This was my first time and it turned out absolutely perfect. I still can’t believe it. Like others, I used a little less vinegar than you suggested but everything is a matter of taste. Following your instructions, the consistency was unbelievably good. I’m feeling rather smug now. Thank you 🙂
We’ve used this recipe several times and always been happy with the results. The best time was when three family members faced off in a sushi making challenge which was a lot of fun. By the way the winner was the then 11 year-old who had practiced ahead of time, leaving his parents in the dust so to speak!
This was a great sushi rice recipe. I grew up making white and brown rice for dinner every day, and this was perfect, thank you.
this recipe has the best sushi vinegar mixture. i prefer it very sour and not much sweet. other recipes are too sweet and no vinegar taste.
I make recipes exactly how recommended first to see if I like it and then adjust next time if not. Ive made sushi and poke bowls quite a few times and this recipe was the perfect consistency of all recipes I’ve tried but a tiny bit too much vinegar for my taste. Other than that great job!
First time I was able to make some decent sushi rice! Thank you so much for sharing!
This is the perfect way. The first time I made was from an on line video and exactly as described. To cool the rice I used a clean cloth soaked in cold water over a bowl which I put the rice in after cooking. If you find the method for making the seasoning fiddly it’s possible to buy the seasoning ready made and yes try a little at first if not sure. Also I always use a wooden spoon and am gentle with the rice once cooked. It also can be made hours before preparation of the sushi which is how I do and refresh my damp cloth over the rice. Seemed so complicated but with mindfulness and good preparation it becomes so easy. A very cheap and healthy meal. Delicious
Thank you for this recipe. I used it to make sushi at home tonight. It was perfect!
Probably too much Rice Wine Vinegar for me. Will use less next time.
This IS the PERFECT Sushi rice recipe! My guests couldn’t believe that this was my first time making sushi. It tasted exactly like the one served in restaurants 🙂 Thank you!
wow
I love it thank you
Glad I found this recipe, turned out great and easy to work with. I had tried 4 other recipes before, this has been the best so far (….and all others had claimed to be perfect sushi rice)
Thank you for this recipe! I don’t cook much, but this made it easy. My daughter who loves sushi said this was the best sushi rice she’s had. Now can you make a post for assembling and rolling? 🙂 Still not great at rolling a tight roll.
We used a sushi maker which is basically a two part mould with gaps to cut up evenly e.g. Pure Orinetal brand
I’ve used a variety of recipes to create sushi rice; this was the first time I didn’t have a thick layer of burnt rice at the bottom of the pan.
Also, other recipes I’ve used asked for a lot more rice vinegar, salt and sugar than this one, so I was a little worried it wouldn’t be enough, but it was absolutely fine.
I used it for poke bowls, so can’t tell you how well it would hold up for sushi, but it seems to stick together will enough, without being wet.
Thank you for sharing your method in so much detail.
Great recipe, only reason I gave it 4.5 stars is that for my personal taste I would cut down just a bit on rice vinegar.
It does say to use half the recommended amount of vinegar if this is your first time making sushi…
I love this recipe, works very well. The calculator is amazing and very helpful
Worked out great for me, thank you!
Is the seasoning poured over cooked rice or is it part of the cooking liquid?
No the seasoning is added after the rice is cooked
Why can’t the vinegar, sugar, salt be added to the water and cook the rice in this solution? Wouldn’t the flavor be better distributed throughout the rice?
Cooking vinegar evaporates it – so simply put you lose some seasoning by cooing it with rice. For best results add the vinegar solution right after the rice had cooked.
I don’t recommend cooking rice with salt because it will make it more mushy. Salt tenderizes things
Lovely mate. Just made it it, lovely rice, perfect for sushi.
Am currently making rice. Thx very much 🍣
You cannot make rice, it is the seed of a culivated plant. You can plant it, harvest it and cook it but you cannot possibly make it.
Are you just making this up?
you know what making rice is in plain english. you could say preparing rice, cooking rice… but making rice is universally accepted..
What kind of rice?
Look for “Japanese rice” or “sushi rice” on the label.
In the USA, you are more likely to find the Californian version of medium-grain Japonica as “Calrose”.
Thanks for your recipe, i made now
What happened to the section on cooking the rice? 😬
can i use FUKUIZUMI cooking wine for my sushi rice