Wild Rice: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Wild rice is the seed of aquatic grasses in the genus Zizania (Zizania palustris and Zizania aquatica are the species sold in North America), in the grass family Poaceae. [2] It is a different genus from ordinary rice (Oryza sativa), although the dark grains look similar. [3] People eat it for protein, minerals and a nutty taste. This page covers the cooked grain as a food. It also separates it from the Asian vegetable called water bamboo, which is the swollen stem of a related plant, Zizania latifolia, infected by a smut fungus. [17]

Read this first

• Human research is thin. Most of the health claims for wild rice come from lab tests, rodents and food-chemistry studies. We found no randomized trial in people showing that eating wild rice prevents or treats a disease. [2] [5] [6]
• Gluten: wild rice is not wheat, rye or barley. We did not find a source we read that tested gluten in wild rice, so if you have celiac disease, look for a gluten-free label. [10]
• Metals: one older Canadian survey found a wide range of cadmium and lead in wild rice grains, from almost none to several micrograms per gram. [7] We did not find a recent survey, and we did not find a source that measured arsenic in wild rice.
• Leftovers: cool cooked rice and grains within 1 hour, keep them in the fridge no longer than 24 hours and reheat only once. [13]
• Evidence for whole grains as a group (not wild rice alone) is mostly observational. [11]

What is in it (USDA values)

Values are for wild rice, cooked (USDA FoodData Central item 168897, SR Legacy). [1] The serving column is the USDA household portion of 1 cup cooked, 164 g. [1] Raw wild rice (item 169726) has about 357 kcal and 6.2 g of fiber per 100 g, but that is dry weight, so do not compare it with cooked numbers. [1]

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; values vary with the species, growing place and cooking. The serving figures are the 100 g values multiplied by 1.64. For comparison, USDA lists cooked long-grain brown rice at 123 kcal, 2.74 g protein and 1.6 g fiber per 100 g, so wild rice has fewer calories and somewhat more protein per 100 g cooked. [1] A 2026 lab comparison also found more protein, fiber and minerals in wild rice than in white or brown rice, especially in the bran. [8]

Plant compounds: a review lists phytosterols, gamma-oryzanol, GABA, phenolic acids and flavonoids in wild rice and attributes antioxidant activity to them in lab tests. [2] The evidence for these compounds acting in people is not shown in the sources we read. Cooking reduced total phenolics by 17 to 23% in a 2026 lab study, and only part of the phenolics were released in a simulated digestion. [4] The review of bioactive compounds also notes that they are unstable when heated. [3]

What research says

Eaten as food vs other forms. Most of the lab and mouse studies used extracts, bran or whole-grain diets fed to animals. Harvard's Nutrition Source lists wild rice among unprocessed whole grains but gives no wild-rice-specific findings. [9] Claims that wild rice is a "superfood" or helps detox are not supported by anything we read.

How much is a normal serving

MedlinePlus (reviewed February 2026) says most children and adults should eat about 2 to 4 servings of whole grains a day and names 1/2 cup (85 g) of cooked brown rice as an example serving; it does not name wild rice. [12] The USDA household portion for cooked wild rice is 1 cup (164 g), about 166 kcal. [1] This is information, not a prescription. Many packaged products are blends of wild rice with other rices; the ingredient list shows what is inside. [9]

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Gluten and celiac disease. Wild rice is not one of the gluten grains named by the NHS (wheat, barley, rye). [13] The FDA lets grains other than wheat, rye and barley carry a "gluten-free" label if gluten from cross-contact stays under 20 ppm. [10] Only a label can tell you whether a given product was tested. See gluten, celiac disease and sensitivity basics.
• Metals. A survey of wild rice sold in Manitoba, Canada (published 1993) found cadmium from under 0.01 to 6.2 micrograms per gram and lead from under 0.01 to 6.7 micrograms per gram, with larger grains holding more lead per unit weight. [7] It is old, regional and may not match today's products. See heavy metals and contaminants in foods.
• Arsenic. For ordinary rice, arsenic is a documented concern; see arsenic in rice. We did not find a source that measured arsenic in wild rice, so we make no claim either way.
• Mold and mycotoxins. WHO advises discarding grain that looks moldy or discolored and storing grain dry and cool. [16]
• Allergy. Wild rice is not on the FDA list of nine major allergens (milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame). [14] For trouble breathing, or swelling of the face, lips or throat, call 911 or your local emergency number. [15]
• Cooked grain storage. The NHS gives its cool-within-an-hour, 24-hour fridge and reheat-once steps for rice. [13] Wild rice is not named there, but it is a cooked grain stored in the same way.
• Kidney disease. USDA lists 166 mg of potassium and 134 mg of phosphorus per cup cooked. [1] Limits for kidney disease are individual: see foods and kidney disease.
• Medicines, pregnancy, children, diabetes. None are described for wild rice as a food in the sources we read. See foods and medicine interactions and foods in pregnancy. Wild rice contains carbohydrate (about 35 g per cup cooked [1]).

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Check that the pack lists only the grains you expect. Harvard suggests checking the ingredient list and picking products with few added ingredients. [9]
• Store dry grain dry and cool; discard anything moldy, discolored or shriveled. [16]
• Cool leftovers quickly and reheat only once. [13]

Related pages

• Brown rice
• Arsenic in rice and rice products
• Whole grains and ancient grains
• Gluten, celiac disease and gluten sensitivity basics
• Heavy metals and contaminants in foods