A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a plurality of nozzles that eject a liquid, a sensor that detects a defective nozzle in which defective ejection occurs when the liquid is to be ejected, a recovery mechanism that recovers the defective nozzle to its normal state so as to enable the liquid to be normally ejected from the defective nozzle, and a control unit that, when a defective nozzle is detected, compares a method, in which the liquid is ejected after the defective nozzle is recovered to its normal state by the recovery mechanism, with a method, in which the liquid is ejected without using the defective nozzle, while the defective nozzle is not recovered to its normal state, and controls the liquid to be ejected by using the method having a shorter processing time.