Group · Starchy foods
Arborio rice (risotto rice, cooked)
Arborio rice is the round-grain variety from the Po plain, grown for risotto. Its distinguishing feature is its surface starch, which is released by stirring and binds the dish without cream: it is the starch that gives the creaminess, not the fat.
In terms of nutrition facts once cooked: 155 kcal per 100 g, with 33.2 g of carbohydrate, 3.31 g of protein, 1.4 g of fibre and 0.7 g of fat. The Ciqual table does not distinguish between varieties of white rice: the page is matched to the line « White rice, cooked, no added salt », which also applies to arborio.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 155 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 658 kJ |
| Protein | 3,4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 33,2 g |
| Fat | 0,7 g |
| Fibre | 1,4 g |
Micronutrients per 100 g
All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.
- Manganese0,28 mg14 %
- Copper0,07 mg7 %
- Phosphorus36,7 mg5 %
- Vitamin B50,15 mg3 %
- Magnesium9,03 mg2 %
- Vitamin B30,37 mg2 %
- Omega-6 LA0,14 g1 %
- Vitamin B120,03 µg1 %
- Vitamin B9dietary folate equivalents9,9 µg
See the other 4 nutrients
- Potassium21,9 mg1 %
- Calcium6,3 mg1 %
- Omega-3 ALA0,01 g0 %
- Vitamin A1,25 µg0 %
Anses Ciqual 2025. Source: Anses, 2025, Ciqual food composition table
Tips
The creaminess comes from technique, not butter. This is the point that changes everything about this dish. A successful risotto is bound by the starch released during stirring, with stock added a ladle at a time. The final mantecatura with butter and Parmesan can be halved without losing the texture.
Never rinse it. Unlike basmati rice, which is rinsed to separate the grains, arborio must keep its starch. Rinsing it means depriving yourself of what you came for.
Count the portion dry. 70 to 80 g of raw rice per person, which will give about 200 g cooked. A risotto looks small at the start: the rice triples in volume, and the temptation to add more is the main cause of overly large plates.
The vegetables make the dish. Mushrooms, courgettes, asparagus or pumpkin provide the fibre that white rice lacks and increase the volume at constant calories. A risotto that is half rice and half vegetables is still a risotto.
Glycaemic index. Round white rice has a high glycaemic index. Eating it with vegetables, a source of protein and a little fat clearly slows absorption. That is exactly what a classic risotto does, and it counts in its favour.
Sources
Average nutritional values per 100 g, provided for guidance only (may vary by brand, cut and preparation).
