How many calories are in white rice?
USDA numbers for cooked long-grain white rice, per 100 g and per cup, and why the cooked-versus-dry mix-up matters.
White rice is the side dish most people under-count, because a cup of it looks small on the plate. The USDA entry used here is for cooked, enriched long-grain white rice, which is the only sensible way to log it: dry rice roughly triples in weight as it absorbs water, so logging dry weight against a cooked entry, or the other way around, is the single biggest error with rice. The second error is the scoop size, since a restaurant serving is often two cups or more.
Calories in white rice per 100 g
According to USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy entry “Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked”), 100 g of white rice contains 130 calories (544 kJ), 2.7 g of protein, 28 g of carbohydrates and 0.3 g of fat.
| Nutrient (per 100 g) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 130 |
| Energy (kilojoules) | 544 kJ |
| Protein | 2.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 28 g |
| Fiber | 0.4 g |
| Sugars | 0.1 g |
| Total fat | 0.3 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.1 g |
| Sodium | 1 mg |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Potassium | 35 mg |
| Calcium | 10 mg |
| Iron | 1.2 mg |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg |
Calories per serving
Per-100 g numbers are only useful once you know your portion. Typical servings of white rice:
| Serving | Calories | kJ | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup (158 g) | 205 | 859 | 4.3 g | 45 g | 0.4 g |
Macro breakdown
By calories, cooked white rice is about 89% carbohydrate, 9% protein and 2% fat: 28.2 g of carbs, 2.7 g of protein and 0.3 g of fat per 100 g. Fiber is only 0.4 g per 100 g, and sodium is just 1 mg before any salt or sauce is added.
How white rice compares with similar foods
| Food (per 100 g) | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown rice | 123 | 2.7 g | 26 g | 1 g |
| Quinoa | 120 | 4.4 g | 21 g | 1.9 g |
| Couscous | 112 | 3.8 g | 23 g | 0.2 g |
| Pasta | 158 | 5.8 g | 31 g | 0.9 g |
| Sweet corn | 96 | 3.4 g | 21 g | 1.5 g |
Is white rice good for weight loss?
At 130 calories per 100 g, cooked white rice is not especially calorie-dense, but it is easy to eat a lot of it: a cup (158 g) is 205 calories with 44.5 g of carbs, and two cups are 410 calories. With only 0.6 g of fiber and 4.3 g of protein per cup, it does not fill you up the way the same calories of protein or vegetables would. The practical fix is to measure one cup and pair it with a protein and plenty of vegetables, rather than letting rice take up half the plate. Brown rice is 123 calories per 100 g with 1.6 g of fiber, a small difference per gram, so the portion matters more than the color. Watch the fried rice, butter and sauces, which add far more than the rice itself.
How to log white rice in Cal.AI
Search for cooked white rice and log it by cooked weight, using 158 g for one cup as your reference, then scale with the serving minus and plus control. Scan Food can estimate a mound of rice on a plate, but rice piles are hard to judge by eye, so check the portion in Fix Results. The common mistake is logging the dry weight from the package against the cooked entry, which understates the calories by a factor of about three.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in a cup of cooked white rice?
One cup of cooked long-grain white rice weighs about 158 g and has about 205 calories, with 44.5 g of carbohydrate, 4.3 g of protein and 0.4 g of fat. Half a cup (79 g) is about 103 calories and two cups are about 410. These numbers are for plain rice cooked without salt, oil or butter, which should be logged separately.
Is white rice or brown rice lower in calories?
They are close. Cooked white rice is 130 calories per 100 g and brown rice is 123. By the cup the order flips, because a cup of brown rice weighs more (202 g, about 248 calories) than a cup of white rice (158 g, about 205 calories). Brown rice has more fiber, 1.6 g against 0.4 g per 100 g, but the calorie gap is small.
Why does my rice log differently from the package?
Package labels usually give dry weight, while you eat it cooked. Dry rice absorbs water and roughly triples in weight, so 100 g of cooked rice at 130 calories came from only about a third of that weight dry. Always log cooked rice against a cooked entry, with 158 g per cup, or dry rice against a dry entry, and never mix the two.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central, SR Legacy: “Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked” (FDC ID 168878). FoodData Central
Related articles
- How many calories are in brown rice?
- How many kilojoules and calories are in a flat white?
- How many calories are in scrambled eggs?
- How many kilojoules and calories are in a glass of sparkling wine?
- Melbourne Cup day drinks: kilojoules in bubbles, beer and premixes
