How to Cook Rice in a Donabe (Single Lid)
Last updated: 26 August 2026
Rice cooked in a donabe has a flavour and texture that is hard to get from an electric cooker: the thick clay heats slowly, holds that heat, and steams the grains evenly, leaving them plump and slightly sweet with a light, toasty crust at the base. It is the most common reason customers buy a donabe, and the method is simple once you know the ratio and the heat stages.
This guide is for a single-lid donabe. A double-lid donabe traps more steam and uses a shorter simmer; if that is what you have, follow How to Cook Rice in a Donabe (Double Lid) instead.
What you need
- A single-lid donabe — cook at least 2 cups of rice in a size 8 or larger pot, as a thin layer will scorch
- Japanese short-grain rice (koshihikari or similar)
- A 160ml rice cup — this is the standard Japanese rice measure, not the 250ml metric cup
Rice-to-water ratio
Start with 1 part rice to 1.2 parts water by volume. Adjust in small steps once you know your rice and your cooktop.
| Rice | Water | Serves |
| 1 cup (160ml) | 190ml | 1–2 |
| 2 cups (320ml) | 380ml | 3–4 |
| 3 cups (480ml) | 570ml | 5–6 |
Older or drier rice needs a little more water; freshly harvested rice needs a little less. If you soak the rice first (recommended below), keep the ratio the same — the soaking water is drained off.
Watch the method
The first video in this playlist shows rice cooked in a single-lid donabe. Watch it once, then follow the written steps below.
Method
- Rinse. Put the rice in a bowl, cover with cold water, swirl and drain. Repeat three or four times until the water runs mostly clear.
- Soak. Cover the rinsed rice with fresh water and leave it for 30 minutes, then drain well. Soaking lets the grains cook through evenly; it can be skipped if you are short of time, but the centre may stay a little firm.
- Add rice and water to the donabe. Level the rice and pour in the measured water. Put the lid on.
- Bring to the boil on high heat. Watch the pot — this takes 8–12 minutes depending on the size of the pot and the strength of your cooktop. You will hear it bubbling and see steam from the lid vent. Do not lift the lid.
- Turn to low and simmer for 5–8 minutes. The donabe holds a lot of heat, so low is enough. Stop nearer 5 minutes for softer rice with less crust, or nearer 8 minutes for more okoge.
- Turn off the heat and rest for 15 minutes with the lid on. The residual heat finishes the cooking and lets the last of the moisture settle into the grains. Do not skip this step.
- Fluff and serve. Lift the lid, and turn the rice gently with a rice paddle from the bottom up so the crust breaks into the rest of the rice.
About okoge
Okoge is the golden, slightly crunchy layer that forms on the base. In Japan it is prized, and many people cook donabe rice mainly to get it. A light brown crust that lifts away easily is right; a black, stuck-on layer means the heat was too high or the simmer too long. Every cooktop is different, so treat the times above as a starting point and adjust on your second batch.
Troubleshooting
Burnt base
Shorten the low-heat simmer by 2 minutes, or drop to the lowest setting your cooktop has. A heat diffuser helps on strong gas burners.
Rice is hard in the centre
Soak for the full 30 minutes, and add 10–20ml more water next time.
Rice is wet or mushy
Reduce the water by 10–20ml, and make sure you rested the full 15 minutes with the lid on.
Boiled over
The pot is too full. Do not fill a donabe more than about two-thirds with rice and water combined.
Small batches scorch
A thin layer of rice heats too fast. Use a smaller donabe, or cook at least 2 cups in a size 8 or larger pot.
Heat levels
Heat settings vary between cooktops. If your dial runs from 1 to 10, use this as a guide:
- Low: 1–2
- Medium-low: 3–4
- Medium: 5
- Medium-high: 7–8
- High: 9–10
A donabe should never be heated empty, and a hot pot should not be placed on a cold or wet surface. The base of the pot must be dry before it goes on the flame.
The rest of our donabe playlist covers double-lid pots, hot pots and other donabe cooking.
