Types of rice

Rice is the edible seed of a grass and one of the most widely consumed foods in the world. It feeds roughly half the planet, and it is a cooking staple across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and southern Europe. One of its greatest strengths is variety, with different rice types offering distinct textures and cooking characteristics.

Below, we will delve into each of these types of rice, along with wild rice, which is technically the seed of a separate grass but is cooked in a similar way. Learn everything you need to know about varieties like basmati, jasmine, Carolina, Arborio, Calrose, sushi rice, and many more.

What are long-grain rice varieties?

Long-grain rice is the slimmest type of rice, measuring 6-7mm in length. The grains are around 3-5 times longer than they are wide, and they cook into light, separate grains rather than a soft mass. This comes down to starch. Long-grain rice is high in amylose, the starch that keeps grains sticking to one another, so they stay distinct and dry once cooked.

Long-grain rice varieties include basmati and jasmine, the two most widely known aromatic types. Plainer non-aromatic rice like Carolina falls into this group too, along with regional Indian varieties such as Sona Masoori, Ponni, and Matta. These range from soft and delicate to firm and robust.

The scent comes from a natural aroma compound that the grain carries in far higher amounts than plain rice, which, by comparison, has a very neutral aroma. Cooked well, basmati stays firm and separate rather than gluey, which is exactly why it is central to South Asian cooking.

Length: 6.6-7mm raw, extending to around double when cooked
Taste: Nutty and fragrant, with a subtle natural sweetness
Texture: Firm, dry, and separate, with grains that stay distinct
Best for: Biryani, curries, and pilafs, where individual grains are meant to show

Rather than staying bone-dry and fully loose, jasmine turns soft and moist, while the grains cling together just enough to gather easily on a spoon or with chopsticks. Its mild, faintly sweet flavour works well alongside bolder, spicier dishes.

Length: 6-7mm raw, extending slightly to around 8-9mm when cooked
Taste: Mild and faintly sweet
Texture: Soft and moist, with grains that cling together lightly
Best for: Thai curries, stir-fries, grilled meats, and chicken-and-rice dishes such as khao man gai.

Carolina rice

Carolina rice is light and fluffy when cooked. It has a mild, lightly nutty flavour, and the grains fall apart cleanly rather than clumping. This neutral character makes it an all-rounder, equally at home as a side dish or as a base for other flavours.

It takes its name from the Carolina Lowcountry of the American southeast, where the heirloom variety known as Carolina Gold was once the most important rice in the country. Nearly lost during the twentieth century, it has been brought back in recent decades.

Length: 6-8mm raw, extending slightly when cooked
Taste: Mild and lightly nutty, with a neutral taste 
Texture: Light and fluffy, with grains that separate cleanly
Best for: Everyday side dishes, casseroles, stuffings, stir-fries, and pilafs

What are medium-grain rice varieties?

Medium-grain rice sits between the long and short types at around 5-6mm. The kernels are plump, roughly 2-3 times as long as they are wide. Cooked, it turns moist, tender, and a little sticky, with a soft creaminess that neither long-grain nor small-grain types quite match.

This comes down to the rounder shape and the starch balance inside the grain. Long-grain rice stays dry and separate because its slim kernels hold on to their starch, whereas medium-grain rice releases more starch, so the grains cling gently and the cooking liquid thickens around them. That is why these varieties work great for risotto and paella, where the grains need to stay creamy on the outside but keep some bite.

Most medium-grain varieties belong to the Japonica branch of the rice family, which tends to produce shorter, rounder, stickier grains. Arborio is the best known, prized for the creamy risotto it produces, while Calrose is the everyday medium-grain rice grown widely in the United States.

The white core absorbs liquid more slowly than the outer layers, which is why a properly cooked risotto is creamy on the outside yet keeps a firm, slightly chewy bite in the middle.

Carnaroli and Vialone Nano are two well-known relatives of Arborio. Carnaroli holds its shape better and is more forgiving of overcooking, which has earned it the nickname "king of risotto rice." Vialone Nano cooks looser and more fluid, with tender grains that ripple across the plate. All three rely on the same starch for their creaminess and differ mainly in how firm the grain stays and how thick the sauce turns out. For more on the technique, see our guide to creamy risotto.

Length: 6.5-7.6mm, with only modest lengthening when cooked
Taste: Mild and faintly milky, taking on the flavours cooked into it
Texture: Creamy and smooth on the outside, firm and slightly chewy at the core
Best for: Risotto, rice pudding, and soups

Calrose rice

Calrose is a medium-grain variety of the Japonica type and cooks soft, moist, and slightly sticky. It has little of the starch that keeps grains firm and separate, so the cooked grains cling together and hold their shape well. This makes it clump just enough to be gathered into sushi rolls or nigiri, and it holds together firmly in rice balls and packed portions without falling apart.

It was developed in California in 1948 and is still the main medium-grain rice grown in the United States. The name blends "Cal" for California and "rose" for the rounded shape of the grain.

Length: Around 5-6mm raw, extending only slightly when cooked
Taste: Mild and clean, with little aroma of its own
Texture: Soft, moist, and slightly sticky, holding its shape when pressed
Best for: Sushi, rice balls, bento portions, and everyday table rice

What are short-grain rice varieties?

Short-grain rice varieties are 4–5mm long, almost round, plump grains that are less than twice as long as they are wide. They cook into soft, sticky, clumpy rice, and that stickiness is what makes them useful whenever rice needs to hold together rather than stay separate. Sushi relies on it to keep rolls and nigiri in shape, and rice desserts like pudding depend on the same soft, clinging texture.

