Best Rice Brands | Reviews & Ratings

How we rate dry rice

Our review compares dry rice on customer satisfaction, so you can find out what other Aussies think about the compared brands before you go ahead with a purchase. Think of it as like asking hundreds of your closest mates which dry rice they think is best!

How many Australians do we survey for our ratings?

Canstar Blue surveyed 1,292 Australians for their feedback on the dry rice(s) they’ve purchased from a supermarket or grocer and eaten in the last three months.

The outcomes reported in these ratings are measured via accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics.

What criteria are used to rate dry rice brands?

Respondents rate their satisfaction with their dry rice brand(s) from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:

Overall satisfaction: measures consumer satisfaction with a dry rice brand as an individual score NOT a combined total of all criteria.
Taste: the rice tasted authentic, and matched the flavour description on the packaging.
Texture: the rice had a pleasant and expected texture.
Value for money: the cost is reasonable for the quality and performance of the rice.
Packaging convenience: the rice packaging was easy to open and store.
Variety & range: the rice brand offered a variety of product and flavour options (i.e. brown, jasmine, wild, etc.).

How do we determine the winner?

The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.

Overall satisfaction is asked as a specific question and represents an individual measure, not a combined total of all criteria.
When we cannot determine a clear winner from the criteria for the Overall satisfaction rating, we will then look at the other criteria measured in the rating.
- The brand with the highest number of five-star ratings within the supporting criteria will become the five-star recipient in overall satisfaction, and thus win the award. If a clear leader still cannot be determined from the supporting criteria, joint winners will be declared.

Which dry rice brands do we rate?

Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.

Daawat
ALDI Imperial Grain
Coles
Woolworths
Sun Rice
Riviana
Macro Organic

Find more detailed information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.

Top Dry Rice Brand – Daawat

Daawat Rice

An Indian brand, Daawat offers multiple types of dry rice for shoppers to choose from, with the majority of its range a variant of basmati rice, which is a long grain rice that is considered more aromatic than traditional white rice, and is traditionally grown in India and Pakistan. Daawat’s range includes brown, Biryani, Sela and ‘Everyday’ rice to help with meals, with 5kg and 10kg bags available depending on the flavour.

Daawat was rated five stars for taste, texture, packaging convenience, variety and range as well as overall satisfaction, with three stars for value for money.

How to cook rice

There are different ways to cook rice, with each method varying depending on the type of rice and equipment you’re using. You can generally steam dry rice using a rice cooker, saucepan, and some multi-cookers. Here are the basic steps:

Fill the bowl (or the inner pot of your rice cooker or multi-cooker) with your cup(s) of rice.
Add water into the bowl, until the rice is submerged.
Stir the rice around the bowl to remove starch and any impurities.
Slowly tilt the bowl or inner pot to drain the water, before re-filling the bowl and rinsing the rice for a second time (or until the cloudy, opaque water in the bowl turns clear).
Once you’ve cleaned the rice and drained the water, you can now add the water needed to cook the rice. White rice typically requires 1½ cups of water for every cup of rice. Alternatively, you can use the ‘finger hack’ where you place your middle finger on the surface of the rice and pour water into the pot until it reaches the first joint (the line on your finger).

Most rice cookers and some multi-cookers usually come with pre-set functions that allow you to ‘press and forget’, although some appliances offer different buttons for brown rice and white rice (brown rice typically takes longer to cook).

To cook rice in a saucepan, simply bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes until your rice is moist.

Is rice good for your health?

Rice can form part of a healthy diet since it belongs to one of the five food groups Aussies are recommended to consume daily (grains). According to Eat For Health, a single serve of rice is equal to ½ cup (75-120g).

Basmati rice and long-grain rice have a medium GI (glycemic index), similar to wholemeal bread, honey and orange juice. Meanwhile, brown and jasmine rice rank higher on the GI scale, sitting alongside potatoes, white bread, and other short-grain rice.

Compare Microwave Rice

Picture credit: Peangdao/shutterstock.com

About our consumer experts

Dean Heckscher: Site Editor

This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Site Editor, Dean Heckscher. He’s our resident expert on all things automotive, health & fitness, streaming and more. Dean is also one of Canstar Blue’s customer research report producers, helping to turn complicated subjects into easily-digestible information for our readers. He’s passionate about helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services.

Meet the Editorial Team

Samantha Howse: Consumer Research Specialist

Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.

Meet the Research Team