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Types of rice in USDA SR Legacy data are sorted by a few plain labels: brown or white, long or medium grain, parboiled or instant, enriched or unenriched, and glutinous. In USDA data a cooked cup of medium-grain brown rice lists 3.5 grams of fiber, against 0.6 grams for long-grain white rice, and a cup of wild rice lists the most protein in the USDA table below, 6.5 grams. FDA’s draft guidance on whole grain label statements lists rice and wild rice as two separate cereal grains.
Peptide Labs does not sell foods. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.
Key Takeaways
- Ranked by fiber per cooked cup in USDA data, the two brown rice entries come first (3.5 and 3.2 grams), then wild rice (3.0 grams); the white rice entries list 0.6 grams.
- Wild rice lists the most protein per cooked cup in USDA data, 6.5 grams, and the fewest calories, 166.
- Enrichment shows in USDA data: enriched long-grain white rice lists 1.9 milligrams of iron per cup (11% of the FDA Daily Value), the unenriched entry 0.3 milligrams (2%).
- FDA says rice tends to absorb arsenic more readily than other crops, and that consumers can certainly eat rice as part of a well-balanced diet.
Types of rice ranked by USDA values per cooked cup
Servings are one cooked cup, the SR Legacy portion for each entry, and the ranking by fiber is an editorial choice; ties go to the higher protein value. Each percent Daily Value (%DV) divides the USDA figure by the FDA Daily Value for adults and children 4 years and older (21 CFR 101.9): 28 grams for dietary fiber, 420 milligrams for magnesium, 18 milligrams for iron and 1.2 milligrams for thiamin. FDA sets no protein percent for a label without a digestibility correction, so protein is shown in grams only.
| Food (USDA FDC ID) | Serving | Calories | Protein | Fiber (% DV) | Magnesium (% DV) | Iron (% DV) | Thiamin (% DV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown rice, medium-grain, cooked (168875) | 1 cup | 218 | 4.5 g | 3.5 g (13%) | 86 mg (20%) | 1.0 mg (6%) | 0.20 mg (17%) |
| Brown rice, long-grain, cooked (169704) | 1 cup | 248 | 5.5 g | 3.2 g (12%) | 79 mg (19%) | 1.1 mg (6%) | 0.36 mg (30%) |
| Wild rice, cooked (168897) | 1 cup | 166 | 6.5 g | 3.0 g (11%) | 52 mg (12%) | 1.0 mg (5%) | 0.09 mg (7%) |
| Glutinous rice, white, unenriched, cooked (169711) | 1 cup | 169 | 3.5 g | 1.7 g (6%) | 9 mg (2%) | 0.2 mg (1%) | 0.03 mg (3%) |
| Parboiled rice, long-grain, enriched, cooked (169708) | 1 cup | 194 | 4.6 g | 1.4 g (5%) | 14 mg (3%) | 2.9 mg (16%) | 0.33 mg (28%) |
| Instant rice, long-grain, enriched, prepared (169710) | 1 cup | 205 | 3.6 g | 1.0 g (4%) | 8 mg (2%) | 2.9 mg (16%) | 0.12 mg (10%) |
| White rice, long-grain, enriched, cooked (168878) | 1 cup | 205 | 4.3 g | 0.6 g (2%) | 19 mg (5%) | 1.9 mg (11%) | 0.26 mg (21%) |
| White rice, long-grain, unenriched, cooked (169757) | 1 cup | 205 | 4.3 g | 0.6 g (2%) | 19 mg (5%) | 0.3 mg (2%) | 0.03 mg (3%) |
| White rice, medium-grain, enriched, cooked (168880) | 1 cup | 242 | 4.4 g | 0.6 g (2%) | 24 mg (6%) | 2.8 mg (15%) | 0.31 mg (26%) |
In USDA data the two brown entries also list the most magnesium, 86 and 79 milligrams per cup, or 20% and 19% of the FDA Daily Value. Long-grain brown rice lists the most thiamin, 30%, and the most calories, 248 per cup. Parboiled and instant rice share the highest iron value in the USDA table, 2.9 milligrams or 16%. The USDA short-grain entry has no fiber value in SR Legacy, so it is not in the table.
Rice varieties by how USDA names them
- Brown or white: the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 list brown rice among their whole-grain examples and white rice among their refined-grain examples. FDA calls the white type polished rice on its arsenic page.
- Long or medium grain: USDA SR Legacy names grain length in the entry itself; in its data a cooked cup of the long-grain white entry weighs 158 grams and the medium-grain one 186 grams.
- Parboiled and instant: both are long-grain enriched entries in USDA data, listed by the cup, and they share the iron value of 2.9 milligrams per cup.
