Pasta and Rice Conversions (2024)

November 8, 2016 by G. Stephen Jones 27 Comments

Pasta and Rice Conversions & Equivalents

Pasta Conversions & Equivalents

1 pound dried pasta (16 oz.)	serves	4 - 5 people
2 ounces long pasta	yields	1 cup pasta cooked
2 ounces short pasta	yields	1¼ cups cooked
2 ounces soup pasta	yields about	⅔ cup to 1 cup cooked
2 ounces shells	yields about	1 cups cooked
1 pound dried pasta	equals	4 cups dry pasta
1 cup of dry pasta	yields about	2 cups of cooked pasta
1 pound of dry pasta	yields about	8 cups of cooked pasta
2 ounces (1 cup) dry egg noodles	yields about	1 cup egg noodles cooked

How frustrating is it when you're cooking dinner from a great recipe in your favorite cooking magazine that says you need 2 cups of cooked rice, but you have no idea how much dry rice that takes? Or what if you need to know how many cups of cooked macaroni yields from 1 cup of dry macaroni?

I've been there, so I created this helpful list of rice and pasta conversions and equivalents that will help all home cooks. I know I'll be referring to it often.

How Much Pasta Per Person?

The question most often asked about pasta is how much dry pasta you cook per person. This depends on many factors, including the type of pasta, how it is served, what it is served with, and who you are serving it to.

According to the pasta manufacturer Barilla, 2 ounces of dry pasta is the right amount per person. That sounds right if the pasta is a side dish to a chicken or meat entry or if you serve it as a small plate appetizer.

Many of my favorite Italian cookbooks suggest 1 pound (16 ounces) of pasta for four people or 4 ounces per person. That seems like a lot of pasta to me. I typically cook a pound box of pasta like penne or a pound package of spaghetti or fettuccine for the four of us, but there are usually leftovers at the end of the meal.

I will say 3 - 4 ounces per person should work out nicely, but that depends on the eater. Another way you'll see long pasta like spaghetti or angel hair presented in cookbooks and on the internet is in diameter. For example, a 2⅛ inch circumference of spaghetti equates to 2 ounces of dry spaghetti or 1 cup cooked.

I don't know about you, but I can't remember the last time I measured out the circumference of my pasta before cooking. I have seen those spaghetti measuring tools you can purchase that have different-sized holes to measure out the circumference, I even have one somewhere in the drawer, but it rarely sees the light of day. So maybe I need to give it a try.

How Much Rice Per Person?

Like pasta servings, this depends on if you are serving it as a side dish or as the main dish with other ingredients added to it. It also depends on who you are serving it to. And then it depends on who you ask.

Many recipes I see call for about 1 cup of cooked rice per serving. Some dietitians and the USDA say this is too much, and you should only eat ½ cup of cooked rice per serving unless you are on a special diet; somewhere in the middle works fine.

In our house, since we always use leftovers for the girl's lunches, we usually cook more than we will serve for dinner and portion out what "feels" right for each kid.

Rice to Liquid Ratio

The most common ratio for rice to liquid is 1 to 2 or 1 cup rice to 2 cups of water, yielding 3 cups of cooked rice. The formula is simple: 1-2-3.

So if you were cooking 2 cups of rice, you would cook it with 4 cups of liquid to yield 6 cups of cooked rice.

I'm saying liquid here and not water, even though most people cook their rice in water because you can try cooking your rice in chicken or vegetable stock for extra flavor.

Rice Conversions & Equivalents

1 cup uncooked white rice	yields	3 cups of cooked white rice
1 cup brown whole-grain rice	yields	4 cups of cooked rice
1 cup long-grain rice	yields	3 cups cooked rice
1 cup dry pre-cooked instant rice	yields	2 cups cooked rice
1 cup uncooked wild rice	yields	3 cups cooked wild rice
Assuming 1 cup of cooked rice per person.
¾ cup (96 grams) uncooked rice	serves	2 persons
1 cup (180 grams) uncooked rice	serves	3 persons
2 cups (360 grams) uncooked rice	serves	6 persons
Assuming ½ cup of cooked rice per person.
¾ cup (96 grams) uncooked rice	serves	4 persons
1 cup (180 grams) uncooked rice	serves	6 persons
2 cups (360 grams) uncooked rice	serves	12 persons

Other Important Ingredient Conversions

BEAN CONVERSIONS	INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
HERB CONVERSIONS	MUSHROOM CONVERSIONS
GRAIN CONVERSIONS	PASTA/RICE CONVERSIONS
INGREDIENT CONVERSIONS	TOMATO CONVERSIONS

« Sage Brown Butter Sauce Recipe

How to Sous Vide Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs »

I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…

Reader Interactions

Comments

Kathryn Spark
November 11, 2016 at 12:28 am

If 1/4 cup uncooked rice serves 1 person, wouldn't 1 cup uncooked rice serve 4 people (not 2 cups serve 4 people)? Just asking! 🙂
Reply
- G. Stephen Jones
  November 11, 2016 at 2:59 pm
  
