Last updated: October 25, 2026 · Nutrient figures come from USDA FoodData Central. Every study was read from its abstract on PubMed. Sources are listed at the end.
Rice flour is not a good everyday flour for PCOS, but you can still use it. It is almost entirely quickly digested starch. White rice flour has 80 grams of carbohydrate and only 2.4 grams of fiber per 100 grams. Breads made with rice flour often have a high glycemic index. Use it in small amounts, combine it with chickpea flour, and eat it with protein.
Quick answer
- White rice flour: 80.1 g carbohydrate, 2.4 g fiber and 5.95 g protein per 100 g (USDA).
- Chickpea flour: 57.8 g carbohydrate, 10.8 g fiber and 22.4 g protein per 100 g (USDA).
- In a 2021 review of 132 gluten-free breads, 60.7% had a high glycemic index and only 18.2% were classified as low.
- Brown rice flour contains about twice the fiber of white rice flour, but it also contains more inorganic arsenic.
Want flour swaps worked into a week you can shop for? Build your free meal plan.
Is rice flour good for PCOS?
Rice flour is fine in small amounts. But it is one of the weaker flours for PCOS, because of what it does to insulin. Insulin resistance, where your cells respond weakly to insulin, is common in PCOS. When blood sugar rises fast, the pancreas releases extra insulin. High insulin then signals the ovaries to make more testosterone.
Per 100 grams, white rice flour carries 80.1 grams of carbohydrate. Almost all of it is starch that milling has made easy to digest. It has only 2.4 grams of fiber and 5.95 grams of protein, so very little slows digestion down. A pancake or loaf made only from rice flour acts much like white bread in your blood.
That does not make rice flour forbidden. The 2023 international PCOS guideline was written by the International PCOS Network and approved by Australia's NHMRC. It does not ban single foods or favor one type of diet over another. What decides the effect is how much rice flour you use, what you mix it with, and what you eat with it. The sections below cover each one.
How does rice flour compare with other flours for PCOS?
Rice flour contains more carbohydrate, and less fiber and protein, than almost every flour you might replace it with. The table uses USDA FoodData Central values for 100 grams of dry flour, and the net carbohydrate column is total carbohydrate minus fiber, calculated by us.
| Flour (100 g) | Carbs | Fiber | Net carbohydrate | Protein | Best PCOS use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White rice flour | 80.1 g | 2.4 g | 77.7 g | 5.95 g | Thickening sauces, light coatings |
| Brown rice flour | 76.5 g | 4.6 g | 71.9 g | 7.23 g | Blended bakes, in rotation |
| White wheat flour (all-purpose) | 76.3 g | 2.7 g | 73.6 g | 10.3 g | Occasional baking only |
| Whole wheat flour | 72.0 g | 10.7 g | 61.3 g | 13.2 g | Everyday baking, if gluten is fine |
| Oat flour (partly debranned) | 65.7 g | 6.5 g | 59.2 g | 14.7 g | Pancakes, muffins, crumble toppings |
| Chickpea flour (besan) | 57.8 g | 10.8 g | 47.0 g | 22.4 g | Flatbreads, savory pancakes, blending |
Chickpea flour provides almost four times the protein of white rice flour and about four times the dietary fiber, while whole wheat flour provides more than four times the fiber. Nut flours such as almond and coconut are lower again in carbohydrate, and our almond flour vs coconut flour comparison covers that pair. For the full ranking of every flour, start with our guide to the best flour for PCOS.
What is the glycemic index of rice flour?
Rice flour itself has no tested glycemic index, because nobody eats it raw, but the foods made from it have been tested and their numbers tend to be high. The glycemic index, or GI, ranks how quickly a food raises blood glucose compared with pure glucose, which scores 100. A GI of 70 or more is classified as high.
- A 1992 Sydney study tested 12 rice products in 8 healthy adults, including rice cakes and rice pasta. The GI ranged from 64 to 93, and most rice products came out high.
- A 2021 review pooled 18 studies and 132 gluten-free breads. 60.7% had a high GI and only 18.2% had a low one.
