A wooden bowl filled with cooked white rice, perfect for learning how to make sushi rice, is partially covered by a blue and white striped cloth on a rustic wooden table. A white rice paddle rests in the background.

What is Sushi Rice?

Sushi rice is vinegar-seasoned rice, known as shari (シャリ), sushi-meshi (魥飯), or su-meshi (酔飯). Japanese short-grain rice is cooked slightly firm, then seasoned with vinegar, sugar, and salt while it’s still hot. That’s what gives it glossy grains and a balanced sweet and tangy flavor.

Recipe Highlights

  • A glossy finish – Fanning the rice while you slice it dries the surface, and that’s what gives sushi rice its shine.
  • Grains that stay firm – Cooking with equal parts rice and water leaves room for the seasoning the rice absorbs later, so nothing turns mushy.
  • No broken, gluey rice – Slicing through the rice with the paddle at a 45-degree angle separates the clumps instead of crushing the grains.
  • The traditional way – A hinoki hangiri absorbs the extra moisture as the rice cools, which is why this sushi rice recipe achieves that signature restaurant quality.

My Recipe Story

When I was growing up in Japan, sushi at home meant Temaki Sushi (Hand Roll) on the weekends. When I visited my grandparents, I often made Futomaki with my grandma and aunties for special celebrations.

Both my grandma and mom taught me how to make perfect sushi rice, and my job was the fan. I’d fan the hot rice with an uchiwa (a flat, paddle-shaped paper fan) as soon as the sushi seasoning went in, and I could see the grains turn glossy as they cooled. I remember my little arm aching from waving so hard, with grandma telling me to fan faster.

They taught me that the tools matter too: the hangiri, the paddle fan, and the way the seasoning gets mixed in. When I make sushi rice at home, I still hear their instructions in my head.

If you love sushi rolls, try my Vegetarian Sushi Rolls, Dragon Rolls, and Spicy Tuna Rolls next!

A wooden bowl filled with cooked white sushi rice, perfect for learning how to make sushi rice, sits on a wooden table, partially covered by a blue and white striped cloth with a bamboo sushi mat and ceramic spoon nearby.

Key Ingredients

  • Japanese short-grain white rice – Its balance of moisture and firmness is what makes the grains stick together without turning to paste. Korean short-grain white rice is the closest substitute.
  • Kombu (dried kelp) – Optional. A small piece cooked with the rice adds a gentle aroma and umami. Don’t rinse it; the white powder on the surface carries umami.
  • Japanese rice vinegar (unseasoned)  – It’s milder than Western vinegars, so the seasoning tastes round instead of sharp. Bottled sushi seasoning (seasoned rice vinegar) works too; then skip the sugar and salt.
  • Sugar and salt – They balance the vinegar. Without the sugar the vinegar takes over, so cut it down rather than leaving it out.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Jump to Recipe

How to Make Sushi Rice

  1. Wash and cook the rice. Rinse the rice several times until the water runs clear. Drain well, then add it to the rice cooker with the measured cold water and kombu. Soak the rinsed rice for 20–30 minutes, then cook on the Sushi setting if you have one.
  1. Make the sushi seasoning. Meanwhile, heat the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and it’s nearly simmering. Let it cool.
  1. Season the cooked rice. Remove the kombu and transfer the hot rice to a wooden sushi oke (hangiri), baking sheet, or wide bowl. Spread it out so the steam escapes, then pour the cooled sushi seasoning over the hot rice, running it off the rice paddle to control the flow.
  1. “Slice” the rice and cool it. Hold the rice paddle at a 45-degree angle and slice through the rice to spread the seasoning and break up the clumps, fanning as you go. Flip gently until the rice is glossy and cooled.
  1. Serve. Cover the rice with a damp towel and use it at room temperature.
How to Make Sushi Rice-step by step-13
Make sushi rice seasoning (sushi vinegar).
Adding sushi vinegar (sushi rice seasoning) to the cooked rice.
Fanning sushi rice to let cool.
A large wooden bowl filled with cooked white rice sits on a wooden table, partially covered by a blue-and-white striped cloth—perfect for anyone learning how to make sushi rice. Nearby are a rice paddle and a sushi rolling mat.
Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Nami’s Recipe Tips

These simple tips will help you make sushi rice successfully every time.