  Hi Kathryn. 1/4 cup of rice yields about 3/4 cup cooked. I'm assuming 1 cup of rice per person. So depending on how much rice an individual eats, 1 cup, 3/4 cup or 1/2 cup will determine the yield per person.
  Reply
Lilly Gorman
September 09, 2017 at 1:26 pm

This is SO helpful! Thank you so much!
Reply
Katrina Marshall
February 02, 2018 at 7:54 pm

Many thanks,I'm making a rice and bean (Costa Rica)dish and didn't want to make as much as they were asking. Glad I saw this sight
Reply
Karen
February 15, 2018 at 3:46 pm

I am making a rice dish which calls for 350g of rice....I guess it would be cooked, how many cups would that be
Reply
- G. Stephen Jones
  February 17, 2018 at 10:32 am
  
  Karen, I would have to see the recipe before I could say if the rice is cooked or not but 1 cup of uncooked rice weighs around 175-185 grams so if the rice is uncooked, you are talking about 2 cups of rice. 1 cup of cooked rice weighs about 195-200 grams so you would need about 1.88 cups. Hope this helps.
  Reply
Florence
June 19, 2018 at 6:26 pm

This has been so helpful. Thanks!
Reply
Sabrina
June 22, 2018 at 6:09 pm

Thank you for your conversions!! 💕
Reply
Adele Farough
July 29, 2018 at 4:27 pm

Are there different conversions for short-grain (e.g. arborio) rice?
Reply
baked georgia
January 01, 2019 at 9:04 am

my local barilla package recommends a 80 grams portion. which is 2,82 oz.
I must say a typical weekday dinner I ate around 3,5 oz really, when it's the main dish.
Reply
Sally
January 15, 2019 at 7:05 am

Would one cup of uncooked quinoa yield the same amount as one cup of uncooked long grain white rice?
Reply
- G. Stephen Jones
  March 28, 2020 at 9:41 am
  
  Hi Sally, 1 cup of quinoa cooked with 2 cups of liquid yields 3 cups of cooked quinoa. So your answer is yes. You can find conversions for grains here.
  Reply
Chantel
May 06, 2019 at 6:09 pm

Although this may be helpful for some people, this was completely useless for me. I asked a simple question and LITERALLY nobody on the internet can answer me! This is a conversation page, and its information for me is worthless. And it's not this site alone.
I just want to know how much of a certain thing is uncooked to cooked. It shouldn't be this freaking hard. Never mind I'll do it my damn self since nobody can help me. Your website is literally supposed to be about conversions, I figured you would be able to help. And I'm sorry you're getting the brunt of this. I'm just so frustrated and your headline on Google made it appear as if you'd help. And after much searching im just going to have to waste food and time and figure it out myself.
I hope you can help other people because none of this was helpful to me.
Reply
- G. Stephen Jones
  May 07, 2019 at 3:17 pm
  
  Hi Chantel, I almost deleted your comment for two reasons - one, I have no idea what you are asking for. "Certain thing is uncooked to cooked". What certain thing? The charts show both rice and pasta conversions of uncooked to cooked. And two, I thought the way you asked for help was extremely rude. Sorry you are not getting what you want but I have no idea what that is.
  Reply
Tracy Sagona
May 10, 2019 at 5:48 pm

Thank you for all this info. I’m about to attempt cooking crawfish etouffee for 400 people for a church festival. My first question was answered here in how to figure out the rice conversions. Thank you so much.
I think Chantel was just looking for a place to complain and found it here.
Thank you again for the info.
Reply
Liana
December 12, 2019 at 5:51 pm

Thank you so much for these conversions! I went to culinary school and I scoured my textbooks I saved for this information to no avail. I usually guesstimate when I'm cooking at home and am spot at times on or come really close. But I wanted something more precise for my need. My 14 year old niece has started cooking and is really enjoying it. So I am making a cookbook of recipes perfect for a cast iron skillet and I wanted to take some information and compile some "useful" charts in the book for conversions of various things as a resource and reference for her. I'm pairing this book along with her very first cast iron skillet for Christmas. I wasn't exactly sure how to put my guesstimates into word and wanted something more precise for her and these perfect! I will make sure to credit your website under the charts I put in the book.
Thanks again!
Reply
- G. Stephen Jones
  December 13, 2019 at 8:53 am
  
  You are welcome Liana.
  Reply
Joan
March 25, 2020 at 1:16 pm

In pkg rice such as rice a roni--- is that instant rice???
Reply
Kevin
April 29, 2020 at 6:45 pm

First thing that popped up when we Googled "recipe calls for 3 cups cooked rice". Thanks for taking the time to put this together!
Reply
Kevin
April 29, 2020 at 6:46 pm

First thing that popped up when we Googled "recipe calls for 3 cups cooked rice". Thanks for taking the time to put this together!
Reply
Larry Lowry
May 13, 2020 at 6:30 pm

Good information.
Reply
NICKI
July 20, 2020 at 3:05 pm

My recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of cooked white rice. How much dry rice and how much liquid.Thanks for your help. Nicki
Reply
- G. Stephen Jones
  July 20, 2020 at 4:30 pm
  