- A 2020 Brazilian study tested gluten-free breads sold in shops. 6 of the 8 refined breads had a high GI, while 3 of the 4 whole grain or multigrain breads were medium.
- A 2004 Italian study in healthy adults found a larger glucose response after gluten-free bread than after normal wheat bread.
The 2021 review also identified the ingredients that lowered the GI of gluten-free bread, including added fiber, yogurt, curd cheese, sourdough and psyllium. That list works as a practical recipe guide, because a rice flour bake only becomes gentler on blood glucose when you deliberately add something to it.
Is brown rice flour better than white rice flour for PCOS?
Brown rice flour is a little better than white, but the difference is smaller than the packaging suggests. Because it keeps the bran, it provides 4.6 grams of fiber per 100 grams compared with 2.4 grams in white rice flour, along with slightly more protein, at 7.23 grams against 5.95.
The glycemic difference between them is small: the 1992 Sydney study tested brown and white versions of three commercial rice varieties and concluded that many varieties, whether white or brown, should be classified as high GI. A 2010 Taiwanese study measured a GI of 82 for cooked brown rice in 10 healthy adults. Brown rice is still a quickly digested starch, so the words whole grain on the packet do not make it a slow carbohydrate. Our guide to the brown rice glycemic index covers the whole grain in more detail.
Brown rice flour has one genuine disadvantage, which is arsenic. Rice absorbs more arsenic from soil and water than other cereals, and the arsenic concentrates in the outer layers of the grain. Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) reports that brown rice contains more inorganic arsenic than white rice, which loses most of those layers during milling. Choose brown rice flour for its additional fiber, but do not make it your only flour.
Does rice flour contain arsenic?
Yes, rice flour can contain inorganic arsenic, because the rice it is milled from does. In German monitoring, the BfR measured an average of 0.1 mg of inorganic arsenic per kg of white rice. Brown rice measured higher, and so did rice cakes and rice flakes. Inorganic arsenic is the form of concern with long-term, everyday intake.
Washing rice and cooking it in plenty of water removes some arsenic, but that option disappears entirely once rice has been milled into flour. The BfR recommends eating rice products in moderation and alternating them with products made from other cereals, such as maize or wheat. In practice, rice flour should share your cupboard with chickpea, oat or nut flour instead of being the only flour you use.
Is sweet rice flour or glutinous rice flour OK for PCOS?
Sweet rice flour is the most difficult rice flour for blood glucose. It is milled from waxy rice, also called glutinous or sticky rice, which contains almost no amylose, the straight-chain part of starch that digests slowly. In the 1992 Sydney study, the waxy rice contained only 0 to 2% amylose. A high-amylose rice with 28% amylose gave a clearly lower GI than both the normal and the waxy rice.
Sweet rice flour is the base of mochi, tangyuan and many other Asian desserts, and despite the name it contains no gluten. Treat those foods as an occasional dessert eaten after a meal that contains protein, not as a snack on an empty stomach.
Do you need rice flour if you go gluten-free for PCOS?
Most women with PCOS do not need a gluten-free diet at all, and the 2023 PCOS guideline does not recommend one. If you have celiac disease or a diagnosed gluten intolerance, rice flour is a reliable gluten-free base, and the practical recommendations below still apply to you.
The common problem is that gluten-free products frequently replace wheat with rice flour and refined starch, which can produce a faster glucose rise instead of a slower one. A 2004 Italian study in healthy volunteers found exactly that pattern with gluten-free bread. Our gluten-free diet for PCOS guide explains who actually benefits from eliminating gluten. If you do go gluten-free, our list of the best gluten-free flours for PCOS gives you alternatives with considerably more fiber than rice.
You do not need another plan. You need a system. Knowing that chickpea flour beats rice flour is the easy part, and remembering it on a busy Thursday evening is the difficult part. PCOS Meal Planner builds your week from the foods you actually enjoy and writes the shopping list, so the better flour substitutions are already in your basket. Build your free plan.
How to use rice flour in a PCOS-friendly way
Use rice flour as a supporting ingredient, not as the entire recipe. These steps follow the ingredients that the 2021 review linked to a lower GI in gluten-free bread, combined with the familiar rule of eating starch with protein.
