Is Rice Gluten-Free?

Gluten-Sensitive or Have Celiac Disease? Learn Which Rice Brands to Avoid.

Brown rice

Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Rice is a staple for many cultures and families around the world. It's a nutritious, energy-rich food that can supply plenty of nutrients, especially if you choose the whole grain variety. If you are gluten-free, you might be curious whether rice is safe to eat. Learn more about which rice is gluten-free and how to choose your safest options.

Is Rice Gluten Free?

In most cases, rice is gluten-free. Plain rice—whether whole-grain brown rice, polished white rice, long-grained basmati rice, or exotic black rice—is always gluten-free, assuming it's been protected from gluten cross-contamination in processing and cooking. 

However, you need to beware of flavored rice mixes since these can (and often do) contain gluten ingredients. Remain cautious when eating rice dishes with additional ingredients, since they may also contain gluten.

Gluten-Free Rice Types

Plain gluten-free rice includes:

Surprisingly, the type of rice called glutinous rice, also known as sticky rice or sweet rice, is gluten-free. Despite its name, it doesn't contain gluten, which is dangerous to those with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Glutinous rice gets glue-like or sticky when cooked and is a mainstay in Thai cuisine. When you see the popular dessert mango with sticky rice on the menu of your favorite Thai eatery, it's likely naturally gluten-free.

Safest Brands of Rice When Avoiding Gluten

While plain rice from almost any manufacturer will be fine for you if you're not particularly sensitive to trace gluten, those who do experience frequent gluten reactions due to cross-contamination may want to stick with certain brands or types.

Lundberg Family Farms

Lundberg Family Farms produces plain rice and a number of varieties, plus rice mixes and different styles of flavored rice. The company specializes in organic, gluten-free, and whole-grain rice products, and prominently labels its products gluten-free.

Lundberg produces only rice products. That means there's no risk of gluten cross-contamination in food production.

Alter Eco

Alter Eco specializes in exotic sustainable foods. The company offers several types of rice certified gluten-free, which means special care has been taken to avoid any contact with gluten in farming and production.

Alter Eco produces gluten-free heirloom rice varietals such as Khao Deng Ruby Red Rice, Thai Sticky Purple Rice, and Hom Mali Jasmine Rice as gluten-free options.

Flavored Rice Mixes to Buy (and Avoid)

You'd think something billed as "rice" would be gluten-free no matter what, but flavored rice products sold along with plain rice in supermarkets often contain gluten-based ingredients, generally in the form of a wheat-based thickener such as hydrolyzed wheat protein or a flavor enhancer like wheat-based soy sauce.

Rice Mixes to Buy

Safe gluten-free rice mix options include:

  • Lundberg offers a wide variety of flavored rice mixes, including flavors such as Organic Sesame, Soy & Ginger Rice, and Organic Turmeric Rice. These are certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), which requires testing to less than 10 parts per million (PPM) of gluten.
  • Mahatma Rice lists most of its flavored rice varieties as gluten-free, including Spanish Rice, Long Grain & Wild Rice Mix, Cilantro Limón Jasmine Rice, Red Beans and Seasoned Rice, and Yellow Seasoned Rice. Double-check the label and ingredients if there's doubt about whether the brand's flavored rice contains gluten.
  • Zatarain's (owned by McCormick & Company) produces around 20 flavored rice mixes formulated as gluten-free, meaning they contain less than the legal limit of 20 PPM of gluten. Some of Zatarain's flavors are not gluten-free and still contain gluten ingredients. Always check labels before purchasing.

Rice Mixes to Avoid

Avoid flavored mixes from the following brands, all of which are likely to use gluten ingredients:

  • Uncle Ben's flavored rice
  • Knorr Rice Sides
  • Rice-A-Roni
  • Near East Rice Pilaf (contains wheat-based pasta)

Always check for gluten on food labels to ensure the product is safe.

Take Care With Sushi Rice

If you're sensitive to vinegar derived from gluten grains, watch out for the rice used in restaurants serving sushi—there's a strong chance it will contain a grain-based vinegar made with corn or wheat. You can ask the restaurant for plain white rice (most will have it ready, especially if they also serve hot Japanese stir-fry dishes).

A Word From Verywell

If you can't find a prepared rice dish that's gluten-free and still tasty, you can try making your own. Many forms of Spanish paella are naturally gluten-free—but you'll need to double-check the ingredients and make substitutions as necessary.

When choosing rice, you can be confident it's gluten-free if it's plain rice and comes from a safe brand name. Those with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity who are particularly sensitive to trace gluten should stick with those brands; others may do fine with other brands of plain rice. 

2 Sources
Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Gluten Intolerance Group. Is it safe to include glutinous rice in a gluten-free diet? What exactly is it?.

  2. National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. Gluten-free and flavor-full! A quick guide to eating gluten-free with Zatarain’s. 2011.

Additional Reading
Jane Anderson

By Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson is a medical journalist and an expert in celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and the gluten-free diet.