You can remove a significant amount of arsenic from rice by changing how you wash, soak, and cook it. The most effective home method, called parboiling with absorption, removes up to 73% of inorganic arsenic from white rice and 54% from brown rice. Even simpler changes, like rinsing thoroughly and cooking in extra water, make a meaningful difference.
Arsenic is a naturally occurring element that rice absorbs from soil and water more readily than most other grains. It’s present in all rice to some degree, and long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic (the more harmful form) is linked to increased cancer risk and other health problems. The good news: your cooking method has a surprisingly large effect on how much arsenic ends up on your plate.
Why Rice Contains More Arsenic Than Other Grains
Rice is grown in flooded paddies, and waterlogged soil releases arsenic in a form that rice roots absorb efficiently. This means rice picks up roughly ten times more arsenic than wheat or barley grown in the same soil. The arsenic concentrates in specific parts of the grain. Research published in ACS journals found that rice bran contains about six times more total arsenic than the polished white endosperm (3.3 mg/kg versus 0.56 mg/kg). Inorganic arsenic follows the same pattern: bran holds roughly nine times the concentration found in polished grain.
The arsenic accumulates in the aleurone layer, the protein-rich and nutrient-dense layer just beneath the outer hull that gets stripped away during milling. This is why brown rice, which retains that layer, consistently tests higher in arsenic than white rice. It’s also why brown rice is harder to clean up through cooking alone.
Choosing Lower-Arsenic Rice Before You Cook
Where your rice was grown matters as much as how you prepare it. Rice from certain regions and of certain varieties tends to carry less arsenic. Dartmouth’s Toxic Metals research program recommends these lower-arsenic options:
- Basmati rice from India, Pakistan, or California
- Sushi rice grown in the U.S.
- Instant and quick-cooking rice, which undergo extra processing that leaches arsenic
Rice grown in the south-central United States (Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas) tends to be higher in arsenic due to historical pesticide use on cotton fields that were later converted to rice paddies. If you eat brown rice, basmati varieties from India, Pakistan, or California are your best bet. White rice is lower in arsenic across the board, though it also delivers less fiber and fewer vitamins.
Rinsing and Soaking
Rinsing rice under running water before cooking is the simplest step you can take. Research from the USDA’s National Agricultural Library found that rinsing removed about 10% of total and inorganic arsenic from basmati rice, though it was less effective for other varieties. That’s modest, but it costs you nothing and takes under a minute.
To rinse effectively, place rice in a fine-mesh strainer or bowl and run cold water through it, swirling with your hand, until the water runs mostly clear. This typically takes four to six rinses. Soaking rice overnight and then discarding the soaking water before cooking can pull out additional arsenic, since the grain has more time to release water-soluble contaminants into the surrounding liquid.
The Excess Water Method
The standard way most people cook rice, using just enough water for the grains to absorb, traps whatever arsenic is present. Cooking in a large volume of water and then draining it off (the way you’d cook pasta) is considerably more effective because arsenic leaches into the cooking water, which you then pour away.
Use a ratio of at least 6 parts water to 1 part rice. Bring the water to a boil, add the rinsed rice, cook until tender, then drain thoroughly in a fine-mesh strainer. This single change can remove substantially more arsenic than the absorption method. The tradeoff is that some water-soluble B vitamins and other nutrients also leach into the discarded water, though the loss is moderate for most people eating a varied diet.
Parboiling With Absorption: The Most Effective Method
The technique that performs best in laboratory testing is a two-stage approach: parboiling first, then finishing with absorption. Researchers at the University of Sheffield found this method removed 73% of inorganic arsenic from white rice and 54% from brown rice, while preserving more nutrients than simply boiling in excess water the entire time.
Here’s how to do it at home:
- Step 1: Boil a large pot of water (use a generous amount, similar to cooking pasta).
- Step 2: Add your rinsed rice and parboil for 5 minutes.
- Step 3: Drain and discard all the water. This first batch carries the bulk of the dissolved arsenic.
- Step 4: Add fresh water at a lower ratio (just enough to finish cooking) and cook on low heat until the rice absorbs it completely.
The first boil pulls arsenic into the water, which you throw away. The second stage uses clean water and a normal absorption method, so you get the texture most people prefer without reintroducing contaminants. This approach works on the stovetop. Standard rice cookers are designed for the absorption method only, so they aren’t ideal for the parboil-and-drain step, though you could parboil on the stove and transfer to a rice cooker for the second stage.
Brown Rice vs. White Rice
Brown rice presents a harder challenge. Because arsenic concentrates in the bran layers that give brown rice its nutritional advantages, it starts with roughly twice the inorganic arsenic of white rice. Even the best cooking method (parboiling with absorption) removes only about 54% from brown rice compared to 73% from white. After cooking, brown rice prepared with the best technique still contains more arsenic than white rice prepared the same way.
If you eat brown rice regularly, combining strategies helps: choose a lower-arsenic variety (basmati from India, Pakistan, or California), rinse thoroughly, and use the parboiling method. Alternating brown rice with other whole grains like quinoa, farro, millet, or oats also reduces your cumulative exposure.
Protecting Infants and Young Children
Children face higher risk from arsenic in rice because they eat more food relative to their body weight. The FDA set an action level of 100 parts per billion for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereals, and manufacturers are expected to meet that standard. Still, rice cereal doesn’t need to be a baby’s first or only grain. The FDA notes that iron-fortified oat, barley, and multigrain infant cereals provide similar nutritional benefits with lower arsenic exposure.
Pregnant women are advised to eat a variety of grains rather than relying heavily on rice. Rice milk, rice syrup, and rice-based snacks can add up as hidden sources of arsenic, so checking labels and rotating grain sources is a practical habit for families with young children.
Putting It All Together
No single step eliminates all arsenic from rice, but stacking several strategies gets you close to removing three-quarters of it. A practical routine looks like this: buy a lower-arsenic variety (basmati from California or South Asia), rinse it four to six times, parboil for 5 minutes in plenty of water, drain, then finish cooking in fresh water. This combination hits every lever available to a home cook. For meals where the parboiling step feels like too much effort, simply cooking in excess water and draining still removes far more arsenic than the standard absorption method.