Brown Rice vs Whey Protein Powder: Which is Better?

Rice vs Whey: Protein Content

As shown in the table below, rice protein, like other plant-based protein powders, tends to have about 80 grams of protein per 100 grams, which is similar to whey protein supplements. 

According to Harvard Health, those who do resistance training should get 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For instance, an 80-kilo person would need about 128 grams daily. 

As a scoop is typically 30 grams, if you had three per day (e.g., one in the morning, afternoon, and evening), you'd have 90 grams of rice protein powder, providing about 72 grams of protein–well over half of your daily requirement. 

If you'd like to learn more about other protein powders suitable for those on a plant-based diet, check out my article comparing hemp and pea protein powders. 

Calories and Macronutrients per 100 Grams of Brown Rice and Whey Proteins from Bodybuilding Warehouse, Myprotein, Optimum Nutrition, and Sevenhills* 

If you're interested in other types of protein powders for those on a vegan diet, you might like my article comparing soy protein with whey protein concentrate. 

Rice vs Whey: Essential Amino Acids

One reason whey protein powder is considered the "gold standard" to which other protein sources are compared is that it has all of the essential amino acids (i.e., it has a complete amino acid profile). As you can see from the figure below, while brown rice protein powder might not have as much of each amino acid, all of the essential amino acids are present (Kalman, 2014). 

Grams of Essential Amino Acids per 100 Grams of Brown Rice Isolate and Whey Isolate

Although whey has more leucine—an amino acid important for muscle protein synthesis—significant improvements in strength can be achieved with as little as 3.5 grams of leucine each day (Crowe et al., 2006), which you'd get from just two scoops of rice protein powder. 

If you're interested in the amino acid content of other vegan protein powders, take a look at my articles comparing soy concentrates and isolates and soy and pea protein powders. 

Rice vs Whey: Muscle Growth

A study published in Nutrition Journal by Joy et al. (2013) reported that both rice and whey protein isolates significantly improved muscle mass and exercise performance in resistance-trained males when taken after resistance exercise, with no notable differences observed between the two protein types.

You can learn about other benefits of rice protein powder in my article comparing rice and pea protein powders (made from yellow split peas). Vegan and whey protein powders are also examined in my article comparing vanilla and chocolate protein powders.  

Rice vs Whey: Strength Training

The previously mentioned study by Joy et al. (2013) found that rice protein powder was equally effective as whey protein not only for muscle building but also for strength development. If increasing strength is a priority, you could also consider taking supplements that contain fatty acids, as there's evidence that combining these with a post-workout shake may enhance strength more than protein alone (Boutry-Regard et al., 2020). 

To discover more about how plant-based proteins can increase strength, check out my article comparing whey, soy, and pea protein powders. 

Rice vs Whey: Weight Loss

The investigation by Joy et al. (2013) also found that, in addition to skeletal muscle hypertrophy and strength, rice powder was comparable to whey powder in terms of reducing fat mass and enhancing lean body mass. 

If you're interested in other plant proteins, you might like my article comparing pea and whey protein powder. 

Rice vs Whey: Athletic Performance

A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition compared the effects of 24-gram doses of rice and whey protein on athletic performance during an eight-week resistance training programme in resistance-trained males (Moon et al., 2020). The results showed that both rice and whey proteins led to similar improvements in body composition, muscle strength, endurance, and anaerobic capacity, indicating that both proteins are equally effective in enhancing athletic performance.

As well as rice protein powder, sites like Myprotein and Myvegan have a range of other protein powders without dairy products, such as pea protein isolates and soy protein isolates. 

Rice vs Whey: Digestion Rate

Although rice protein isolate (RPI) digests slower than whey protein isolate (WPI) and shows a slightly lower total amino acid appearance in the blood, it still effectively enhances muscle growth and strength comparable to WPI, with no significant differences in overall amino acid absorption (Jäger et al., 2013).

If you'd like to find out more about other vegan proteins, my article comparing hemp protein with whey protein might be of interest. 

​FAQs About Rice and Whey Proteins

How are rice and whey protein powders made?

Whey protein powder is derived from cow's milk as a byproduct of the cheese-making process, where the liquid whey is separated, filtered, and dried into a protein-rich powder. In addition to being used in protein powders, whey protein is often used in infant formulas (Picaud et al., 2020). Rice protein powder is produced by processing brown rice through milling, isolation, and extraction to obtain the protein content, which is then dried into a fine powder.

If you're interested in other dairy-based proteins, you might like my article comparing whey and casein protein powders. 

Is rice protein powder a complete protein?

As shown in the graph towards the start of the article, rice protein powder contains all of the essential amino acids and, therefore, can be considered a complete protein. 

Can you get enough protein from rice protein powder?

As shown in the table towards the start of the article, rice protein powder has about as much protein as whey protein concentrate. With about 24 grams of protein per scoop (equivalent to the amount of protein in around four eggs), rice protein powder can provide enough protein to support a range of fitness goals (e.g., increasing your lean mass or bench press). 

