Rice milk: a sweet drink with almost no protein

A network meta-analysis of 14 randomized trials with 543 people, each lasting at least 3 weeks, found few differences in cardiometabolic outcomes between rice, oat and soy drinks and cow's milk. The one gap it reported against rice drink was oat drink lowering total cholesterol by 8.9 mg/dL (0.23 mmol/L) more (95% CI 0.05 to 0.40), and the authors call that evidence very uncertain, with few trials using rice drink at all. Where rice milk clearly differs is protein. USDA lists a 244 g cup at about 115 calories and 22 g of carbohydrate, 13 g of it sugars, with only 0.7 g of protein. North American pediatric gastroenterologists put an 8 oz serving at about 8% of the protein in the same serving of cow's milk, and say plant-based milks are not an equivalent source of such nutrients for young children.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Per 100 g, USDA lists unsweetened rice milk at 47 calories with only 0.28 g protein, 9.2 g carbohydrate and 5.3 g sugars, while fortification adds 118 mg calcium, 0.63 ug vitamin B12 and 1 ug vitamin D. — USDA SR Legacy food Beverages, rice milk, unsweetened (FDC 171942) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: energy 47 calories, protein 0.28 g, fat 0.97 g, carbohydrate 9.17 g, sugars 5.28 g, fiber 0.3 g, calcium 118 mg, vitamin B12 0.63 ug, vitamin D 1 ug, vitamin A 63 ug RAE, potassium 27 mg

What a real portion looks like

• One cup of rice milk (244 g) gives about 115 calories, 22 g carbohydrate with 13 g sugars, but only 0.7 g protein. — USDA survey food Rice milk (FNDDS food code 11360000, fdc_id 2705411), WWEIA Plant-based milk Evidence E source
  Per cup 244 g: energy 114.7 calories, protein 0.7 g, carbohydrate 22.4 g, total sugars 12.9 g, fat 2.4 g, calcium 287.9 mg, vitamin D 2.4 ug, vitamin B12 1.5 ug

What your body absorbs

• In 19 adults with metabolic syndrome, 16 fl oz (475 mL) of rice milk raised blood glucose more than the same calories of low-fat milk and briefly cut artery dilation from 6.2% to 3.3% at 30 minutes. — 19 obese adults with metabolic syndrome, single 16 fl oz (475 mL) drink after overnight fast, 3-hour follow-up, crossover (n = 19) Evidence B source
  FMD 6.2 +/- 0.8% at baseline to 3.3 +/- 0.7% at 30 min and 3.9 +/- 0.6% at 60 min after rice milk; unchanged after low-fat milk; glucose and MDA rose more with rice milk (P < 0.001)

What it does to your health

• In 52 men with high cholesterol drinking 25 fl oz (0.75 L) a day for 5 weeks, rice milk raised serum triglycerides, while oat milk lowered total and LDL cholesterol by 6% against it. — 52 men with moderate hypercholesterolemia, 0.75 L/day for 5 weeks per arm, crossover (n = 52) Evidence B source
  Oat vs rice milk: total cholesterol -6% (p = 0.005), LDL -6% (p = 0.036); triglycerides rose significantly on rice milk (p = 0.003)

Safety, limits and interactions

• A 22-month-old fed about 1.6 quarts (1.5 L) a day of rice drink after weaning developed severe kwashiorkor, with protein intake at 25% of the recommended amount. — 2 toddlers with severe nutritional deficiency; case 1 a 22-month-old boy drinking a rice beverage (n = 2) Evidence D source
  Protein intake 0.3 g/kg/day, 25% of RDA; serum albumin 1.0 g/dL
• Testing 25 rice drinks sold in Italy found inorganic arsenic in every one, all within the EU limit, but toddlers who drink them regularly had a margin of exposure of only 0.2, a potential health concern. — 25 rice-based drinks bought in Italy 2022-2023; exposure modeled with Italian national dietary surveys (n = 25 products) Evidence C source
  Mean inorganic arsenic 15 ug/kg, none above 30 ug/kg; MOE among consumers: toddlers 0.2, other children 0.5
• In US national survey data from about 8,300 people, drinking rice beverage or rice milk was linked to higher urinary methylated arsenic in adults, the largest association for MMA. — about 8,300 participants aged 6 and over, NHANES 2003-2010, 24-hour recall (n = 8300) Evidence C source
  Rice beverage/milk associated with higher urinary DMA and MMA in adults; largest association for MMA in adults

What people believe that the data does not support

• North American pediatric gastroenterologists state that an 8 oz serving of rice milk gives only about 8% of the protein in cow's milk and that plant-based milks are not an equivalent source of protein, calcium or vitamin D for young children. — infants and young children Evidence E source
  Rice milk protein about 8% of cow's milk per 8 oz; only infant formula as alternative to human milk in year 1

What is still unknown

• A network meta-analysis of 14 randomized trials with 543 people found few cardiometabolic differences between rice, oat, soy drinks and cow's milk, with oat drink lowering total cholesterol by 8.9 mg/dL (0.23 mmol/L) against rice drink. — 543 participants in 14 RCTs of at least 3 weeks comparing soy, rice, oat drinks and cow's milk (n = 543) Evidence A source
  Oat vs rice drink total cholesterol MD -8.9 mg/dL (-15 to -1.9; metric: -0.23 mmol/L, -0.40 to -0.05), very uncertain; certainty mostly low
• A systematic review of 6 studies found children who drink plant-based milk tend to have lower BMI, height and blood vitamin D than cow's milk drinkers, though trials were few and low quality. — children aged 1-18 in 6 studies (3 cross-sectional, 1 cohort, 2 trials), total n 15,815 (n = 15815) Evidence C source
  Lower BMI, height and serum vitamin D with plant-based milk (observational)

