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Foods high in resistant starch fall into a few groups: beans, chickpeas and other legumes, firm green bananas and plantains, whole or coarsely ground grains, uncooked oats, and starchy foods such as potatoes, rice and pasta that have been cooked and then chilled. USDA SR Legacy, the database behind most of our food tables, has no resistant starch values at all, so this list relies on peer-reviewed measurements and quotes each one exactly as the paper reports it. Below are the five types of resistant starch, a table of published values, and the reasons the numbers move so much with ripeness, cooking and cooling.
Peptide Labs does not sell resistant starch foods or resistant starch products. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.
Key Takeaways
- Resistant starch is the part of starch that is not digested in the small intestine and reaches the colon, where microbes can ferment some of it.
- A 2020 review of 94 studies found it in breads, breakfast cereals, bananas and plantains, grains, pasta, rice, legumes and potatoes.
- USDA SR Legacy lists starch and total fiber but has no resistant starch entry, so every value here comes from a named study.
- The same review reports that foods cooked and then chilled have more resistant starch than the same foods freshly cooked.
- Values change with variety, ripeness, cooking method, serving temperature and the lab method, so any single number is one measurement, not a fixed property of the food.
What is resistant starch?
A 2013 review in Advances in Nutrition (Birt and colleagues) defines resistant starch as the portion of starch that cannot be digested by amylase enzymes in the small intestine and passes to the colon, where the resident microbes ferment it. The idea comes from a classification by Englyst and colleagues that sorts starch into rapidly digestible, slowly digestible and resistant fractions based on laboratory digestion. A 2020 review in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Patterson and colleagues) describes it as a fiber and notes that only some types can be fermented by gut microbes.
On US labels, fiber has a legal definition. FDA counts fibers that are intrinsic and intact in plants, plus isolated or synthetic carbohydrates that the agency has reviewed. FDA’s dietary fiber page lists high-amylose starch (resistant starch 2) and one cross-linked type 4 starch among the added fibers it intends to propose for that definition. Our fiber reference guide covers the official values for total fiber; no separate reference value appears in the sources read for this article.
The five types of resistant starch
Researchers group resistant starch by the reason it escapes digestion. The 2013 review lists five types, usually written RS1 to RS5:
| Type (Birt 2013 review) | Why it resists digestion | Examples given in the review |
|---|---|---|
| RS1 | Physically inaccessible starch | Coarsely ground or whole-kernel grains |
| RS2 | Granular starch with a crystal form enzymes cannot easily break down | Raw potato, raw banana starch, high-amylose maize starch |
| RS3 | Retrograded starch | Cooked and cooled starchy foods |
| RS4 | Chemically modified starch | Cross-linked starches made as ingredients |
| RS5 | Amylose-lipid complex | Starch complexed with fatty acids |
The 2020 review adds that types 1, 2, 3 and 5 occur naturally in foods, while types 2, 3 and 4 can be added to foods as an ingredient. The 2013 review also cautions that the digestibility of any starch sample is never due to a single factor, so the type labels are a simplification.
Foods high in resistant starch: what studies measured
Each row below quotes one study. The studies used different foods, laboratories and units, so the rows show patterns and should not be read as a ranking. Read across a row, not down a column.
| Food as analyzed | Freshly cooked or raw | After cooking, cooling or reheating | Basis and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chickpeas, cooked (two market classes) | 3.6 to 5.3 g | Higher in many cases after cooling and reheating | Per 100 g serving; Siva 2020 |
| Common beans, cooked (seven market classes) | 2.6 to 3.9 g | Higher in many cases after cooling and reheating | Per 100 g serving; Siva 2020 |
| Chickpea pasta, boiled | 1.83 g | 3.43 g chilled 24 hours; 3.65 g chilled and reheated | Per 100 g; Bojarczuk 2024 |
| White rice, cooked | 0.64 g | 1.65 g chilled 24 hours, then reheated | Per 100 g; Sonia 2015 |
| Firm bananas | 0.247 g raw | 0.032 g cooked | Per g of dry weight; Muir 1992 |
| Oats | 0.161 g uncooked | 0.028 g cooked | Per g of dry weight; Muir 1992 |
| Legumes (group mean) | 4.18% | 8.16% after three heating and cooling cycles | Percent of dry matter; Yadav 2009 |
| Cereals (group mean) | 1.86% | 3.25% after three heating and cooling cycles | Percent of dry matter; Yadav 2009 |
| Tubers (group mean) | 1.51% | 2.51% after three heating and cooling cycles | Percent of dry matter; Yadav 2009 |
A dry-weight value cannot be compared directly with an as-eaten value, because cooked foods hold a lot of water. That is one reason the table keeps each study’s own basis.
Resistant starch foods list by group
Legumes
Beans, chickpeas and lentils are the most consistent natural sources in the papers read here. A 2020 study of pulses reported 2.6 to 3.9 grams per 100 grams of cooked common beans and 3.6 to 5.3 grams per 100 grams of cooked chickpeas (Siva 2020). An older laboratory study named roasted chickpeas and firm bananas as its richest sources (Muir 1992). Our guides to black beans and pinto beans give USDA fiber and protein values for those foods.
