The short answer
100 g of white rice (dry, uncooked) has 7.9 g of protein and 356 kcal.1 That's about 16% of the 50 g of protein ICMR-NIN suggests a day for a 60 kg adult.2
Nutrition in 100 g of white rice
| Per 100 g | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 356 kcal (1491 kJ) |
| Protein | 7.9 g ± 0.6 |
| Fat | 0.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 78.2 g |
| Fibre | 2.8 g |
| Water | 9.9 g |
These figures are for dry white rice, before cooking. Grains absorb water as they cook, so weigh them dry for an accurate count.
How much white rice for your protein?
The amounts below are worked out from IFCT's figure of 7.9 g per 100 g. To see how white rice fits into a whole day, add it in the day builder.
| To get | Eat about | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 10 g of protein | 126 g (dry, uncooked weight) | 449 kcal |
| 20 g of protein | 252 g (dry, uncooked weight) | 897 kcal |
| 30 g of protein | 378 g (dry, uncooked weight) | 1346 kcal |
How white rice compares
White rice has more protein per 100 g than 47% of the 542 foods in IFCT 2017. Here it is beside the other cereals and millets we cover:
| Cereals and millets | Protein / 100 g | kcal | From protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rajgira | 13.3 g | 356 | 15% |
| Quinoa | 13.1 g | 328 | 16% |
| Sooji | 11.4 g | 334 | 14% |
| Bajra | 11 g | 348 | 13% |
| Barley | 10.9 g | 316 | 14% |
| Atta | 10.6 g | 320 | 13% |
| Maida | 10.4 g | 352 | 12% |
| Little millet | 10.1 g | 346 | 12% |
| Jowar | 10 g | 334 | 12% |
| Brown rice | 9.2 g | 354 | 11% |
| Kodo millet | 8.9 g | 332 | 11% |
| Maize | 8.8 g | 334 | 11% |
| White rice | 7.9 g | 356 | 9% |
| Parboiled rice | 7.8 g | 352 | 9% |
| Puffed rice | 7.5 g | 362 | 8% |
| Poha | 7.4 g | 354 | 9% |
| Ragi | 7.2 g | 321 | 9% |
Other vegetarian foods with similar protein: dry coconut (7.3 g), green peas (7.3 g), moringa leaves (6.4 g), jackfruit seeds (5.8 g), buffalo milk (3.7 g). For more protein per 100 g, try soybean (37.8 g), masoor dal (24.4 g), moong dal (23.9 g). See every food on one protein chart.
Protein quality
Cereals and millets supply a large share of the protein Indians eat, simply because we eat so much of them. Their protein is low in lysine, which pulses, milk and eggs supply, so pairing them improves the mix.3
White rice in Indian languages
Names as listed in IFCT 2017, which records what the food is called in each region it was sampled from.1
- Assamese
- Milat khunda chaul
- Bengali
- Chowl
- Gujarati
- Choka
- Hindi
- Chawal
- Kannada
- Akki
- Marathi
- Tondool
- Odia
- Chaula
- Punjabi
- Chaul
- Tamil
- Arisi
- Telugu
- Biyyam
Common questions
How much protein is in 100 g of white rice?
7.9 g, according to the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 from ICMR-NIN. That's for dry, uncooked white rice, per 100 g of the edible part. 100 g also gives 356 kcal.
How much white rice gives 20 g of protein?
About 252 g (dry, uncooked weight). That's roughly 40% of the 50 g a day ICMR-NIN suggests for a 60 kg adult.
Is white rice a good source of protein?
9% of its calories come from protein, and it has more protein per 100 g than 47% of the 542 foods in IFCT 2017. Cereals and millets supply a large share of the protein Indians eat, simply because we eat so much of them.
Should I weigh white rice raw or cooked?
Raw. These figures are per 100 g of dry white rice. Cooking adds water, so the same 100 g cooked has noticeably less protein.
References
- Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad. nin.res.in. Read through the open-data copy by Subhajit Sahu (ifct2017, MIT licence).
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Nutrient Requirements for Indians: Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements. 2020. nin.res.in
- WHO/FAO/UNU Expert Consultation. Protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition. WHO Technical Report Series 935, 2007. who.int