Sushi Rice in the Instant Pot

Whether you are making homemade sushi rolls, sushi bowls, or poke bowls you can’t go wrong with this easy instant pot sushi rice recipe. With just a few simple ingredients this method results in perfectly cooked flavorful sushi rice every single time!

A bed of perfectly cooked sushi rice is the base for several of our favorite meals making this one of our most used instant pot recipes!

Instant Pot Sushi Rice Ingredients:

Sushi Style Rice: Its important you use the right kind of rice. Short-grain japanese rice is best for this sushi style rice. As good as brown rice and jasmine rice are I don’t recommend swapping the rice in this recipe.

Avocado oil: you want to use a neutral tasting oil like avocado or canola oil in your sushi rice.

Rice Wine Vinegar: also known as sushi vinegar you can find rice wine vinegar near the soy sauce in most super markets. In a pinch you can use white wine vinegar.

Raw Sugar: sugar cane or raw sugar work best for sushi rice but you can use white sugar as well.

Salt: we need salt to achieve that balance of sweet, salty, and sour that makes sushi rice so delicious.

Equipment for Instant Pot Sushi Rice:

• An instant pot or other electric pressure cooker. We use the Instant Pot Duo 7 in 1

• A large fine mesh strainer

• Medium Mixing Bowl

• Wooden spoon

How to make Instant Pot sushi rice:

Using a fine mesh strainer rinse your sushi rice under cold water for a few minutes to remove excess starch. This is what gives you that sticky texture, key for a nice glutinous rice texture. Drain off any excess water.

Lightly spray the inner pot of your electric pressure cooker with avocado oil.

Add the rinced sushi rice and water to the instant pot.

Close the Instant Pot lid, setting the valve on “sealing”, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Allow for a natural pressure release for 10 minutes. Quick release the remaining pressure and remove the lid.

Using a wooden spoon or rice paddle scoop the cooked sushi rice into a medium bowl. Avoid metal spoons to avoid scratching the instant pot insert.

Using a fork gently fluff the sushi rice.

In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, oil, sugar, and salt. Mix until sugar and salt are dissolved.

Gently mix the vinegar mixture into the sushi rice until well combined.

Storing Instant Pot Sushi Rice:

Sushi rice can be covered with a damp towel and kept at room temperature for several hours before serving.

Refigerate leftover sushi rice in an air tight container and use within 2 days.

I do not recommend freezing sushi rice as it tends to result in mushy rice.

Reheating sushi rice:

Tips for Sushi Rice in the Instant Pot:

Using the right type of rice is key for getting good sushi style rice. Calirose rice is the best substitute for traditional sushi rice.

You may need to tweak cook times depending on the size, make, and model of your pressure cooker. We use the Instant Pot Duo 7 in 1

Don’t skip rinsing the rice. Rinsing the rice is key to get the slightly sticky texture you want in sushi style rice.

Avoid metal spoons and bowls when seasoning your sushi rice. Some metals will react with the rice wine vinegar leaving a metal taste.

What is Sushi Rice?

Sushi rice is typically a short-grain or medium-grain Japanese rice. Sushi rice’s higher starch content makes it much stickier than longer grain white rice.

What can I substitute rice with?

Calrose or California rice are the most reliable substitutes for sushi rice. I do not recommend using jasmine or basmati rice as they won’t get the same sticky glutinous texture.

Do you have to rinse sushi rice?

Yes, rinse under cool water to remove excess starch any unwanted debris from the rice. It is important to remove some of the starch to get that signature sticky rice texture.

Why cant you use metal when making sushi rice?

You use a glass bowl and wood or plastic utensils because metal utensils can damage the rice and a metal bowl can react with the rice vinegar creating a metal flavor in the rice.