One cup of uncooked brown rice weighs 198 grams when spooned and levelled, according to King Arthur Baking. That is the same weight as a cup of uncooked white rice — the two grains are nearly identical in density — and it is a useful number to know because brown rice is almost always sold and cooked by weight in professional kitchens, while home recipes still tend to speak in cups. A quarter cup of uncooked brown rice weighs about 50 grams, half a cup weighs 99 grams, and a tablespoon weighs about 12 grams. These are approximate figures, because grain size varies slightly by variety, but 198 grams per cup is the reliable reference value, and you should verify with a kitchen scale whenever the amount matters.

Brown rice is whole-grain rice: the bran layer and germ are left intact, unlike white rice, where they are polished away. That bran is what makes brown rice chewier, nuttier, slower to cook and more nutritious — and it is also what makes it go rancid faster than white rice, because the bran contains oils. The weight matters because brown rice roughly triples in weight when cooked: 198 grams of dry rice becomes about 590 grams of cooked rice, or roughly 3 cups. If you are cooking for a crowd, or meal-prepping for the week, that ratio is the difference between having enough and having a pot of rice nobody can finish.

How much does brown rice weigh?

The table below gives the weight of uncooked brown rice for the amounts you are most likely to meet, from a single tablespoon up to four cups. All figures come from the King Arthur Baking value of 198 grams per cup, spooned and levelled. The cooked weights are approximate — the exact yield depends on how much water the rice absorbs — but the standard ratio is 1 cup of dry rice to about 3 cups of cooked rice, and about 590 grams cooked.

Amount (uncooked) Weight (grams) Cooked yield (approx.)
1 tablespoon 12 g 3 tablespoons cooked
1/4 cup 50 g 3/4 cup cooked
1/3 cup 66 g 1 cup cooked
1/2 cup 99 g 1 1/2 cups cooked
2/3 cup 132 g 2 cups cooked
3/4 cup 149 g 2 1/4 cups cooked
1 cup 198 g 3 cups cooked
1 1/2 cups 297 g 4 1/2 cups cooked
2 cups 396 g 6 cups cooked
3 cups 594 g 9 cups cooked
4 cups 792 g 12 cups cooked

A useful comparison: one cup of brown rice weighs the same as one cup of white rice (198 grams) and slightly more than one cup of quinoa (177 grams). It is much heavier per cup than rolled oats, which weigh only 89 grams, because rice grains are dense and pack together tightly with little air between them. That density is why a cup of rice feels heavy in the hand compared with a cup of oats, and why a small error in measuring rice has a bigger effect on the meal than a small error in measuring oats.

For everyday cooking, the half-cup and one-cup rows are the ones that matter. A single serving of brown rice is about 1/2 cup uncooked (99 grams), which cooks to about 1 1/2 cups — a generous portion. A family dinner for four needs about 2 cups uncooked (396 grams). If you are weighing rice for a recipe, weigh it dry, before cooking: cooked rice varies in weight depending on how much water it absorbed, so a cup of cooked rice can weigh anywhere from 180 to 220 grams.

Worked examples

Example 1: Meal-prepping lunches for the week

You want five lunches, each with 1 cup of cooked brown rice — about 195 grams cooked per lunch. Working backwards, 5 cups of cooked rice needs about 1 2/3 cups of dry rice, which is 330 grams. Weighing 330 grams of dry rice into the pot is far more reliable than measuring 1 2/3 cups by volume, especially since a "cup" of rice scooped from a bag can vary by 10 grams depending on how settled the grains are. Cook it with about 2 1/2 cups of water (brown rice needs more water and more time than white rice — about 45 minutes), and you will have five identical portions. Store them in the fridge and use within four days, or freeze them in individual containers.

Example 2: Scaling a rice pilaf for a dinner party

A pilaf recipe serves four and calls for 1 1/2 cups of brown rice — 297 grams. You are cooking for twelve, so you triple it: 4 1/2 cups, or 891 grams. Measuring 4 1/2 cups of rice by volume means five separate cupfuls, each with its own small error; weighing 891 grams once is faster and exact. It also tells you how much water to use: brown rice typically needs 2 to 2 1/2 cups of water per cup of rice, so for 4 1/2 cups of rice you need about 10 cups of water, and a pot large enough to hold it — cooked, that rice will fill about 13 cups.

Example 3: Converting a grain-bowl recipe to grams

A grain-bowl recipe written in American cups calls for 3/4 cup of brown rice per bowl, and you are writing it out in grams. Three quarters of a cup is 149 grams of dry rice, which cooks to about 2 1/4 cups. If you are making four bowls, that is 596 grams of dry rice — roughly 600 grams, which is a convenient number to weigh. Note that the recipe's author probably meant 3/4 cup of dry rice, not cooked: if you used 149 grams of cooked rice instead, you would have barely half a bowl. When a recipe says "rice" without specifying, it almost always means dry, uncooked rice measured before cooking.