  • Use less water – A 1:1 rice-to-water ratio keeps the rice from turning mushy once the sushi seasoning goes in.
  • Bottled seasoned rice vinegar saves a step – Called sushizu (すし酢), the sushi seasoning replaces the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Some brands are sharper than homemade, so taste it first if you want to adjust.
  • Use Japanese rice vinegar – It’s milder than Western vinegars, which keeps the seasoning round rather than sharp.
  • Season the rice while it’s hot – Hot grains take the vinegar in evenly. Cooking the vinegar with the rice doesn’t work either; the texture, flavor, and shine all come from seasoning it after.
  • Slice, don’t stir – Stirring crushes the grains into paste. Slicing separates the clumps, and fanning as you go dries the surface and adds shine.
  • Keep it under a damp towel – Uncovered rice dries out and hardens while you assemble your sushi.
  • A hangiri earns its place – The hinoki (cypress) wood pulls extra moisture out as the rice cools, which a baking sheet or a large salad bowl can’t do. Moisten it with water before adding the rice.
Cover the damp towel over prepared sushi rice to avoid drying prepared sushi rice.
Sushi Oke (Hangiri) 3 sizes

Make Ahead Tips

  • Season the rice a few hours ahead – Keep it in the hangiri under a damp towel at room temperature for up to a few hours. Don’t make it the night before; the texture and flavor change overnight.

Storage Tips

To store: Freeze leftover sushi rice in an airtight container for up to 1 month. The refrigerator’s cold air dries rice out and makes it hard, so I don’t recommend it.

To reheat: Defrost it overnight in the fridge, then bring it back to room temperature in the microwave. Warm, never hot.

A hand demonstrates how to make sushi rice by mixing cooked rice with a paddle in a wooden bowl, while a bamboo sushi mat and striped cloth rest nearby on the wooden surface.

How to Use Your Sushi Rice

Use your homemade sushi rice as the foundation for all types of sushi, from everyday meals to celebratory occasions.

Sushi oke containing Chirashi Sushi.
Mackerel Pressed Sushi (Saba Oshizushi) and sushi ginger are on the bamboo sushi tray.
A Japanese lacquer box containing colorful Mosaic Sushi that's made of checkerboard pattern of various sashimi, tamago, and cucumber laid over sushi rice.
Temari sushi on a plate.
A rectangular plate containing three ehomaki, or uncut sushi rolls, prepared for setsubun festival.
A Japanese plate containing inari sushi garnished with sushi ginger.

FAQ

What is the best rice for sushi?

Japanese short-grain white rice has the ideal balance of moisture and firmness and that’s what I use. In the U.S., California grown medium-grain white rice is commonly used for sushi rice. Long-grain, jasmine, or brown rice will not hold together properly.

For short-grain substitute, I recommend Korean short-grain white rice, which is quite similar to Japanese short-grain white rice.

Why is sushi rice seasoned with vinegar?

Sushi began as a way to preserve fish: salted fish packed in cooked rice and left to ferment, which is narezushi (recorded in Japan by 718). By the mid-Edo period, cooks mixed in vinegar instead of waiting, and hayazushi, or fast sushi, came together in the 1700s.

What size hangiri do I need?

A 10-inch (25-cm) hangiri holds 3 to 5 rice cooker cups of rice, which is what I use for my family of four. A water-moistened baking sheet works, but it can’t absorb moisture the way hinoki wood does.

Why is my sushi rice mushy?

Sushi rice turns mushy when it’s cooked with too much water. Use equal parts rice and water—slightly less than regular steamed rice since you’ll add sushi seasoning later. Make sure to season the rice while it’s hot. Also, sushi rice gets mushy when it’s stirred too much so make sure to gently slice and fold instead of stirring.

I’d love to hear how yours turned out! 💛 Please leave a star rating and comment below to share your experience. Your feedback not only supports Just One Cookbook but also helps other home cooks discover recipes they can trust.

