Rice milk is a plant milk made from rice. Commercial rice milk is typically manufactured using brown rice and brown rice syrup, and may be sweetened using sugar or sugar substitutes, and flavored by common ingredients, such as vanilla. It is commonly fortified with protein and micronutrients, such as vitamin B12, calcium, iron, or vitamin D.
History
The exact origin of rice milk is uncertain. In 1914, Maria McIlvaine Gillmore gave a recipe for rice milk in her book Meatless Cookery, which was the earliest known use of the term. In 1921, the first rice milk factory was built by the Vita Rice Products Co., launching Vita Rice Milk the same year in San Francisco, California. In 1990, Rice Dream was launched by Imagine Foods of Palo Alto, California in Tetra Pak cartons, becoming the first widely popular rice milk.
Nutrition
Rice milk (unsweetened) is 89% water, 9% carbohydrates, 1% fat, and contains negligible protein (table). A 100 ml reference amount provides 47 calories, and – if purposely fortified during manufacturing – 26% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin B12 (table). It also supplies calcium (12% DV; fortified) and manganese (13% DV; fortified) in moderate amounts, but otherwise is low in micronutrients.
Safety in young children
Because of arsenic levels in rice, the United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency recommends that rice milk should not be given to children under 5 as a replacement for breast milk, formula milk or cow's milk.
Comparison to dairy milk
Rice milk contains more carbohydrates when compared to cow's milk (9% vs. 5%), but does not contain significant amounts of calcium or protein, and no cholesterol or lactose. Commercial brands of rice milk are often fortified with vitamins and minerals, including calcium, vitamin B<sub>12</sub>, vitamin B<sub>3</sub>, and iron.
Rice milk may be consumed by people who are lactose intolerant, allergic to soy or milk. It may be made at home using rice flour and brown rice protein, or by boiling brown rice with a large volume of water, blending and filtering the mixture. Bacteria inhabiting rice paddies release methane into the atmosphere, emitting this greenhouse gas in quantities greater than other plant milks.