This rice calculator gives the water for any amount of rice, by type — because the right ratio for jasmine drowns basmati and undercooks brown. Amount and variety in; water, weights and cooked yield out.
Rinse white rice until the water runs mostly clear, rest cooked rice 10 minutes off the heat before fluffing, and treat electric-cooker lines as a second opinion — ratios above are the stovetop/absorption standard.
Why the Ratio Depends on the Rice
A rice grain is a starch package in a husk of varying toughness. Brown rice keeps its bran — water needs more time and volume to penetrate (1:2). Jasmine’s soft grains drink less (1:1.25) and turn to porridge if drowned. Basmati, soaked, elongates rather than swells. The ratios in this calculator are the absorption-method standards for the major types; convert the cup volumes to grams with our Cups to Grams Converter (uncooked rice: 185 g per cup) for full precision. Part of our Food Calculators collection.
Worked Example (Verified)
- 2 cups long-grain white (370 g): water = 2 × 1.5 = 3 cups (710 ml); yield ≈ 6 cups cooked — dinner for about six as a side
- 2 cups jasmine: only 2.5 cups of water — half a cup less than the white-rice habit that has ruined many pots
- 2 cups brown: 4 cups water and ~15 extra minutes — the bran tax, worth paying
Technique Notes That Matter More Than the Second Decimal
- Rinse white rice to remove surface starch (the gummy-pot culprit); skip rinsing for risotto-style dishes where the starch is the sauce.
- The rest is not optional: 10 minutes off-heat, lid on, lets moisture equalize — fluffing early tears grains and vents steam you paid for.
- Old rice is drier and drinks slightly more (add a tablespoon or two); new-crop rice slightly less. Ratios are starting points your second pot should adjust.
- The knuckle method (water to the first knuckle above the rice) implicitly scales with pot geometry — generations swear by it because, in the same pot, it tracks the ratio remarkably well.
Related Tools
- Cups to Grams Converter
- Food Calculators — the full collection
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the rice to water ratio for white rice?
1:1.5 by volume for long-grain white on the stovetop — 1 cup rice to 1½ cups water. Jasmine needs less (1:1.25); brown rice needs more (1:2).
How much water for 2 cups of rice?
Long-grain white: 3 cups (710 ml). Jasmine: 2.5 cups. Brown: 4 cups. The calculator above adapts to the type and amount you enter.
How much cooked rice does 1 cup of dry rice make?
About 3 cups cooked for white varieties (a bit less for brown, ~2.5–3). Rice roughly triples as it absorbs water and swells.
Why is my rice always mushy (or crunchy)?
Mushy: too much water for the type (check jasmine!) or fluffing without the rest. Crunchy: too little water, a leaky lid venting steam, or brown rice rushed on white-rice timing.
Should I rinse rice?
Yes for fluffy separate grains — rinsing removes surface starch that glues grains together. Skip it for risotto and rice pudding, where that starch is structural.
Is this rice calculator free?
Yes — free, instant, no sign-up.