Brown Rice Nutrition Facts, Calories per Cup

Brown rice is whole-grain rice: only the inedible outer hull is removed, so the bran layer and the germ stay on the grain. Those layers give it its tan color, nutty flavor and chewy bite, and they hold most of the grain's fiber, magnesium, manganese and B vitamins. White rice is the same grain milled further to remove them.

Brown rice is usually sold unenriched, because the nutrients that enrichment adds back to white rice were never taken out. The trade-offs are a longer cooking time and a shorter shelf life, both caused by the bran.

Compared with enriched white rice, cooked brown rice has:

• More fiber, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and vitamin B6.
• Less folate and iron, since white rice is enriched with both.
• Similar calories and carbohydrate per gram, with slightly fewer calories per 100 g for brown rice.

Jasmine and basmati are names for aromatic rice varieties, and both are sold as brown rice too. Brown jasmine and brown basmati are whole grains like the long-grain brown rice on this page and are close to it in nutrition; the white versions are milled and belong with white rice. Short-grain brown rice is stickier but similar per gram, and quick-cooking or parboiled brown rice has been partly cooked so it is ready faster.

The bran layer slows the movement of water into the grain, which is why brown rice needs more water and roughly twice as long on the stove as white rice. As it cooks, it absorbs water and expands to roughly three times its dry volume or a little more. Water adds weight without calories, so dry brown rice has roughly three times the calories per gram of cooked brown rice. Use this page when you measure rice after cooking, and the uncooked values on the package when you measure it dry.

Brown rice holds its shape better than white rice, which suits grain bowls, rice salads, pilafs, stuffed peppers and burritos. Day-old brown rice makes good fried rice, and leftovers can be simmered with milk and fruit as a breakfast porridge. Food makers mill it into brown rice flour for gluten-free baking, and use it in rice cakes, brown rice pasta, cereals and brown rice syrup.

• Grain bowls. Brown rice topped with a protein, vegetables and a sauce. Chicken Breast · Atlantic Salmon · Broccoli · Avocado
• Brown fried rice. Cold cooked brown rice stir-fried with egg, vegetables and soy sauce. Egg · Soy Sauce · Carrot · Onion
• Rice and beans. Brown rice served with seasoned beans. Black Beans · Onion · Garlic
• Stuffed peppers. Peppers filled with brown rice, ground meat and tomato. Ground Beef · Tomato · Onion
• Brown rice salad. Cooled brown rice tossed with chopped vegetables and an olive oil dressing. Cucumber · Tomato · Olive Oil

The bran layer contains natural oils that can turn rancid, so uncooked brown rice keeps only about six months in the pantry, far less than white rice. For longer storage, keep it in the refrigerator or freezer in a sealed container. Cooked brown rice follows the same rules as any cooked rice: cool it quickly, refrigerate it within two hours, and use it within three to five days or freeze it.

For rice bowls, burritos, salads and prepared sides, choose one basis and stick to it: weigh the cooked rice that goes into each portion and use cooked data like this page, or weigh the dry rice and give the generator the finished batch weight so it can account for the water absorbed. Brown rice absorbs more water than white rice, so a white-rice yield will not carry over. Enter the recipe in the label generator or the recipe nutrition calculator, and check the reference amount for your product in the RACC lookup.