Cups of Rice to Grams (Uncooked vs Cooked)
1 cup of uncooked long-grain white rice weighs 185 g (USDA FoodData Central: "Rice, white, long-grain, regular, raw (fdcId 169756): 1 cup = 185 g"). King Arthur lists a heavier 198 g per cup for its rice. Cooked rice is a completely different measure: a cup of cooked brown rice is 170 g, and one cup of dry rice swells to roughly three cups on the stove.
Source: Rice, white, long-grain, regular, raw (fdcId 169756): 1 cup = 185 g (USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy). King Arthur lists 1/2 cup = 99 g (198 g per cup). Uncooked; 1 cup of uncooked rice cooks to about 3 cups.
| Cups | Grams (US cup) | Ounces (US cup) | Grams (metric cup, 250 ml) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 cup | 23 | 0.816 | 24 |
| 1/4 cup | 46 | 1.63 | 49 |
| 1/3 cup | 62 | 2.18 | 65 |
| 1/2 cup | 92 | 3.26 | 98 |
| 2/3 cup | 123 | 4.35 | 130 |
| 3/4 cup | 139 | 4.89 | 147 |
| 1 cup | 185 | 6.53 | 195 |
| 1 1/2 cups | 278 | 9.79 | 293 |
| 2 cups | 370 | 13.05 | 391 |
| 3 cups | 555 | 19.58 | 586 |
| 4 cups | 740 | 26.1 | 782 |
| Grams | US cups | Measuring-cup version |
|---|---|---|
| 25 g | 0.135 | 2 tbsp + ½ tsp |
| 50 g | 0.27 | ¼ cup + 1 tsp |
| 100 g | 0.541 | about ½ cup + 2 tsp |
| 125 g | 0.676 | about ⅔ cup |
| 150 g | 0.811 | about ¾ cup + 1 tbsp |
| 200 g | 1.08 | about 1 cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| 250 g | 1.35 | about 1 ⅓ cups + 1 tsp |
| 300 g | 1.62 | about 1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp |
| 400 g | 2.16 | about 2 cups + 2 tbsp + 2 tsp |
| 500 g | 2.7 | about 2 ⅔ cups + 2 tsp |
| 1,000 g | 5.41 | about 5 ⅓ cups + 1 tbsp |
| Measure | Grams | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 tsp | 1 | 1.23 |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.9 | 2.46 |
| 1 tsp | 3.9 | 4.93 |
| 1 tbsp (3 tsp) | 11.6 | 14.79 |
| 2 tbsp (1/8 cup) | 23.1 | 29.57 |
| 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) | 46.2 | 59.15 |
| 8 tbsp (1/2 cup) | 92.5 | 118.3 |
Worked example: 500 g of dry rice and no scale
- You need 500 g of uncooked white rice for a family paella.
- Divide by the cup weight: 500 ÷ 185 = 2.7 cups, so 2 ⅔ cups.
- Check with the King Arthur weight: 500 ÷ 198 = 2.53 cups. The difference is 0.18 cup, less than a quarter of a cup.
- Level each cup with a knife and add the leftover fraction by sight.
- Expect the cooked volume to be about three times larger than what you measured.
Always say whether the rice is cooked
The most common rice confusion has nothing to do with the cup. "1 cup rice" in a pilaf recipe means dry grains; "1 cup rice" in a stuffing or fried-rice recipe usually means leftovers. Uncooked white rice is 185 g per cup. Cooked brown rice is 170 g per cup. The two can look alike in a cup, yet one cup of dry rice produces about three cups cooked, so mixing them up changes your dish by a factor of three.
Why the two sources disagree
USDA FoodData Central records 185 g per cup, while King Arthur's chart (listed on the sources page) gives 198 g. The difference is 13 g, or 7%, which probably reflects grain type and how the cup was filled. For a pot of rice a few grams do not matter; the ratio of water to rice does.
Rice and its neighbours
For other dry grains in the same cup:
- quinoa (uncooked): 177 g per cup, 8 g less than white rice
- white rice flour: 142 g per cup, ground fine so it packs differently
- semolina flour: 163 g per cup
Rice flour is a powder and is not interchangeable with whole rice grains in any recipe.
Metric cup and the rice cooker
A 250 ml cup of uncooked rice weighs about 195 g (0.7819 g per ml × 250 ml), about 10.5 g more than a US cup. Rice cookers often ship with their own small scoop, so follow the cooker's water lines rather than a cup chart for the water.
Scaling a pot of rice
Two cups of dry rice weighs 370 g, and four cups weighs 740 g. With the roughly threefold swell, the first pot serves about six cups of cooked rice and the second about twelve. Cooked brown rice at 170 g per cup means six cooked cups weigh 1020 g, a useful figure for packing meals.
Mistakes with rice cups
- Measuring cooked and uncooked rice with the same assumption.
- Using a liquid measuring jug for dry rice, which makes levelling awkward.
- Scaling recipe water by the same factor as rice without checking: pots with wider bases lose more steam.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 cup of uncooked white rice?
1 US cup of uncooked long-grain white rice is 185 g (USDA FoodData Central); King Arthur lists 198 g.
How many grams are in 1 cup of cooked rice?
A cup of cooked brown rice is 170 g (King Arthur Baking). Cooked white rice is similar but not listed here.
How much cooked rice does 1 cup of dry rice make?
About three cups, according to the source note, though the exact amount depends on the type of rice and cooking method.
How many cups is 200 g of rice?
200 g of uncooked white rice is 1.08 cups, about 1 ⅛ cups.
Is rice flour the same weight as rice?
No. A cup of white rice flour is 142 g, against 185 g for whole uncooked grains.