Rice Cooker Size and Capacity: How to Pick the Perfect Size

If you’re shopping for a rice cooker, you’ve probably seen some confusing ‘math’ on the box or product page. 6 cups cooked, 3 cups uncooked, 2-6 cup capacity, 1.4 liters, 1.5 quarts… Do these numbers mean the same thing? And how do you know what size rice cooker you really need?

Welcome back to Aroma’s Rice Cooker 101 series. In this blog, we’ll help you choose the best rice cooker capacity to fit your needs and cooking style. Plus, let’s make sure that you’re measuring everything correctly – rice, water, and the cooker itself.

Measure and Compare Rice Cookers

Not all rice cooker brands follow the same formula or advertise the same information, so it’s difficult to compare. Are they listing quarts, liters, cooked rice cups, serving sizes, or standard US cups?

Let’s find a common denominator to ensure that side-by-side price and size comparisons are accurate.

Depending on the rice cooker’s design, exact conversions to quarts and liters won’t always work. Ultimately, cooked rice capacity is the best way to compare options and decide at checkout. After all, the amount of rice that ends up on your plate is more important than the exact size of the pot.

Aroma makes it easy for you; our website always lists the rice cooker size in cooked cups.

Use this handy conversion chart to make sense of the numbers. Everything is simplified to match the most common rice cooker sizes and styles:

(Bigger Isn’t Always Better)

Aroma’s smart cooking technology tracks the internal temperature and moisture content of your rice. However, these sensors are only designed to work with specific measurements and water ratios.

Did you know that most electric rice cookers have a minimum capacity, too? Avoid the urge to buy an extra-large rice cooker ‘just in case’ you want to prepare large quantities for guests. We recommend choosing a rice cooker that fits your everyday needs.

You can always cook an extra batch of rice to share on special occasions, but an oversized rice cooker won’t deliver the best results if you’re consistently cooking under the intended capacity. Plus, bigger machines contribute to food and energy waste.

How to Measure with a Rice Cup

Now that you’ve measured the best rice cooker size for your family, let’s demystify rice measurements, too.

Properly cooked rice will always double in size. For example, if you pour 4 rice cups inside to start, you’ll end up with 8 cups (5-6 servings) when the timer dings.

But is a rice cup the same as a standard US cup? No. A rice cup is 180mL, or approximately 3/4 of an American measuring cup. Every Aroma rice cooker comes with a BPA-free plastic measuring cup, so you can cook with the right tools. Fill your cup with dry rice, level off the top, and then pour it into another vessel for rinsing.

Rice preparation has a long history, and many cultural norms have stuck. The traditional rice cup has many names, depending on the country – ge in China, hob or hop in Korea, and gō in Japan, but this traditional size has always remained the same.

Finish with the Correct Amount of Water

Many rice cooker manuals include conversion charts and measuring guides for water, but Aroma has designed a simpler solution. With the right cooker size and accurate cups of rice, simply track the number of cups you poured inside and fill to that line. You can also learn more about the rice cooker water ratio via this blog.

Aroma’s inner pots are designed with clear, intuitive water line measurements – no more guessing or googling.

Rice might seem tricky, but we’re here to make it easy.