Name: Sushi Rice Recipe
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 cups Water; 1 ½ cups Sushi Rice or Calrose Rice; ¼ cup Rice Vinegar; ¼ cup Maple Syrup or Agave Syrup; 1 Tablespoon Neutral Oil (such as avocado or vegetable oil)

Jump to Recipe

Making sushi rice is SO EASY. It may seem intimidating at first because this sushi rice is cooked on the stovetop. But follow these basic instructions and you'll be on your way to homemade sushi rolls, sushi bowls, and more!

If you have a sushi addiction like me then you need to learn how to make sushi rice at home! It has so many uses and it is SO TASTY.

a blue serving bowl filled with sushi rice with chopsticks and a rice server on the side

Sushi rice is the foundation of making sushi and it's an essential technique you will need to master first. But once you get the hang of it you'll be making impressive sushi rolls in no time!

Jump to:

Ingredients
What Kind of Rice is Sushi Rice?
How to Cook Sushi Rice on the Stove
How to Store Sushi Rice
What to make with Sushi Rice
The Basics of Homemade Sushi
Sushi Rice Recipe

There are affiliate links in this post. Please see my disclosure policy to learn more.

Ingredients

Sushi Rice or Calrose Rice
Water
Rice Vinegar
Neutral Oil, like vegetable oil or avocado oil
Maple Syrup or Agave Syrup

What Kind of Rice is Sushi Rice?

Sushi rice is a type of short-grain Japanese rice. You may see it sold as calrose rice in your local grocery store. This variety of rice features short, plump, oval like grains that, when cooked, develop a distinct stickiness.

Some sushi rice brands are Rooster, Tamanishsiki, Lundberg. I personally love the rooster and Lundberg brands for rice.

prepared sushi rice held with chopsticks to highlight the sticky texture

How to Cook Sushi Rice on the Stove

You don't need a rice cooker for this recipe, just a good old saucepan with a lid!

Cooking sushi rice is just like cooking any other kind of rice, the only difference is the ratios are a bit different.

The sushi rice to water ratio is 1 ½ cups sushi rice to 2 cups of water.

You will just boil that until all of the water has been absorbed into the rice, this should take around 16-18 minutes.

Rice Seasoning

After the rice has finished cooking you will add in the seasoning. The seasoning consists of rice vinegar, oil, and maple syrup.

The seasoning is what transforms this from a plain tasting glutinous rice to the perfect tasting sushi rice!

Sushi rice has a very subtle sweetness and tang. The oil helps to slightly break up the sticky gluten that forms in the rice. Making the rice easily workable and moldable, but still keeping its sticky texture.

Sushi rice in a saucepan, stirring in the seasoning

How to Store Sushi Rice

Sushi rice stores wonderfully in the refrigerator.

To store your leftover sushi rice, let the rice cool to room temperature and tightly pack it into an airtight container.

Store the container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-5 days.

The next day you can use the rice to make sushi rolls, or you can reheat it.

sushi rice close up showing the sticky texture

To reheat: place the rice on a microwave safe plate and fluff with a fork. Add an ice cube to the center of the rice, and press a piece of parchment paper over top of the entire plate.

Microwave for about 1 minute. Dispose of the ice cube and fluff the rice before serving.

This ice cube hack ensures that the rice keeps its moisture while being heated. It works like a charm and the rice tastes as if it was freshly made!

What to make with Sushi Rice

There are endless possibilities of what you can make with this sushi rice!

It is excellent in these Salmon Sushi Bowl (coming soon!), or you can use it to make actual homemade sushi! This was a game changer for me and my sushi addiction.

The Basics of Homemade Sushi

To make sushi at home you will need:

A bamboo sushi mat
Plastic wrap
Seaweed sheets, these are often called Nori Sheets
Sushi filling
Cold Sushi rice (your sushi rice needs to be refrigerator cold before you begin)

Sushi Filling Options

Some filling options include:

Fresh vegetables like cucumber, shredded carrots, or bell peppers.
Fresh fruits like mango, avocado or thinly sliced apples.
Cooked Seafood like tempura shrimp, grilled salmon, or crab.
Raw Seafood- make sure you are buying top quality, sushi grade fish if you are wanting to include raw seafood in your sushi rolls.

These are just some examples of things that I like to use in my sushi rolls, the options are really endless and you can use anything you like!

Rolling sushi is pretty simple, here are the basic steps:

Lay the bamboo mat on a flat surface and cover it with a piece of plastic wrap (this step is crucial so the rice doesn't get stuck all over the sushi mat).
On top of the plastic wrap, using a spatula or a spoon (or just your hands) spread out the sushi rice in a ¼-1/2 thick layer. Using the back of the spoon or the spatula to flatten the rice as much as possible. Form this into a square shape that is around the same size as your nori sheet.
Place the nori sheet on top of the rice and using your hands, gently press the sheet to adhere it to the rice.
Add your filling.
Begin rolling your sushi. Roll your sushi over, and use the bamboo mat as you roll the sushi to compress and form the roll. This is a very good instructional video showing how to roll sushi.

Step 2 Note: You can make sushi with the rice on the outside of the nori or on the inside. To make a sushi roll with the nori on the outside, just reverse the steps and place the nori sheet on the plastic wrap, and then cover the nori sheet in rice.

Perfect Sushi Rice Recipe Pin for Pinterest

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment down below and let us know!

You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and TikTok. Or you can send us an email directly, we would love to hear from you!