Recipes switch between cups and grams, and rice density depends on the grain, which makes cup measurements imprecise. This converter uses standard baking references to translate uncooked rice between US cups and grams in either direction, with separate densities for each rice type so the result matches what you are actually cooking.
How it works
The tool stores a grams-per-cup figure for each rice type and multiplies or divides by it. To convert cups to grams it computes grams = cups × grams-per-cup; to reverse it, cups = grams ÷ grams-per-cup. The densities used are:
| Rice type | Grams per US cup (uncooked) |
|---|---|
| White, long-grain | 185 g |
| White, short-grain | 200 g |
| Brown | 190 g |
| Basmati | 180 g |
Because grains pack differently, picking the right type matters for accuracy.
Example
Convert 2 cups of white long-grain rice to grams:
2 × 185 = 370 g
For the most accurate baking, weigh your rice on a kitchen scale rather than relying on cup volume. All calculations run entirely in your browser with no data sent to any server.
| US cups | White long-grain (g) |
|---|---|
| 0.5 cup | 92.5 g |
| 1 cup | 185 g |
| 2 cups | 370 g |
| 3 cups | 555 g |
Why cup measurements vary by rice type
A US cup is a fixed volume (approximately 240 ml), but how much rice fits into that volume depends on grain size and shape. Long-grain rice is slender with more air between grains; short-grain rice is plumper and packs more densely. Brown rice includes the bran layer, which slightly increases density compared to white long-grain. Basmati is particularly slender and aromatic, packing the least densely of common types.
This is why switching between types without adjusting the gram weight can affect both texture and water absorption — if you scale a recipe up and measure by weight rather than cups, results are more consistent.
Cooked versus uncooked
These conversions all apply to uncooked, dry rice — the form most recipes use when listing quantities. When cooked, rice absorbs water and roughly doubles or triples in volume and weight depending on the type and method. As a rough guide:
- 1 cup (185 g) of uncooked white long-grain rice yields approximately 3 cups of cooked rice.
- Brown rice absorbs slightly more water and takes longer to cook than white rice.
- Basmati is often soaked for 20–30 minutes before cooking, which reduces the final cook time.
Scaling for multiple servings
As a general rule, 1 cup of uncooked white long-grain rice serves 2–3 people as a side dish. To scale:
| Servings (side) | Uncooked white long-grain |
|---|---|
| 2 people | 1 cup / 185 g |
| 4 people | 2 cups / 370 g |
| 6 people | 3 cups / 555 g |
Weigh your rice on a kitchen scale for the most accurate results, especially when scaling up for large batches where small cup-packing differences accumulate.