Wild rice benefits start with fibre and protein. Cooked wild rice has about 101 calories, 4 g of protein and 1.8 g of fibre per 100 g, while dry wild rice has about 357 calories, 14.7 g of protein and 6.2 g of fibre per 100 g.
The gap between those two rows is water, not magic. Wild rice absorbs water as it cooks, so always match raw figures to raw weight and cooked figures to cooked weight.
What Is Wild Rice?
Wild rice is not common rice. Harvard’s Nutrition Source describes it as a seed from a grassy aquatic plant, not from the Oryza species that gives white and brown rice. It looks and cooks like rice, which is why it carries the name.
Wild Rice Benefits: Nutrition Facts Raw vs Cooked
The table uses two USDA entries: raw wild rice and cooked wild rice. The cooked cup column uses label-rounded values. Percent Daily Value (%DV) uses current FDA reference amounts.
| Nutrient | Raw, per 100 g | Cooked, per 100 g | Cooked, 1 cup (164 g) | %DV (cup) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 357 | 101 | 170 | n/a |
| Protein | 14.7 g | 4.0 g | 7 g | n/a |
| Total fat | 1.1 g | about 0.3 g | 0.5 g | 1% |
| Carbohydrate | 74.9 g | about 21.3 g | 35 g | 13% |
| Fibre | 6.2 g | 1.8 g | 3 g | 11% |
| Sugars | not listed | not listed | 1 g | n/a |
| Sodium | about 6 mg | negligible | negligible | 0% |
Cooked wild rice also supplies minerals. The mirror lists magnesium at 12% of the Daily Value and iron at 5% per cup, with niacin and vitamin B6 at 13% each. Treat those percentages as approximate, because the page does not state which Daily Value set it used.
Why Wild Rice Nutrition Numbers Differ
- Raw vs cooked. Raw wild rice has 357 calories per 100 g. Cooked has 101. That is a factor of 3.5, and it is the most common source of confusion.
- Cups. A cup of raw wild rice weighs about 160 g. A cup of cooked weighs about 164 g, but it contains far less dry grain.
- Blends and mixes. Products sold as long-grain and wild rice blends, sprouted rice or soup mixes have their own labels. They are not wild rice alone.
- Rounding. The cooked cup is 166 calories in the detailed table and 170 on the label.
Wild Rice vs Brown Rice per 100 g
Cooked long-grain brown rice has about 123 calories, 2.7 g of protein and roughly 1.5 g of fibre per 100 g. Cooked wild rice has about 101 calories, 4.0 g of protein and 1.8 g of fibre. So wild rice has roughly 18% fewer calories and about 45% more protein for the same weight.
Harvard’s Nutrition Source agrees that wild rice is high in fibre and minerals, with slightly more protein than brown rice. Brown rice figures here come from a second aggregator and are partly calculated, so treat the comparison as approximate.
What the Evidence Says About Wild Rice Benefits
| Claim | Where it stands | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Wild rice has more protein than brown rice | Supported | About 4.0 vs 2.7 g per 100 g cooked. |
| Wild rice has fewer calories than brown rice | Supported | About 101 vs 123 per 100 g cooked. |
| Wild rice is a good fibre source | Partly supported | 3 g per cooked cup, or 11% of the Daily Value. |
| Wild rice is a type of rice | Not supported | It comes from a different plant. |
| Wild rice lowers type 2 diabetes risk | Not established | Harvard links high whole grain intake, including brown rice, to lower risk. Wild rice itself has not been shown to do this. |
| Wild rice protects the heart | Not established | No trial evidence was found for wild rice alone. |
| Wild rice is low in calories | Depends | 101 per 100 g cooked, but 357 per 100 g raw. |
Wild Rice Blends, Mixes and Safety
Seasoned mixes. Plain wild rice has almost no sodium. Boxed blends, soups and seasoned mixes can have far more, so read the label. Use the per 100 g column on UK labels, and the per serving and %DV lines on US labels.
Arsenic. Harvard notes that common rice can accumulate arsenic because it grows in flooded fields. Wild rice is a different plant, and I found no wild rice figure in the sources reviewed. Varying your grains is a sensible habit either way.
Diabetes. A cooked cup holds about 35 g of carbohydrate. Ask your care team how to count it within your plan.
Medication. Never stop or change prescribed medicine because of a food. Talk to your prescriber first.
Wild Rice Benefits FAQ
No. Harvard Nutrition Source describes wild rice as a seed from a grassy aquatic plant, not from common rice. It cooks and looks like rice.
About 101 per 100 g cooked and about 170 per cooked cup. Raw wild rice has about 357 per 100 g, because cooking adds water.
About 4 g per 100 g cooked, or 7 g per cooked cup. Raw wild rice has about 14.7 g per 100 g.
Yes. A cooked cup has about 3 g, which is 11% of the 28 g Daily Value. Raw wild rice has about 6.2 g per 100 g.
It has fewer calories and more protein per 100 g cooked, but both are whole grains. Variety is a sound approach, and your needs decide the best choice.
Many can, within their care plan. A cooked cup has about 35 g of carbohydrate, so portion size matters. Ask your care team how to count it.
No single food causes weight loss. Cooked wild rice is moderate in calories per 100 g, and portion size still sets the total. A registered dietitian can tailor advice to you.
Plain wild rice has almost none. Boxed blends and seasoned mixes can have much more, so check the label before you buy.
Harvard notes that common rice can accumulate arsenic from flooded fields. Wild rice is a different plant, and the sources reviewed here gave no wild rice figure, so ask a dietitian if you have concerns.
Related Reading
- Nutritional benefits of 5 types of rice and noodles
- Balance protein, carbs and fats
- How to read nutrition labels
- Heart disease prevention: 10 preventive measures
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, wild rice raw (FDC 169726) and cooked (FDC 168897). Values read from mirrors: raw and cooked
- Brown rice comparison (aggregator, flagged, partly calculated): Recipal, brown rice long-grain cooked
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Rice, The Nutrition Source
- FDA: Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
This article is for general information and is not medical or dietetic advice. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about your own needs, especially if you manage diabetes or kidney disease.
Last reviewed and rewritten October 2026.
