How Long Can Sushi Rice Sit Out?
Sushi rice can be kept out on room temperature for up to six hours only. After this, they will start to lose their quality and might taste different – in some cases, they go bad too. Keeping them in the fridge is also not a solution as that makes the rice gummy.
After chilling, remove the sushi from the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes to one hour before eating to prevent rice from getting too cold. Take cooked sushi out of the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before serving so that the rice is not cold. If sushi is consumed more than two hours later, please either refrigerate the sushi or store in a cool area.
For instance, if you are making Salmon Sushi, you can leave it outside safely up to two hours before eating. As a rule of thumb, you should think about following the two-hour safe zone when it comes to leaving out sushi-related items. Note, consider the 2-hour rule a safety zone for your sushi prep, particularly when it comes to the fish, eels, and shrimp.
| Type of sushi | At room temperature (60-68°F) | In the refrigerator (32-34°F) |
| Salmon sushi | 2 hours | 1-2 days |
| Raw fish sushi | 2-3 hours | 1-2 days |
| Cooked sushi | 4 hours | 3-4 days |
| Sushi rice | 3-4 hours | 3-5 days |
If your meal includes any raw fish, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises that you do not keep sushi outside longer than 2 hours for the sake of safety. When ordering raw fish sushi, this is crucial, because fish that has not been refrigerated should never have been left out longer than four hours. If sushi has raw fish, you are fine taking some of it home to keep for up to 24 hours in a cooler.
To learn about How Long Does Sashimi Last In The Fridge, then check out my another article.
If the sushi has only raw ingredients, you may want to freeze these individually, so that you can keep them for your next sushi shipment. If you are making sushi yourself, then the best thing is to store all of your ingredients separately in the refrigerator. The types of ingredients that you include with your dishes may impact the amount of time sushi stays fresh in the fridge.
When you mix in raw ingredients, the shelf life of sushi may range from several hours at room temperature to a few days in the refrigerator. It is safe to say that cooked sushi will last for three days in the refrigerator, depending on your fridge temperature. That is why it is so common to keep sushi in the refrigerator, so that you can enjoy your delicious sushi rolls for days.
If you are interested in Can You Eat Canned Tuna Raw, then check out this article!
Ultimately, there is little reason to keep your sushi in the fridge overnight unless you are using fresh ingredients. It is important to use not only fresh cooked rice for sushi, but also to keep all of the other ingredients fresh. As long as you are using fresh ingredients, and microwave them for a second day, you will successfully re-establish that fresh taste in the sushi rice.
While you can preserve the sushi rice that remains afterward by refrigerating it, it will still lose the texture and the fuller taste. If you would like to preserve leftover sushi for a longer time, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Sushi is prepared either with cooked meats or with raw fish, which may impact just how long you can keep your sushi.
Identifying your sushi ingredients will help you determine how long you can leave sushi before it goes bad. Putting your sushi in a freezer and thawing can remove the freshness from the raw ingredients and change the overall flavor. This fact suggests sushi should not be left outside for extended periods of time, otherwise, sushi becomes contaminated.
If perfectly cooked fresh sushi is not eaten right after being made (certainly not longer than two hours when left outside at room temperature), then pests and bacteria can grow which could cause serious illness. It is also recommended that you refrigerate your fresh sushi soon, as well, as if it is left out at room temperature too long, the shift from room temperature to refrigeration temperature could result in a reduction in its taste quality. If it is a raw seafood such as tuna or salmon, it needs to be kept refrigerated at least two hours after cooking before serving — it is, after all, perishable food. Because sushi is made from raw seafood such as fish, shrimp, and eels, it can safely stay up to 2 hours at room temperature.
While sushi rice is usually refrigerated to a 64degF temperature in grocery stores, you can safely keep sushi on the counter for up to 6 hours. With this in mind, sushi can be left on the counter for up to 6 hours, though you are encouraged to eat before this because of the potential bacteria growth. Cooked sushi stays fresh up to 2 days when stored in a fridge — this means that if you cannot finish all of your sushi in a single day, that is okay. If you follow the recommendations I gave you above, which is to keep raw sushi in the fridge one to two days, and cooked sushi no longer than three or four days, then you will be fine eating it.
However, when you keep sushi in your refrigerator, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends refrigerating raw fish and shellfish for 1 to two days, but for 3 to 4 days if cooked (3). While leaving cooked sushi out a bit longer may be fine, the recommendation is to avoid going past the 2-hour mark for both raw and cooked sushi. Remember what I said about the 2-hour guidelines with sushi left out at room temperature sushi left out at room temperature, I would not suggest taking it home for consumption unless you are sure that it has not gone past the 2 hours recommended. Food safety guidelines suggest raw fish should not be left out at room temperature longer than 2 hours, vegetables, cooked meats, and shrimps 3 hours, and the sushi rice itself for 4 hours (from the moment of cooking).
To lower the risk of food poisoning, be sure to chill chilled rice for at least 1 hour after it is cooked, and store it in the right refrigerator before eating. Heat leftover rice in a microwave oven or steamer, stir with Sushi vinegar (salt, sugar, and rice vinegar), and top with sesame seeds or kelp, then let it cool to room temperature. All types of leftovers, whether they are sushi or grandmas chicken broth, should be refrigerated ASAP. Even though sushi is covered with cooked rice, it does not extend the amount of time that it can be left outside.
How can you tell if sushi has gone bad?
Fish should be discarded if it has a slimy or fishy scent. Fish that are mushy or crumbly is also not fresh. Additionally, you ought to examine the sushi’s color. You can eat anything if it is green, but if it is red, it hasn’t yet spoiled and should be thrown away.
How long can sushi rice sit out at room temperature?
After being made, sushi rice can be left outside at room temperature. It can be kept on the counter for up to 6 hours without harm, even though it is normally chilled at a temperature of 64 degrees Fahrenheit at the grocery store.
Can I eat sushi rice left out overnight?
You run the danger of getting food poisoning if you decide to leave it out overnight without even cooling it. This occurs as a result of rice’s high starch content, which when exposed to room temperature for an extended period of time may encourage germs to grow. The germs will still be present in the sushi rice even after reheating.