I love sushi but I hate paying the markup for the rolls in restaurants. Sushi rice is incredibly easy and even cheaper to make at home - especially when the Instant Pot does all the hard work! This sushi rice is ready in only 25 minutes.
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Why This Recipe Works
There's nothing worse than taking the time make stovetop rice only for it to be soggy, dry or even worse - burnt. Using the Instant Pot takes a lot of stress and guess work out of making perfect sushi rice every time.
The seasoning is a simple mix of cooked sushi rice and sushi vinegar (made of rice vinegar, sugar and salt). The base ratios of the recipe is from Yo! Sushi.
This recipe is extra incredible because it's:
- Budget-Friendly - sushi may be expensive to order, but it sure is cheap to make. You can get 900g of Calrose Rice for $5.
- Easy & Quick - sushi rice takes only 25 minutes (mostly hands off) and 4 ingredients.
- The perfect base to sushi rolls, sushi bowls or poke.
What You'll Need
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Rice. For best results, use sushi rice (or a medium starch short grain rice). The best options are rice that is labelled sushi rice or Japanese style rice. The next best alternative is Calrose style as a more budget friendly option.
If you're in a real pinch, arborio rice (risotto) or glutinous rice can work though will miss the same texture and either be too sticky or too hard. Sushi rice is best.
Want another short grain rice recipe? Try Filipino Arroz Caldo or Arancini Al Forno made with risotto!
Vinegar. Rice vinegar is the best for sushi rice. If you live somewhere that you can't find rice vinegar, you can use white wine vinegar or slightly diluted apple cider vinegar in a pinch. Try to find the real stuff!
How to Make This Recipe
Place the rice in a fine mesh sieve over a glass bowl.
Fill the bowl with cold water and rinse for 30 seconds. Repeat this process 3-5 times, until the water runs clear.
Drain the rice with a fine mesh sieve until dry.
Add the rice and water to the Instant Pot and set to "pressure cook" on high pressure for 10 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to naturally release - this should take 10-15 additional minutes.
While the rice cooks, combine rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt in medium bowl and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Once the rice has cooked, place it in a glass bowl and mix in the sushi vinegar mix.
Allow the rice and vinegar to cool completely before making any sushi rolls.
Expert Tips to Make This Perfectly
Make sure your Instant Pot is on the right settings. You want to Instant Pot to be set to "high pressure" and "normal" of the pressure cook setting. See the image of the settings in the step by step photos above (step 6).
Make sure that you set your seal your Instant Pot. If you don't, it will never come to pressure. A properly sealed vent looks like this:
Always rinse and drain the rice. Even though you need starch for sushi rice, too much can cause the Instant Pot to get a burn notice or ruin the texture of the rice.
Avoid using metal bowls/spoons. Vinegar can react poorly with metals and may affect the flavour of the rice. Opt for glass or wood. Avoid metal mixing spoons as they can be rough and damage the rice grains.
Each raw cup of rice makes enough for 3 sushi rolls. This recipe, as written, will make enough rice for 6 sushi rolls. You can scale the recipe as needed.
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Sushi Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups Sushi Rice see notes
- 2 cups Water
- ¼ cup Rice Vinegar
- 2 tablespoons White Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Table Salt
Instructions
- Place 2 cups of rice in a fine mesh strainer. Place the strainer over a large bowl and fill the bowl with cold water. Mix the rice around and then drain the water. Repeat this 3-5 times, or until the water runs clear.
- Drain the rice fully and place it in the inner pot of your Instant Pot. Add in 2 cups of water and close the valve to "sealed". Set the Instant Pot to high pressure and cook for 10 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release (this should take 10-15 minutes).
- While the rice is cooking, combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt and whisk to combine until the sugar is completely melted. If it won't melt, you can place it in the microwave for 15 seconds. Allow it to cool completely.
- Once the rice is done cooking, place it in a glass or wooden bowl and mix with the cooled vinegar mixture. Stir to combine and allow to fully cool before using for sushi.
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