Authentic Sushi Rice Recipe

4.57 from 503 votes
by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
A wooden bowl filled with cooked white sushi rice, perfect for learning how to make sushi rice, sits on a wooden table, partially covered by a blue and white striped cloth with a bamboo sushi mat and ceramic spoon nearby.
Learn how to make sushi rice with this step-by-step sushi rice recipe. It includes ideal rice-to-water ratios and homemade sushi seasoning.
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Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Soaking Rice: 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Servings: 4

★ For 3–4 Servings (Makes 4 Medium Sushi Rolls)

★ For 5–6 Servings (Makes 6 Medium Sushi Rolls)

Instructions

Before You Start…

  • Don't use the 2x or 3x scaling buttons for this recipe. For how much rice to make for your sushi, see the Notes at the end.
  • How to Measure Rice: Overfill uncooked short-grain white rice in a rice cooker cup or a ¾ cup (180-ml) measuring cup and level it off. Pour the rice in a large bowl. Repeat until you have the amount you need.
    Nami's Tip: Use Japanese short-grain white rice. Long-grain, jasmine, and brown rice won't hold together, and the sushi falls apart.
    A hand scoops rice into a measuring cup, then levels it with a chopstick over a clear container full of rice on a wooden surface, preparing the perfect amount for making onigiri.
  • Gather all the ingredients. 
    How to Make Sushi Rice Ingredients

To Wash the Rice

  • Quick Rinse: Add just enough water to the bowl to submerge the rice, then pour it off immediately.
    Nami's Tip: Rice absorbs water quickly at first, so discard this water right away. This helps rinse off impurities and reduce absorption of the milky water.
    Japanese Corn Rice 1
  • Wash: Gently agitate the wet grains in a circular motion with your fingers for 10–15 seconds.
    Nami's Tip: Using very little water allows the grains to rub against each other and reduces the absorption of impurities.
    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.
  • Rinse: Add water to cover the grains and immediately discard the cloudy water.
    Repeat the wash and rinse two more times.
    Japanese Corn Rice 3
  • Drain Well: When the water is almost clear, drain the rice thoroughly in a fine-mesh sieve. Shake off any excess water.
    Japanese Corn Rice 4

To Soak and Cook the Rice

  • Put the well-drained rice in the rice cooker's inner pot and add the measured water. If your rice cooker has a Sushi Rice mode, fill to that line instead; on White Rice mode, fill to just under the line.
    Nami's Tip: Sushi rice uses 1 part rice to 1 part water, less than regular steamed rice, because the grains still have to absorb the sushi seasoning.
    How to Make Sushi Rice 2
  • Wipe any dirt off the kombu with a damp cloth and lay it on top of the rice. Leave the white powder on the surface; it carries umami.
    Nami's Tip: Never rinse kombu. The flavor sits on that surface and washes away. Kombu is fairly clean these days, so you don't have to do anything.
    How to Make Sushi Rice 3
  • Soak the rice and kombu for 20–30 minutes, then start cooking.
    A pot over the stove, an Instant Pot, or a donabe all work with the same amount of water.
    How to Make Sushi Rice 4

To Make the Homemade Sushi Seasoning (Optional)

  • Skip this section if you're using bottled sushi seasoning (seasoned rice vinegar).
    Otherwise, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan.
    How to Make Sushi Rice 5
  • Heat it over medium heat, whisking, until the sugar dissolves and it's nearly simmering. Remove from the heat and set aside.
    In the microwave, 1 minute is usually enough.
    How to Make Sushi Rice 6

