● Food Intelligence · Grain

Sticky Rice Glycemic Index and Calculate Your Own Glucose Response

Across 657 logged meals containing sticky (glutinous) rice — from 453 Signos members — the average glucose peak was +50.7 mg/dL, the highest mean of any rice page on the Atlas. The Thai-Lao staple is often paired with rich coconut-milk desserts and curries, and the data shows it: fat-paired logs ran 21.4% higher than the lean baseline, and the very-heavy carb bucket hit +59.3 mg/dL.

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Reviewed by Grace Shryack
Signos Proprietary Data·Updated May 20, 2026·10 min read

● Powered by Signos cohort dataMedium confidence · n=657
The swap calculator below draws on 657 matched-pair logs — a broader cohort than the page's single-item primary, used to give every ingredient swap statistical power. Welch's t-test on matched pairs, not third-party glycemic-index tables. Each swap shows its sample size and confidence tier inline.
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Meal Context
Pre-meal sequence
Activity after meal
Time of day
69
of 100
Signos Glucose Score
Very High Spike Risk
75% of members fall between +42 and +60 mg/dL
Predicted Curve · 3-hr window
1401001201401601800m30m60m90m120m150m180m+51
Peak
+51
mg/dL
Time in Range
83%
3hr window
Above 140
30m
danger zone
Swaps
0
applied
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● Key Findings · Does sticky rice spike blood sugar?

Yes — across 657 logged meals containing sticky rice, the average glucose peak was +50.7 mg/dL. Across 657 logged meals containing sticky rice from 453 unique Signos members, the mean glucose peak was +50.7 mg/dL — the highest mean of any rice page on the Atlas, with 78.5% of those logs exceeding the +30 mg/dL spike threshold and an IQR spanning 35 mg/dL (p25: +33, p75: +68). Two levers explain most of the variance: fat-paired logs (≥15g fat, often coconut milk in Thai/Lao desserts and curries) ran 21.4% above the lean baseline, and high-carb meals (≥60g total carbs) ran an additional 19.1% above the low-carb baseline. The mechanism behind the elevated mean is the near-zero amylose / pure-amylopectin starch profile that hydrolyzes faster than any other rice variety. The 657-log cohort is medium-confidence — individual response still matters.

  • ▸Sticky rice averages +50.7 mg/dL across 657 logged meals containing sticky rice — the highest mean of any rice page on the Atlas, with 78.5% of logs exceeding the +30 mg/dL spike threshold.
  • ▸Fat pairings (≥15g, typically coconut milk) lifted the peak 21.4% above the lean baseline (n=342 vs 104, p<0.001, CI [+4.45, +14.51] mg/dL) — the dominant modifier on this page.
  • ▸Total carb load is the next-largest lever: high-carb meals (≥60g) spiked 19.1% higher than the low-carb baseline (n=296 vs 184, p<0.001, CI [+4.66, +12.83] mg/dL).
  • ▸The very-heavy carb bucket (110g+ — where mango sticky rice frequently lands) hit +59.3 mg/dL across 91 logs versus +45.8 in the light-carb bucket (n=184) — a 29.5% escalation.
● Signos Rules

Three citable insights from this recipe's data

Rule 1
"The Coconut-Milk Penalty"
+21.4% peak
Sticky rice meals carrying ≥15g of fat (typically coconut milk in mango-sticky-rice dessert or coconut-curry builds) ran 21.4% higher than the lean baseline — a CI of [+4.45, +14.51] mg/dL across 342 high-fat logs versus 104 low-fat logs (p<0.001). It's the dominant modifier on this page, larger than the carb-load effect. The mechanism is the coconut milk's saturated fat slowing nothing about the sticky-rice amylopectin while adding its own glucose pressure through the sweetened context.
Rule 2
"The Carb-Stack Penalty"
+19.1% peak
When sticky rice appears in a meal carrying ≥60g of total carbs, the glucose response runs 19.1% higher than the low-carb baseline — a CI of [+4.66, +12.83] mg/dL across 296 high-carb logs versus 184 low-carb logs (p<0.001). Sticky rice is near-pure amylopectin; piling another carb (mango, palm-sugar-sweetened sauce, dessert) on top compounds the load. Light meals (0–40g carbs) averaged +45.8 mg/dL, while very-heavy meals (110g+) hit +59.3 mg/dL — a 29.5% escalation.
Rule 3
"The Amylopectin Rule"
+5 mg/dL vs white rice
Sticky rice averaged +50.7 mg/dL across 657 logs versus +45.4 mg/dL for plain white rice across the white-rice page's 19,726 logs — a +5 mg/dL gap that the published GI (75 vs 89) doesn't predict. The mechanism is the starch profile: sticky rice is near-zero amylose, so it's almost pure amylopectin — the fast-digest branched starch. The 'lower GI than white' label is misleading in practice; the cohort shows the opposite.
● Curious about your own?

Curious how your body responds to sticky rice specifically?

