Home › Unit Converters › Dry to Cooked Converter
Dry to Cooked Converter
Find out how much 1 cup of dry rice makes, how much dry pasta to cook for a recipe, or how many cans a pound of dry beans replaces. Convert dry to cooked, cooked to dry, or cans to dry, in cups, grams, ounces or pounds.
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Enter your values to see the result.
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How to use the Dry to Cooked Converter
- Choose a direction: dry to cooked, cooked to dry, or cans of beans to dry.
- Pick the food, for example white rice or chickpeas.
- Enter the amount and its unit (or the number of cans and their size).
- Press Convert to see the cooked or dry amount in cups and weight.
- Use the chart below the results to plan other batch sizes.
Dry to cooked yield chart
Typical yields used by the converter. Grains and pulses absorb water, so their weight grows 2 to 3.5 times; oatmeal is mostly water and grows nearly 6 times.
| Food | 1 cup dry | Makes (cooked) | Weight gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| White rice, long-grain | 185 g | about 3 cups | × 2.6 |
| Brown rice | 190 g | about 3 cups | × 3.0 |
| Wild rice | 160 g | about 3 1/2 cups | × 3.5 |
| Quinoa | 170 g | about 3 cups | × 3.2 |
| Couscous | 173 g | about 3 cups | × 2.7 |
| Pearl barley | 200 g | about 3 1/2 cups | × 2.75 |
| Rolled oats | 81 g | about 2 cups porridge | × 5.8 |
| Steel-cut oats | 160 g | about 3 3/4 cups porridge | × 5.5 |
| Elbow macaroni | 112 g | about 2 cups | × 2.5 |
| Spaghetti (2 oz / 56 g) | by weight | about 1 cup | × 2.5 |
| Black, pinto, kidney beans | 190 g | about 2 2/3 cups | × 2.4 |
| Chickpeas | 200 g | about 2 2/3 cups | × 2.2 |
| Brown or green lentils | 192 g | about 2 1/2 cups | × 2.5 |
How the conversion works
The converter works through weight, because a cup of cooked food weighs differently from a cup of dry food:
- Cups are turned into grams with the food's dry or cooked density (for example 1 cup dry white rice ≈ 185 g).
cooked weight = dry weight × yield factor, ordry weight = cooked weight ÷ yield factor.- The result is turned back into cups with the other density (1 cup cooked white rice ≈ 158 g).
Example: 1 cup dry white rice = 185 g × 2.6 = 481 g cooked, and 481 ÷ 158 = 3.04 cups cooked.
For canned beans the starting point is the drained amount: a 15-ounce can holds about 1 1/2 cups, so two cans (3 cups cooked) replace about 1 1/8 cups of dry beans.
Tips for accurate amounts
- Cooking method matters: rice cooked with extra water and drained (pasta method) comes out softer and heavier than absorption-cooked rice.
- Beans grow twice: about half the gain happens during soaking. The yields here are for fully cooked beans.
- Planning servings: a typical side portion is 1/2 cup cooked grains or beans, and about 1 cup cooked pasta for a main course.
- Need the right amount of water for rice? Use the Rice to Water Ratio Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much cooked rice does 1 cup of dry rice make?
One cup of dry long-grain white rice makes about 3 cups cooked. Brown rice also gives roughly 3 cups, and wild rice about 3 1/2 cups. Short-grain and parboiled rices can differ a little.
How much dry pasta makes 1 cup cooked?
About 2 ounces (56 g) of dry pasta makes roughly 1 cup cooked. For small shapes like elbow macaroni that is about 1/2 cup dry. Pasta gains about 2 1/2 times its weight when cooked.
How many cups of cooked beans are in a pound of dry beans?
One pound of dry black, pinto or kidney beans makes about 6 to 6 1/2 cups of cooked beans, the same as roughly four 15-ounce cans.
How many dry beans equal one can?
A 15-ounce can holds about 1 1/2 cups of drained beans, which is a little over 1/2 cup (about 100 to 110 g) of dry beans.
How much does quinoa expand when cooked?
Quinoa roughly triples: 1 cup dry (about 170 g) makes about 3 cups cooked and gains a little over 3 times its weight.
Should I track food weight dry or cooked?
Nutrition labels usually list the dry weight, which is more consistent because cooked weight depends on how much water was absorbed. If you weigh cooked food, convert it back to dry weight with this tool to match the label.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.
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