Instant Pot Sushi Rice, 3 Ways

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

Whether you want to make sushi bowls or sushi rolls, you’ll love this super simple recipe for Instant Pot Sushi Rice!

4 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Vegan

Keyword: instant pot sushi rice, pressure cooker sushi rice

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes

Total Time: 18 minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 221kcal

Author: Becky Striepe

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 221kcal

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