Rice Water Ratio Calculator
Find the right water, cooking time and yield for any type of rice.
Please note: Cooking guides only. Times and temperatures vary with oven calibration, altitude, starting temperature and cut. For anything where safety matters — poultry, pork, sous vide, preserving — use a probe thermometer and follow your national food safety guidance rather than a calculated time.
What the Rice Water Ratio Calculator does
Rice cooks by absorption, so the water is fixed by the type of grain rather than the pan. Brown rice needs far more than white because the bran layer slows water uptake, and the ratio is quoted by volume because that is how the absorption behaves.
Formula
Water = Rice volume × RatioWhite long grain 1.75 : 1, basmati 1.5 : 1, brown 2.25 : 1Cooked yield ≈ 3 × the dry weightOne US cup of uncooked rice ≈ 185 g
Inputs explained
| Input | Unit | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice type | one of 7 options | Yes | — |
| Amount of rice | number | Yes | Accepts more than 0. |
| Measured in | one of 2 options | Yes | — |
| Servings wanted | number | Optional | Optional — works out the rice needed instead. Accepts 0 or more. |
| Custom water ratio | number | Optional | Water volume per volume of rice. Overrides the type. Accepts 0 or more. |
How to use it
- Choose Rice type and Measured in.
- Enter Amount of rice.
- Optionally add Servings wanted and Custom water ratio.
- Select Calculate.
Worked example
300 g of white long grain rice.
- Type
- White long grain
- Amount
- 300 g
300 g is 1.62 cups, so at 1.75:1 you need 2.84 cups — about 671 ml of water. Simmer 18 minutes for roughly 900 g cooked, serving four.
Frequently asked questions
Why does brown rice need so much more water?
The bran layer is still intact and resists water, so it takes longer to cook and loses more to evaporation over that time — hence 2.25:1 against 1.75:1.
Why does my rice cooker cup not match?
Rice cooker cups are 180 ml, not the 237 ml of a US cup. The machine markings are calibrated to its own cup, so use that one.
Method and sources
Method. Water from rice quantity at the ratio conventional for the variety and method selected.
Assumptions
- The pot is covered, the heat controlled, and the rice not rinsed to a degree that changes its absorption.
Limitations
- Ratios vary by variety, age of the grain, pot, altitude and whether the rice was rinsed or soaked — the figures here are starting points to adjust from.
- Absorption method assumes little evaporation loss, which a poorly fitting lid breaks.
Sources
- None — a culinary ratio with no safety dimension — Not applicable. Recorded so the absent citation reads as deliberate.