Is Rice Acid or Alkaline?

Rice is one of the most widely grown grains in the world, feeding almost half the world's population every day. It is rich in minerals, containing calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc, as well as folate, or B-9, and trace amounts of other B vitamins, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database. White, brown and wild rice are all slightly acidic.

A bowl of rice pilaf on a table. (Image: YelenaYemchuk/iStock/Getty Images)

Rice and pH

All substances, including food, can be categorized as either acid or alkaline based on a pH scale that ranges from zero to 14. The term “pH” is a measurement factor. A pH of zero is the most acidic, while a pH of 14 the most alkaline. A 7 pH is neutral. Cooked white rice has a pH ranging from 6.0 to 6.7, which makes it slightly acidic; cooked brown rice has a pH of 6.2 to 6.7, or a range equivalent to or slightly less acidic than white rice; and cooked wild rice has a pH of 6.0 to 6.4, which makes it more acidic than either brown or white rice, according to the Food and Drug Administration.