Helsa Health

    Rice & grains · Glycemic index

    Does white rice spike blood sugar?

    Yes — white rice has a high GI of 73, and a 158 g serving (1 cup cooked) has a glycemic load of 32, which is high. Almost all of its carbohydrate is quickly digested starch with very little fiber, so a full bowl is one of the bigger blood-sugar loads in an everyday meal.

    Key numbers

    Glycemic index
    73
    High GI
    Glycemic load
    32
    High GL
    Available carbs
    44 g
    0.6 g fiber
    Serving
    1 cup cooked
    158 g · boiled

    GI vs GL for white rice

    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 Ă· 100. For white rice: 73 × 44 g Ă· 100 ≈ 32.

    That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (“White rice, boiled: 73 ± 4 (average of multiple studies)”). White rice varies a lot by variety. In the 2021 tables, long-grain white rice averaged 62, parboiled rice 64, basmati 60 and jasmine 89, so 73 is a middle-of-the-road figure for generic boiled white rice.

    Eating a different amount? Work out the glycemic load of your portion.

    How to eat white rice with less of a spike

    • Cook it ahead and refrigerate it: in a study from India, white rice boiled and then kept in the fridge for 16–20 hours before reheating had a GI of 53, compared with 72 when eaten freshly cooked.
    • Serve half a cup instead of a full cup — halving the rice halves its glycemic load.
    • Eat the vegetables and protein on your plate before the rice; in a small study of adults with type 2 diabetes, leaving the carbohydrate until last lowered post-meal glucose.
    • When you can choose, pick basmati or parboiled rice over jasmine or sticky rice, which tested far higher.

    Lower-GI swaps

    Compare with

    See all 67 foods in the glycemic index table

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the glycemic index of white rice?

    White rice has a glycemic index of 73, which is high. That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (“White rice, boiled: 73 ± 4 (average of multiple studies)”). A 158 g serving (1 cup cooked) contains about 44 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 32 (high).

    Is white rice good for prediabetes?

    White rice can fit, but portion size is the main lever: a small scoop next to vegetables and a protein food is a very different load from a full bowl on its own. Choosing basmati or parboiled rice lowers the GI of the rice itself, and replacing part of it with beans or lentils lowers the glycemic load of the meal.

    Is reheated rice lower on the glycemic index?

    It can be. In a study from India, rice that was boiled, refrigerated for 16–20 hours and then reheated had a GI of 53, compared with 72 for the same rice eaten fresh. That is a single study, so treat it as a helpful nudge rather than a guarantee.

    Which rice has the lowest glycemic index?

    Among the averages in the 2021 international GI tables, the high-amylose variety Doongara (54), white basmati (60), long-grain white rice (62) and parboiled rice (64) all sit well below jasmine rice (89).

    Sources

    GI values come from the international GI tables; carbohydrate and fiber per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.

    1. 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
    2. USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 168878: Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked
    3. 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
    4. Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008 — online appendix, Table A1
    5. Shukla AP, Iliescu RG, Thomas CE, Aronne LJ. Food order has a significant impact on postprandial glucose and insulin levels. Diabetes Care. 2015;38(7):e98–e99

    Data last checked .

    Real meals aren’t single foods

    GI tables measure one food eaten on its own. Helsa’s photo and voice meal logging uses AI nutrition analysis to estimate how a whole meal — the rice with the curry, the toast with the eggs — is likely to affect your blood sugar, with no CGM needed. Helsa is free to download, with optional premium features.

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