Green bananas and plantains
The 2013 review classes raw banana starch as RS2 and notes that after cooking most of that starch becomes highly digestible. Ripening matters too: a 2018 study of banana flour found a significant drop in total and resistant starch between the second and third ripening stages (Campuzano 2018). In the 1992 laboratory study, cooking firm bananas lowered the measured value from 0.247 to 0.032 grams per gram of dry weight (Muir 1992). See our banana guide and plantain guide for USDA values.
Whole and coarsely ground grains
RS1 is starch locked inside intact kernels. The 2013 review gives breads made with whole or coarsely ground kernels and extruded durum wheat pasta as examples, and the 1992 study found more resistant starch in whole rice than in ground rice. The same study measured 0.161 grams per gram of dry weight in uncooked oats and 0.028 after cooking (Muir 1992). A US intake estimate based on national survey data found that breads, cooked cereals and pastas, and vegetables other than legumes each supplied about a fifth of resistant starch intake (Murphy 2008).
Cooked and cooled starchy foods
RS3 forms when cooked starch cools. According to the 2013 review, amylose chains pair up into double helices, particularly near refrigerator temperature, and the retrograded starch is not undone by ordinary cooking. Three studies show the pattern. In potatoes of three varieties, resistant starch differed by cooking method and serving temperature but not by variety: baked was higher than boiled, and chilled was higher than hot or reheated (Raatz 2016). In white rice, a 2015 study reported 0.64 grams per 100 grams when freshly cooked and 1.65 grams after 24 hours in the refrigerator and reheating (Sonia 2015). In chickpea pasta, a 2024 study reported 1.83 grams per 100 grams freshly boiled and 3.65 grams after chilling and reheating (Bojarczuk 2024). Our guides to white rice, pasta and starchy vegetables cover the USDA numbers for these foods. The chilled samples in these studies were kept in a refrigerator. A CDC report on a 1985 outbreak linked to fried rice noted that keeping boiled rice unrefrigerated has generally been implicated in Bacillus cereus illness; the white rice guide covers that CDC report.
Why published values vary so much
- Preparation: the tables above show the same food moving a great deal between raw, cooked, chilled and reheated states.
- Ripeness and variety: banana starch falls with ripening (Campuzano 2018), and the 2020 review notes that higher-amylose varieties contain more.
- Particle size and chewing: the 1992 study found less resistant starch in ground rice than in whole rice, and less as food was chewed more (Muir 1992).
- Lab method: the 2013 review explains that the standard fiber method used for US labeling can miss some types, while other methods are designed specifically for resistant starch.
- Units: papers report on an as-eaten basis, on a dry weight basis or as a share of dry matter, as the Basis column shows.
What the research does and does not show
Resistant starch is an active research area, and the reviews cited here discuss many possible effects. This article does not repeat them, because the 2013 review itself concludes that many questions must be answered before the potential of resistant starch in human diets is understood. What the food studies do establish is narrower: which foods contain it and how preparation changes the amount. If you are changing your diet for a medical reason, ask your clinician or a registered dietitian.
Resistant starch is one of several fermentable carbohydrates in food. Our prebiotic food guide covers inulin and the others, and our high-fiber foods list ranks foods by USDA total fiber. The sister guide on foods high in polyphenols handles another group of plant compounds that SR Legacy does not report.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which foods are highest in resistant starch?
In the studies read for this article, cooked beans and chickpeas, firm bananas, uncooked oats and starchy foods that were cooked and then chilled stood out. Values vary with preparation and lab method.
Does cooling cooked starchy food raise its resistant starch?
Published measurements point that way. A 2020 review of 94 studies reports that foods cooked and then chilled have more resistant starch than the same foods freshly cooked.
Does reheating remove resistant starch?
Results differ by food. In one rice study and one chickpea pasta study, chilled and reheated samples still measured higher than freshly cooked ones (Sonia 2015, Bojarczuk 2024). In a potato study, chilled samples measured higher than reheated ones (Raatz 2016).
Is resistant starch in the USDA food database?
Not in USDA SR Legacy. The USDA database lists starch and total dietary fiber but has no resistant starch entry, which is why this list cites individual studies.
Are green bananas higher in resistant starch than ripe ones?
Yes in the studies read here. Banana flour lost resistant starch as the fruit ripened (Campuzano 2018), and cooking firm bananas lowered the measured value sharply (Muir 1992).
How is resistant starch defined for US labels?
The 2020 review describes it as a fiber. For US labels, FDA counts fibers that are intrinsic and intact in plants and lists two added resistant starches among those it intends to propose for its definition.
Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines or are pregnant. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Last reviewed October 2026.
Related guides: Foods High in Polyphenols: Classes, Sources and USDA Data, Prebiotic Foods: A Practical List and What the Research Shows, Potatoes: USDA Nutrition, Calories, Green Potatoes and Cooking Facts.