Grains and starches

Rice nutrition, and what the pan changes.

For 1 cup of cooked rice, count 205 calories. The protein in that portion is 4.3 g. The record behind it is USDA’s “Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked”. Between the lightest and heaviest preparation listed here, 100 g differs by 235 calories. The selector beneath handles other portions, and the nutrient table responds to it.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Figures: USDA FoodData Central, records 168878, 168877. Calculated in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

How many calories are in rice?

The short answer is 205 calories for 1 cup of cooked rice. By weight that is 130 per 100 g, and the table gives the other common portions.

How much protein is in rice?

There are 4.3 g of protein in 1 cup of cooked rice, or 9 percent of the 50 g the FDA uses as a daily reference. You would not choose rice for protein: just 8 percent of its calories come from it.

The calorie breakdown runs 9 percent protein to 2 percent fat to 89 percent carbohydrate. Functionally, that is mostly a carbohydrate.

Rice, method by method

There is a 181 percent spread between cooked rice (130 calories per 100 g) and raw (365). The cause is the water it takes up as it cooks, so each gram holds less of the food itself.

Same rice, same 158 g, different treatment:

Rice in the kitchen

Rice is the seed of cereal grass, sold as long, medium or short grains. You can buy it with the outer bran layer intact as brown rice, or milled to pearly white. Look for uniform grain sizes in the packet. Avoid bags containing lots of broken fragments, which release excess starch and cause stickiness.

When simmered, rice grains absorb water and swell. Starch on the grain surface gelatinises, causing stickiness. The most frequent error is stirring the pot while it cooks, which ruptures the grains and creates a gummy texture. Leaving the lid on and letting the steam finish the process yields separate, fluffy grains.

Rice acts as a neutral base that carries stronger flavours. It accompanies spicy curries in Indian cookery, soaks up seasoned vinegar for Japanese sushi, and binds rich broths in Italian risotto. It pairs naturally with soy sauce, ginger, coconut milk, and various pulses, absorbing their liquids without dissolving.

The complete rice breakdown

Top of the list for 1 cup of cooked rice: 23 percent of a day’s folate, 22 percent of a day’s selenium, 21 percent of a day’s thiamin. The remaining nutrients are tabulated underneath and update live.

How far rice goes in a day

On a 2,000 calorie day, 1 cup of cooked rice is 10 percent of the budget and 9 percent of the protein Daily Value. Whether that is a lot depends on your own numbers rather than on 2,000: the TDEE calculator gives you what you burn, and the macro calculator turns a target into grams.

Three ways to cook rice

These are the Calorie Counter Team’s recipes for rice. Their nutrition panels are arithmetic: ingredient weights multiplied through USDA records, divided by servings.

Breakfast · British

Smoked Haddock Kedgeree

A traditional British breakfast dish of spiced rice, smoked fish and boiled eggs.

25 min · serves 2

578kcal

32gprotein

19gfat

67gcarbs

Ingredients

• Basmati rice 150 g
• Smoked haddock fillet 200 g
• Whole milk 200 g
• Unsalted butter 25 g
• Curry powder 5 g
• Eggs 100 g
• Table salt 2 g

Method

1. Boil the eggs in water for eight minutes, then peel and quarter them.
2. Poach the fish in the milk for six minutes until it flakes.
3. Flake the fish flesh, discarding the skin and bones.
4. Boil the rice in salted water for ten minutes, then drain.
5. Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the curry powder, then mix in the rice, fish, and quartered eggs.
6. Heat the mixture gently for two minutes before serving.

Summed from 7 USDA records and divided by servings. Heat alters weight and a few nutrients, so read it as a close figure.

Dinner · Italian

Mushroom Risotto

A classic Italian rice dish cooked slowly with broth and mushrooms until creamy.

30 min · serves 2

563kcal

13gprotein

23gfat

76gcarbs

Ingredients

• Arborio rice 160 g
• Brown mushrooms 150 g
• Brown onion 80 g
• Olive oil 20 g
• Unsalted butter 20 g
• Vegetable broth 600 g
• Parmesan cheese 30 g
• Table salt 3 g

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the sliced mushrooms and chopped onion for five minutes.
2. Add the rice and stir for two minutes until the grains are translucent.
3. Add the hot vegetable broth one ladle at a time, stirring until absorbed.
4. Repeat this process for eighteen minutes until the rice is tender.
5. Stir in the butter and parmesan cheese, then cover the pan for two minutes.

Summed from 8 USDA records and divided by servings. Heat alters weight and a few nutrients, so read it as a close figure.

Lunch · Chinese

Egg Fried Rice

A quick stir-fry using cold cooked rice, scrambled eggs and spring onions.

10 min · serves 2

365kcal

11gprotein

15gfat

44gcarbs

Ingredients

• Cooked white rice 300 g
• Eggs 100 g
• Spring onions 40 g
• Peanut oil 15 g
• Soy sauce 15 g
• Sesame oil 5 g
• Table salt 1 g

Method

1. Whisk the eggs in a bowl with the salt.
2. Heat the peanut oil in a large frying pan over high heat.
3. Pour in the eggs and scramble them for thirty seconds until set.
4. Add the cooked rice and stir-fry for three minutes, breaking up any clumps.
5. Mix in the sliced spring onions, soy sauce, and sesame oil, then cook for one minute.

Built from 7 USDA ingredient records. A cooked dish never matches its raw sum exactly, but it stays close.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

Rice as part of a meal

To see how rice adds up in a meal, here it is beside two ordinary companions, all three from USDA figures.

Rice beside its neighbours

Compared gram for gram, with the form of each food stated. Follow any link for that food’s full page.

What people ask about rice

How many calories does 1 cup of cooked rice have?

Count 205 calories. The source is the USDA record “Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked” (FDC 168878), which lists 130 calories per 100 g.

Is there much protein in rice?

2.7 g per 100 g, so 1 cup of cooked rice supplies 4.3 g. Against the Daily Value that is 9 percent.

Do the calories in rice change with how it is prepared?

Yes. At 158 g, cooked is 205 calories and raw is 577. The table above compares each preparation of rice covered on this page.

Is rice good for weight loss?

No food causes or prevents weight loss on its own. The useful facts are that 1 cup of cooked rice is 205 calories with 4.3 g of protein, which makes 8 percent of its calories protein; so pair it with something that carries more protein.

Why should rice be rinsed before cooking?

Rinsing removes excess surface starch that rubs off during shipping. Washing the grains under cold water until the flow runs clear prevents them from clumping together and becoming unpleasantly gummy when boiled.

How do you salvage mushy or overcooked rice?

Spread the grains onto a baking sheet and heat them gently in a low oven to evaporate the excess moisture. Alternatively, use the wet rice for fried dishes, where frying crispiness disguises the soft texture.

Sources

• Rice, white, long-grain, regular, raw, enriched — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 168877
• Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 168878
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9