Rice is not high in fat. A cup of cooked white rice contains just 0.58 grams of total fat, making it one of the lowest-fat staple foods you can eat. By FDA standards, any food with 3 grams of fat or less per serving qualifies as “low fat,” and rice falls well below that threshold.
Fat Content by Type of Rice
White rice is milled to remove the bran and germ, leaving mostly the starchy endosperm. That processing strips away most of the fat, which is concentrated in the bran layer. A cup of cooked white long-grain rice has 0.58 grams of fat, with only 0.12 grams of saturated fat. The rest is split between monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in tiny amounts.
Brown rice keeps the bran and germ intact, which adds fiber, minerals, and a small amount of extra fat. Even so, a cup of cooked brown rice contains just 0.17 grams of fat per cup in some analyses, though values vary slightly depending on the variety. Either way, both white and brown rice are firmly in the “low fat” category.
Black rice (sometimes called forbidden rice) carries more fat than white or brown varieties because of its dense, nutrient-rich bran. Uncooked black rice has about 2.5 grams of fat per 100 grams, with only 6% of its calories coming from fat. Wild rice, which is technically a grass seed rather than true rice, is similarly lean. None of these varieties would be considered high-fat foods.
How Rice Compares to Other Grains
Rice stands out as especially low in fat when you stack it against other popular grains. A cup of cooked quinoa, for example, has 3.55 grams of fat, roughly four to six times more than the same amount of white rice. Oats are also higher in fat than rice, largely because they retain their bran during processing. If you’re specifically looking to keep fat intake low, rice is one of the leanest grain options available.
Where the Fat in Rice Actually Comes From
The small amount of fat in rice lives almost entirely in the bran, the outer layer removed during white rice milling. That bran fat is mostly unsaturated. The dominant fatty acids are oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil), linoleic acid (a polyunsaturated fat), and palmitic acid (a saturated fat), in roughly a 42%, 32%, and 20% ratio. This is the same fat profile that makes rice bran oil a cooking oil in parts of Asia.
Rice bran also contains a compound called gamma-oryzanol, a fat-soluble antioxidant unique to rice. It has anti-inflammatory properties and has been studied for potential benefits related to metabolic health. You won’t get meaningful amounts of it from white rice, since the bran is removed, but brown and black rice retain it.
Why Rice Dishes Can Still Be High in Fat
Plain rice is extremely low in fat, but the way it’s prepared often changes the picture. Fried rice cooked in oil or butter can easily add 10 to 15 grams of fat per serving. Coconut rice made with coconut milk picks up significant saturated fat. Restaurant rice pilafs are typically sautéed in butter or oil before simmering. If you’re tracking fat intake, the rice itself isn’t the concern. It’s what goes into the pan with it.
Rice bowls and grain bowls often pair rice with high-fat toppings like avocado, cheese, sour cream, or fatty cuts of meat. Again, the rice base contributes almost no fat to these meals. Swapping white rice for brown rice in these dishes changes the fiber and mineral content meaningfully but barely moves the fat numbers.