Last updated: October 2026
How much water per cup of rice?
Short answer: white rice needs 2 cups of water per cup of dry rice; basmati and jasmine need 1.5 cups; brown rice needs 2.5 cups; wild rice needs 3 cups. The calculator above scales the exact amount for any number of cups or servings.
Rice to water ratio chart
Every grain absorbs water differently. Use this chart — or the calculator above — for the standard stovetop ratios (water cups per 1 cup of dry rice).
These are starting points for the standard absorption method (rice + water in a pot, lid on). Rice cookers and high altitudes may need small adjustments — change the water by a quarter cup at a time.
How to use the calculator
1. Choose your grain — the ratio fills in automatically. 2. Enter how much dry rice you have in cups, or switch to the By servings tab and enter how many people you're cooking for (1 cup of dry rice makes about 3 servings). 3. Read off the water needed, plus estimates for cooked rice and servings.
The calculator also scales gracefully: 1.5 cups of jasmine rice needs 2¼ cups of water, 6 servings of white rice means 2 cups dry and 4 cups of water — fractions are rounded to the nearest quarter cup so you can measure them.
Frequently asked questions
How much water do I need for 2 cups of rice?
It depends on the grain. For 2 cups of dry rice, use 4 cups of water for white rice, 3 cups for basmati or jasmine, 5 cups for brown rice, and 6 cups for wild rice. The calculator above works this out for any amount and any grain.
What is the water to rice ratio for basmati rice?
Basmati rice needs 1.5 cups of water per 1 cup of dry rice (a 1:1.5 ratio). Rinse the rice first, cook on low with the lid on, then let it rest covered for 10 minutes before fluffing.
How much water does brown rice need?
Brown rice needs 2.5 cups of water per 1 cup of dry rice. The bran layer slows absorption, so it also takes about 45 minutes to cook — roughly twice as long as white rice.
Why does my rice turn out mushy or hard?
Mushy rice usually means too much water; hard, undercooked rice means too little. Measure rice and water by volume (cups, not handfuls), keep the lid on while cooking, don't peek, and let the rice rest covered for 5–10 minutes before serving. More on
how rice cooks and absorbs water.
Is my recipe data private?
Completely. Every calculation runs locally in your browser with JavaScript — nothing you enter is sent to a server, stored, or tracked.
