Baldo Rice substitute

Best substitute

Arborio Rice (rinsed and soaked)

Use the same amount as the baldo rice you are replacing

Best for Turkish pilav

Close match

Almost the same grain wearing an Italian label, and available in every supermarket.

Other baldo rice substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Calrose or Medium-Grain Rice
Different texture
Use the same amount
The Japanese-style medium grain sold as sushi rice, plump and slightly sticky.
What changes
Best for
pilav when you want soft, tender grains, rice pudding, where it is excellent, dolma fillings that need to hold together
Rinse it well. It absorbs a little less liquid than baldo, so start with less than the recipe says and check at twelve minutes. The finished pilav is softer and the grains cling to each other more, which is pleasant but not the traditional loose result.
3Basmati or Long-Grain Rice
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount
Slim, dry, separate grains, and in basmati's case an obvious perfume.
What changes
Best for
pilav where separate grains matter most, serving alongside a saucy stew, when it is the only rice in the house
It works, it just is not the same dish. The grains are narrower and drier so the pilav feels lighter and less buttery, and basmati's floral aroma sits oddly against dill and butter. Do not use it for sutlac, since it has too little starch to thicken the milk.
4Bomba or Valencia Rice
Different texture
Use the same amount
Spanish paella rice, short and thirsty, which stays firm no matter what you do to it.
What changes
Best for
pilav and pilaf-style bakes, dishes where the rice sits in broth, cooks who worry about overcooking rice
Bomba drinks up noticeably more liquid than baldo, so add about a quarter more and give it a few extra minutes. It stays a touch firmer in the centre and never turns mushy, which makes it forgiving but slightly less tender than a good pilav should be.
5Carnaroli Rice
Different texture
Use the same amount
The other Italian risotto rice, larger and even starchier than arborio.
What changes
Best for
pilav when arborio is unavailable, dishes finished with plenty of butter, rice pudding
It releases more starch than arborio, so rinse it harder and longer. If you are making pilav, this is the grain most likely to go creamy on you; if you are making sutlac, that is a bonus rather than a fault.
6Coarse Bulgur
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by volume
Not an imitation of rice at all, but the genuine Anatolian alternative to it.
What changes
Best for
bulgur pilavi as a side dish, dolma and stuffed peppers, when you want more flavour than rice gives
Use coarse grade, one part bulgur to one part hot stock, covered off the heat for fifteen minutes. It tastes nutty and wheaty rather than neutral, and it is chewier, so it is a change of dish rather than a disguise. In dolma it is arguably better, because it does not go pasty.

What is Baldo Rice?

Baldo Rice is a plump medium-grain rice grown widely in Turkey and sold as baldo pirinc or simply Turkish pilaf rice, starchy enough to cook up soft and buttery but sturdy enough that the grains stay separate.

Cooking tips

Rinsing then soaking is the whole trick. Rinse until the water is clear, soak fifteen to thirty minutes in warm salted water, drain well, and almost any medium-grain rice will behave like baldo.
Toast the drained grains in butter or a butter-and-oil mix until they look chalky and smell nutty before the liquid goes in. This coats each grain in fat and is the main reason a Turkish pilav has separate grains.
Add hot liquid, never cold. Cold stock hitting hot toasted rice shocks the grains and they split and go gluey.
After the liquid is absorbed, lay a clean tea towel under the lid and rest it off the heat for ten minutes. The towel takes up the last of the steam, and that rest is where the fluffy, separate texture actually happens.
For dolma, stuff with raw rinsed rice and leave the parcels loose, because the grains swell to roughly three times their volume and packed dolma burst.
If all you have is unrinsed risotto rice and no time, stop fighting it and make something creamy on purpose instead of a disappointing pilav.

Frequently asked questions

Is baldo the same as arborio?

They are close relatives rather than the same thing. Baldo was bred in Italy and is now grown mostly in Turkey, and it sits slightly to the sturdy side of arborio, holding its shape a bit better and releasing a little less starch. Rinsed and soaked arborio is the nearest supermarket match by a wide margin.

What water ratio should I use for Turkish pilav?

After soaking and draining, roughly one and a half parts hot liquid to one part rice is the usual starting point, and if you skip the soak you will need closer to two. Rice varies, so check at twelve minutes: if the grains are tender and the pot is dry, take it off and let it rest.

Can I use jasmine rice instead of baldo?

You can, but it is the furthest from baldo of the common options. Jasmine is long grain, aromatic and cooks soft and slightly sticky, so the result is fragrant and clumpier rather than plump and separate. Rinse it well, use less liquid than the pilav recipe says, and expect it to taste of jasmine.

Which rice should I use for Turkish rice pudding if I have no baldo?

Use a starchy short or medium grain: arborio, carnaroli or Calrose. The whole point of sutlac is that the rice releases starch and thickens the milk, so basmati or other long-grain rice will leave you with sweet milk and loose grains no matter how long you cook it.

Is osmancik rice the same as baldo?

No, though they sit on the same shelf and both get sold as Turkish pilaf rice. Osmancik is slimmer and closer to a long grain, so it cooks drier and more separate, while baldo is plump and softer. Either makes a good pilav; baldo is the one to look for if you want the plumper, more buttery result.

Related substitutes

More grains & starches substitutes

Baldo Rice substitute

Other baldo rice substitutes

2Calrose or Medium-Grain Rice

3Basmati or Long-Grain Rice

4Bomba or Valencia Rice

5Carnaroli Rice

6Coarse Bulgur