By far one of the best discoveries that I have made is that you can make perfect sushi rice in the instant pot. This instant pot sushi rice is simple to make and so satisfying!
If you haven’t figured it out already, I love my instant pot and use it for a lot of recipes, but until recently I had never used it to make rice. I know, a lot of people swear by rice cookers, however I’ve never had a problem making rice on the stove, so that is the way I always cooked it. With that said, sushi rice can be a bit finicky, and while I made it on the stovetop quite often, I always had to keep an eye on it. On a whim, I decided to try the “rice” function on my instant pot and after trying it, I will not make sushi rice on the stove again.
Note that this instant pot sushi rice can be made with any short grain sushi rice which is now readily available at most grocery stores, however if you cannot find actual sushi rice, short grain Calrose rice works well too. Long-grain rice, such as Basmati or Jasmine tends to have a dry fluffy texture and the grains don’t stick together due to a high ratio of Amylose to Amylopectin, so those varieties won’t work well to make sushi rice.
Instant Pot Sushi Rice Ingredients:
- 2 cups dry sushi rice or Calrose rice
- 2 cups filtered water
- ½ teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (I use Mortons)
- 1 generous tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar depending on your desired flavor profile
- (optional) 2 inch piece of dried Kombu
- (optional) splash of mirin
Start by rinsing your rice. This is a very important step in making this instant pot sushi rice. Add your dry rice to a fine mesh sieve and rinse thoroughly under running water for a minute or two. As you let the water run through the rice, (make sure that you move the sieve around under the running water so you rinse all of the rice evenly) you’ll notice that the water streaming through the bottom of the sieve will go from very white and cloudy to much more clear. The water probably won’t become completely clear, but you want to rinse as much of the excess starch off the rice as possible.
Once your rice is thoroughly rinsed and the water running through the rice is noticeably less cloudy, add your rice, the filtered water, and half a teaspoon of kosher salt to the instant pot. If you’re using them, add in the kombu and mirin as well. The kombu and mirin are optional, but add additional depth of flavor. Stir it all to combine, place the lid on the instant pot, position the knob at the top to “sealing”, and click the “rice” setting on the front of the instant pot. This setting will auto detect the weight and calculate the time needed to cook the rice. When I make this, mine always sets to 12 minutes.
While the rice cooks, mix the seasoning. This is what will give the instant pot sushi rice its signature flavor. Depending on how acidic you prefer your sushi rice, you can use 3-4 tablespoons of rice vinegar. I go between using 3 and 4 depending on what I feel like. You can always start with 3 tablespoons of vinegar and add an extra tablespoon to the cooked rice later if you’d like.
Mix the vinegar, sugar, and the rest of the salt to dissolve the solids in the vinegar in a small bowl, and set aside until the rice is cooked.
Once the rice is cooked and the timer goes off, turn off the instant pot and carefully turn the valve to “venting” to do a quick release. This will release the pressure in the instant pot. Once the red pressure gauge is down, open up the instant pot and add in the vinegar mixture. Using a wooden spoon, gently distribute the vinegar throughout the rice to season it and fluff it up, being careful not to break all the rice granules and make them mushey.
You can use the instant pot sushi rice immediately or let it cool down a little before serving.
I have found that if you want to let the rice cool slightly, the best way to do so is to gently place the instant pot lid on top of the base without actually securing it and closing it fully. This lets the rice cool gently while letting some of the steam escape.
I also have found that it is best to remove all of the rice from the instant pot while it is still warm to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. What I usually do is serve up the rice for whatever meal I’m making, then transfer the remaining rice to a storage container to cool. When the rice is in the storage container, I let it come to room temp with the lid off, then once the rice has cooled, I place the lid on and store it in the fridge. Once all of the rice has been removed from the pot, I fill the pot with water so I can enjoy my meal without worrying that the rice residue will stick onto the pot.
I often use this instant pot sushi rice to make poke bowls, teriyaki bowls, and homemade sushi. It’s a great way to switch up your normal rotation of meals and make something that you would often eat at a restaurant.