Rice cookers are a convenient and inexpensive way to cook food for those confined to small spaces or without access to conventional kitchens, so I’m going to develop a few recipes specifically for rice cookers, starting with this super easy Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice. This ultra simple dish is similar to shrimp fried rice that you’d get from your local take out joint, except it’s steamed not fried, and therefore way less caloric. The ultra short ingredient list means you don’t have to have a lot of ingredients on hand, and most of them can be kept indefinitely either in your pantry or freezer.
Check out my other Rice Cooker Recipes: Rice Cooker Chili, Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese, Rice Cooker Spanish Chickpeas and Rice.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
What Rice Cooker am I Using?
I chose to work with one of the most popular and most basic rice cookers on the market to make sure the recipes I develop have the broadest compatibility. That being said, every model rice cooker is slightly different, and may yield slightly different results. I’m using the Aroma Housewares 8 cup cooked/4 cup uncooked Digital Rice Cooker (affiliate link).
Can I Make This Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice in an Instant Pot?
Using the “rice” function on your Instant Pot will cook food in the same manner as a rice cooker, so this recipe should work just fine in an Instant Pot, providing you are using the rice function and not a pressure cooking function. That being said, I have not had a chance to actually test this recipe using an Instant Pot.
Rice to Water Ratios
There is a lot of conflicting information about what the proper rice to water ratio is for rice cookers, partly due to differing needs for different rice varieties and variations in the way different rice cookers work. I’ve tested this particular recipe several times with different rice to water ratios, and found that 1:1.33 worked best for me. Again, if using a different model rice cooker or a different variety of rice, the ratio may need to be adjusted.
Rice Cooker Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. raw medium shrimp (41/50 size)* ($4.00)
- 1 small onion ($0.33)
- 1 cup frozen peas ($0.38)
- 1.5 cups uncooked jasmine rice ($0.99)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce ($0.24)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
Instructions
- If your shrimp is frozen, thaw it first by placing in a colander and running cool water over it until thawed (this only takes a few minutes).
- Finely dice the onion and place it in the bottom of the rice cooker along with the frozen peas (I did not thaw my peas). Add the uncooked rice, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Stir these ingredients together.
- Add the shrimp to the top of the rice mixture, then pour in 2 cups water. Close the lid and set the cooker to the “white rice” setting. The rice cooker will begin to heat and once the contents inside reach the appropriate temperature, it will begin to count down the cooking time (12 minutes for my model).
- Once the rice cooker finishes its cooking cycle, let it rest for an additional 5-10 minutes on the keep warm cycle before opening the lid. While waiting, stir together the soy sauce and brown sugar.
- Finally, open the lid and pour the soy sauce mixture over the contents in the rice cooker. Use a rice paddle to gently fold the sauce into the rice. Serve hot, with sriracha or sliced green onions if desired.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
How To Make Shrimp & Rice Teriyaki In A Rice Cooker – Step by Step Photos
If using frozen shrimp, thaw them first by placing them in a colander and running cool water over top until thawed (this only takes a couple of minutes). Finely dice one small onion and place it in the rice cooker along with 1 cup frozen peas (I did not thaw the peas).
Add 1.5 cups white jasmine rice to the cooker, along with two cloves of garlic (minced) and about 1 tsp grated fresh ginger. Stir these ingredients together until everything is evenly combined.
Add 1/2 lb. medium shrimp (41/50 size) to the rice cooker, then pour 2 cups water over top.
Close the rice cooker and set it to the “white rice” function. The rice cooker will begin to heat up, and once it reaches the appropriate temperature it will begin to count down the actual cooking time (mine is 12 minutes for the white rice function). Depending on the temperature and volume of the ingredients in the cooker, it can take a different amount of time to come up to temperature before it begins counting the actual “cooking time.”
After the cooking cycle has finished, make sure to let it sit without opening the lid for an additional 5-10 minutes. This really helps give you more even results because it gives the steam a chance to settle in the cooker. While waiting for the rice to rest in the cooker, stir together 1/4 cup soy sauce and 2 Tbsp brown sugar in a small bowl. It’s okay if the sugar doesn’t totally dissolve.
Pour the soy sauce mixture over the contents of the rice cooker, then use your rice paddle to gently fold the sauce into the shrimp and rice.
If you’re at the max volume of your rice cooker, like I was, it may be easier to transfer everything to a large bowl to fold in the soy sauce, but that’s up to you. Once the sauce is incorporated, the Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice is ready to eat!!
Of course I topped mine with some sriracha, but that’s optional! A couple sliced green onions or cilantro would also be nice if you have them on hand.
