What's the Difference Between Long- and Short-Grain Rice? (2024)

FAQs

What's the Difference Between Long- and Short-Grain Rice? ›

Short-grained rices tend to be sticky when cooked. Use them in rice pudding or for sushi. Longer grained varieties remain fluffy when cooked and are commonly used in Indian and various Asian cuisines. Medium grain rices have been developed to remain fluffy when cooked.

Short-grain rice has a higher glycaemic index (GI) and a higher carbohydrate content compared to wholegrain and long-grain rice.

That said, you can switch between the different types if you need to, but the texture and flavor of your recipe will be more greatly affected. Here's what you need to know about each type of rice…

When cooked, the long grain rice stays fluffy and separate making it perfect for casseroles, salads and stuffings. As it adds a whole grain touch to meals, many prefer this rice variety for rice salads like this Mango Chicken Rice Salad with fresh greens. How to cook Brown Rice?

1. Brown rice. Whole grain rice such as brown rice is less processed and refined than white rice. As a result, brown rice contains more nutrients such as fiber and minerals such as magnesium, iron, and zinc.

In addition to its shape, short-grain rice varieties are known for their starchy texture, which makes them great for dishes where you'd like the grains to stick together, like sushi, or in recipes where you're going for a creamy texture, like rice pudding.

Short grain rice tends to stick and clump together and is also called glutinous rice due to its sticky, glue-like properties rather than gluten content. Medium grain rice tends to cook up moist and tender, and long grain rice is going to be the right choice when you need grains that cook up light, fluffy, and separate.

Research shows that black rice has the highest antioxidant activity of all the varieties, making it a nutritious choice ( 9 ). Antioxidants are compounds that protect cells from damage caused by an excess of molecules called free radicals, which contribute to oxidative stress ( 10 ).

Short-grain rice tends to have a higher starch content than medium or long-grain rice, which makes it slightly more sticky.

Jasmine rice is a long-grain rice. This means that it is longer and thinner than most other types of rice. It also tends to have a fluffy texture when cooked, rather than soft and clumpy.

What kind of rice is Chinese rice? ›

For classic Chinese-style steamed rice, choose medium or long grain white rice. If you can get it, Thai Jasmine Rice is the top choice. Jasmine rice is very lightly scented. Don't worry, you won't feel like you're eating flower petals.

Long grain rice is one of the most popular types of rice around the world due to its appealing texture and light flavor profile. It's easy to cook with too - simply rinse your grains before cooking then simmer on low heat until all liquid has been absorbed - no stirring required!

The extra-long, thin grains of basmati rice help keep things extra light and fluffy. After the rice is cooked, it's tossed in the smallest amount of olive oil to keep the grains separated (according to their website, Chipotle uses rice bran oil, although it's much more likely you have olive oil in your pantry).

Eating whole grains like brown rice has been found to be really good for weight loss, with one study finding that people who regularly ate high-carbohydrate whole grains such as brown or coloured rice had a higher resting metabolism and didn't absorb as many calories during digestion [9].

It's Skinny rice is also known as shirataki rice. Like It's Skinny pasta, It's Skinny rice has ZERO carbs in a 1 cup serving and only 9 calories in the entire two-serving bag! That's right!

With its nutty, dense texture, brown rice is one of the better-for-you starch options; it's high in B vitamins, zinc, and magnesium.

Long-grain rice has a lower glycemic load than short-grain rice. Of all the long-grain rice, basmati seems to have the lowest glycemic load of all. So, in terms of glycemic load, the best choice would appear to be brown basmati rice, with short-grain white rice at the other end of the spectrum.

A survey of common rice-to-water ratios suggests that long-grain rice absorbs more water than short-grain rice and that brown rice absorbs more than white rice. And yet when we researched how rice is cooked commercially, we found that 1 cup of water should be sufficient to hydrate 1 cup of rice, regardless of type.

Long grain rice is one of the most popular types of rice around the world due to its appealing texture and light flavor profile. It's easy to cook with too - simply rinse your grains before cooking then simmer on low heat until all liquid has been absorbed - no stirring required!

Convenience foods typically save time, but those extra minutes often come at a nutritional price. That's not the case here. The nutritional differences between a serving of long grain brown rice, which requires about 35 to 45 minutes to cook—and instant brown rice—which cooks in about 5 minutes—are insignificant.