Milk, yogurt & alternatives · Glycemic index
Does rice milk spike blood sugar?
Moderately. Rice milk has a high GI of 86, and a 240 g serving (1 cup, 8 fl oz) has a medium glycemic load of 18. Rice milk has one of the highest GIs of any drink in the international tables, far above dairy or soy milk.
Key numbers
- Glycemic index
- 86
- High GI
- Glycemic load
- 18
- Medium GL
- Available carbs
- 21 g
- 0.7 g fiber
- Serving
- 1 cup, 8 fl oz
- 240 g · unsweetened
GI vs GL for rice milk
The glycemic index (GI) compares how fast the carbohydrate in a food raises blood sugar against pure glucose (100), using a fixed amount of carbohydrate. The glycemic load (GL) adds the other half of the story — how much carbohydrate a normal serving actually contains: GI × available carbs ÷ 100. For rice milk: 86 × 21 g ÷ 100 ≈ 18.
That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (“Rice milk: 86 ± 7 (average of multiple studies)”). Individual rice milk drinks in the 2008 tables tested 79 and 92.
Eating a different amount? Work out the glycemic load of your portion.
How to eat rice milk with less of a spike
- Switch to unsweetened soy milk for drinking and for cereal.
- If you like the taste of rice milk, use a splash in coffee rather than a full glass.
- Check the carbohydrate line on the label: rice milk carries almost twice the carbohydrate of dairy milk per 100 g.
Lower-GI swaps
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Frequently asked questions
What is the glycemic index of rice milk?
Rice milk has a glycemic index of 86, which is high. That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (“Rice milk: 86 ± 7 (average of multiple studies)”). A 240 g serving (1 cup, 8 fl oz) contains about 21 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 18 (medium).
Is rice milk good for prediabetes?
Rice milk is a poor milk alternative for prediabetes. If you avoid dairy, unsweetened soy milk has a much lower GI.
Why is rice milk so high GI?
Its carbohydrate comes from rice and is digested quickly, and USDA data show it has very little protein, fat or fiber to slow things down. Rice milk averaged 86 in the 2008 tables, compared with 37 for both full-fat soy milk and full-fat dairy milk in the 2021 tables.
Sources
GI values come from the international GI tables; carbohydrate and fiber per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.
- Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care. 2008;31(12):2281–2283, Table 1
- USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171942: Beverages, rice milk, unsweetened
- Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008 — online appendix, Table A1
- Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, Buyken AE, Goletzke J. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(5):1625–1632, Supplemental Table 1
- USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171265: Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D
Data last checked .