White rice or wild rice: which is healthier?
Full comparison · Calories · Carbs · Healthier
Neither food is healthier in every way. Per 3.5 oz (100 g), here is where white rice and wild rice differ against FDA Daily Values, so you can choose for what you need more or less of.
White rice
- More of: folate (24% vs 6% DV), iron (7% vs 3% DV).
Wild rice
- More of: fiber (6% vs 1% DV), magnesium (8% vs 3% DV), protein (8% vs 5% DV).
Beyond the nutrient table
Health effects depend on more than composition: how much you eat, what it replaces, and the studies on each food. These pages grade that evidence:
What the numbers don't tell you
Our sources hold one direct test of wild rice and blood sugar. In 14 healthy adults, a basmati and wild rice blend fell in the medium or high glycemic index group, while long-grain and white basmati rice were low. Wild rice alone was not tested, so a lower glycemic index for it has not been shown.
Per cup in the table, wild rice has fewer calories (166 against 205), more protein (6.5 g against 4.3 g) and more fiber (3.0 g against 0.6 g). The enriched white rice has twice the iron, 1.2 against 0.6 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g). Milling strips 75 to 90 percent of rice's thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin E.
For white rice, the amount matters. In seven cohorts with 352,384 people, each daily serving went with 11 percent higher risk of type 2 diabetes, with the link seen in Asian cohorts and not significant in Western ones. That is a link and cannot prove cause.
For babies, the FDA proposed an action level of 100 parts per billion of inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal. We hold no arsenic data for US wild rice.
Swap in wild rice if you like it, and watch how much white rice you eat. In 18 young women, eating vegetables before the rice lowered glucose and insulin after the meal.
Evidence behind this note
- Level B In a randomized crossover trial in 14 healthy adults the ten rice foods tested spanned glycemic index values of 37 to 92, and the basmati and wild rice blend was not among the low glycemic index foods. Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2009
- Level C Across 352 384 people in seven cohorts, each daily serving of white rice went with 11% higher risk of type 2 diabetes, and the top intake in Asian cohorts with 55% higher risk. BMJ, 2012
- Level E WHO notes that milling rice to white removes 75 to 90% of its thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin E. WHO, Guideline: Fortification of Rice with Vitamins and Minerals as a Public Health Strategy, 2018
- Level E FDA proposed an action level of 100 parts per billion for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Proposed Limit for Inorganic Arsenic in Infant Rice Cereal, 2016
- Level B In a crossover RCT of 18 young women, eating vegetables before boiled white rice lowered post-meal glucose and insulin even when the meal was eaten in 10 minutes. Nutrients, 2023
Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Read more about these foods
- White rice: how much you eat decides what the data says
- Wild rice: a grain with almost no evidence of its own
Rankings and guides
Where the numbers come from
- White rice: USDA FoodData Central, Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked, FDC ID 168878 · full profile · all forms of white rice
- Wild rice: USDA FoodData Central, Wild rice, cooked, FDC ID 168897 · all forms of wild rice
Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.