Whether you want to make sushi bowls or sushi rolls, you’ll love this super simple recipe for Instant Pot Sushi Rice!
The main thing that has always held me back from making my own sushi at home wasn’t the actual making of the sushi rolls. It was making the rice.
Once I figured out how to make Instant Pot Sushi Rice, that all changed. This recipe is so easy, and you can use brown or white sushi rice!
How to Use Instant Pot Sushi Rice
There are lots of fun things you can make with your Instant Pot Sushi Rice!
- Sushi Rolls – Duh, right? I’ll have a recipe for Kale Salad Sushi rolls that you make crunchy in the air fryer, which may be my new favorite kind of sushi!
- Sushi Bowls – We eat soooo many sushi bowls in this house! Pile on the rice, top with sliced sheets of nori, avocado, green onion, and edamame or your favorite tofu.
- Onigiri – These are balls of sushi rice, that you stuff with deliciousness and finish off with a piece of seaweed. Vegetarian Times has a recipe to get you started. You can really stuff it with anything, so get creative! For onigiri, you will get the best results with white sushi rice, since it gets stickier than longer-grain white rice or any type of brown rice.
- Spring Rolls – Sweet, sticky sushi rice is a tasty addition to your favorite spring roll recipe.
- Sushi Burgers – Sushi rice is the “bun” for this super fun sushi-themed sandwich situation. Like with onigiri, I recommend using white sushi rice for this recipe.
How to Make Sushi Rice in the Instant Pot
Making sushi rice on the stovetop doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming, but it’s even quicker and easier in the Instant Pot. Just toss your rice and seasoning ingredients into the pot, bring to pressure, and you’re good to go.
I know that traditionally, you add your liquid sweetener and rice vinegar at the end of cooking, but I have found that I get better results adding it all to the pot from the jump, especially when making brown sushi rice.
You can make your sushi rice with white sushi rice, short grain brown rice, or a mix. I’ve even used other types of white or brown rice, in a pinch. For most applications, you can get away with it.
The instructions below for Instant Pot Sushi Rice include directions for brown or white rice. You can also combine brown and white, and I have directions for that, too.
White Rice or Brown Rice?
My family prefers white rice to brown, and for a long time, I worried that I was making an unhealthy choice for my guys. Jordyn Cormier at Care2 argues that if you’re eating an otherwise healthy meal, though, white rice is really just fine.
Sure, brown rice has more protein and fiber, but that doesn’t mean that white rice is bad for you. Brown rice is just better.
Of course, if you want to make brown rice sushi, go for it! I love brown rice in my sushi, I’m just outnumbered by white rice-lovers. Brown rice adds a nuttiness and chewiness that I find really satisfying, especially in a spicy sushi roll. Do what appeals to you (or to the majority of your family)!
Instant Pot Sushi Rice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups short grain white rice OR 1 cup short grain brown rice OR a mix of 3/4 cup short grain white rice and 1/2 cup short grain brown rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
Instructions
- Combine the rice, water, vinegar, and agave nectar in your Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
- For white rice: Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes, then do a natural release (10-15 minutes).
- For brown rice: Stir in an extra 1/4 cup of water, then cook at high pressure for 22 minutes, then do a natural release (10-15 minutes).
- For a brown-white mix: Cook at high pressure for 22 minutes, then do a natural release (10-15 minutes).
Notes
- The cooking time listed for this Instant Pot Sushi Rice is for white rice, the type my family prefers in our sushi, and it includes the 10 minute natural pressure release. The total time for brown rice or a rice blend is 37 minutes, since it cooks longer in the pressure cooker.
- Calorie information is for white rice, since that’s the most popular.
Amy
I keep getting the burn error message every time I attempt to make sushi rice. Any tips on how to avoid this?
Becky Striepe
Oh no! I’m sorry this is happening. You might try not stirring, but I’m not totally sure. I haven’t had that happen with this recipe, even during testing, so it’s hard to say. 🙁
Julia Stearns @ Healthirony
I had a similar sushi rice at a restaurant recently and found myself craving it and wondering if I could recreate it today.
Becky Striepe
Enjoy it, Julia!
Dreena
I may get kicked out of the vegan club because I don’t like sushi (!!!) but this post reminds me to use my instant pot for cooking rice more. I always, always cook it stovetop. Thx for the post!
Becky Striepe
Ha! I won’t judge. More sushi for meeee!
Cadry
Ah, another reason I need an Instant Pot! Your rice looks great, and as always, your videos show how simple it really is to make.
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Cadry! I do think you’d love an IP. Makes everything so quick and easy!
Kristina
I LOVE sushi rice< even if I'm not making anything with it! great to know I can make it in my pressure cooker, WOOT!
Linda Weinberger
I just am trying to cooking it right now in my instant pot. I know vegans do not eat honey, but I am using honey. I hope it comes out okay. I am excited to look at the sushi bowl recipes since I have not had luck making sushi rolls. Actually maybe because I did have the sushi rice. Just finished making it. I used the brown short grain rice. I thought it would come out more sticky than it did.
Linda weinberger
Now I know why my rice was not that good. I read the instructions wrong. I use a 1 1/2 cups of brown short grain rice instead of a cup. It makes sense my rice was dry and a little hard. I will try. Again.
Linda w
Jenn
I’ve never made sushi at home, but I do make rice all the time. And as much as I love my Instant Pot, I never think to use it for rice. It’s such a habit to just grab a pot and and turn on the stove. Next time, I’m going to remember this and try it in the Instant Pot!
Becky Striepe
It’s so easy! We use the IP for grains the most!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
YES! I am so excited about this post! I have always struggled with figuring out the rice vinegar/agave when making sushi rice. I always make rice in my Instant Pot, so this is so perfect! I’ll be checking out all the other recipe links you mentioned too. Thank you so much!!
Becky Striepe
Yay! Enjoy, Amy!
Dianne
There are parts of Asia that have lived for hundreds of years on white rice, so it’s not a terrible choice. Thanks so much for linking to my spring roll recipe! This rice would taste great in them!
Mary Ellen | VNutrition
Ooh, I need to get back into making sushi – your video has me craving it now. I also need to get on the instant pot craze. I’ll totally be making sushi rice this way from now on, it looks so easy!
Becky Striepe
We use our IP so much! I thought it would be for beans, but I use it most to make yogurt and grains.