featured 15478

Satsumaimo Gohan: Japanese Sweet Potato Rice Recipe

Learn how to make perfect, delicious & comforting Japanese sweet potato rice!

Japanese Sweet Potato Rice (Satsumaimo Gohan)

Happy first day of autumn! Sweet potato rice, or satsumaimo gohan, is a simple, comforting one-pot dish that celebrates the natural sweetness and creamy texture of Japanese sweet potatoes. It’s an ideal fall staple: the rice cooks together with tender cubes of sweet potato, finished with a sprinkle of black sesame for a toasty note. This recipe works well in a donabe (earthenware pot) or a modern rice cooker, and yields fluffy, flavorful rice that pairs beautifully with a variety of side dishes.

What is Sweet Potato Rice?

Sweet potato rice is a form of takikomi gohan, Japanese mixed rice, where rice and other ingredients are cooked together so the flavors meld. The result is light, slightly sweet rice with soft pieces of sweet potato throughout. The contrast between the fluffy rice and buttery cubes of satsumaimo makes this an especially cozy dish. Traditionally it’s subtle in seasoning to highlight the natural ingredients, but simple additions like sake and a touch of maple syrup (optional) gently enhance the flavor.

Recipe Summary

  • Author: Lisa Kitahara
  • Total Time: 65 minutes
  • Yield: about 5 cups
  • Serving Size: 1 cup

Ingredients

  • 2 rice cooker cups (about 360 g) Japanese short-grain rice
  • 2 tbsp sake (30 ml)
  • 1 tsp maple syrup (optional)
  • 365–400 ml cold water (adjust so total liquid is about 1.1× rice weight in grams)
  • Japanese sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1–1.5 cm cubes
  • Salt, to taste
  • Black sesame seeds for garnish

How to Make Sweet Potato Rice

Wash the Rice

  1. Place the dry rice in a large bowl and add cold water. Swish the rice with your fingers to remove surface starch, then drain quickly. Repeat this quick rinse two more times.
  2. Refill the bowl with cold water and gently wash the rice using your knuckles in a swirling motion. Drain and repeat this gentle wash three more times. On the final rinse, drain well using a colander.
  3. Combine the washed rice, cold water, sake, and maple syrup (if using) in your rice cooker or donabe. Let the rice soak for 30 minutes to hydrate evenly.
  4. While the rice soaks, cut the sweet potatoes into 1–1.5 cm cubes and soak them in cold water for 15 minutes to remove excess starch.

Cooking in a Donabe (Earthenware Pot)

  1. After soaking, add salt to the rice and stir gently to distribute. Arrange the drained sweet potato cubes on top of the rice without mixing.
  2. Cover the donabe and set it over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, which typically takes about 10 minutes. Once boiling, immediately reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Turn off the heat. Keep the lid on and let the rice steam for 10 minutes to finish cooking through.
  4. Remove the lid and gently fluff the rice, scooping from the bottom to mix in the sweet potato pieces. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

Cooking in a Rice Cooker

  1. After soaking, add salt to the rice and stir. Place the drained sweet potato cubes evenly on top of the rice.
  2. Set the rice cooker to the white rice setting and start the cycle.
  3. When the cycle finishes, let the rice sit inside the closed cooker for 10 minutes before opening to allow steam to finish the rice.
  4. Fluff gently, serve in bowls, and top with black sesame seeds.

Tips for Making the Best Sweet Potato Rice

  • Choosing sweet potatoes: Choose tubers with smooth, unblemished skin and firm texture. Japanese sweet potatoes have a purple-red skin and pale yellow flesh and work especially well.
  • Rice-to-liquid ratio: For short-grain Japanese rice, aim for a total liquid volume equal to about 1.1 times the rice weight in grams. This includes any liquid from seasonings like sake.
  • Use cold water to wash rice: Cold water prevents the rice from starting to absorb water during rinsing, ensuring proper texture after cooking.
  • Wash until slightly cloudy: Rinse until the water is only slightly cloudy rather than completely clear — over-washing can remove desirable rice flavor.
  • Be gentle: Use a soft, circular motion with your knuckles when washing and avoid rough handling while stirring cooked rice to keep grains intact.
  • Don’t open the lid early: Allow the rice to rest after cooking (10 minutes) so steam finishes the cooking process evenly.

What to Serve with Sweet Potato Rice

  • Miso soup
  • Kinpira gobo (braised burdock root)
  • Kinpira renkon (braised lotus root)
  • Misoyaki eggplant and tofu
  • Soy butter enoki mushrooms
  • Spinach gomae (spinach with sesame dressing)

SAVE IT FOR LATER!

If you try this Japanese Sweet Potato Rice, I’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment or share a photo on social media — tag @okonomikitchen so I can see your recreations.

Helpful equipment: donabe or rice cooker.

Nutritional information disclaimer: Any nutrition estimates provided elsewhere are rough estimates calculated with online tools and should be used as a guideline only.

Okonomi Kitchen participates in affiliate programs. When you purchase through affiliate links shared elsewhere, I may earn a small commission that helps support this site and recipe development. Thank you for supporting this plant-based kitchen!