🌾 Wild Rice Per Person Calculator
Find the exact amount of dry & cooked wild rice for any group size
| Serving Type | Dry oz/person | Dry g/person | Cooked cup/person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side Dish | 1.5 oz | 42g | ≈ 0.75 cup |
| Main Dish | 2.5 oz | 70g | ≈ 1.25 cups |
| Soup / Salad | 1 oz | 28g | ≈ 0.5 cup |
| Buffet / Mixed | 1.25 oz | 35g | ≈ 0.6 cup |
| Dry Amount | Cooked Yield | Water Needed | Approx. Servings (side) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ½ cup (80g) | 1.5 cups | 1.5 cups | 2 people |
| 1 cup (160g) | 3 cups | 3 cups | 4 people |
| 2 cups (320g) | 6 cups | 6 cups | 8 people |
| 3 cups (480g) | 9 cups | 9 cups | 12 people |
| 5 cups (800g) | 15 cups | 15 cups | 20 people |
| 10 cups (1.6kg) | 30 cups | 30 cups | 40 people |
| Measurement | Imperial | Metric | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup dry wild rice | ≈ 5.6 oz | 160g | Before cooking |
| 1 cup cooked wild rice | ≈ 5.8 oz | 164g | After cooking |
| Side dish serving | 1.5 oz dry | 42g dry | ~0.75 cup cooked |
| Main dish serving | 2.5 oz dry | 70g dry | ~1.25 cups cooked |
| 1 lb dry wild rice | 16 oz / ~2.8 cups | 454g | Yields ~8.5 cups cooked |
Wild rice has several names, like manoomin, mnomen, Canadian rice, Indian rice and aquatic oats. It belongs to the group Zizania and is made up of four species of grasses. Although it is called wild rice it is not truly rice for all folks.
Actually, it is about edible seed from aquatic grasses. The plant itself is a water grass, and especially the grains of the seeds get the name rice.
Wild Rice: What It Is and How to Cook It
Wild rice ranks between the few grains that is native in North America. It grows in shallow freshwater marshes and lakes. Native Americans grew and ate it as basic food, and even now one gathers and eats it.
Real wild rice is hand-picked, and the main producers are in Minnesota and Canada. Some tribes of Minnesota, for instance those of Red Lake and Bois Strongly beside Nett-Lake, sell their rice online. One also grows wild rice in California.
The grains have rich nutty taste with firm, chewy texture. Well cooked wild rice should not crack. The outer bark stays a bit chewy, but the inner part of the grain should be soft, like fully cooked rice.
It usually has more strong flavor than usual rice, except much more high price. Wild rice can surprisingly cost a lot, because little bags reach several dollars for only some units.
Cooking wild rice needs much more time than usual rice. Normal time is around 45 to 60 minutes, to reach quite a soft result four eating. It is better to use too much water than too little.
The process differs from cooking normal rice, where one tries to absorb all water. With wild rice simply pour the extra water after cooking. It is helpful to check it now and then, to make sure that enough water stays in the pot.
Comparing wild rice with brown rice can be hard. Wild rice takes more space in a cup than brown rice, simply because of its shape. Cooked grains of wild rice hold around 30 percent fewer calories than brown rice, but around 40 percent more protein.
It also has more fiber, potassium and zinc. Wild rice does not carry gluten, fat it has little, and it is rich in lysine and fiber. The protein in it falls behind that of oats, but beats that of quinoa.
It is rich in dietary fiber, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus, while packed fat, salt andcholesterol it has little.
Wild rice works well for soups, side dishes, salads and even desserts. A popular example is creamy coconut soup with wild rice. It goes surprisingly well with mushrooms, roasted squash and root vegetables.
Mixing it with brown rice helps, so that it lasts more long.
