Purine content of Rice
across 16 measured preparations · median 34 mg · spans low to fairly high
Across the 16 rice measurements in this database, purine content runs from 3 to 100.2 mg per 100 g, with a median of 34 mg — a fairly low-purine food.
On this page (5)
Lower-purine grains and staples
Why the numbers vary
The grains and staples measured here run from 1 mg to 75.9 mg per 100 g, so the category is a poor guide on its own — which specific food, and prepared how, decides almost everything.
Preparation matters more than the food's name. Rice bran measures 100.2 mg, while Rice vinegar (3.5%) measures 3 mg — a difference of 33.4 times. Drying and grilling remove water and concentrate what is left; boiling can move purines into water that is then poured away.
Every form of rice measured (16)
Highest first, each with the preparation that was measured.
| Food as measured | Per 100 g | Level | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice bran | 100.2 mg | Fairly high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Rice crust | 73 mg | Fairly low | NHC 2024 |
| Black rice | 63 mg | Fairly low | NHC 2024 |
| Glutinous rice | 50 mg | Fairly low | NHC 2024 |
| Glutinous rice | 48 mg | Fairly low | NHC 2024 |
| Rice | 44 mg | Fairly low | NHC 2024 |
| Jianbing (rice) | 36 mg | Fairly low | NHC 2024 |
| Brown rice | 35 mg | Fairly low | NHC 2024 |
| Red rice | 33 mg | Fairly low | NHC 2024 |
| Rice, white, raw | 32.6 mg | Fairly low | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Japonica rice | 31 mg | Fairly low | NHC 2024 |
| Rice cracker | 28 mg | Low | NHC 2024 |
| Rice crackers | 14.2 mg | Low | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Rice malt, salted | 13.9 mg | Low | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Rice, white, cooked | 5.9 mg | Low | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Rice vinegar (3.5%) | 3 mg | Low | NHC 2024 |
Questions about rice and purines
Is rice high in purines?
Median 34 mg per 100 g, rice falls in the fairly low band (30–75 mg per 100 g) on the six-level scale used across this site. Individual measurements range from 3 to 100.2 mg.
How many purines are in a serving of rice?
It depends entirely which preparation. Compared at the same 150 g: about 5 mg for rice vinegar (3.5%), about 150 mg for rice bran. That upper figure is a like-for-like comparison rather than a serving — dried and concentrated foods are normally used by the spoonful, so their per-100 g value is the fairer read. The table on this page lists both for every preparation measured.
Does cooking change the purine content of rice?
Substantially. In this database Rice bran measures 100.2 mg while Rice vinegar (3.5%) measures 3 mg per 100 g. Drying and grilling concentrate purines by removing water; boiling can leach some into the cooking liquid.
Where does this rice purine value come from?
USDA and ODS-NIH Database for the Purine Content of Foods, Release 2.0 (2025) and Dietary Guideline for Adults with Hyperuricaemia and Gout (2024 Edition). Values are total purines in milligrams per 100 g of the food as described, and nothing is estimated or averaged across sources.
How does rice compare with other grains and staples?
The median for grains and staples in this database is 19 mg per 100 g, with a range of 1 to 75.9 mg. Rice is above that median.
Source
- USDA and ODS-NIH Database for the Purine Content of Foods, Release 2.0 (2025) — Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Dietary Guideline for Adults with Hyperuricaemia and Gout (2024 Edition) — National Health Commission of China, appendix 1. Issued February 2024.
Reference information only. Purine values describe foods, not people: they cannot tell you what is safe for you to eat, and nothing here diagnoses or treats gout. Talk to your doctor or dietitian about your own diet and medication.