- Glutinous: USDA lists a white glutinous entry, unenriched, at 1.7 grams of fiber and 0.2 milligrams of iron per cooked cup.
- A separate grain: FDA’s draft guidance lists wild rice as a cereal grain separate from rice, and the Dietary Guidelines include it among whole-grain examples.
- Aromatic and colored rice: USDA SR Legacy has no entry named basmati, jasmine or black, so they are not in the table; our guides to basmati rice, jasmine rice and black rice cover them.
Enriched and unenriched entries
FDA’s arsenic page names folate, iron, niacin and thiamine as nutrients added to polished (white) and parboiled rice as part of the enrichment process. The Dietary Guidelines add that all enriched grains, including rice, and some corn masa flours are fortified with folic acid. USDA data show the gap: the enriched and unenriched long-grain white entries list the same calories, protein and fiber, but 1.9 against 0.3 milligrams of iron per cup and 21% against 3% of the FDA Daily Value for thiamin. The glutinous entry in the USDA table is unenriched and lists 3% for thiamin. Check the Nutrition Facts label, which FDA rules (21 CFR 101.9) require to show iron.
Rice in FDA's contaminant guidance
FDA states that arsenic may be present in food from the environment where foods are grown, raised, or processed, and that rice tends to absorb arsenic more readily than other crops. In the same passage, FDA says consumers can certainly eat rice as part of a well-balanced diet, and its arsenic page adds that testing results that detect arsenic do not necessarily mean the food should be avoided.
On cooking, FDA reports that published studies, including FDA research, show that cooking rice the way pasta is cooked, in excess water that is then drained, can reduce 40 to 60 percent of the inorganic arsenic content, depending on the type of rice. FDA adds that this method also lowers the folate, iron, niacin and thiamine added to enriched polished and parboiled rice by 50 to 70 percent, and that FDA research shows rinsing rice before cooking has a minimal effect on the arsenic content of the cooked grain while washing off those added nutrients. FDA’s broader advice is to eat a variety of foods across and within the main food groups. For rice products, see our guides to rice cakes and rice milk; our brown rice guide covers that grain in more depth.
What NIDDK says about rice and gluten
NIDDK, in its pages on celiac disease, states that gluten is a protein found naturally in wheat, barley and rye, and it lists rice, with corn, amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat, among the foods whose flour is safe to eat on a gluten-free diet. NIDDK does not name any one variety of rice. Check the label on mixes and seasoned rice, read our foods with gluten list, and follow your care team’s advice if you have been told to avoid gluten.
Rice next to other grains
FDA’s draft guidance lists rice beside amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, millet, quinoa, rye, oats, sorghum, teff, triticale, wheat and wild rice as cereal grains. Our sibling types of grains guide compares them with the same USDA method, our whole grains guide covers label wording, and our quinoa and pasta guides cover two foods often served in place of rice.
Food first: what this list does not cover
This list is about food. It gives no intake target: USDA publishes content data and FDA sets Daily Values for labels, and these are official reference facts, not a target for any reader. The list makes no health promises. Each USDA value describes one food entry, and packaged rice products can differ. Check the label, and ask a healthcare provider about your own needs, especially if you take medicines or have a health condition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main types of rice in USDA data?
Brown and white rice in long-grain and medium-grain entries, parboiled, instant and glutinous rice, and wild rice, which FDA’s draft guidance lists as a separate cereal grain.
Which type ranks first in the USDA table?
Medium-grain brown rice, at 3.5 grams per cup in USDA data, followed by long-grain brown rice at 3.2 grams and wild rice at 3.0 grams.
What does enriched mean in the USDA entry names?
FDA names folate, iron, niacin and thiamine as nutrients added to polished (white) and parboiled rice in the enrichment process; in USDA data the enriched long-grain white entry lists 1.9 milligrams of iron per cup and the unenriched one 0.3.
What does FDA say about rice and contaminants?
FDA says rice tends to absorb arsenic more readily than other crops, that consumers can certainly eat rice as part of a well-balanced diet, and that cooking rice in excess water can reduce 40 to 60 percent of the inorganic arsenic while also lowering the added nutrients.
Why are basmati and jasmine not in the table?
USDA SR Legacy has no entry under those names, so there are no USDA values to show; our separate guides cover them.
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, are pregnant or have a health condition. 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: Types of Grains: Cereal Grains and Pseudocereals, Brown Rice: USDA Nutrition, Brown vs White Rice and Arsenic Facts, Whole Grain Foods: A Whole Grains List, Label Terms and USDA Data, Types of Pasta: 11 Cooked Kinds and Shapes in USDA Data.