How many grams are in a cup of rice?

Rice cups to grams: quick conversion table

These are Cupstograms' approximate weights for dry long-grain rice, rounded to the nearest gram.

Use these amounts when your recipe asks you to measure rice before cooking.

For example, if a recipe says to add half a cup of uncooked long-grain rice, you can weigh out 99g.

Don't use this table for a cup of rice that has already been boiled or steamed.

Does a cup of rice mean dry or cooked?

It depends on the recipe, and the distinction really matters.

When a recipe tells you to add 1 cup rice to a saucepan and cook it, that normally means one cup of dry rice.

When a salad or fried-rice recipe asks for 1 cup cooked rice, it means rice that has already been cooked.

The two are not interchangeable. Rice absorbs water during cooking, so its weight and volume change.

Our 198g per cup reference is for dry long-grain rice only. Cupstograms has a separate calculator entry for cooked brown rice, but you shouldn't use that measurement for uncooked white rice either.

If the recipe doesn't make clear whether the rice should be cooked, look at the instructions before measuring anything.

How much cooked rice does one cup of dry rice make?

As a rough guide, one US cup of dry rice makes about three cups of cooked rice.

That's a useful estimate when you're planning a meal, but it isn't a promise about the exact amount you'll get.

Different rice varieties absorb different amounts of water, and the cooking method makes a difference too.

There is another important distinction here: the three cups is an approximate volume, not a rule that you should multiply the rice's weight by three.

So start with 198g of dry long-grain rice if your recipe asks for one US cup uncooked. Then cook it according to the instructions for the rice you're using.

Which rice should I buy in a UK supermarket?

If an American recipe asks for ordinary long-grain white rice, look for a packet labelled long-grain white rice.

Basmati and jasmine are also long-grain varieties, but they're more aromatic and may cook differently. They're not automatically the same choice for every recipe.

Here's a quick translation of the names you might see:

The last two types are particularly different from ordinary long-grain rice. Their starch and texture are suited to dishes such as risotto and sushi.

Our 198g conversion is a reference for dry long-grain rice, not a separate verified weight for all these varieties.

If you're cooking a speciality rice, follow the recipe or packet measurements for that particular type.

Is a rice cooker's cup the same as an American measuring cup?

Not necessarily. In fact, this is an easy place to get caught out.

Some rice cookers come with their own small plastic measuring cup.

For example, Zojirushi says its supplied rice-cooker cup holds about 180ml. A standard US recipe cup is about 237ml, so the rice-cooker measure is only roughly three-quarters as large.

That means one rice-cooker cup isn't automatically one US recipe cup.

If you're following a recipe written for your rice cooker, use the measuring cup and fill lines specified by its manufacturer.

If you're following an ordinary American recipe that says 1 US cup of dry long-grain rice, use the recipe's measurement or weigh 198g using our reference.

Don't mix the two cup sizes without checking which one the instructions mean.

Should I weigh rice before or after rinsing?

Weigh the dry rice before rinsing it.

If a recipe calls for 1 cup of uncooked long-grain rice, weigh out 198g first, then rinse it if the recipe or rice packet tells you to.

Once rinsed, some water can cling to the grains. If you weigh the rice afterwards, the reading may include that extra water.

If you prefer using a measuring cup instead of scales, fill it with dry rice and level the top. There's no need to press the grains down.

Then use the cooking method and water quantities recommended for that rice. A rice-to-water ratio for one variety isn't automatically correct for another.

Why do rice conversion charts give different weights?

Because one cup of rice doesn't always mean the same ingredient or measuring method.

Some charts refer to uncooked long-grain white rice. Others use basmati, brown rice or a different reference. And some charts don't make it clear whether the rice is dry or cooked.

Even with dry rice, the shape of the grains and how they settle into the cup can affect the weight.

Cupstograms uses the King Arthur Baking reference of 99g for half a US cup of dry long-grain rice. That works out to 198g for one full US cup, and it's the figure used by our calculator.

We don't treat it as a universal weight for every type of rice.

If your recipe supplies 1 cup rice (185g), for example, use the recipe author's 185g rather than replacing it with our figure. A specific recipe measurement takes priority over a general conversion chart.

Where our figures come from

Our 198g per US cup reference comes from the dry long-grain rice entry in King Arthur Baking's ingredient weight chart (opens in a new tab), which lists 99g for half a cup.

We also used:

• USA Rice's cooking guide (opens in a new tab), which explains approximate cooked-rice yields and why cooking methods vary.
• The Rice Association's guide to rice varieties (opens in a new tab), explaining the different grains available in UK shops.
• Zojirushi's rice-cooker guidance (opens in a new tab), explaining the smaller cup supplied with its rice cookers.
• BBC Good Food's rice-cooking guide (opens in a new tab), covering the different cooking methods and rice types.

For another quantity, open our Cups to Grams converter and choose Long-grain rice (dry).

The important thing to remember: one US cup of dry long-grain rice is about 198g in the Cupstograms converter, and half a cup is 99g. Check whether your recipe means dry or cooked rice, and use its own gram weight if it gives one.