Vialone Nano Rice substitute

Substitutes for Vialone Nano Rice with ratios

1. 2Arborio Rice

   Different texture

   Use the same amount by volume

   The most widely stocked risotto rice, plump and very starchy.

   What changes

   Best for

   risotto, rice pudding, arancini, everyday cooking

   Available in every supermarket, which is often the deciding factor. Arborio releases starch enthusiastically so the risotto is creamy fast, but the grains soften from the outside in and go chalky-centred then blown-out if you push them, giving a slightly gluier, heavier result than vialone nano's light, loose one. Start tasting at 15 minutes and add stock in smaller amounts near the end.

2. 3Bomba or Calasparra Rice

   Different texture

   Use the same amount by volume, with about 10 percent more liquid

   Spanish short-grain paella rice that absorbs a lot of stock without breaking.

   What changes

   Best for

   risotto where separate grains are wanted, paella-style rice dishes, baked rice

   It drinks up an unusual amount of liquid and keeps its shape almost stubbornly, so the flavour is excellent but the result is much less creamy. You end up with a well-flavoured, slightly loose rice dish rather than the silky ripple of a Venetian risotto. Beat in an extra knob of cold butter and a good handful of grated parmesan at the end to compensate.

3. 4Sushi Rice or Japanese Short-Grain Rice

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount by volume, with slightly less liquid

   Sticky japonica short-grain rice, unrinsed for this purpose.

   What changes

   Best for

   improvised risotto, rice pudding, when no Italian rice is in the house

   A real fallback that works better than most people expect, since short-grain japonica has plenty of the amylopectin starch that makes risotto creamy. Crucially, do not rinse it, because rinsing removes the starch you need. It cooks faster, in around 12 to 14 minutes, and the finished dish is stickier and softer, closer to a savoury porridge than a risotto, but it is genuinely creamy and tastes good.

4. 5Pearled Farro or Pearl Barley

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount by volume, with more liquid and longer cooking

   Starchy grains that make farrotto or orzotto instead of risotto.

   What changes

   Best for

   farrotto, orzotto, whole-grain risotto-style dishes, hearty winter versions

   Not a rice at all, and honest about it. Both release enough starch to go creamy using the same ladle-by-ladle method, but they need 25 to 35 minutes and noticeably more stock, and the grains stay chewy rather than becoming tender. The result is nuttier, earthier and chunkier, an excellent dish in its own right rather than an imitation of a Venetian one.

5. 6Long-Grain Rice, and Why It Fails

   Taste and texture differ

   not recommended

   Basmati, jasmine and standard long-grain rice, the swap to avoid.

   What changes

   Best for

   pilaf, steamed rice, not risotto

   Included so you do not waste an evening. Long-grain rice is high in amylose and low in the surface starch that makes risotto creamy, and it is bred to cook into separate dry grains. Cooked risotto-style it gives you sticky-outside, hard-inside grains sitting in thin stock, with none of the emulsion that defines the dish. If long-grain rice is all you have, make a pilaf or a rice soup on purpose instead.