Best White Rice You Can Buy

What’s the best white rice you can buy? We cooked up gallons of the white stuff to find the right stuff. Read on for our ranking of the best white rice brand money can buy. 

For such a simple ingredient, rice can get pretty complicated. And I’m not even talking about all the different varieties of rice out there, like long grain rice, short grain rice, brown rice, black rice, basmati rice, or arborio rice. Even the simple “long grain white rice” that you’ve stuffed yourself with since you were a kid has a baffling array of different styles for sale, often focused on how long it takes to make it. How do you choose between “instant rice,” “minute rice,” or “sitcom-length rice?” It’s enough to make you consider just going Keto. 

So, to get you out of this fluffy kerfuffle, we sampled a wide range of long grain white rice brands, ranking them on taste, texture and time. Here are our picks for the best white rice you’ll find on your local store shelves.

Best 90-Second Rice

Great Value Long Grain Rice 90 Second Pouch

Walmart

Sometimes you just need some dang rice, STAT. And that’s where this microwaveable bag comes in. All you need to do is throw it in the microwave, hit 90 seconds and bang:  RICE ACHIEVED! But, while this is definitely one of your fastest rice options, it’s also got a great flavor. And, most importantly, it keeps that all-important individual rice shape, unlike some 90-second rice brands that just devolve into a big wet pile of mush. So, if you want some tasty rice that actually looks like rice and that you can cook during a commercial break, Walmart’s Great Value makes the best long grain rice for you. Ain’t modern living great?

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best 5-Minute Rice

Good & Gather Instant White Rice Enriched Long Grain

Target

Now, if you got five whole minutes to spend on your rice, then congratulations! You’re clearly winning life. And you might want to spend that time making this blend from Good & Gather (Target’s brand), which not only produces a nice firm texture, but also has a subtle, slightly earthy taste that sets it apart from some of your blander rice brands. It’s well worth your (very small amount of) time!

Credit: Merc / Target

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best 10-Minute Rice

Success Ten Minute Boil-in-Bag White Rice

Walmart

While this rice may take a few minutes longer than our previous entries, it’s actually a little easier to make, as the boil-in-bag feature means you don’t have to worry about measuring out water or checking to see if your rice is still waterlogged. Instead, you just fish out your bag at the end of ten minutes, let the excess water drain out, and you’re done! Which makes it the best white rice brand for complicated dishes where you’re juggling several components at the same time. (I’m looking at you, Thanksgiving!)

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best Fluffy Rice

El Mexicano Rice

Walmart

Sometimes you’re more focused on presentation than time, and you really want a great-looking rice to brighten up your boring instagram feed (or, you know, enhance a meal). And while El Mexicano takes around 20 minutes of simmering, you’ll end up with a light, fluffy rice that would look great in any cookbook. It has a delicate taste that also blends well with any seasoning, so your taste buds won’t be disappointed either.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Mahatma Extra Long Grain Enriched Rice

Target

While this is another rice that takes 20 minutes to cook on the stove or in the microwave, it’s also the best white rice we tried, with a simple, classic flavor that’s probably what you think of when you think of “white rice.” (Which admittedly, probably isn’t too often.) Its great shape and texture won’t disappoint either, so if you’ve got the time to spend on it, this is the best long grain white rice we most recommend.

Credit: Merc / Target

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Other products we tried: Minute Rice White Rice, Ben’s Original Original Long Grain White Rice Easy Dinner Side, Kroger Enriched Long Grain White Rice, White Long Grain Rice, Good & Gather White Enriched Long Grain Rice