# Rice water ratio: how much water?

Works out how much water to cook an amount of rice in, by rice type, from the USA Rice Federation’s liquid ratios, with the cooked yield and the cooking time.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/food/rice-water-ratio-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/food/rice-water-ratio-calculator.json
- Version: 1ffa47b5f40f

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Rice type Long-grain white, Dry rice 1 cup): Cook it in 2 cups of water (473 mL), for about 15 to 18 minutes.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| type | Rice type | The kind of rice. Each type takes its own amount of water. |
| rice | Dry rice | The uncooked rice, measured by volume. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| waterCups | Water (cups) | Dry rice × the parts of water for the type, in US cups. |
| waterML | Water (mL) | The same water in milliliters. |
| cookedCups | Cooked rice (cups) | About 3 times the dry rice, in US cups. |
| ratio | Water to rice | Parts of water per part of rice, by volume. |
| time | Cooking time | The approximate simmering time for the type. |

## Method

Water = dry rice × the USA Rice Federation’s parts of liquid per part of rice for the type, by volume. Cooked rice = 3 × dry rice.

## Assumptions

- The ratios are for the stovetop absorption method, as USA Rice lists them, and are approximate. A rice cooker has its own water lines.
- Cooked yield is USA Rice’s 1 cup dry = 3 cups cooked for every type.
- Volumes use US cups: 1 cup = 8 US fl oz = 236.5882365 mL.

## Worked examples

1. type = long, rice = 0.000237 gives waterCups = 2, waterML = 473.176473, cookedCups = 3, ratio = 2 : 1, time = 15 to 18 minutes. Source: 1 cup dry rice = 3 cups cooked. https://www.usarice.com/thinkrice/how-to/how-to-cook-rice (retrieved 2026-10-18); NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C (1 cup = 8 fl oz; 1 gal = 128 fl oz = 231 in³ = 3.785411784 L), https://www.nist.gov/document/2026-nist-handbook-44-appendix-c.
2. type = brown, rice = 0.000355 gives waterCups = 3.375, cookedCups = 4.5, ratio = 2.25 : 1. Source: 1 cup dry rice = 3 cups cooked. https://www.usarice.com/thinkrice/how-to/how-to-cook-rice (retrieved 2026-10-18).
3. type = short, rice = 0.0005 gives waterML = 625, waterCups = 2.641721. Source: 1 cup dry rice = 3 cups cooked. https://www.usarice.com/thinkrice/how-to/how-to-cook-rice (retrieved 2026-10-18); NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C (1 cup = 8 fl oz; 1 gal = 128 fl oz = 231 in³ = 3.785411784 L), https://www.nist.gov/document/2026-nist-handbook-44-appendix-c.

## FAQ

### What is the water to rice ratio for white rice?

USA Rice gives 2 parts water to 1 part rice for long-grain white, jasmine and basmati, 1½ to 1 for medium-grain white, and 1¼ to 1 for short-grain white, by volume.

### How much water for 2 cups of rice?

For long-grain white rice, 2 × 2 = 4 cups of water. For medium-grain white it is 2 × 1.5 = 3 cups; for brown rice, 2 × 2.25 = 4.5 cups.

### How much water does brown rice need?

2¼ parts water to 1 part rice, by USA Rice’s table, and 40 to 45 minutes of simmering. 1 cup of brown rice takes 2¼ cups of water.

### How much cooked rice does 1 cup of dry rice make?

About 3 cups. USA Rice gives 1 cup dry = 3 cups cooked, and 1 pound dry = a little over 2 pounds cooked.

### Does a rice cooker use the same ratio?

Not always. These ratios are for cooking on the stovetop. A rice cooker has water lines for each rice type, and its maker’s directions come first.

### What ratio does wild rice need?

3 parts water to 1 part wild rice, simmered 40 to 50 minutes. Wild rice is the seed of a grass, and it takes the most water after arborio (4 to 1).

## Sources

- USA Rice Federation, How to Cook Rice: liquid per 1 part rice by type (long-grain white 2; medium-grain white 1½; short-grain white 1¼; brown, medium or long grain, 2¼; parboiled 2¼; parboiled brown 2¼; U.S. jasmine and basmati 2; U.S. arborio 4; wild rice 3), cooking times, and 1 cup dry = 3 cups cooked. Retrieved 2026-10-18. https://www.usarice.com/thinkrice/how-to/how-to-cook-rice
- NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C, General Tables of Units of Measurement (US customary: 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces; 1 gallon = 128 fluid ounces = 3.785411784 liters). https://www.nist.gov/document/2026-nist-handbook-44-appendix-c (cited from the copy already in this repo; retrieved 2026-10-01)