KITCHEN · CALCULATOR
Rice Water Calculator
Water for rice is most accurate by weight. Choose the type of rice, how much you are cooking, whether it was soaked and how you cook it, and see the water in mL and cups.
Work out the water
Example
Two rice-cooker cups of soaked white rice (300 g) in an electric cooker need 360 mL of water, about 1.5 US cups. The same rice in a pot on the stove needs 420 mL. Suggested soaking is 30 minutes to 1 hour.
How the amount is worked out
The tool multiplies the dry weight of the rice by a ratio: 1.2 for an electric cooker, 1.0 for a pressure cooker and 1.4 for a pot. Unsoaked rice adds 0.3, new-crop rice uses 10% less water and old-crop rice 10% more. The ratios come from Korean agricultural agencies, which is where the calculation was first built.
Cups are converted to grams using the same density as the Korean tool: a 180 mL cup holds about 150 g of dry rice, so a US cup (236.6 mL) holds about 197 g. Real rice varies by grain and brand, so weigh it if you can. Water lines inside your cooker should come first.
Frequently asked questions
How much water do I use for one cup of rice?
This tool works by weight. For soaked white rice in an electric cooker it uses 1.2 times the weight of the rice in water; a pressure cooker uses 1 times, and a pot on the stove 1.4 times. One US cup of dry rice is about 197 g, so it needs about 236 mL (1 US cup) in an electric cooker.
Do I need more water if I skip soaking?
Yes. Rice absorbs water while it soaks, so unsoaked rice needs about 0.3 times its weight more water than soaked rice. The tool adds that for you.
What is a rice-cooker cup?
Rice cookers sold with a small plastic cup usually mean a 180 mL cup of rice, about 150 g. It is smaller than a US cup (236.6 mL). Pick the unit that matches the cup you use for the rice.
Does brown or sticky rice use a different amount?
Probably, but no official ratio was found for them, so the tool uses the white rice ratio and says so. Brown rice soaks for about 9 hours. Cook it as shown the first time and adjust.
My rice came out soft or firm. What do I change?
Use about 10% less water next time if it was soft, and about 10% more if it was firm. If your cooker has water lines inside the pot, follow those first.
More tools
Sources and last updated
- Soaked rice 1.2 times (electric cooker) and 1 times (pressure cooker) the weight of the rice, 150 g per serving, new-crop rice 10% less water, 30 minutes of soaking: Korea’s National Institute of Crop Science (in Korean).
- Soaked rice about 1.2 times and unsoaked about 1.5 times, new-crop 10% less and old-crop 10% more: Korea’s Rural Development Administration (in Korean). Brown rice soaked for 9 hours: National Institute of Crop Science research (in Korean).
- The ratio for a pot (1.4), the white-rice ratio used for brown and sticky rice and the 10% adjustment for soft or firm rice are reference values chosen by this site, not an official standard.
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