Rice to Water Ratio Calculator

1. Using the rice to water calculator
2. Rice to water ratio chart
3. Cooking perfect rice every time
4. Frequently asked questions
• How much water per cup of rice?
• How much water for 3 cups of rice?
• How much rice per person?
• How to avoid undercooking or overcooking rice?

    Using the rice to water calculator

The rice to water ratio calculator supports two calculation modes. When using a rice to water ratio, it takes as input type of rice and amount of uncooked rice that you want to prepare. This method is straightforward, but can be a bit less accurate depending on the cooking time you settle for.

A more scientific approach to determining how much water is needed to cook rice is to take into account the water evaporation rate and the amount of time the rice will cook for. It works for pretty much any rice type.

In both cases the output of the calculator consists of:

• The rice to water ratio. If the entered amount is in volume units, it will be by volume. Otherwise, if entering grams or ounces, it will be by weight. It will look something like this: "1:2 (2 parts water to 1 part rice)".
• The amount of water needed to cook the specified amount or rice in various units: cups (both rice cooker cups and US legal cups), ml, grams, and others.
• The amount of cooked rice.
• The number of persons (adults) that can be fed with this amount of cooked rice (a.k.a. servings).
• The recommended cooking time (only if using the simple ratio method).

In rice to water mode the calculator supports more than a dozen common types of rice: various white rice, brown rice, Jasmine, Basmati, sushi rice, and others.

    Rice to water ratio chart

The table below is of different types of rice, their water ratios and recommended cooking times.

Rice to water ratios

Rice type	Rice to Water Ratio (by volume)	Cooking time
White long grain rice	1:2	18-20 min.
White medium grain rice	1:1.5	15 min.
White short grain rice	1:1.25	15 min.
Jasmine rice	1:1.75	15-20 min.
Basmati rice	1:1.5	15-20 min.
Texmati rice	1:1.75	15-20 min.
Brown long grain rice	1:1.75	40-45 min.
Brown short/medium grain rice	1:2	50 min.
Sushi (Calrose) rice	1:1.33	18-20 min.
Black Japonica rice	1:2	50 min.
Wild rice	1:2	45-50 min.
Converted (Parboiled) rice	1:2.25	20 min.

Here is how to read the table. For example, if cooking brown short grain rice, find its row in the table and check the ratio. It is 1:2 meaning you should add two parts water for every part of rice. (The ratio of water to rice is always the reverse.) For example, if cooking one cup of rice, you should add two cups of water to it. If using white long grain rice the ratio is again 1:2 meaning you need two cups of water per cup of rice.

The simple rice to water ratio calculations work when the actual cooking time matches the recommended cooking time in this table. The cooking time is measured from the moment the rice is put in boiling water. It is typically recommended to steam cook the rice, that is to switch the stove to a low temperature setting, leaving the rice to simmer until all water is absorbed.

It should be noted that a cooking pot with poor sealing may result in one needing to use more than the recommended amount of water due to higher loss due to evaporation. If you are seeing steam constantly escaping the pot, add 40-60 ml (¼ cup) of water on top of any calculated amount.

    Cooking perfect rice every time

Since each rice, stove, and pot are different, the rice to water ratio method is not ideal. A more scientific approach to rice cooking is to estimate the amount of water by taking into account two variables: the amount of rice and the cooking time. The amount of water is then equal to the amount of rice (by volume), plus an additional amount to allow for water evaporation during boiling and simmering. This method is used in our calculator to determine how much water is needed to cook rice perfectly, regardless of rice type.

The only variable you need to take care of is the cooking time. Ideally, you would look this up on the packaging where it should state how long to cook the rice for an al dente result, as well as for a well-cooked one. For example, the packaging might say 18 minutes for al dente and 22 minutes for well cooked rice. Cooking it for 20 minutes will get you somewhere in between.

Using this rice cooking calculator with the "Water evaporation rate" method of calculation should result in the best results, but even then it is recommended to verify that the amount works for your particular stove, pot and lid, or rice cooker.

    Frequently asked questions

Here are a few commonly asked questions about cooking rice.

How much water per cup of rice?

There is no single answer to this question as it depends on the type of rice and, more importantly, on how long you plan to cook it for. For example, if cooking 1 rice cooker cup of white long grain rice you will need between 1.5 and 2 cups of water depending on how long the rice simmers for.

How much water for 3 cups of rice?

If cooking standard white long grain rice the rice to water ratio is 1:2 (2 to 1 water to rice) so you will need between 4 and 6 cups of water, depending on the cooking duration. Consult the ratio table or use the calculator for other types of rice and how many cups of water is needed for different cooking durations.

How much rice per person?

Regardless of rice type, one typically needs between 100 and 140 grams (½ to ¾ US legal cups, or up to a rice cooker cup) of rice to feed one person, assuming they are an adult. If serving children or rice won't be the only dish, consider ⅓ of a US Legal cup per person, or roughly ½ rice cooker cup per person. See our rice calculator for more on how much rice is needed per person.

How to avoid undercooking or overcooking rice?

To avoid undercooking rice, make sure the heat is sufficient to keep your rice simmering while it cooks (a glass lid helps verify that is indeed the case without opening it!) and make sure you cook the rice following the packaging recommended minimum amount of time after boiling. The good thing is that if your rice is a bit undercooked, you can simply add a bit more water and leave it to simmer for a while longer.

To avoid overcooking rice, reduce the heat and the cooking time. Unfortunately, nothing can be done once you get that mushy, overcooked rice. Do likewise if you are finding your rice left without water and sticking to the bottom of the pot.