How to Make Sushi Rice at Home

Good sushi rice is rinsed, cooked with slightly less water than usual, and seasoned while warm. Get the rice right and everything else — maki, hand rolls, nigiri — becomes easy.

The basics. Rice: Japanese short-grain. Water: about 1:1 by volume. Seasoning for 2 rice-cooker cups (360ml): 4 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt. Method: rinse → soak → cook → fold in vinegar while hot → cool to body temperature.

Ingredients (makes about 4 rolls)

1½ US cups (360ml) Japanese short-grain rice · 360ml water · a 5cm piece of kombu (optional) · 4 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar · 2 tbsp sugar · 1 tsp salt. Or use the same amount of ready-made sushi vinegar and skip the sugar and salt.

Method

1. Rinse the rice several times until the water runs almost clear. 2. Drain and let it rest. 3. Cook with a 1:1 ratio of rice to water — less than regular rice, because the grains will absorb the seasoning. Use the sushi setting if your cooker has one. 4. Mix the vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved. 5. Season: spread the hot rice in a wide bowl and fold in the vinegar with a cutting motion, without mashing. 6. Cool to about body temperature, fanning it for shine. Cover with a damp cloth.

Adjusting the flavour

Recipes vary — some use more sugar for a sweeter home style, others less for a sharper traditional taste. A lighter starting point is about 1 tablespoon of seasoning per cup of cooked rice. Taste and adjust.

Use a wooden or plastic bowl, not metal — vinegar reacts with metal. A wide, shallow bowl cools the rice faster.

Troubleshooting: mushy → too much water or stirring · hard → too little water, or rice cooled too long · bland → add seasoning while still warm.

Don't refrigerate sushi rice. It turns hard. Use it within a few hours, keep it covered, and don't leave rice with fish out at room temperature.

Common questions

What is the ratio of rice to water for sushi?

About 1:1 by volume.

Do I have to rinse the rice?

Yes — it removes excess starch.

Where else can I look?

See sushi rice brands and how to make maki rolls.

Compiled by our editorial team from established Japanese home-cooking references, rice retailer information and Hong Kong grocery coverage, retrieved September 2026. Prices are indicative and change often. No brand or retailer paid for inclusion.