In this article
- Does rice have fiber? The numbers by type
- Where the fiber goes when rice is milled
- Brown rice vs white rice beyond fiber
- Wild, black and red rice: the other whole grain options
- How rice compares with other grains
- Rice, blood sugar and diabetes risk
- A takeout bowl, rebuilt for more fiber
- The brown rice catch: arsenic
- Questions people ask about rice and fiber
- Sources
A lot of people assume rice is a fiber food because it’s a grain, and grains are supposed to be the fiber heroes of the plate. For white rice, that assumption falls apart fast.
So does rice have fiber? A cup of cooked white rice has about 0.6 grams, according to USDA FoodData Central. A cup of brown rice has roughly 3 to 3.5 grams, which is better but still modest next to beans, barley or quinoa.
Does rice have fiber? The numbers by type
The gap between rice types comes down to one thing: whether the outer layers of the grain are still there. Here’s how a standard cup of cooked rice compares, using USDA, Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic figures:
| Rice (1 cup cooked) | Fiber | Calories | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| White, long grain, enriched | 0.6 g | 205 | Bran and germ removed |
| Brown, long grain | 3 g | about 250 | Whole grain |
| Brown, as listed by Mayo Clinic | 3.5 g | not listed | Whole grain, 195 g cup |
Mayo Clinic’s fiber chart puts brown rice at 3.5 grams per cup, while Cleveland Clinic lists long grain brown rice at about 3 grams. Either way, brown rice delivers around five times the fiber of white.
To put white rice in perspective, Mayo Clinic suggests about 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you eat. On a 2,000 calorie day, that’s 28 grams, and you would need more than 40 cups of white rice to get there.
Does white rice have fiber at all?
Technically yes, but barely. At 0.6 grams per cup, white rice counts as a low fiber food, which is exactly why it often shows up on low fiber meal plans.
Where the fiber goes when rice is milled
Every rice grain starts with the same three edible parts. The bran is the outer skin, the germ is the small embryo that could sprout a new plant, and the endosperm is the starchy core that makes up most of the grain.
Brown rice keeps all three, with only the inedible hull removed. White rice goes through milling that strips the bran and germ, leaving the endosperm behind.
Harvard’s Nutrition Source notes that milling removes most of the fiber, B vitamins, minerals and plant compounds. Enriched white rice gets some B vitamins and iron added back, but only a fraction of the original amounts, and fiber is not part of that enrichment.
That fibrous bran is also why brown rice takes longer to cook and has a chewier, nuttier texture. You’re tasting the part of the grain that white rice leaves at the mill.
Brown rice vs white rice beyond fiber
Fiber isn’t the only difference. Cleveland Clinic lists a cup of cooked long grain brown rice at about 5.5 grams of protein, 80 milligrams of magnesium and 2 milligrams of manganese, close to a full day’s worth.
| Per cup cooked | White rice, enriched | Brown rice, long grain |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber | 0.6 g | 3 g |
| Magnesium | 19 mg | 80 mg |
| Manganese | 0.75 mg | 2 mg |
| Folic acid | Added through enrichment | Not enriched |
White rice has one clear win: folate. A cup of enriched white rice carries about 153 micrograms, roughly 38% of the daily value, according to USDA data. Because enriched white rice has folic acid added, Cleveland Clinic points out that it’s a good source of this B vitamin, which matters during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Cleveland Clinic also notes that white rice may be the better pick for someone on a low fiber diet or with a sensitive stomach. Context matters more than any single number.
Wild, black and red rice: the other whole grain options
Brown isn’t the only rice that keeps its bran. Several other types count as whole grains and bring their own perks.
- Wild rice isn’t technically rice. Harvard’s Nutrition Source describes it as the seed of an aquatic grass, high in fiber and minerals, with slightly more protein than brown rice.
- Black, purple and red rice are whole grain rices with the bran and germ intact. Their dark color comes from anthocyanins, the same family of antioxidant pigments found in blueberries and blackberries.
- Basmati and jasmine are fragrant long grain types, sold in both white and brown versions, so check the label for the word brown.
A simple way to try them is a blend. Mixing wild rice into brown rice adds color and texture without changing your usual cooking routine much.
Want more ideas for grain bowls, pilafs and rice dishes that pull their weight on fiber? Our recipe eBooks are full of simple weeknight options.
How rice compares with other grains
Even brown rice sits in the middle of the pack. These figures come from Mayo Clinic’s high fiber food chart:
| Grain or grain food | Portion | Fiber |
|---|---|---|
| Whole wheat spaghetti, cooked | 1 cup | 6 g |
| Pearled barley, cooked | 1 cup | 6 g |
| Quinoa, cooked | 1 cup | 5 g |
| Instant oatmeal, cooked | 1 cup | 4 g |
| Brown rice, cooked | 1 cup | 3.5 g |
| Air popped popcorn | 3 cups | 3.5 g |
| White rice, cooked | 1 cup | 0.6 g |
Swapping a cup of white rice for pearled barley adds more than 5 grams of fiber to the same meal. Quinoa adds over 4 grams, and whole wheat spaghetti adds the same 5 plus grams as barley.
