How this calculator works
Rice is cooked by absorption: the grains take up water until they are tender and the excess boils away. Long grain white rice needs about twice its volume in water, while short grain rice that is meant to be sticky is cooked with little more than its own volume. Brown and wild rice need more water and a longer time because the bran layer slows the uptake. The ratio here is by volume, one part rice to the number shown, which is how most recipes are written; a scale reading in grams is more consistent because it does not depend on how the rice settles in the cup. The cooking time for each type is a typical range for a covered pot on a stove, and the package will be more precise.
Formula
water volume = rice volume x ratio. rice volume = water volume / ratio. cooked volume = dry cups x (dry grams per cup x mass yield / cooked grams per cup). The ratios are 2 for long and medium white rice, 1.3 for short grain and Calrose, 1.75 for jasmine and basmati, 2.25 for brown long grain and parboiled, 2 for brown medium or short grain, and 3 for wild rice.
Worked example
One and a half cups of jasmine rice at a ratio of 1.75 needs 1.5 x 1.75 = 2.625 cups of water. A jasmine cup weighs about 185 g, so 1.5 cups is 278 g of dry rice; at a mass yield of 2.5 that becomes 694 g of cooked rice, which at 155 g a cooked cup is 4.5 cups. Working the other way, 6 cups of water for long grain white rice at a ratio of 2 needs 6 / 2 = 3 cups of dry rice, about 555 g.
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Frequently asked questions
Is the ratio by volume or by weight?
This page uses volume, because that is how most rice recipes are written and how a measuring cup is used. A volume ratio of 1 to 2 is not the same as 1 g of rice to 2 g of water, because a cup of dry rice weighs about 185 g while a cup of water weighs 237 g. Use one convention and stick to it.
Should I rinse the rice?
Rinsing removes loose surface starch, so the grains separate instead of clumping. It also adds a little water to the grains, so drain well and use the same measured water. Jasmine, basmati and sushi rice are usually rinsed; some rice sold as enriched should not be rinsed, because the rinse washes off the added vitamins.
Why does brown rice need more water and time?
The bran layer on brown rice is a barrier to water and heat, so the grain takes longer to soften and absorbs more water on the way. Wild rice is not a rice at all but a grass seed with a very hard coat, which is why it needs about three times its volume of water and close to an hour.
What if the rice is still firm and the water is gone?
Add a small amount of hot water, cover, and cook for a few more minutes on low heat. If the rice is tender but wet, take off the lid and let the steam escape for a minute. Both suggest the ratio or the heat was slightly off for the pot you used, so adjust the ratio next time.