Rice is easy to cook and hard to measure. A cup of dry rice seems modest in the packet, and then it swells to fill the pot. Too little for your guests is awkward, and far too much is a week of leftovers.
This uncooked to cooked rice converter tells you how much cooked rice to expect from dry rice, and how much dry rice to cook for a given number of servings.
How to use the Uncooked to Cooked Rice Converter#
- Pick the direction. Choose uncooked to cooked, or cooked to uncooked.
- Enter the amount. Type the cups of dry rice, or the cups of cooked rice you need.
- Check the expansion factor. Leave it at 3 for white long-grain rice, or change it for your rice.
- Choose a serving size. Half a cup suits a side dish. A full cup suits a main course.
- Read the result. You get the other amount, the servings, the dry weight and the water.
How much does rice expand?#
The rule of thumb is that one cup of uncooked rice makes about three cups of cooked rice. University extension guidance on cooking rice uses the same figure, and many rice brands describe it as the one, two, three rule: one part rice and two parts water gives three parts cooked rice. During cooking, each grain absorbs water and the starch swells, so the volume rises while the dry matter stays the same.
Rice types and the expansion factor#
Three is a good average, but real figures differ by type, and published ranges are wide. Long-grain white rice is commonly given as 2.5 to 3.5, and short-grain white rice a little lower. Brown rice, with its bran layer, is often quoted a little higher, and wild rice is higher again. Parboiled and instant rice give less. The calculator has an expansion factor field so you can set a figure for your own rice. Cook a cup once, measure the result, and use that number from then on.
| Dry rice | Cooked (factor 3) | Servings at 1/2 cup |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 cup | 1 1/2 cups | 3 |
| 1 cup | 3 cups | 6 |
| 1 1/2 cups | 4 1/2 cups | 9 |
| 2 cups | 6 cups | 12 |
| 3 cups | 9 cups | 18 |
How much rice per person#
As a side dish, plan on half a cup of cooked rice per person, which is about a sixth of a cup of dry rice. For a main course, such as a curry or a stir fry, plan on a full cup of cooked rice, or a third of a cup of dry rice. Add a little extra for big eaters, and for dishes such as fried rice that you may want to make from leftovers. Cooked rice keeps for a few days in the fridge in a sealed container, and should be cooled quickly and reheated until steaming hot.
Water and cooking#
For plain long-grain white rice cooked on the stove, the usual ratio is two cups of water to one cup of rice. Some cooks use less, around one and a half cups, for a firmer result, and brown rice usually needs more. The packet instructions are the best guide for the rice you bought. The calculator shows the water for the common 1 to 2 ratio only as a starting point.
Weight versus volume#
A cup of uncooked white rice weighs about 185 grams, so a pound of rice, which is 454 grams, is about two and a half cups. If you buy rice in bulk, weigh it rather than guessing. Cooked rice weighs roughly two to three times as much as dry rice, because it has taken on water, so a 500 gram bag of rice makes around a kilo or more of cooked rice.
Cooking tips for better rice#
Rinse white rice in a sieve under cold water until the water runs mostly clear, which washes away loose starch and keeps the grains separate. Bring the water to a boil, stir in the rice, cover with a tight lid, then turn the heat to low and leave it alone. Cook until the water is absorbed, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes for white rice and longer for brown. Take the pan off the heat and rest it, still covered, for about ten minutes, then fluff with a fork. Lifting the lid during the cook lets out steam and gives uneven rice. A rice cooker does the same job with less attention.
Frequently asked questions#
About 3 cups for white long-grain rice.
About 2/3 cup of dry rice for a side dish, or 1 1/3 cups for a main course.
It is often quoted as a little more, but figures vary. Use the expansion factor field to set your own.
About 2 to 1 for long-grain white rice on the stove. Check the packet for other types.
About 2.5 cups, using 185 grams per cup.
Up to about four days in the fridge, cooled quickly in a sealed container.
Sources and further reading#
- University of Maryland Extension: Cooking Rice. One cup of uncooked rice makes about three cups cooked.
- USDA FoodData Central. Food composition and household measure weights.
- King Arthur Baking: Ingredient Weight Chart. Weights per cup for flour, sugar, butter, honey and more.
- Inch Calculator: Uncooked to Cooked Rice Calculator. Cross-check of the three times rule of thumb.