Curious how much of your daily target a grain swap like this covers? Our fiber calculator gives you a personal number to plan around.
Rice, blood sugar and diabetes risk
Rice ranges widely on the glycemic index, a 0 to 100 score for how quickly a food raises blood sugar. Harvard’s Nutrition Source puts rice anywhere from 48 to 93 depending on type and processing, with brown rice averaging 55 and white rice averaging 64.
Large studies line up with that difference. Across three U.S. cohorts of 39,765 men and 157,463 women, eating five or more servings of white rice a week was linked to a 17% higher risk of type 2 diabetes compared with less than one serving a month.
Two or more servings of brown rice a week, on the other hand, was linked to an 11% lower risk. A separate meta-analysis of seven cohorts found the white rice link was strongest in Asian populations, with only a minor, nonsignificant link in Western ones.
Can cooling rice help?
Cooling cooked rice turns some of its starch into resistant starch, a type that slips past digestion in the small intestine and behaves much like fiber in your gut. Harvard Health lists cooked long grain white rice at about 1.4 grams of resistant starch per 100 grams.
That’s a modest boost, not a fix. Leftover rice that has been chilled, then reheated or used in fried rice or rice salad, gives you a little more of this starch than a fresh bowl.
A takeout bowl, rebuilt for more fiber
Picture a standard takeout order: a large scoop of white rice, chicken and a little sauce. The rice contributes well under a gram of fiber.
Swap in a cup of brown rice and you’re at about 3.5 grams. Ask for half brown rice and half barley or quinoa at home, add a cup of mixed vegetables and some beans, and the same bowl can climb into the teens without feeling like diet food.
Why rice and beans works so well
Rice and beans is one of the oldest fiber fixes around, and the math shows why. Mayo Clinic lists a cup of boiled black beans at 15 grams of fiber and a cup of boiled lentils at 15.5 grams.
Pair a cup of brown rice with a cup of black beans and the plate reaches about 18.5 grams. Even with white rice, the beans carry the meal to more than 15 grams, so the rice no longer has to do the heavy lifting.
A half and half approach also works when someone at the table prefers white rice. Cook the two separately, mix them in the serving bowl, and each cup lands around 2 grams of fiber, more than triple plain white rice, without changing the flavor much.
If your digestion is used to white rice, our gut health guides show you how to make swaps like this in small steps so your stomach keeps pace.
The brown rice catch: arsenic
Rice absorbs arsenic from soil and water about 10 times more than other grains, because it grows in flooded fields. Harvard’s Nutrition Source notes that brown rice carries more than white, since arsenic concentrates in the same outer layers that hold the fiber.
You can cut that down at home. Rinse the rice well, cook it in plenty of extra water (6 to 10 cups per cup of rice), then drain and rinse again, which removes about half the arsenic along with some B vitamins.
If you eat brown rice more than four times a week, Harvard suggests rotating in lower arsenic whole grains like quinoa, bulgur, millet or amaranth. You keep the fiber and spread out the exposure.
Questions people ask about rice and fiber
Is brown rice high in fiber?
Not especially. A cup of cooked brown rice has about 3 to 3.5 grams of fiber, which is a decent source but less than barley, quinoa or whole wheat pasta.
Is rice a high fiber food?
No. White rice has about 0.6 grams of fiber per cooked cup, and even brown rice falls short of the 5 to 6 grams in a cup of barley or whole wheat spaghetti.
Does jasmine or basmati rice have fiber?
Only the brown versions have much. White jasmine and white basmati are milled like other white rice, so most of their bran and fiber is gone.
Does wild rice have more fiber than brown rice?
Yes, it tends to. Harvard describes wild rice as high in fiber and minerals, with slightly more protein than brown rice.
Is white rice good for an upset stomach?
It often is. Cleveland Clinic notes that white rice may be the better choice for a low fiber diet or a sensitive stomach because it’s easy to digest.
Does rinsing rice remove fiber?
No, rinsing doesn’t remove fiber. It can wash away some water soluble B vitamins, especially from enriched white rice, and it helps lower arsenic.
Can you eat rice if you’re watching your blood sugar?
Yes, with some choices in your favor. Brown rice averages about 55 on the glycemic index compared with 64 for white rice, and pairing either with beans and vegetables slows the meal down.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. “Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked (FDC ID 168878).” FoodData Central, SR Legacy. 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- Mayo Clinic. “Chart of high-fiber foods.” 2025. www.mayoclinic.org
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Rice.” The Nutrition Source. 2024. nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu
- Harvard Health Publishing. “Resistant starch: Can you make the carbs you eat a little healthier?” 2026. www.health.harvard.edu
- Cleveland Clinic. “Is Brown Rice Healthy? Nutrients and Benefits.” 2025. health.clevelandclinic.org
- Cleveland Clinic. “Brown Rice or White Rice: Which Is Your Healthier Option?” 2021. health.clevelandclinic.org
