What this calculator does
Find out how much water to add to your rice, how long to cook it and how much cooked rice you'll get. Most rice is cooked by absorption, with the lid on, until the grains soak up all the water. So the water has to match both the amount of rice and the kind of rice. Long-grain white rice needs less water than brown rice. Brown rice keeps its bran (the outer layer), which slows the soaking. Sticky short-grain rice needs less water again. Get the ratio right and you don't need to drain anything.
Choose the rice type and enter how many cups of dry rice you're cooking. Then pick absorption or boil-and-drain. The calculator gives the water in cups, with the nearest kitchen measure, and in milliliters. It also shows the simmer time and about how much cooked rice you'll have. A table compares every type. The figures are typical starting points. Package directions, and whether you like your rice firmer or softer, come first.
Where it's used
Why this math matters outside the classroom:
- Weeknight dinners. A cook making 2 cups of brown rice multiplies by 2.25 and measures 4.5 cups of water.
- Ratio tables in class. Students build a table for a 1.5 : 1 ratio: 2 cups of jasmine rice need 3 cups of water, 4 cups need 6.
- Meal prep. Someone batch-cooking 3 cups of dry rice for the week expects about 9 cups cooked.
- Converting to metric. A cook using a metric jug converts 1.75 cups of water to about 414 mL.
- Camp cooking. Scout leaders feeding 12 plan on 4 cups of dry rice, about 12 cups cooked, at roughly a cup per scout.
Grade level and standards: Grade 6; Common Core State Standards for Mathematics 6.RP.A.3. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
How to use it
- Choose the type of rice.
- Enter the amount of dry rice in US cups.
- Choose absorption (lid on, water fully absorbed) or boil-and-drain (plenty of water, drained like pasta).
- Measure the water and cook for the time shown. For absorption, let the pot rest off the heat with the lid on before fluffing.
What the inputs mean
- Rice type
- Wild rice is the seed of a grass that grows in water, not true rice. But you cook it the same way, with more water and time. Parboiled rice has been partly cooked in its husk (outer shell), which keeps the grains separate.
- Dry rice
- Measure with a dry measuring cup and level it off. The rice cup that comes with many rice cookers is smaller (about 180 mL). So use the cooker's own markings with that cup.
- Cooking method
- Boil-and-drain is forgiving and gives separate grains. It washes away some starch. So it suits basmati and long-grain rice better than sticky short-grain rice.
Formula and method
water (cups) = dry rice (cups) × water-to-rice ratio water (mL) = water (cups) × 236.588 cooked rice (cups) ≈ dry rice (cups) × yield factor (about 3) boil-and-drain: water ≥ 6 × dry rice
The water-to-rice ratio is cups of water per cup of rice, by volume. The yield factor is how many times bigger the rice gets as it cooks. Because the ratio is a ratio, it scales directly. Three cups of rice need three times the water of one cup. In practice, big batches lose a smaller share of their water to steam. So for big pots, many cooks use a little less water.
Typical ratios used here: 1.75 for long-grain white; 1.5 for jasmine, basmati and medium-grain; 1.25 for short-grain. Parboiled uses 2, brown 2.25 and wild rice 3. Most rice roughly triples in volume as it cooks.
Worked example
You want to cook 1 cup of long-grain white rice on the stove.
- Water = 1 × 1.75 = 1.75 cups (about 1 3/4 cups).
- In milliliters: 1.75 × 236.588 = 414 mL.
- Cooked yield ≈ 1 × 3 = 3 cups.
- Bring to a boil, cover, simmer on low for 15–18 min, then rest 5–10 minutes.
Result: Use 1.75 cups of water and simmer covered for 15–18 minutes; you'll have about 3 cups of cooked rice.
Understanding the result
Is the rice still firm when the water is gone? Sprinkle in a couple of tablespoons of hot water, cover it and give it a few more minutes. If it's soft but wet, leave the lid off over low heat for a short while.
Rinse white rice until the water runs mostly clear. That removes loose starch on the surface and gives fluffier, less sticky grains. Skip rinsing for risotto-style dishes, where you want the starch.
Soaking rice before cooking shortens the cooking time and slightly reduces the water needed.
Assumptions and limitations
- A heavy pot with a tight lid on a gentle simmer, at or near sea level.
- Amounts are level US cups of dry rice.
- The ratios are typical starting points rather than measurements of any one brand.
- Rice cookers, pressure cookers and microwaves use different amounts of water. Follow the appliance's instructions.
- High up in the mountains, water boils at a lower temperature and dries off faster. So rice usually needs more water and time.
- Older, drier rice may need a little more water than fresh-crop rice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ratio of water to rice?
For long-grain white rice on the stove, about 1¾ cups of water per cup of rice is a good start. Jasmine and basmati need about 1½, brown rice about 2¼, and wild rice about 3. Package directions come first.
How much cooked rice does 1 cup of dry rice make?
About 3 cups for most white and brown rice, and a little more for parboiled and wild rice. That's enough for three to four side servings.
Why is my rice mushy?
Usually it's too much water or too much stirring. Or the lid came off, steam escaped, and more water went in to make up for it. Try a little less water next time. Keep the lid on, and let the pot rest before fluffing.
Do I need to double the water if I double the rice?
Close to it. The ratio scales, but a bigger batch loses a smaller share of its water to steam. So for large batches, many cooks use slightly less than double.
How this calculator is checked
Method: Water = dry rice × typical stovetop water-to-rice ratio for each type (kitchen conventions); cooked yield ≈ dry volume × about 3; 1 US cup = 236.5882365 mL. The calculation is covered by automated tests with known reference values and edge cases. Last updated 2026-10-18. Found a problem? Tell us.
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