Rice to Water Ratio Chart: Stovetop and Rice Cooker, by Rice Type
Published November 3, 2026 · By Ahmad Parvez
Every failed pot of rice is a water problem: too much and it turns to porridge, too little and the centre stays chalky. The right amount depends on the type of rice and the pot, because a sealed rice cooker loses almost no steam while a stovetop lid leaks it for twenty minutes. This chart gives both.
The chart: water per 1 cup of rice
| Rice type | Stovetop | Rice cooker | Cook time (stovetop) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-grain white | 1 : 1.5 | 1 : 1.25 | 18 min + 10 rest |
| Jasmine | 1 : 1.25 | 1 : 1 | 15 min + 10 rest |
| Basmati (soaked 30 min) | 1 : 1.5 | 1 : 1.25 | 15 min + 10 rest |
| Medium-grain white | 1 : 1.5 | 1 : 1.25 | 18 min + 10 rest |
| Short-grain / sushi | 1 : 1.25 | 1 : 1 | 18 min + 10 rest |
| Brown (long or short grain) | 1 : 2 | 1 : 1.75 | 40–45 min + 10 rest |
| Parboiled / converted | 1 : 2 | 1 : 1.75 | 20–25 min + 10 rest |
| Wild rice | 1 : 3 | 1 : 2 | 45–50 min |
Ratios are water : rice by volume. The rice cooker's inner-pot water lines assume the cup that came with the cooker (180 ml, not 240 ml) — if you measure rice with the cooker cup, filling water to the matching line beats any chart.
Water for common amounts (stovetop, long-grain white)
| Dry rice | Water | Cooked rice (approx.) | Serves |
|---|---|---|---|
| ½ cup | ¾ cup | 1½ cups | 1–2 |
| 1 cup | 1½ cups | 3 cups | 2–3 |
| 1½ cups | 2¼ cups | 4½ cups | 4 |
| 2 cups | 3 cups | 6 cups | 5–6 |
| 3 cups | 4½ cups | 9 cups | 8–9 |
White rice roughly triples in volume; brown rice a bit less (about 2.5×). A pound of dry white rice is about 2.4 cups, needing 3.5 cups of water on the stovetop and yielding roughly 7 cups cooked. For amounts between the rows — or dinner for eleven — the rice to water ratio calculator scales the water exactly and switches between cups, millilitres and grams.
The method that makes the ratio work
- Rinse white rice in a sieve until the water runs mostly clear — surface starch is what glues grains together. (Skip this for risotto rice and enriched rice you want the nutrients from.)
- Soak basmati 20–30 minutes and drain before cooking; the grains elongate instead of breaking, and the ratio above already assumes the soak.
- Boil, then lowest simmer, lid on. Once it reaches a boil, cover, drop the heat to the minimum and set the timer. No peeking — every lid lift dumps the steam your ratio counted on.
- Rest 10 minutes off the heat, still covered. The rest finishes the centre of the grains with steam and firms the surface. Then fluff with a fork or paddle, never a spoon-crush.
Fixes: mushy, crunchy, burnt
- Mushy / gummy: too much water (or skipped rinsing). Drop the water by ¼ cup per cup of rice next time; this time, spread the rice on a tray to steam off, or fry it.
- Crunchy centre: too little water or too short a rest. Sprinkle 2–3 tablespoons of water over the pot, re-cover on the lowest heat for 5–10 minutes.
- Burnt bottom, raw top: heat too high during the simmer. Use the smallest burner at its lowest setting, or a heat diffuser.
- Rice cooker rice too wet: cooker ratios assume the 180 ml cooker cup; measuring rice with a 240 ml kitchen cup adds a third too much rice for the water lines.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ratio of water to rice?
For long-grain white rice on the stovetop, 1.5 cups of water per 1 cup of rice. Jasmine and short-grain need 1.25, brown rice needs 2, and wild rice needs 3. In a rice cooker, reduce each by about a quarter cup because the sealed lid loses almost no steam.
How much water for 2 cups of rice?
3 cups of water for 2 cups of long-grain white rice on the stovetop (1 : 1.5), or 2.5 cups in a rice cooker. For jasmine use 2.5 cups stovetop; for brown rice use 4 cups. The 2 cups of dry rice yield about 6 cups cooked.
Why does a rice cooker need less water?
A rice cooker seals tightly and switches off the moment the water is absorbed, so almost nothing escapes as steam. A stovetop pot leaks steam around its lid for the whole cooking time, so the stovetop ratio includes extra water to replace those losses — about a quarter cup more per cup of rice.
How much cooked rice does 1 cup of dry rice make?
About 3 cups of cooked rice for white varieties (they roughly triple), and about 2.5 cups for brown rice. As a serving guide, 1 cup of dry white rice (3 cups cooked) serves 2–3 people as a main side.
Should I rinse rice before cooking it?
Yes for most white rice — rinsing removes the loose surface starch that makes grains stick into a gummy mass. Rinse in a sieve under running water until it runs mostly clear (30–60 seconds). Skip rinsing risotto rice (the starch is the sauce) and check enriched rice labels if you rely on the added nutrients.
Can I use the same ratio for a large batch?
Almost — the ratio holds up to about 3 cups of dry rice, but very large stovetop batches need slightly less water per cup (evaporation grows slower than volume). Above 3 cups, trim the water by roughly ¼ cup per extra cup of rice and keep the 10-minute rest.
Scale any amount
Odd amounts, grams instead of cups, dinner for eleven — the calculator takes it from there.