The bottom line

Even the unsweetened version has 5.3 g of sugars per 3.5 oz (100 g) in USDA data, which come from the rice starch being broken down. Its 118 mg calcium, 0.63 ug vitamin B12 and 1 ug vitamin D per 3.5 oz (100 g) come from fortification of that one product, so an unfortified drink has almost none. Check the label if you rely on it for those. In most trials rice milk was the comparison drink. In 19 obese adults with metabolic syndrome, a single 16 fl oz (475 mL) serving after an overnight fast raised blood glucose more than low-fat milk and briefly cut artery dilation from 6.2% to 3.3% at 30 minutes, while low-fat milk left it unchanged. That was one drink over 3 hours in a small group. In 52 men with moderately high cholesterol drinking 25 fl oz (0.75 L) a day for 5 weeks, serum triglycerides rose significantly on rice drink (p = 0.003), and the abstract does not give the size of the rise. The cautions are about children and arsenic. A 22-month-old who drank about 1.6 quarts (1.5 L) of rice drink a day after weaning developed a severe protein deficiency, taking in 0.3 g of protein per kg a day, 25% of the recommended amount. That is one case report and says nothing about how often it happens. A systematic review of 6 mostly observational studies linked plant-based milk in children to lower BMI, height and blood vitamin D than cow's milk, without separating rice drink. Testing 25 rice drinks sold in Italy found inorganic arsenic in every one, at a mean of 15 ug/kg and none above the 30 ug/kg EU limit. In modeling of Italian diets, toddlers who drink them had a margin of exposure of only 0.2, which the authors call a potential health concern, with the caveat that only 5 toddler consumers were in the survey. In US national survey data from about 8,300 people, drinking rice beverage was associated with higher urinary methylated arsenic in adults, from a single day of recall. For a young child, rice milk does not replace cow's milk as a source of protein. We found no study on how processing changes the drink and no glycemic index for it.

Sources

1. rcm-r8-01 · USDA SR Legacy food, dataset
   Beverages, rice milk, unsweetened (FDC 171942, sr_legacy): Energy 47 kcal; Protein 0.28 g; Total lipid (fat) 0.97 g; Carbohydrate 9.17 g; Sugars 5.28 g; Fiber 0.3 g; Calcium 118 mg; Vitamin B-12 0.63 ug; Vitamin D 1 ug; Vitamin A 63 ug RAE; Potassium 27 mg per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2019-04-01), FDC 171942 · checked 2026-09-30
2. rcm-r8-02 · USDA FNDDS survey food, dataset
   Rice milk (fdc_id 2705411, FNDDS 11360000): 1 cup 244 g; per cup Energy 114.7 kcal, Protein 0.7 g, Carbohydrate 22.4 g, Total Sugars 12.9 g, Total lipid 2.4 g, Calcium 287.9 mg, Vitamin D 2.4 ug, Vitamin B-12 1.5 ug
   USDA FoodData Central survey (FNDDS), release 2024-10-31, food code 11360000, fdc_id 2705411 · checked 2026-09-30
3. rcm-r8-03 · randomized crossover trial
   Participants' (n = 19) postprandial FMD responses were unaffected by low-fat milk but transiently decreased (P < 0.01) from 6.2 ± 0.8% (mean ± SEM) at baseline to 3.3 ± 0.7% at 30 min and 3.9 ± 0.6% at 60 min following rice milk consumption. Glucose and MDA increased to a greater extent in the rice milk trial (P < 0.001).
   J Nutr, 2013 · checked 2026-09-30
4. rcm-r8-04 · randomized crossover trial
   Serum triglycerides did not change significantly after intake of oat milk, but a significant increase was observed after intake of the control drink (p = 0.003).
   Ann Nutr Metab, 1999 · checked 2026-09-30
5. rcm-r8-07 · case series
   On average, he consumed 1.5 L of this drink daily. ... As this rice beverage, which was fallaciously referred to as rice milk, is extremely low in protein content, the resulting daily protein intake of 0.3 g/kg/day was only 25% of the recommended dietary allowance.
   Pediatrics, 2001 · checked 2026-09-30
6. rcm-r8-08 · food contaminant survey
   None of the samples exceeded 30 µg kg−1 [14]. ... Among consumers only, the MOE decreased substantially in the youngest age groups, reaching very low values in toddlers (MOE = 0.2) and other children (MOE = 0.5), raising a potential health concern, despite the uncertainties.
   Foods, 2026 · checked 2026-09-30
7. rcm-r8-09 · cross-sectional study
   And, for adults, rice beverage/milk (DMA, MMA). ... For MMA, rice beverage/milk (adults) and rice cakes/crackers (children, adolescents) had the largest associations.
   PLoS One, 2014 · checked 2026-09-30
8. rcm-r8-06 · consensus statement
   For almond or rice milk, an 8 oz serving provides only about 2% or 8%, respectively, of the protein equivalent found in a serving of CM. ... Consumer education is required to clarify that PBMs do not represent an equivalent source of such nutrients.
   J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr, 2020 · checked 2026-09-30
9. rcm-r8-05 · network meta-analysis of RCTs
   Overall, few differences were observed comparing plant-based drinks with another or with cow milk on cardiometabolic outcomes. ... Oat drink may slightly reduce total cholesterol compared with cow milk and rice drink [MD: -0.12 mmol/L (-0.24; -0.01); MD: -0.23 mmol/L (-0.40; -0.05)], but the evidence is very uncertain.
   Adv Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-09-30
10. rcm-r8-10 · systematic review
    Observational studies found that consumption of plant-based milk was associated with lower childhood body mass index (BMI), height, and serum vitamin D concentrations compared with cow milk.
    J Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-09-30