Is there alcohol in sushi? Mirin, sake and soy sauce
Updated October 2026
Raw fish and rice are not the problem. The question for Muslim diners is the seasoning. Japanese kitchens use two rice wines, sake and mirin, to remove fishy smells and add sweetness, and they turn up in more of a sushi meal than most people expect.
Where sake and mirin are used
- Tamago (sweet omelette): often seasoned with mirin. See tamago.
- Unagi and anago sauce (tsume): a reduction of soy, sugar and mirin. See unagi.
- Nikiri: the soy glaze brushed on nigiri at a counter is often cut with sake or mirin.
- Teriyaki toppings and many dipping sauces.
- Simmered toppings such as kanpyo, shiitake and some ikura marinades.
The rice itself is usually seasoned with vinegar, sugar and salt, but some kitchens add mirin, and some rice vinegars are made with sake lees.
What Indonesia's halal authority says
LPPOM MUI classifies sake and mirin as khamr: drinks that can intoxicate. It will not certify a product or kitchen that uses them, in any amount, and cooking does not change that. MUI's 2018 fatwa on alcohol draws the line by source: ethanol from the khamr industry is never allowed, while ethanol that forms naturally in non-khamr fermentation (as in soy sauce) is allowed in food if it is not harmful. In practice, halal-certified restaurants use certified soy sauce and replace mirin with sugar or certified seasonings.
Soy sauce
Soy sauce contains a little alcohol from fermentation, which the fatwa allows, but some brands add alcohol as a preservative. Look for a halal logo on the bottle, or ask the restaurant which soy sauce it uses.
How to check a restaurant
- A halal certificate covers the whole kitchen, including sauces. It is the only reliable answer.
- "No pork, no lard" says nothing about mirin or sake. LPPOM MUI warns specifically about this claim.
- Without a certificate, ask directly: "Do you use mirin or sake in the rice, tamago or sauces?"
- Safer choices at an uncertified place: plain sashimi, nigiri without glaze, and cucumber or salmon rolls with your own certified soy sauce.
Find certified places in the halal sushi directory or read how to find halal sushi.
Sources: LPPOM MUI, "Inilah alasan sake dan mirin haram" (2022); Fatwa MUI No. 10 Tahun 2018; LPPOM MUI on "no pork no lard" claims.
Frequently asked
- Is mirin halal?
- No. LPPOM MUI classifies mirin and sake as khamr and does not certify products or kitchens that use them, in any amount.
- Does cooking remove the alcohol in mirin?
- Cooking reduces it, but LPPOM MUI's position is that the ingredient is still not permitted once used.
- Is soy sauce halal?
- Alcohol that forms naturally during fermentation is permitted by MUI's 2018 fatwa, but some brands add alcohol. Choose soy sauce with a halal logo.