Is whey suitable for someone on a vegetarian diet?

Yes, while a vegetarian might want to avoid animal-based proteins like collagen protein, whey is a milk protein and does not contain parts of the cow. However, those with lactose intolerance may want to avoid dairy proteins and instead opt for a powder made from plant sources. 

Can rice protein benefit your overall health?

Yes. For example, brown rice protein may help lower blood sugar levels (Panlasigui & Thompson, 2006). This could positively impact your overall health, given that high blood sugar levels can increase the risk of developing conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome (reference).

If you're interested in this topic, you might like my article on the best protein supplements for diabetics. 

An additional benefit of brown rice protein powder is that it may help to lower cholesterol (Yang et al., 2011). 

Final Words on Rice vs Whey Protein

For those who want to avoid animal protein, rice protein powder is a good choice for increasing protein intake. 

In addition to supporting muscle growth, strength, weight loss (Joy et al., 2013), and athletic performance (Moon et al., 2020), the possible health benefits of rice protein powder include lower blood sugar (Panlasigui & Thompson, 2006) and cholesterol (Yang et al., 2011). However, a variety of different protein powders appropriate for those on a plant-based diet could also be suitable, including soy, hemp, and pea protein powders. These nutritional supplements, far from being of lower quality than animal products, usually have comparable levels of essential amino acids and protein per serving and so are a good way of meeting your dietary needs. 

If you're not sure which is the ideal choice for you, you could try out some very inexpensive samples of these types of proteins:

• Pea protein powder sample
• Soy protein powder sample
• Vegan blend protein powder sample
• Whey protein powder sample

If you're not enthusiastic about consuming protein in powder form, check out my article on the best protein bars. 

About the Author

Dave Robinson, a co-founder of ukfitness.pro, has a background in psychology (BSc) and neuroscience (MSc, PhD). As well as strength training, he enjoys endurance challenges and has run ultramarathons, cycled across several countries, and completed the Three Peaks Challenge. When writing, he draws on scientific evidence to understand the pros and cons of different diets, supplements, and training regimes. 

As an Amazon Associate, the site earns from qualifying purchases.

Footnotes

*Macros, calories, and ratings can vary across flavours and as new versions are released. 

References

• Boutry-Regard, C., Vinyes-Parés, G., Breuillé, D., & Moritani, T. (2020). Supplementation with whey protein, omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols combined with electrical muscle stimulation increases muscle strength in elderly adults with limited mobility: A randomized controlled trial. Nutrients, 12(6), 1866. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061866
• Crowe, M. J., Weatherson, J. N., & Bowden, B. F. (2006). Effects of dietary leucine supplementation on exercise performance. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 97(6), 664–672. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-005-0036-1
• Picaud, J. C., Pajek, B., Arciszewska, M., Tarczón, I., Escribano, J., Porcel, R., Adelt, T., Hassink, E., Rijnierse, A., Abrahamse-Berkeveld, M., Korczowski, B., & On Behalf Of The Tenuto Study Group (2020). An infant formula with partially hydrolyzed whey protein supports adequate growth and is safe and well-tolerated in healthy, term infants: A randomized, double-blind, equivalence trial. Nutrients, 12(7), 2072. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12072072
• Kalman D. S. (2014). Amino acid composition of an organic brown rice protein concentrate and isolate compared to soy and whey concentrates and isolates. Foods, 3(3), 394–402. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods3030394
• Jäger, R., Dudeck, J. E., Joy, J. M., Lowery, R. P., McCleary, S. A., Wilson, S. M. C., Kalman, D. S., Wilson, J. M., & Purpura, M. (2013). Comparison of rice and whey protein isolate digestion rate and amino acid absorption. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 10(Suppl 1), P12. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-10-S1-P12
• Joy, J. M., Lowery, R. P., Wilson, J. M., Purpura, M., De Souza, E. O., Wilson, S. M., Kalman, D. S., Dudeck, J. E., & Jäger, R. (2013). The effects of 8 weeks of whey or rice protein supplementation on body composition and exercise performance. Nutrition Journal, 12, 86. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-12-86
• Moon, J. M., Ratliff, K. M., Blumkaitis, J. C., Harty, P. S., Zabriskie, H. A., Stecker, R. A., Currier, B. S., Jagim, A. R., Jäger, R., Purpura, M., & Kerksick, C. M. (2020). Effects of daily 24-gram doses of rice or whey protein on resistance training adaptations in trained males. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 17(1), 60. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-020-00394-1
• Panlasigui, L. N., & Thompson, L. U. (2006). Blood glucose lowering effects of brown rice in normal and diabetic subjects. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 57(3-4), 151–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637480500410879
• Yang, L., Chen, J., Xu, T., Qiu, W., Zhang, Y., Zhang, L., Xu, F., & Liu, H. (2011). Rice protein extracted by different methods affects cholesterol metabolism in rats due to its lower digestibility. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 12(11), 7594–7608. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms12117594