Dig in!!
I can’t wait to try this. I’m excited to see any other rice cooker recipies you come up with too! I have used this same cooker for several years, and just talked my adult kid into one for his kitchen. I like the brown rice function on the cooker not only for brown rice, but it is also perfect for wild rice, and I am working on how best to use it to cook dry beans (about 3/4 of a rice cooker cup dry equals a can when cooked). I use my Instant Pot for may things, but I still like this little appliance for its fool-proof rice cooking and small footprint.
this is intriguing because it seems easy, healthy, fast and tasty. but what is the texture like? I’m worried the rice would be kinda soggy if you add the sauce mix without cooking it a frying pan a bit. I don’t mind soft, but soggy is a turn off. can you elaborate on the texture of the finished dish a bit?
It’s definitely a bit more moist than plain cooked rice, but I didn’t find it mushy. This may vary a bit with your rice cooker, too. During one of my test runs I did cook the sauce with the rice and shrimp, replacing a small amount of water with the sauce, but I found the flavors to be more distinct and pronounced and the colors more appealing when adding it after, but cooking the sauce with the rice is always an option.
Would this work with a Zojirushi fuzzy logic rice cooker?ย
Unfortunately I’ve never made it with any other rice cooker than the Aroma brand cooker linked above.
I love the idea of rice cooker recipes! Any tips for rice cookers that seem to burn the bottom layer of the rice? I’ve tried several different types of rice and follow the instructions on rice to water ratio in the manual that came with it… unfortunately the rice still comes out burned at the bottom every time. :(
Hmm, I’m not quite sure why it would burn every time, as I haven’t had mine burn at all yet, so no chance to trouble shoot that. But definitely let the rice rest for about 10 minutes after the cooking cycle before opening the pot. That lets the steam pressure come down and helps moisture enter back into that bottom layer so that it doesn’t stick. It may still get a little browned on bottom, but it won’t be stuck or dry.
Wow! I never thought of cooking anything other than rice in a rice cooker. LOL. I would think the shrimp world over cook. I guess the short cook time works well.
Awesome! Looking forward to more rice cooker recipes. I suspect that if you chopped other meats small (ie, minced) then you might be able to replace the shrimp.
This series is going to be invaluable to me. Thank you! I can not wait to try this particular recipe out. It sounds absolutely delicious.ย
Where did you get the dish(es) you are eating out of???? So cute must have!
I think I got that from CB2. :)
i just wanted to ask the same question!
Think this may be it https://www.cb2.com/take-out-serving-bowl/s102243
Made it w/out the shrimp and it was quick, easy and yummy. More veggie rice cooker recipes please!
Did you change anything else? I’m not a fan of shrimp and was curious about making this without it! Good to know it turned out well for you :)
Love the takeout-style dish you put it in, who’s the manufacturer?
I believe I got it from CB2. :)
This sounds so good! I’d like to make it with brown jasmine rice. I can figure out the rice:water ratio, but would you change the way you prepare the other ingredients (not thawing the shrimp first, adding the frozen peas later in the process)? I have a very basic, non-digital rice cooker .
Yes, since it would need to cook much longer than the white rice it will definitely affect how the other ingredients are cooked as well. I would need to do some testing to find out the best process, though.
Iโm thinking beef or chicken would work in this too. ย I donโt care to eat shrimp. ย Maybe 1โ chunks of raw meat would work? ย I just made teriyaki steak last night lol, and fried rice so the one pot method sounds good!ย
Shrimp cooks very quickly – I don’t think chicken or beef would cook – you’re just steaming it for less than 30 minutes.
Chicken definitely takes longer to cook than shrimp, perhaps even when it’s in small pieces because they just have a different texture. In the booklet that came with my rice cooker it has suggested cooking times for different types of proteins, and most of them other than fish were much longer than the time needed to cook the rice. So I think it would be a bit tricky to use raw chicken in this recipe.
Buying my rice cooker right now! Can’t wait to make this recipe! Thank you again :)
Would this work with brown rice? Maybe a pressure cooker?
To use brown rice you will need more water and a longer cooking time, so it would definitely need some testing to get the ratios correct. Same with the pressure cooker.
The rice is that a “rice cooker” cup or a standard cup measuring cup?ย
Also I could use any type of frozen veggies? I don’t like just peas!
I used a standard measuring cup. You could use other vegetables, just keep in mind that if they are larger pieces you may want to thaw them first to ensure that they cook through. Peas are so small that they thaw and cook through extremely quickly.