If you’re disappointed with your homemade sushi, it’s not you, it’s your brand of sushi rice you use. Here is our handy guide for the best sushi rice brands.
Sushi is refreshing, light, you can change the filling to suit your own personal palate, and it’s versatile. No wonder it’s taken off all over the world! Although once sushi felt like the exclusive domain of Japanese master chefs, it’s really quite popular these days for home cooks to try making sushi themselves.
To make your own sushi, you need a few ingredients. Filling, nori, sushi vinegar and, of course, sushi rice! If you’re wondering which sushi rice is best for you, we’ve got you covered. Here’s our list of the best sushi rice brands.
The best sushi rice has a very sticky consistency. It will hold its shape so it can be easily manipulated into balls or rolls. Using other types of rice that lack these properties won’t be as good, so have a look at our favorite brands of sushi rice.
Best Rice for Sushi
In Japan, they use a particular type of rice for sushi. Su-meshi (酢飯), this special sushi rice, is a short-grain white rice with an extra sticky consistency. It sticks together and will shape and roll without falling apart, and after cooking it is often seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. This is how you get that classic fluffy-yet-firm texture. We love to use it for Boston rolls, Spicy Crab Rolls or Crunchy Rolls.
How To Cook Sushi Rice
- First, wash the rice with cold water until the water runs clear.
- Next, add your rice to the rice maker with water, and cook according to packaging instructions.
- After you’ve cooked your rice, transfer your rice while it’s still hot to a large bowl. Let it cool down until it’s very warm, and then stir in your vinegar, mixing well.
- If you don’t have a rice cooker, that’s OK! You can use your stovetop, too. Place your washed rice in a medium saucepan with water. Put it on high heat, bringing it to the boil, and once the water has reached a rolling boil immediately reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot.
- It will take about eight minutes for the water to absorb, after which reduce the heat to very low, cooking for another five to six minutes. After this, remove your rice from the heat and allow it to stand while covered for about fifteen minutes.
How To Make Sushi Rolls
- The first thing you’ll want to do is lay out your bamboo mat and set aside a small bowl of vinegar. The vinegar is for you to dip your hands in, preventing the rice from sticking to them.
- Next, take some kitchen scissors and cut off about a third of your nori seaweed sheet. Place the remaining sheet towards the bottom of the mat with the shiny side facing down and the matte side facing up.
- Using a three quarters of a cup of your cooked rice, evenly spread it over the nori, leaving about half an inch at the top of the sheet. Spread the rice with your fingers after wetting them in your vinegar.
- Next, put your choice of fillings on top of the rice. This is where you’d add your avocado, meat, or fish of choice.
- Using your thumbs, lift the edge of the mat up and over the filling, then roll the mat away from you while pressing the rice and filling together. Use the bamboo mat to keep rolling until you reach the blank nori at the edge. Peel the mat away, continuing to roll, so your nori can be rolled into a neat little cylinder. Press the mat gently so the roll doesn’t fall apart once you cut it.
- Finally, put your roll on a cutting board and use a long, sharp knife to cut off the edges on each side. Next, cut the roll into pieces of your desired size, and serve with wasabi and soy sauce!
What is Japanese Rice?
The Japanese have cultivated rice for so long that there are many, many different rice varieties in Japan. Uruchimai is a very popular type of rice in Japan. It is fairly sticky, easy to pick up with chopsticks, and used to make sake, a Japanese rice liqueur.
Is Jasmine Rice Sushi Rice?
Jasmine rice is really widely consumed in the subcontinental cultural sphere, particularly in India, Pakistan, and Thailand. Jasmine rice is a longer grain of rice with a distinctive aroma and flavor. Although jasmine rice is great for curries, it isn’t well-suited to sushi as it lacks the stickiness and shortness of grain that you need to keep your sushi rolls from falling apart.
It’s easier to use genuine sushi rice.
Best Sushi Rice Brands
1.Koshikikari
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This variety traces its origins to Japan in 1956, and today is cultivated in the USA. Its short grains and sticky consistency make it perfect for sushi.
2.Tamanishiki Rice
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This is a super-premium grade short-grain rice that is actually from California, not Japan. It is popularly used in American sushi outlets because it is very easy to get in the United States.
3.Lundberg Family Farms Organic Sushi Rice
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Like the Tamanishiki rice, this brand is from California in the USA. It is a certified organic, non-GMO rice that is also free of gluten! It’s easy to buy online and is a great option if you’re serving sushi to a person who is gluten free.
4.Nishiki Sushi Rice
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Nishiki rice has a longer grain than some of the other entries on this list, but it’s plenty sticky enough to work well for sushi. It’s an affordable alternative to some of the premium Japanese rice varieties on this list.
5.Botan Calrose Rice
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This rice is milled, like some of the others on this list, in California! It’s very affordable and is very similar to the rice from Japan.
6.Kokuho Rose
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This is another sticky medium-grain rice grown in California. Kokuho Rose is a premium rice that is free of both gluten and wheat, and certified kosher!
7.RiceSelect Sushi Rice
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This sushi rice is surprisingly versatile. Many sushi rices are specialized for, as you might have guessed, sushi. This short-grain rice, with its sticky consistency and sweet flavor, is great for sushi, but you could also use it to make rice pudding .
Sushi FAQs
Can I Use Regular Rice for Sushi?
White rice, basmati rice, and jasmine rice lack the stickiness you need for your sushi roll to stick to itself. Sushi rice has several unique qualities, outlined above, that make it perfectly suited for making sushi. Ordinary rice just isn’t suited for sushi, so you’re better off going for the real thing.
Calrose was actually developed for use in sushi! It was developed by Japanese-Americans in 1948, and with its medium grain and competitive pricing it’s a great option for use when making sushi.
Short grain rice is best for sushi, although a medium-grain rice that’s sticky enough will do in a pinch. We recommend authentic Japanese Koshikikari short-grain rice for making sushi, although some of the Californian options above like Tamanishiki are good for sushi, too.
Your local Asian supermarket probably has plenty of sushi rice, and even some major retailers now have extensive specialty Asian sections. You could also try buying your sushi rice from an online retailer such as Amaz
Love sushi? Try these!!
If you found thispost helpful be sure to leave a comment or give a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! I will be happy to hear from you!
I have been using Mahatma brand Sushi rice with great results and reasonable prices. Recently I tried another of their brands ln a medium-grain rice(Water Maid) using one and a half cups of water to one cup of rice with the same great results. I bought both brands in the Food Lion Store in North Carolina I have been making this Rice in the Instant pot using the pot in pot method.
Hey, Vinnie! Thank you for sharing your experience!