Bomba and Valencia are the classic Spanish varieties used for paella. Both are short-grain, but they behave quite differently from the rest. They soak up around twice as much liquid as long-grain rice, but the grains stay separate rather than sticky.

Sushi rice

Sushi rice is a short-grain Japanese rice, seasoned after cooking with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. This gives it the mild tang and glossy, pliable texture that shapes so neatly by hand. The grains are short, round, and plump, and high in the sticky starch that forms a light gel on the surface as they cook. The gel lets the grains stick together firmly enough to hold their shape, while still coming apart easily when bitten into. The best-regarded varieties include Koshihikari, Sasanishiki, and Akita Komachi.

Length: 4-5mm raw, extending only slightly when cooked
Taste: Mild rice flavour with a subtle sweet-and-sour seasoning
Texture: Soft, sticky, and easy to shape, yet it comes apart easily when bitten into
Best for: Sushi, nigiri, maki rolls, and rice balls

What is wholegrain and processed rice?

Wholegrain and processed rice are grouped by how the grain is processed after harvest, rather than by its length.

Wholegrain rice, like brown or black rice, keeps its bran and germ layers, giving it more fibre, a firmer texture, and a nuttier flavour than white rice.
Processed rice has had those layers milled away entirely to make white rice, or altered through methods like parboiling, which steams the grain in its husk before milling to firm up the starch.

It is easy to spot by its faint golden tint, which sets it apart from the pure white of untreated rice. It also releases its sugars more slowly than standard white rice once eaten, and holds together better during cooking, with fewer grains breaking apart.

Length: Ranges from 4-5mm (short-grain) to 5-6mm (medium-grain) to 6-7mm (long-grain), depending on variety
Taste: Mild, with a faintly nutty note
Texture: Firm and distinctly separate, resistant to going soft
Best for: Pilafs, casseroles, stuffings, and dishes where separate grains matter

Brown rice

Brown rice keeps its bran and germ layers after the husk is removed, which gives it a tan colour and wholegrain character. Because those layers stay in place, it holds far more of the grain's fibre, vitamins, and minerals than white rice, along with a firmer texture and a mild, nutty flavour.

The trade-off is time. The intact bran resists water, so brown rice takes noticeably longer to cook and needs more liquid than a white grain of the same variety. It also keeps for less time in the cupboard, since the natural oils in the germ eventually go bad.

Length: Ranges from 4-5mm (short-grain) to 5-6mm (medium-grain) to 6-7mm (long-grain), depending on variety
Taste: Mild, nutty, and earthy
Texture: Firm and chewy, with more bite than white rice
Best for: Grain bowls, stir-fries, casseroles, stuffings, and pilafs

Black rice

Black rice is a wholegrain rice whose bran layer is a deep black-purple. Cooked, the grains soften and turn dark purple. They have a mild, slightly sweet, nutty flavour and a texture that is a little softer than brown rice.

The rice suits both savoury dishes and puddings, where its deep colour stands out on the plate. And it is sometimes referred to as "forbidden rice," a name tied to its history in ancient China, where it was rare, highly prized, and associated with nobility.

Length: Ranges from 4-5mm (short-grain) to 5-6mm (medium-grain) to 6-7mm (long-grain), depending on variety
Taste: Mild, sweet, and nutty, earthier than white rice
Texture: Tender, a little softer than brown rice, with a slight chew from the bran
Best for: Grain bowls, salads, puddings, and dishes where its colour stands out

What is wild rice?

Wild rice is not actually rice at all, but the seed of a group of tall water grasses that grow in the lakes and rivers of North America. It looks and cooks enough like true rice to be treated as one in the kitchen. True rice comes from the genus Oryza, whereas wild rice belongs to Zizania. The two are cousins within the wider grass family rather than the same plant, and they behave quite differently on the plate.

Length: Around 10-20mm raw, longer than any true rice variety
Taste: Strong, nutty, and earthy
Texture: Firm, chewy, and springy, with grains that stay separate
Best for: Soups, salads, stuffings, pilafs, and rice blends

How to cook rice

Rice is cooked by boiling it in a measured amount of water until the grains absorb the liquid and turn tender. You can either use the absorption method or the rapid-boil method to cook your rice. Timing varies from one rice type to the next, but two things matter whichever method you use:

• Get the water-to-rice ratio right
• Keep the lid on while it steams

Absorption method: Bring the measured water to the boil, add rice and salt, then cover, turn the heat right down, and simmer for around 10 minutes. Take it off the heat and let it stand, still covered, for another 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid, as every peek lets out the heat and steam the rice needs. Fork it through at the end to separate the grains. Exact timings and ratios vary by rice type, as shown in the table below.

Times and ratios are guides. Actual timing varies by brand, grain age, and pot, so check towards the end and adjust in your next batch.

Rapid-boil method ("pasta" method): Treats rice more like pasta and suits longer grains such as basmati especially well. Rinse the rice several times and soak it for around 30 minutes, then drain and tip it into a large pot of boiling water, cooking it uncovered for 5-6 minutes. Drain it, return it to the warm pot with the lid on for a few minutes to steam, then fork it through. Wild rice is usually cooked this way rather than by absorption, since it needs plenty of water and around 45-50 minutes to soften. For more on the basics of boiling white rice this way, see this guide on how to cook rice.

Find easy rice recipes

The best way to get to know rice is to cook it. Here are a few recipes you can try.

A saffron risotto is the place to start for creamy comfort. Its golden grains cooked slowly until smooth and rich, equally good as a refined starter or a quiet supper. And arancini balls put any leftover risotto to work, rolled into crisp, fried bites with a molten cheese centre.