How to Make Resistant Starch Rice

If you've been avoiding white rice because it's high in starch, there's a little trick you can do to reduce the amount of digestible starch and increase the amount of resistant starch. Compared to the freshly cooked version, rice that's higher in resistant starch reduces blood sugar spikes, lowers insulin resistance, and provides your microbiome with prebiotics. Resistant starch rice has up to 60% less carbs than freshly cooked rice.

Resistant starch is not digested in the same way as starch. It passes through your small intestine undigested and instead ferments in your colon (large intestine), feeding the good bacteria there. It ferments into short-chain fatty acids that boost gut health, decrease inflammation, and help keep you regular. Resistant starch also gives you a feeling of being full or more satiated because it is not quickly digested.

To increase the resistant starch content in rice, rinse the rice, then boil it, and finally cool it to room temperature and store it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This trick also works with pasta, beans, and potatoes. You can further reduce the impact of starch by pairing the rice with protein, healthy fats, and vegetables, which slows digestion and absorption.

Here's my basic recipe for resistant starch rice using basmati rice, but feel free to use any rice you prefer. Long grain rice is claimed to have the highest level of resistant starch, however the overall percentages can vary a bit. The largest conversion to resistant starch happens by cooling and then refrigerating or freezing for 24 hours.

If you like to steam or pressure cook your rice, you might want to consider switching to boiling if your goal is to yield the highest amount of resistant starch. According to this study, boiling the rice yields the highest amount of resistant starch.

Another thing I do is add coconut oil to the rice. Adding coconut oil (or other oil) to rice while cooking contributes to an increase in resistant starch along with cooling and refrigeration. The fat binds to the starch molecules while cooking to further reduce absorption.

I haven't listed the nutritional facts for a rice serving because the carbohydrate measurement will vary based on your method and other factors. You can assume that up to 60% of the carbohydrates normally found in freshly cooked rice will be converted to resistant starch. For reference, freshly cooked rice has about four calories per gram of digestible starch, while resistant starch rice has about two calories per gram because about half (up to 60%) of the starch behaves like fiber and passes through your small intestine without being absorbed.

Have you been making resistant starch rice for a while? Let me know in the comments. I'd love to know your favorite ways to make it.

3. Cool the rice to room temperature and then refrigerate for 24 hours.