To Season the Rice

  • Moisten a wooden sushi oke (hangiri) with running water, drain, and dry it with a clean towel. A baking sheet moistened with water works too.
    Nami's Tip: This wooden tub helps absorb excess moisture, whereas a baking sheet does not.
    How to Make Sushi Rice 7
  • When the rice is done cooking, discard the used kombu (or repurpose it to make Kombu Tsukudani (simmered kombu)).
    How to Make Sushi Rice 8
  • Transfer the hot cooked rice to the sushi oke. Spread out the rice evenly with a rice paddle so it will cool faster.
    How to Make Sushi Rice 9
  • While the rice is hot, pour the sushi seasoning over it.
    Nami's Tip: Sushi seasoning should be warm or room temperature. If you use a bottled seasoned rice vinegar from the fridge, warm to room temperature Seasoning straight from the fridge doesn't soak into hot rice evenly.
    How to Make Sushi Rice 10
  • Don't stir the rice; stirring breaks the grains and turns it mushy. Instead, hold the rice paddle at a 45-degree angle and slice through the rice to spread the seasoning and separate the clumps, fanning it vigorously as you go.
    Nami's Tip: Fanning wicks away the excess moisture and makes the rice shine.
    How to Make Sushi Rice 11
  • Gently flip a scoop of rice after every few slices.
    How to Make Sushi Rice 12
  • Continue until the rice is barely warm, about body temperature. Your sushi rice is now ready to use in your favorite sushi recipes.
    How to Make Sushi Rice 13

To Keep

  • Cover the sushi rice with a damp towel (or paper towel) and keep it at room temperature for up to a few hours. To store it longer, see below.
    How to Make Sushi Rice 14

To Store

  • Freeze the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 month. To use, defrost it overnight in the fridge, then bring it back to room temperature in the microwave, warm but never hot.
    Nami's Tip: The refrigerator's cold air makes rice hard and dry, so I don't store it there. If you must, wrap the container in a thick kitchen towel so the rice stays cool without going cold.

Notes

What’s the measurement for 1 rice cooker cup?
  • The plastic rice cooker cup that comes with the rice cooker is ¾ cup (180 ml). In Japan, this amount is called ichi go (一合).
  • One rice cooker cup of uncooked short-grain Japanese rice is 150 grams.
How much rice do you need to make?
  • 1 rice cooker cup (= 180 ml = ¾ US cup = 150 g) of uncooked rice makes 2¼ US cups (330 g) of cooked rice.
    • 1 thick sushi roll
    • 2 medium sushi rolls
    • 4 thin sushi rolls
    • 3 inside-out rolls
  • 2 rice cooker cups (= 360 ml = 1½ cups = 300 g) of uncooked rice make 4⅓ US cups (660 g) of cooked rice.
    • 2 thick sushi rolls
    • 4 medium sushi rolls
    • 8 thin sushi rolls
    • 6 inside-out sushi rolls
  • 3 rice cooker cups (= 540 ml = 2¼ cups = 450 g) of uncooked rice make 6⅔ US cups (990 g) of cooked rice.
    • 4 thick sushi rolls
    • 6 medium sushi rolls
    • 12 thin sushi rolls
    • 9 inside-out sushi rolls
  • 4 rice cooker cups (720 ml = 3 cups = 600 g) of uncooked rice make 8¾ US cups (1320 g) of cooked rice.
    • 5 thick sushi rolls
    • 8 medium sushi rolls
    • 16 thin sushi rolls
    • 12 inside-out sushi rolls
  • 5 rice cooker cups (= 900 ml = 3¾ cups = 750 g) of uncooked rice make 11 US cups (1650 g) of cooked rice.
    • 6 thick sushi rolls
    • 11 medium sushi rolls
    • 20 thin sushi rolls
    • 15 inside-out sushi rolls
How much prepared sushi rice do you need for one sushi roll?
  • One thick sushi roll (Futomaki) requires 1⅔ US cups (250 g) of prepared sushi rice.
  • One medium sushi roll (Chumaki), like Vegetarian Sushi Roll, requires 1 US cup (150 g) of sushi rice.
  • One thin sushi roll (Hosomaki) requires ½ US cup (80 g) of sushi rice.
  • One inside-out sushi roll (Uramaki), like California Roll, requires ¾ US cup (110 g) of sushi rice.
  • One nigiri sushi requires 20 g of sushi rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcal, Carbohydrates: 79g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 344mg, Potassium: 75mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 4mg

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on August 18, 2011 and updated with new images and video on January 19, 2024. It was republished with more helpful content on December 8, 2024, and updated again on January 26, 2026.