Arsenic in rice: the lowest-arsenic kinds and how to cook it

Arsenic is an element found in soil, rock and water. Some comes from nature, and some is left over from pesticides and industry in the past. All plants take up a little, but rice takes up more than most because it usually grows in flooded fields.^[1] Rice supplies about 17% of the inorganic arsenic in the U.S. diet, more than any other single food.^[3]

Arsenic comes in different chemical forms. (Here “organic” describes the chemistry, not how the rice was farmed.)

• Inorganic arsenic is the more harmful form.^[2] Long-term exposure is linked to cancer and skin damage, and to heart disease and diabetes.^[5]
• Organic arsenic is generally less harmful. The FDA is still studying some forms of it.^[2]

Babies and children are more at risk because of their smaller bodies and fast growth.^[2] Rice also hides in foods you might not think of: rice cereal, rice cakes, rice crackers, rice pasta, rice milk and brown rice syrup.

In 2026, Consumer Reports (CR) tested 142 samples of 52 rice products, from basmati and jasmine to microwavable rice and side dishes.^[3]

Brown rice averaged more than white, 113 ppb compared with 72 ppb.^[3] Arsenic collects in the outer bran layer, which is polished off to make white rice. Brown rice still has more fiber, so if you love it, cook it in extra water.

Where it’s grown matters too. CR’s earlier testing found the least arsenic in basmati from California, India and Pakistan and in U.S. sushi rice, and more in rice from the south-central U.S.^[3]

The FDA has tested how cooking changes arsenic. One method that works well is cooking rice the way you cook pasta:^[1]

1. Bring 6 to 10 cups of water to a boil for every 1 cup of dry rice.
2. Add the rice and boil it until it’s tender.
3. Drain off the extra water.

This cuts inorganic arsenic by 40 to 60 percent, depending on the rice.^[1]

Prefer fluffy rice that soaks up its water? CR tested a two-step method: boil the rice for 5 minutes, drain it, then cook it as usual in fresh water. That cut inorganic arsenic by about 50% in brown rice and 58% in white rice.^[3]

What about rinsing or soaking? Rinsing rice before cooking has only a small effect on arsenic, and it washes off added nutrients.^[1] In CR’s tests, soaking for 30 minutes removed less than 8%.^[3] Rinse it if you like the texture, but don’t count on it to lower arsenic.

In 2020 the FDA set an action level of 100 parts per billion of inorganic arsenic for infant rice cereal.^[4] Above it, the FDA may act against a product.

Iron-fortified rice cereal is nutritious, but the FDA says it shouldn’t be a baby’s only cereal, and it doesn’t need to be the first. Oat, barley and multigrain cereals are good options too.^[1]

• Rotate infant cereals instead of serving rice cereal every day.
• Go easy on rice-based snacks like puffs, rice cakes and teething biscuits.
• Offer a variety of grains as kids grow, which is what pediatricians advise anyway.^[1]

There’s no official weekly rice limit for adults in the U.S. Replacing some rice meals with other grains lowers the arsenic you get from rice. How much depends on the rice, the portion and how you cook it.

Other grains carry far less. In CR’s 2026 tests, oats, the highest of the other grains it checked, had less than a quarter of the inorganic arsenic in sushi rice.^[3]

If you want a number, CR suggests adults eat up to 5 servings a week of white basmati from California, India or Pakistan or of sushi rice, and up to 2¾ servings of other rice. A serving is ¼ cup of dry rice. For children, it suggests up to 2¾ and 1¼ servings.^[3]

Eating gluten-free? Quinoa, millet, buckwheat and polenta are gluten-free. Barley, farro and bulgur are not.