One-Tomato Rice (The Viral Lazy Rice Recipe)
Drop a whole tomato into your rice cooker with rice and seasonings. That's it. This viral one-pot recipe delivers umami-rich rice with zero effort.
Ingredients
- • 2 cups short or medium-grain white rice, rinsed
- • 2 cups water
- • 1 medium ripe tomato (Roma or vine-ripened work best)
- • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- • 1/2 teaspoon salt
- • Optional: 1 teaspoon mirin or rice vinegar
- • Optional toppings: toasted sesame seeds, sliced scallions, furikake, a fried egg
Grainy's Rice Hack
Use the standard 'White Rice' setting. The fuzzy logic sensor detects the extra moisture from the tomato and adjusts cooking time automatically — no need to reduce water.
This recipe took over social media for a reason. You put rice, water, and a single whole tomato into your rice cooker, press start, and walk away. Thirty minutes later you have this rich, umami-flavored rice that tastes like it took real effort.
It didn’t. But nobody needs to know that.
Why This Recipe Works
The tomato sits on top of the rice and slowly collapses as the cooker heats up. Its skin splits, the flesh breaks apart, and all that juice — packed with natural glutamate — soaks down into the grains. When you open the lid you’ll find a deflated tomato skin sitting in a pot of orange-tinted rice. Stir it all together and the tomato disappears into the grains.
The soy sauce and sesame oil add depth. The tomato provides sweetness and acidity. Together they create a flavor that’s way more complex than any of the individual ingredients suggest.
Instructions
Step 1: Rinse and Load
Rinse 2 cups of rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear — about 3-4 rinses. Pour the rinsed rice into the inner pot, add 2 cups of water, soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt.
Step 2: The Tomato
Place a whole, unwashed tomato right in the center of the rice. Just set it there. Don’t cut it, don’t score it, don’t do anything to it.
If you want to use mirin or rice vinegar, add that to the water now.
Step 3: Cook
Close the lid and select the standard White Rice setting. The fuzzy logic will handle everything. Walk away.
Step 4: Stir and Serve
When the cooker beeps, open the lid. The tomato skin will have peeled itself. Use a rice paddle to crush the tomato and fold it through the rice. Discard the skin if you prefer, though it’s perfectly edible.
Top with sesame seeds, chopped scallions, furikake, or a fried egg. Drizzle a touch more sesame oil if you like.
Variations Worth Trying
| Variation | What to Add | Flavor Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Garlic Butter | 2 minced garlic cloves + 1 tbsp butter | Rich, Western-leaning |
| Kimchi | 1/4 cup chopped kimchi on top | Fermented, spicy, Korean |
| Eggs | Crack 2 eggs into the rice at the 5-min mark | Protein boost, custardy pockets |
| Corn & Butter | 1/2 cup frozen corn + 1 tbsp butter | Sweet, kid-friendly |
Storage
Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the rice cooker using the “Keep Warm” function with a tablespoon of water splashed on top, or microwave with a damp paper towel over the bowl. The flavor actually gets slightly better the next day as the tomato fully integrates.