Which Type Of Rice Has The Highest Amount Of Protein?

When it comes to protein, meats, seafood, and eggs are always the focus, while vegans turn to beans, seeds, and nuts. Outside of these known protein-rich foods, you can still find it in other surprising places, like in your grains or rice. Although rice is starchy and typically classified as a carbohydrate, it still contains an amount of protein. So, which variety of rice packs the best protein punch? 

The clear winner is wild rice, which, when cooked, provides 6.5 grams of protein per 1 cup. Wild rice, which can be purchased in bulk online or in smaller amounts at stores, has a rich, nutty flavor. Although called rice, it actually falls under the category of aquatic grass. Finding complete protein sources that also contain all essential amino acids needed for building muscle and other important bodily functions, can be tricky for vegans. Thankfully, wild rice provides this. The amount of protein needed in one's diet varies greatly depending on gender, age, and level activity, but it's generally recommended to eat between 50 to 175 grams per day depending on these factors. Therefore, 1 cup of cooked wild rice could provide between 4-13% of your daily recommended protein intake.

Following wild rice, black and brown rice come tied in second. When cooked, each have around 5 to 6 grams of protein per cup. Unlike wild rice, these are true rice varieties, and contain protein from their intact bran layers. And the rice with the least amount of protein? White and Jasmine rice. In one cooked cup, there are about 4 grams of protein.

There are plenty of ways to elevate the flavor of rice – brewing it with tea, for example — but it's also possible to increase the amount of protein found in rice. One option is to mix rice with other protein-packed grains, like quinoa, teff, or farro. Each of these grains contain between 8-12 grams of protein per cooked cup. Grain blends containing a mix of rice, quinoa, or farro are common to find in stores, online, or can be mixed yourself.

The grain with the highest amount of protein is called kamut, a type of wheat that contains 10 grams of protein per cooked cup. This is more commonly found ground into a flour, but it's possible to find in a whole-grain form, like Bob's Red Mill Organic Kamut Berries. This grain does take longer to cook than a lot of types of rice — between 40 to 60 minutes if not soaked. With that in mind, it's best to cook it separately from your other grains and then mix together after.

Nuts and seeds naturally pair well with the flavors of rice and provide some crunch in the soft fluffy texture. Better yet, they help increase the amount of protein. One of these powerhouse seeds is hemp. Just two tablespoons of it boasts 9 grams of protein, so sprinkle it on top of your rice for a bit of nutty, earthy flavor. For a different kind of crunch, the same number of pumpkin seeds provides 4.2 grams of protein, while peanuts can add 3.5 grams.