Rice Milk: Brands to Choose and Avoid
Rice milk is processed, milled rice, blended with water until it becomes liquid. During the process, carbohydrates become sugar, giving it a naturally sweetened taste.
Rice milk tends to be low in nutrient value unless vitamins and calcium are added to it. However, it’s the least likely of all dairy milk alternatives to trigger allergies. But it contains almost no protein.
Rice milk is not as popular as it once was, with other alternatives, such as oat milk, becoming more popular.
Rice Milk Brand Comparison
Provamel
Provamel rice drink is a EU-made rice drink with the simplest ingredients list of all rice milks.
Nutrition Per 8 fl oz serving (Original Classic):
- Calories: 135
- Carbs: 27.5 grams
- Sugar: 16 grams
- Protein: 0.3 gram
- Fat: 2.75 grams
Ingredients: Water, European Rice (14.7%), Sunflower oil, sea salt.
Health grade: A
Dream Ricemilk (formerly Rice Dream)
Rice Dream offers both shelf-stable and refrigerated rice milk products. Their shelf-stable line offers a wider variety of choices, like unsweetened and organic.
Nutrition Per 8 fl oz serving (Original Classic):
- Calories: 120
- Carbs: 24 grams
- Sugar: 11 grams
- Protein: 0 gram
- Fat: 2.5 grams
Ingredients (original classic): Organic Ricemilk (Water, Organic Hydrolyzed Rice), Organic Canola Oil and/or Organic Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt.
Canola Oil: The fat in Rice Dream may be from canola oil which has been questioned recently because of its processing methods and possible inflammatory effect.
Health grade: B
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Better Than Milk
This Italian-made rice milk uses only whole-food ingredients, including seaweed as a source of plant-based calcium
Nutrition Per 8 fl oz serving:
- Calories: 150
- Carbs: 32 grams
- Sugar: 13 grams
- Protein: 0 gram
- Fat: 3 grams
Ingredients (unsweetened + calcium):Spring Water, Organic Rice, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Safflower Oil, Seaweed, Sea Salt.
Health grade: A
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Alpro Rice Original
This rice milk is fortified with extra nutrients (calcium and potassium)
Nutrition Per 8 fl oz serving:
- Calories: 113
- Carbs: 23 grams
- Sugar: 8 grams
- Protein: 0.2 gram
- Fat: 2.4 grams
Ingredients:Rice base (Water, Rice (12.5%)), Sunflower oil, Calcium (Tri-calcium phosphate), Sea salt, Stabiliser (Gellan gum), Acidity regulator (Potassium phosphates), Vitamins (B12, D2).
Alpro used to have maltodextrin, which has since been removed.
Health grade: B
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Koita Rice Milk
Another Italian-made rice milk, it unfortunately some of its stabilising fat from palm oil, however its higher carbohydrate content indicates more rice.
Nutrition Per 8 fl oz serving:
- Calories: 160
- Carbs: 34 grams
- Sugar: 17 grams
- Protein: < 1 grams
- Fat: 2 grams
Ingredients:Water, Rice, Sunflower Oil, Mono and Diglycerides (From Palm Oil), Sea Salt, Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12).
Health grade: B
Buy at Amazon
Vitasoy Rice Milk unsweetened
Vitasoy is an Australian brand.
Nutrition Per 250 ml serving:
- Calories: 111
- Carbs: 20 grams
- Sugar: 14.5 grams
- Protein: 0.5 grams
- Fat: 3 grams
Ingredients:Filtered water, whole brown rice (min. 13%), sunflower oil, mineral (calcium phosphate), sea salt.
Health grade: A
Rice milk powder
When buying non-dairy ‘milks’, you are buying mostly water. The weight adds to the price (shipping and packaging).
Alternatively, buying a rice milk powder is an option.
You get a considerably cheaper product. However, you lose the convenience of a ready-to-drink (you need to mix it with water).
Texture and flavor will vary – a rice milk powder will tend to be grainier as it lacks emulsifiers and fats that give rice milks their texture and mouthfeel.
Brands that no longer make rice milk
Many brands have removed rice milk from their portfolio as consumer interest has waned. The following rice milks are no longer available.
- Pacific foods.
- Good Karma organic ricemilk.
- Trader Joe’s organic rice drink.
- Kirkland rice milk.
- Wholefoods 365 rice milk.
How does rice milk compare with other plant-based milks (and with dairy)?
Rice milk has similar amounts of calories to oat milk and dairy. However, it has the lowest amount of protein of any plant-based milk.
What is the best rice milk?
Vitasoy Rice Milk and Provamel are probably the gold standard in that they have the least additives and are closest to if you would make rice milk at home.
Unfortunately, neither are available in the US, so Dream is probably the second-best.
See the best and worst coconut milk and almond milk.
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Sources
- ROSA, M. (1972). Biological properties of carrageenan. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 24(2), 89-102. abstract
- James, M. J., Gibson, R. A., & Cleland, L. G. (2000). Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and inflammatory mediator production. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 71(1), 343s-348s. abstract
42 Comments
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Trader Joe’s makes a store brand rice beverage. It is enriched with vitamins B and D. Doesn’t taste as good as Dream, but I like it. What do you think of it? Thanks.