Arborio Medium Grain Rice

Mahatma® Arborio Medium Grain Rice provides a delicious, tender and slightly chewy texture to your rice dishes, making it perfect for a wide variety of Italian home-cooked meals like risotto and arancini-style Rice Balls. It can also be used to enhance a rich and creamy rice pudding.

What is Arborio Rice?

Arborio Rice is a typical Italian variety with a round shape. It is medium grain rice with a higher starch content which means it absorbs liquids and flavors more easily and results in a naturally more luscious texture. While cooking, the starch from the rice is released to make the granules more compact and plump.

This specialty variety from Mahatma® Rice is also Non-GMO Project Verified, free of MSG and contains no other added preservatives.

Contrary to other long grain rice varieties such as Jasmine Rice, Basmati Rice or traditional White Rice, as Arborio Rice is a medium grain variety, it won’t cook up separate and slender but chewier and creamier making it ideal for risotto.

How to Cook Arborio Rice

Similar to traditional methods, the perfect water to rice ratio is 2:1, which means 2 cups of water per each cup of rice.

Cook over the stove for about 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed. You can season with salt and olive oil to taste. Note that it is not recommended to cook Arborio rice in the microwave.

How to Cook Risotto

Our medium grain Arborio Rice is the ideal choice when making risotto. And, in order to make the perfect risotto it’s essential to start with the right rice, as the texture is only reached when using grains with a medium to high starch content.

To make the perfect risotto, start by sautéing the veggie base or sofrito and coating the rice in it. Do not rinse rice before. The secret to the velvety smooth texture is to add hot broth, one cup at a time, giving the grains enough time to absorb the liquid before adding more. Rice should cook to al dente, meaning slightly firm to bite but creamy on their outside. For a more authentic flavor, finish off some Parmesan cheese. This will also improve the dish texture.

Follow our guide to mastering traditional risotto dishes for best results and try your hand at any one of our wide variety of delectable risotto recipes ranging from Italian-inspired classics like Risotto Puttanesca, Truffle Risotto or a summer classic Creamy Sweet Corn Risotto. If you’re looking for additional recipes that you can make with this rice variety that are not risotto, explore our recipe section for tasty ideas like a Mexican Rice and Beans dish.

Similar Varieties

Similar medium grain varieties include our specialty Parboiled Rice, which is crafted for making Authentic Seafood Paella Recipes dishes.

Available Sizes

16oz (454g)

Cooking time

20 minutes

Serving size

¼ cup (45g)