Red rice substitutes
Red rice substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Brown rice
Same amount as the red rice
Brown rice is the practical substitute for all of them at 1:1, since it has the same intact bran giving the same nutty flavor and firm chew, just in tan instead of red. Black forbidden rice is the closest match for chew and drama if you do not mind a purple pot. The important catch is timing: Bhutanese red rice is semi-milled and cooks in about 20 minutes, so if you swap in brown rice you must let it go a full 40 to 45.
- Verdict —
- Works
- Best for —
- pilafs
Updated 26 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of red rice | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brown ricepilafs | Same amountWorks | Works |
| 2 | Black rice (forbidden rice)grain salads | Same amountWorks | Works |
| 3 | Wild rice or a wild rice blendpilafs | Same amountYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Brown basmati or brown jasmine ricepilafs | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Wehani or Colusari red ricepilafs | Same amountWorks | Works |
| 6 | Red quinoagrain salads | Same amount by volumeYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
Brown rice
similar taste and texture
Whole grain rice with the bran layer left on, widely available in short, medium and long grain forms.
- Best for
- pilafs, grain bowls and salads, side dishes, soups
The sensible everyday answer. The bran gives it the same nutty, faintly mineral flavor and the same firm, chewy bite that red rice is prized for, and it holds its shape in a salad just as well. Two differences to plan for: the dish will be tan or khaki instead of that striking russet, and brown rice needs 40 to 45 minutes with about 2 cups water per cup of rice. Match the grain length to the red rice you were sent for, short-grain brown for Bhutanese, long-grain brown for Thai red cargo.
Black rice (forbidden rice)
similar taste and texture
Whole grain rice with a deep purple-black bran, sold as forbidden rice or Chinese black rice.
- Best for
- grain salads, pilafs, showy side dishes, porridge and puddings
The best match for texture on this list, with the same substantial bran chew and grains that stay separate. It is slightly sweeter than red rice, almost berry-like, and its pigment bleeds heavily, so it will stain everything in the pot a violet-purple. If the visual was the reason the recipe called for red rice, this delivers the same drama in a different color. Cooks in about 30 to 35 minutes.
Wild rice or a wild rice blend
different taste and texture
The seed of an aquatic grass rather than true rice, long, dark and very firm, often sold blended with brown and red rices.
- Best for
- pilafs, stuffings, grain salads, soups
Much stronger flavored than red rice, distinctly grassy and tea-like, and firmer to the point of being almost crunchy at the tips where the grains split. Wonderful in a pilaf or a stuffing, too assertive if red rice was meant to be a quiet base. Needs 45 to 55 minutes. A wild rice blend is the more balanced choice, since the brown rice in the bag softens the effect.
Brown basmati or brown jasmine rice
different taste, similar texture
Aromatic long-grain rices with the bran intact.
- Best for
- pilafs, curries and stews, grain bowls, side dishes
A good stand-in for Thai red cargo rice or matta rice in a South or Southeast Asian meal, since it keeps the whole grain chew and the separate long grains. The difference is aroma: these bring a clear floral or popcorn perfume that plain red rice does not have, which can be lovely or can fight a delicately seasoned dish. Cook 35 to 40 minutes.
Wehani or Colusari red rice
similar taste and texture
American-grown red-bran rice varieties, often stocked alongside specialty rices.
- Best for
- pilafs, grain salads, side dishes
If the shop has any of these, take them, since they are red rice by another name and need no adjustment beyond checking the package time, usually 40 to 45 minutes. Wehani is a little more aromatic than Bhutanese red, with a faint basmati-like scent, and its grains split open more as they cook so the finished dish looks shaggier.
Red quinoa
different taste and texture
Small reddish-brown quinoa seeds, naturally gluten-free and quick-cooking.
- Best for
- grain salads, grain bowls, quick weeknight sides
Reach for this when what you needed was the color and a bit of nutty bite in a cold salad and you have 15 minutes rather than 45. It is not rice: the seeds are tiny, they pop rather than chew, and the flavor is grassier with a slight bitterness. It will not stand in for red rice as a bed under a stew, where you want distinct grains with body.
Questions
5 questionsIs red rice the same as brown rice?
They are the same idea in a different color. Both are whole grain rices with the bran layer left on, which is what gives them their nutty flavor, chew and longer cooking time. The pigment in red rice bran is different, and some varieties are also partly milled, so they cook faster. For cooking purposes brown rice is the closest common substitute; the main thing you sacrifice is the color.
Can I use white rice instead of red rice?
You can eat the result, but it is a genuinely poor substitute, and this is one of the cases where honesty is more useful than a ratio. Everything red rice contributes, the nutty and mineral flavor, the firm chew that survives a dressing, the russet color, comes from the bran layer that white rice has had polished off. White rice will be soft, plain and pale. If it is all you have, cook it well seasoned and treat the dish as a different dish rather than expecting a match.
Can I just leave it out?
Not usually, because rice is the base rather than a seasoning. The exception is a mixed grain salad where red rice is one of several components, in which case you can simply use more of the others. Otherwise you need some grain in the slot, and among the options here brown rice is the swap that changes the dish the least.
Do Bhutanese, Camargue, Thai and matta red rice substitute for each other?
Yes, and it is usually the easiest fix, but adjust the timing and note the grain shape. Bhutanese red is short-grain and gets soft and slightly clingy in about 20 minutes. Camargue red is chewy and stays separate over 40 to 45 minutes. Thai red cargo is long-grain and needs 35 to 40. Kerala matta is parboiled and coarse with a distinctly earthy flavor of its own. Any of them will make a good dish; just taste rather than trusting the original recipe's clock.
What job is red rice doing in a dish?
Three things at once, and it helps to know which one you actually need. It provides the starch and bulk of the meal. Its bran gives a nutty, earthy flavor and a firm chew that holds up under dressings and reheating, which is why it turns up in grain salads. And it provides color, a russet backdrop that makes a plate look like something. If you only need the first two, brown rice is essentially a free swap. If you need the third, black rice or red quinoa gets you closer.
Tips for substituting red rice
5 tips- Check which red rice your recipe means before you adjust anything, because the cooking times are not close. Bhutanese red rice is partly milled and is soft in about 20 minutes. Thai red cargo rice takes 35 to 40. Camargue red and Kerala matta take 40 to 45. A substitution that ignores this is the usual reason a batch comes out either crunchy or blown out.
- Cook whole grain red rice and its substitutes with excess water and drain, like pasta, rather than by strict absorption. The bran makes absorption timing unpredictable, and draining also washes off pigment and surface starch so the grains stay separate.
- Salt near the end, not the beginning. Salt in the water slows how quickly a bran layer hydrates, so a heavily salted pot can leave you simmering 15 minutes longer than the package says.
- Red rice bleeds. The bran pigment will tint stock, dressing and anything else in the pot a pink-brown, which is fine in a pilaf and unwelcome if you were planning a pale sauce. Brown rice does not do this, which is one small argument in its favor.
- Bhutanese red rice is the one red rice that goes slightly soft and sticky, closer to a Japanese rice than a chewy grain. If you are substituting for it, short-grain brown rice is a much better match than long-grain, which will stay stubbornly separate.