Rice to Water Ratio for a Rice Cooker, How to Match it Correctly

How many times have you failed at cooking rice? Rice to water ratio for a rice cooker matters, learn how to match it correctly in this brand new post!

The Rice Cooker Science

Throughout its evolution, rice cookers really make our lives easier. We can cook perfect rice in just a matter of a push-button process.

This genius kitchen equipment works so simple that it doesn’t even require much education or training on how to use it. We only need the right rice to water ratio for a rice cooker.

However, the path to perfect rice lies mainly on understanding how rice cookers do the job. Rice cookers are basically based in the principle of heat absorbing wherein it needs to reach a certain maximum temperature (212° F/100° C) vaporizing the water and once all the water is gone, it switches to a low temperature which we call the “warm” setting.

By understanding this principle we can conclude that rice cookers depend on how much water we put into it. Which means, the more water we use, the longer the cooking process is.

Read the Manual

Every rice cooker comes handy with a manual or a leaflet wherein it briefly explains how the machine works and other operational and maintenance advises. Although most rice cookers advice, 1:1 water ratio or equivalent to 1 cup of rice to 1 cup of water, take note that the rice to water ratio for a rice cooker varies on the following:

• Type of rice (what grain and type you are cooking)
• And Rice Cooker brand

Golden Wisdom

There is a golden rule for rice cooking throughout ages, culture and religion, that the fresher the rice grain you have, the less water is needed. This is because newly harvested rice has more moisture compared to aged rice grains which require more water to absorb.

Know your Rice

The best thing about rice cookers is that you can just plug and go after putting in the correct rice and water ratio. When you have fully understood how your rice cooker works, next thing is to know your rice.

We have explained several varieties of rice already from our previous posts and if you notice, each of them requires different water levels. Here are the most common:

• White rice: 2:1
• Jasmine rice: 1.1:1
• Basmati rice: 1.5:1
• Brown rice: 1.5:1
• Wild rice: 4:1, (immediately wash with cold water and drain)

Types of Rice

Apart from rice varieties, there are also different rice types which need to have correct rice to water ratio for a rice cooker to have fluffy and perfect rice.

I have the list below for the different rice types commonly used for cooking:

• Short grain
• Medium grain
• Long grain
• Wehani
• Arborio
• Converted

The amount of rice and water also depends on the measuring cup that you are using. Some brands particularly, Zojirushi, has its own cup included in the box as well as line measurements or water levels inside the inner pots.

Rice to Water Ratio for a Rice Cooker

To better get a clear idea of how much water is needed per type and variety of rice, I have researched and compiled the top 3 brands with Neuro-fuzzy logic, Micom type, and IH (induction heating)  technologies plus their recommended water ratios.

These top brands listed below have multi-function settings that are able to cook different rice varieties such as white, brown, sushi and more… You only need to put in the right amount of water and select your desired option.

Zojirushi

Zojirushi is one of the most reliable rice cookers today with modern technology which is tagged as the ‘genius’ of all kitchen appliances.

Below is the rice to water ratio for a Zojirushi NSZCC18.

Note that the cup meant here is not the standard US measuring cup but rather its own included rice cup.

Short Grain – Rice to Water Ratio

Long Grain- Rice to Water Ratio

Aroma

Aroma is another brand that offers great rice cookers with flawless cooking techniques.

Below is a general guideline for rice to water ratio for most of its models. We have the ARC-1024E model series as an example.

White Rice Water Ratio

Uncooked Rice Large Cup (900 ml)	Added Water Large Cup (900 ml)	Water Line of Inner Pot	Cooked Cups Small Cup (180 ml)
1	1 ¼	Line 5	10 Cups
2	2 ½	Line 10	20 Cups
3	3 ¾	Line 15	30 Cups
4	5	Line 20	40 Cups
4 3/4	6	Line 24	48 Cups

Brown Rice

1. Soak brown rice for at least 1 ^1/2 before cooking
2. Pour an additional ¼ cup of water into the inner pot for each cup of brown rice
3. At maximum capacity, cooking time lasts about one hour.
4. Allow the rice continue to warm for 20 minutes
5. Fluff the rice using fork or spatula to release excess moisture

Tiger

Tiger Corporation is another brand that provides multi-function cooking settings which are able to provide us convenience and versatility.

Check out these videos on how to cook white and brown rice using the IH (Induction Heating) Tiger rice cooker.

How to Cook White Rice

How to Cook Brown Rice

Using a rice cooker is so simple, if you want to know how to do it, visit this previous post for a step-by-step guide. Cleaning rice cookers is also an easy task since most of the inner pots are dishwasher-friendly.

Ready to Cook

Now that you have learned all the essential information on the correct rice to water ratio for a rice cooker and how to match it correctly, we bet how excited you are now to cook rice for dinner!

If you have other tips and tricks on how to cook rice on rice cookers share it with us on the comments below.