  Hi Nicki, if you look at the chart you will see 1 cup uncooked white rice yields 3 cups cooked rice so if you halve the 3 cups to 1 1/2 cup, the uncooked would be 1/2 cup. The ratio of rice to liquid is 1 to 2 so 1/2 cup of uncooked rice needs 1 cup of liquid to yield 1 1/2 cups cooked.
  Reply
kazy
August 03, 2020 at 5:29 pm

What about arborio rice. What's the yield on 1 cup of uncooked arborio rice? I'm not talking about risotto where you have to use like 4 cups of water for 1 cup of arborio. If you cook arborio like you cook any other rice, what's the yield?
Thanks
Reply
- G. Stephen Jones
  August 04, 2020 at 10:08 am
  
  Hi Kazy, personally I have never made arborio rice like basmati rice but when I looked it up, the majority of sources say 1 part arborio rice to 1.5 parts liquid (either water or broth).
  Reply
jan siefker
January 19, 2022 at 9:17 am

I wish I could save this to my Pinterest so when I need it, I can find it. I have a very short memory.
Reply
Mel Macgowan
November 05, 2022 at 3:54 am

I need to know how much raw rice to use instead of 1 1/2 cups raw pasta plz ?? Anyone ?? 🤔🤔
Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

FAQs

Does 1 cup of uncooked rice make 2 cups of cooked rice? ›

As a general rule, 1 cup of uncooked rice will equal about 3 cups of cooked rice. Leftover rice can be used later in the week to make fried rice or chicken rice casserole.

Know More ›

How much does 2 oz of dry pasta weigh after cooking? ›

The recommended pasta serving size is 2 ounces (56 g) of uncooked pasta, which equals approximately 1 cup (200 g) of cooked pasta. For a detailed conversion of dry vs. cooked pasta visit our conversion chart located in the Pasta Measuring FAQ.

See Details ›

How much cooked pasta is 1 cup dry? ›

You will need roughly 1 cup (or 0.9 cups to be precise) of dried pasta to obtain 2 cups of cooked pasta. Generally, the ratio of dry pasta to cooked pasta is approximately 1:1.5 to 1:2, as the dry pasta tends to expand upon boiling/cooking, and it can easily double in weight.

How much pasta do I need for 35 people? ›

How Much Pasta to Make Per Person

Type of Pasta	Uncooked Amount Per Person
Elbow Macaroni	½ cup/2 oz
Fettuccine	2 oz
Linguine	2 oz
Medium Shell	¾ cup/2 oz

9 more rows

Jun 20, 2023

Servings	Uncooked Cups	Weight (oz)
1	1/2	3.2
2	1	6.4
3	1 1/2	9.6
4	2	13

Type of Pasta	Uncooked Amount	Cooked Amount
Rigatoni	3 cups/8 oz.	4 cups
Rotini	3 cups/8 oz.	4-1/2 cups
Spaghetti	8 oz	5 cups
Thin Spaghetti	8 oz.	4-1/2 cups

How much pasta is 2 3 cup dry when cooked? ›

For example, when cooking a semolina penne, Barilla says to measure 2/3 cup dried pasta for 1 1/4 cups of cooked pasta; if you're cooking rotini, use 1/2 cup of dried pasta for 1 cup cooked.

Get More Info Here ›

What is 1 cup of dry pasta? ›

Measuring Elbow Macaroni

If using a food scale, place the pasta in the cup attached to the scale and measure 57 g. If using measuring cups, a single 2 oz. (57 g) serving is 1/2 cup of dried pasta. Two servings = 1 cup; four servings = 2 cups; six servings = 3 cups; eight servings = 4 cups.

Keep Reading ›

How much dry pasta do I need for 20 people? ›

When you cook pasta, 2 ounces of dry pasta per person is a good rule of thumb to follow.

View Details ›

How much pasta do I need for 50 people as a side dish? ›

How to use this food quantity chart:

Food Type	Approximate Amount for 50 Servings	Serving Size Per Person
Pasta, as side dish, spaghetti, macaroni, noodles	4-5 16 oz. pkgs.	1/2 cup, cooked
Rice, uncooked	3-4 lbs	1/2 cup, cooked
Beans, canned	8-12 15.5 ounce cans	1/2 cup
Dairy

93 more rows

Get More Info Here ›

How much pasta is enough for 30 people? ›

Measuring Pasta

When you cook pasta, 2 ounces (56 g) of dry pasta per person is a good rule of thumb to follow.

Read On ›

How do you get 2 cups of cooked rice? ›

The key to perfect rice is in the ratio of water to rice. Generally, the ideal ratio for white long grain rice is 2 cups of water per 1 cup of uncooked rice. To cook 2 cups of uncooked white long grain rice, you'll need 4 cups of water.

Read The Full Story ›

How much uncooked rice equals 1 cup cooked rice? ›

So if you want one cup cooked rice, use 1/2 cup uncooked rice and one cup water. Very simple. Typically, 1 cup of uncooked rice will yield about 3 cups of cooked rice. This is a general estimate and may vary slightly based on the type of rice and the cooking method used.