Method and source

The figure of 198 grams per cup comes from King Arthur Baking's ingredient weight chart, measured spooned and levelled: the rice is spooned or poured lightly into the cup and levelled off, without shaking the cup down. King Arthur lists the value with high confidence, and it agrees with the USDA values for long-grain brown rice. There is no serious dispute about this figure — rice is a uniform, dense grain, and the weight per cup is consistent across brands and varieties, with short-grain brown rice weighing only a few grams more per cup than long-grain.

One thing to be careful about is the difference between dry and cooked weights, which is where most rice confusion comes from. This page's figures are for uncooked brown rice. Cooked brown rice weighs about 195 to 200 grams per cup, because a cup of cooked rice is mostly water — but a cup of cooked rice started as only about a third of a cup of dry rice. If a recipe calls for "1 cup of cooked brown rice," that is about 65 grams of dry rice. If it calls for "1 cup of brown rice" with no qualifier, it means dry. When in doubt, check whether the recipe includes a cooking step for the rice: if it does, the rice is dry; if it says "leftover rice" or "cooked rice," it is cooked.

Brown rice and white rice weigh the same per cup — 198 grams each — so you can swap them by weight in any recipe. What changes is the cooking time and the water: brown rice needs about 45 minutes and 2 to 2 1/2 cups of water per cup of rice, while white rice needs about 18 minutes and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of water. Do not swap them without adjusting the cooking time, or the brown rice will be crunchy and the white rice will be mush.

Practical guidance

Brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice because the bran layer slows water absorption. The standard absorption method is: rinse the rice, combine 1 cup of rice with 2 1/4 cups of water and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, cover, reduce to the lowest heat, and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes without lifting the lid. Then rest it, covered, for 10 minutes, and fluff with a fork. Lifting the lid lets steam escape and is the main reason brown rice turns out undercooked. If you are in a hurry, soak the rice for 30 minutes before cooking, or use a pressure cooker, which cuts the time to about 20 minutes.

The most common mistakes are using too little water (brown rice needs more than white), cooking it for white-rice times (18 minutes will leave it crunchy), and storing it like white rice. That last one matters: the bran layer contains oils that go rancid at room temperature, so brown rice keeps for only about 6 months in a cool, dry cupboard, while white rice keeps for up to 2 years. For longer storage, keep brown rice in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. If it smells stale, oily or paint-like, it has gone rancid and should be thrown away.

If you are out of brown rice, the best substitutes by weight are white rice (198 grams per cup, same weight, shorter cooking time), quinoa (177 grams per cup, cooks in 15 minutes), or pearled barley (213 grams per cup, cooks in about 30 minutes). All three work in grain bowls, pilafs and stir-fries, though the flavours differ: quinoa is nuttier and lighter, barley is chewier, and white rice is milder. Do not substitute cooked rice for dry rice, or vice versa, without converting — the ratio is roughly 1 part dry to 3 parts cooked by volume.

Frequently asked questions

How many grams is 1 cup of uncooked brown rice?

One cup of uncooked brown rice weighs 198 grams, spooned and levelled, according to King Arthur Baking. Half a cup is 99 grams, and a quarter cup is about 50 grams. One cup of dry rice cooks to about 3 cups, or roughly 590 grams, of cooked rice.

How much cooked rice does 1 cup of dry brown rice make?

One cup of dry brown rice (198 grams) makes about 3 cups of cooked rice, weighing roughly 590 grams. The exact yield depends on how much water the rice absorbs, but the 1-to-3 ratio by volume is a reliable rule. If you need 6 cups of cooked rice, start with 2 cups (396 grams) of dry rice.

How many grams is 1 cup of cooked brown rice?

One cup of cooked brown rice weighs about 195 to 200 grams, depending on how much water it absorbed during cooking. This is very different from the dry weight: a cup of cooked rice started as only about a third of a cup (66 grams) of dry rice. Always check whether a recipe means cooked or uncooked rice before measuring.

Is brown rice heavier than white rice?

No — they weigh the same. One cup of uncooked brown rice and one cup of uncooked white rice both weigh 198 grams. The bran layer on brown rice does not change the weight per cup in any meaningful way. You can swap them gram for gram in any recipe; only the cooking time and water need to change.

How long does brown rice take to cook?

Brown rice takes 40 to 45 minutes by the absorption method, plus 10 minutes of resting, compared with about 18 minutes for white rice. Use 2 to 2 1/4 cups of water per cup of rice, keep the lid on throughout, and do not stir. Soaking for 30 minutes beforehand or using a pressure cooker can cut the cooking time significantly.

How should I store brown rice?

Keep brown rice in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months. Because the bran contains oils that go rancid, it does not keep as long as white rice (up to 2 years). For longer storage, refrigerate or freeze it. If it smells stale, oily or like paint, it has gone rancid and should be discarded.

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