- Combine it equally with chickpea flour. By our calculation from the USDA values, a 50:50 mixture of white rice and chickpea flour gives about 69 g carbohydrate, 6.6 g fiber and 14.2 g protein per 100 g. That is more than double the fiber and protein of rice flour used alone.
- Add psyllium husk to gluten-free baking. Psyllium was one of the fiber sources the 2021 review associated with a lower GI, and it also helps gluten-free dough hold together.
- Mix in yogurt or curd cheese. Both appeared on the review's list, and Greek yogurt in a rice flour pancake batter contributes additional protein.
- Choose sourdough when you buy gluten-free bread. Sourdough fermentation was another factor the review connected with a lower GI.
- Use rice flour where a small quantity is enough. A spoonful to thicken a sauce, or a light dusting on fish or tofu before pan-frying, adds very little carbohydrate to the plate.
- Eat it alongside protein and vegetables. A rice flour flatbread served with eggs and greens affects your blood glucose very differently from the same flatbread spread with jam.
Rice paper wrappers, often made from rice flour and tapioca starch, are another rice flour food. Our no-cook summer rice paper rolls wrap shrimp and vegetables in a thin sheet, so the protein and vegetables outweigh the starch in every portion. When flour is the principal ingredient, a chickpea flour recipe is the better choice, such as the chickpea flour scramble with spinach and feta or a socca flatbread with roasted vegetables.
Does cooling rice flour bakes add resistant starch?
Possibly a little, but there is no reliable data for rice flour bakes. Cooling cooked rice increases its resistant starch, which is starch your small intestine does not digest. In one Indonesian trial, rice chilled for 24 hours and reheated had 1.65 grams per 100 grams against 0.64 grams fresh. No study we found has tested cooled rice flour bread or pancakes in people.
Treat cooling as a modest bonus, not a dependable solution. Our resistant starch and PCOS guide explains what cooling and reheating really do, and the food safety rules for cooked rice.
Myths about rice flour and PCOS
Myth: Gluten-free products are automatically better for PCOS.
Reality: Many gluten-free foods replace wheat with rice flour and refined starch, and in a 2021 review of 132 gluten-free breads, 60.7% had a high glycemic index.
Myth: Brown rice flour is a low GI flour.
Reality: Brown rice flour has about twice the fiber of white, but rice is still a fast starch, and a 2010 Taiwanese study measured cooked brown rice at a GI of 82.
Myth: Sweet rice flour contains gluten.
Reality: Glutinous rice is named for its sticky texture and contains no gluten. It also contains almost no slowly digested amylose, so it is the fastest rice flour of all.
Myth: You have to eliminate rice flour completely with PCOS.
Reality: The 2023 PCOS guideline does not ban single foods, and a spoonful to thicken a sauce, or rice flour blended with chickpea flour, fits comfortably on a PCOS plate.
Frequently asked questions
Is rice flour high in carbohydrate?
Yes, white rice flour contains 80.1 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams, and only 2.4 grams of that is fiber. That is more than white wheat flour at 76.3 grams, and far more than chickpea flour at 57.8 grams. A recipe made entirely from rice flour is high in quickly digested carbohydrate, so combine it with a flour that contains more protein and fiber.
Is rice flour better than wheat flour for PCOS?
No, not for blood glucose control. White rice flour and white wheat flour contain similar amounts of carbohydrate, but wheat flour has more protein, at 10.3 grams against 5.95. Whole wheat flour contains far more fiber than either. Choose rice flour only if you medically need to avoid gluten, and otherwise choose whole wheat flour.
Can I eat rice flour with insulin resistance?
Yes, in modest amounts. Use a spoonful to thicken a sauce, or use a light coating on fish before cooking. In baking, blend it with chickpea or oat flour, and add psyllium or yogurt to the mixture. Eat it alongside protein and vegetables, and avoid eating plain rice cakes or other rice flour snacks on an empty stomach.
Is brown rice flour healthy for PCOS?
It is the better of the two rice flours, with 4.6 grams of fiber per 100 grams against 2.4 grams in white. But it is still a quickly digested starch, and it contains more arsenic than white rice flour. Use it as one flour among several in your kitchen, not as the only variety you regularly buy.
