142 g of rice flour is 1 cup. Rice flour is heavier than wheat flour per cup because the grains are fine and dense and pack tightly. It is the backbone of many gluten-free flour blends, and it gives baked goods a slightly gritty texture on its own, which is why it is usually blended with starches rather than used alone.
All figures on this page are approximate, and they come from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled. When a recipe has to work the first time, verify with a kitchen scale.
Putting the numbers to work
A gluten-free flour blend for everyday baking
A homemade gluten-free blend uses 284 g of rice flour, which is 2 cups, mixed with potato starch and tapioca flour. The rice flour provides the bulk and the structure, while the starches soften the texture. Sift the blend well before using it, because rice flour settles and packs in storage.
Shortbread with a delicate crumb
A shortbread recipe replaces a third of the wheat flour with rice flour, using 71 g, half a cup, for a batch. The rice flour gives the shortbread a sandy, melt-in-the-mouth texture that wheat flour alone cannot produce. This is one of the best uses for rice flour in traditional baking.
Tempura batter for a Japanese dinner
A tempura batter uses 71 g of rice flour, half a cup, mixed with cold water and an egg. The rice flour makes a lighter, crisper coating than wheat flour, because it has no gluten to make the batter tough. Keep the batter cold and do not overmix it, or the tempura will be heavy.
The numbers in a table
| Cups | Grams of rice flour |
|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 35.5 g |
| 1/3 cup | 47.3 g |
| 1/2 cup | 71 g |
| 2/3 cup | 94.7 g |
| 3/4 cup | 106.5 g |
| 1 cup | 142 g |
| 1 1/2 cups | 213 g |
| 2 cups | 284 g |
| 3 cups | 426 g |
| 4 cups | 568 g |
Quick reference: 100 g of rice flour is about 0.7 cups, and 50 g is about 0.35 cups. All figures are approximate; verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.
Tips for best results
Spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a straight edge. Scooping straight from the bag packs the flour down and can add 20 g or more per cup, which is enough to turn a tender cake dry and dense. Do not sift before measuring unless the recipe says sifted, because sifting adds air and changes the weight. If you bake often, the single best upgrade is a kitchen scale: weighing flour removes the biggest source of variation in home baking entirely. Until then, spoon and level every time, and use the same cup for the whole recipe so any small error stays consistent.
Scaling is straightforward once you know the cup weight. Doubling a recipe that calls for 142 g of rice flour means measuring 284 g, or 2 cups, and tripling it means 426 g, or 3 cups. Halving is just as easy: half a cup is 71 g. The key is to scale every ingredient by the same factor, because changing one ingredient without changing the others throws the recipe out of balance. A cake scaled by half still needs half the flour, half the sugar, half the butter and half the rice flour, not just half of one of them. If you are scaling a recipe by an awkward factor, like two thirds, weigh the rice flour rather than trying to measure two thirds of a cup in a jug, because the jug markings are not precise enough for fractions of a cup.
When should you weigh rice flour instead of measuring it? Whenever the recipe has to work the first time, and whenever the amount is large. A kitchen scale costs less than a single failed cake, and it removes the biggest source of variation in home cooking: the way ingredients pack into a cup or a spoon. Put the bowl on the scale, press tare, and add the rice flour until the display shows the number you need. There is nothing to wash afterwards except the bowl, and the result is the same every time. For small amounts, a level spoon is accurate enough, and for liquids, a jug is fine, but for anything where precision matters, the scale is the tool to reach for.
Storage. Airtight container, cool and dry, up to 1 year.
- Blend rice flour with starches for gluten-free baking.
- Spoon and level; it packs down easily.
- Use it in shortbread for a sandy, delicate crumb.
Method and source
The figure on this page comes from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled. Finely ground white rice; a staple of gluten-free baking. Gluten-free blends, shortbread and tempura batter.
All results on this page are approximate. Ingredient weights vary with brand, humidity, temperature and how firmly you pack the cup, so when a recipe has to work the first time, weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale and use the numbers here as a guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is rice flour the same as glutinous rice flour?
No. Regular rice flour is made from long-grain rice and weighs 142 g per cup. Glutinous rice flour, also called sweet rice flour, is made from sticky rice and is used in mochi and Asian desserts. They behave very differently and are not interchangeable.
Can I use rice flour on its own in baking?
It is not recommended. Rice flour on its own gives a gritty texture and a crumbly result, because it has no gluten and no starch to bind it. Blend it with potato starch, tapioca flour and a little xanthan gum for the best results.
How do I measure rice flour accurately?
Spoon it into the cup and level it off. Rice flour is fine and dense, and it packs down easily, so a scooped cup can be 15 g heavy. For gluten-free baking, where precision matters, weigh it.
Does rice flour taste of rice?
Barely. It has a very mild, neutral flavour that disappears in most recipes, which is why it is popular in gluten-free blends. In shortbread, it adds a subtle sandy texture rather than a flavour.
How long does rice flour keep?
About a year in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. It is a refined flour with little fat, so it keeps longer than whole-grain flours, but check for a stale smell before using older stock.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake with flour is scooping it straight from the bag, which packs it down and can add 20 g or more per cup. The second is shaking or tapping the cup to settle the flour, which has the same effect. The third is measuring flour that has just been sifted as if it were unsifted, because sifted flour is lighter and a cup of it weighs less. The fourth mistake is using a wet cup or spoon, because damp flour clumps and sticks, and the measurement becomes unreliable. Finally, do not assume that all flours weigh the same: a cup of whole wheat flour is 113 g, a cup of almond flour is 96 g, and a cup of rice flour is 142 g, and swapping them cup for cup without adjusting will change the recipe. When in doubt, weigh the flour, because a scale removes every one of these mistakes at once.