What flour is best for PCOS?
The best flours contain more protein and fiber. Chickpea flour has 22.4 grams of protein and 10.8 grams of fiber per 100 grams, and whole wheat and oat flour are also reasonable choices. Almond and coconut flour contain the least carbohydrate, while rice flour sits near the bottom of the list.
Are rice cakes good for PCOS?
Plain rice cakes are a poor snack choice for PCOS. Puffed rice cakes were one of the 12 rice products in the 1992 Sydney study, where most rice products had a high glycemic index. The BfR also measured more arsenic in rice cakes than in white rice. If you enjoy them, top each one with nut butter or cottage cheese to add protein and moderate the glucose rise.
Is rice flour inflammatory?
We found no reliable evidence that rice flour causes inflammation. Its real problem for PCOS is speed, because its starch is digested into blood glucose quickly. Repeated large glucose spikes are the pattern to minimize when you have insulin resistance. Keep portions moderate and eat rice flour foods together with protein.
Where to go next
- The best flour for PCOS, for the complete ranking of alternative flours, from almond to whole wheat.
- 12 low-glycemic PCOS pancake recipes, if breakfast pancakes are where you regularly use the most flour.
- A PCOS meal plan for insulin resistance, to see how a flour substitution fits into a complete day of eating.
Make the substitution once, not every day. Tell PCOS Meal Planner what you enjoy, what you avoid and whether you need gluten-free recipes. It builds the week and the shopping list, and you can replace any individual meal. Rice flour can stay in your PCOS kitchen as a helper while the plan does the remembering. Start free.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy. Rice flour, white, unenriched (FDC 169714); Rice flour, brown (FDC 168898); Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, unenriched (FDC 169761); Wheat flour, whole-grain (FDC 168893); Oat flour, partially debranned (FDC 169741); Chickpea flour (besan) (FDC 174288). fdc.nal.usda.gov
- Miller JB, Pang E, Bramall L. Rice: a high or low glycemic index food? Am J Clin Nutr. 1992;56(6):1034-1036. PMID 1442654
- Romão B, Falcomer AL, Palos G, et al. Glycemic index of gluten-free bread and their main ingredients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Foods. 2021;10(3):506. PMID 33673401
- Romão B, Botelho RBA, Alencar ER, et al. Chemical composition and glycemic index of gluten-free bread commercialized in Brazil. Nutrients. 2020;12(8):2234. PMID 32726985
- Lin MH, Wu MC, Lu S, Lin J. Glycemic index, glycemic load and insulinemic index of Chinese starchy foods. World J Gastroenterol. 2010;16(39):4973-4979. PMID 20954285
- Berti C, Riso P, Monti LD, Porrini M. In vitro starch digestibility and in vivo glucose response of gluten-free foods and their gluten counterparts. Eur J Nutr. 2004;43(4):198-204. PMID 15309439
- Sonia S, Witjaksono F, Ridwan R. Effect of cooling of cooked white rice on resistant starch content and glycemic response. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2015;24(4):620-625. PMID 26693746
- Teede HJ, Tay CT, Laven JJE, et al. Recommendations from the 2023 international evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. Eur J Endocrinol. 2023;189(2):G43-G64. PMID 37580861
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). Frequently asked questions on arsenic in rice and rice products. Updated 22 December 2020. bfr.bund.de
How this article was made
We wrote this guide because readers searched our site for rice flour and found nothing. The nutrient table uses USDA FoodData Central values for dry flour. The net carb column and the 50:50 blend figures are our own sums from those values. Every study was read from its abstract on PubMed. We did not use the nutrition values stored in our own recipe database for any claim here.
One limitation is worth naming clearly: no study has tested rice flour itself in women with PCOS, so this guide rests on glycemic studies in healthy adults and on what is known about insulin resistance. PMOS is the new name for PCOS since May 2026, and everything here applies under either name.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you have celiac disease or take medicine that lowers blood sugar, talk to your doctor or dietitian before you change your flours or carbs.
Community Comments
Add a comment