Across 657 logged meals containing sticky rice, the IQR spans 35 mg/dL — from +33 mg/dL at the 25th percentile to +68 mg/dL at the 75th. That's the widest IQR of any rice page on the Atlas. Your response depends on factors like meal carb load, coconut-milk fat pairing, and time of day. A CGM makes that variability visible in real time.

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Why this meal spikes

This meal stacks 3 independent spike drivers — together they account for +50 mg/dL.

Driver 1
Pure-amylopectin starch (~37g per cup cooked)
+50 mg/dL
A cup of cooked sticky rice carries roughly 37g of near-pure amylopectin starch that hydrolyzes faster than any other rice variety. This is the dominant driver of the +50.4 mg/dL anchor across 572 plain-sticky logs — and why the cohort mean tops every other rice page.
Driver 2
Fat-rich pairings (≥15g fat, typically coconut milk)
+9 mg/dL
In 342 meals with ≥15g of paired fat (mostly coconut-milk-based Thai/Lao desserts and curries), peaks ran 21.4% above the 104-meal lean baseline (p<0.001, CI [+4.45, +14.51] mg/dL) — the dominant modifier on this page.
Driver 3
Total meal carb load (≥60g at the same sitting)
+9 mg/dL
When total meal carbs hit ≥60g, peak rises 19.1% above the low-carb baseline (n=296 vs 184, p<0.001, CI [+4.66, +12.83] mg/dL). Very-heavy meals (110g+ carbs) — common in mango-sticky-rice builds — push the average peak to +59.3 mg/dL.
● Which bucket are you in?

Some members spike +45.8 mg/dL. Others spike +59.3. The only way to know how you'll spike is to measure with a Signos CGM.

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● What surprised us
What surprised us about sticky rice is that the dominant modifier isn't carbs — it's fat. Across 342 meals where members paired sticky rice with ≥15g of fat (almost always coconut milk in Thai/Lao desserts and curries), the average peak ran 21.4% above the lean baseline — a bigger effect than the high-carb bucket itself at 19.1%. That's the mango-sticky-rice trap: the coconut-milk drench doesn't slow the amylopectin starch; it adds its own load. If sticky rice is going to be on the plate, the cleanest version is the steamed basket alongside a savory dish — not the dessert.
— Signos Data Science Team

Why this happens, physiologically

Sticky rice produces a mean peak of +50.7 mg/dL across 657 logged meals containing sticky rice — the highest mean of any rice page on the Atlas, with a wide IQR of 35 mg/dL (p25: +33, p75: +68). The mechanism is the starch profile: sticky (glutinous) rice is near-zero amylose, meaning it's almost pure amylopectin — the branched starch that hydrolyzes fastest into glucose. Two levers explain most of the cohort range. First, fat-rich pairings dominate: meals with ≥15g of paired fat (typically coconut milk in mango sticky rice or Thai curries) ran 21.4% above the lean baseline across 342 logs (CI [+4.45, +14.51] mg/dL, p<0.001). Second, total meal carb load amplifies further: very-heavy meals (110g+ carbs) spiked +59.3 mg/dL on average — 29.5% more than light-carb meals (+45.8 mg/dL). The 657-log cohort is medium-confidence; individual variability is wide. These effects are observational from matched-pair Welch's t-tests, not controlled trials.

● Three mechanisms drive sticky rice's glucose range

Amylopectin starch, coconut-milk fat pairings, and total carb load together push sticky rice above every other rice page

  1. Mechanism 1
    +50.4 mg/dL
    Amylopectin anchor
    Pure-amylopectin starch hydrolyzes faster than the amylose-containing rice varieties. The default sticky-rice slot anchors at +50.4 mg/dL across 572 plain-sticky logs — the highest baseline of any rice page.
  2. Mechanism 2
    +21.4%
    Coconut-milk fat penalty
    Meals with ≥15g of paired fat (mostly coconut milk in Thai/Lao builds) ran 21.4% above the lean baseline across 342 logs vs 104 (p<0.001, CI [+4.45, +14.51] mg/dL) — the dominant modifier on this page.
  3. Mechanism 3
    +29.5%
    Carb-load escalation
    Light-carb meals (0–40g) averaged +45.8 mg/dL across 184 logs; very-heavy meals (110g+) averaged +59.3 mg/dL across 91 logs — a 29.5% escalation across the bucket span.
● Fit Check
Sticky rice lands in the highest-spike zone of any rice page — the coconut-milk pairing matters more than the rice variety here.
✓ This is for you if
  • ▸You eat sticky rice as a steamed-basket side, not as dessert. Plain steamed sticky rice anchors at +50.4 mg/dL across 572 logs; the coconut-milk fat pairings averaged 21.4% higher.
  • ▸You keep total meal carbs under 40g. Light-carb builds averaged +45.8 mg/dL across 184 logs — versus +59.3 mg/dL for very-heavy meals (110g+ carbs, n=91), a 29.5% swing.
  • ▸You log sticky rice as a snack, not a sweet breakfast. Snack-time logs averaged +43.2 mg/dL (n=46) — the lowest meal-time window in the cohort.
  • ▸You skip the palm-sugar-sweetened sauces. High-sugar logs (≥20g sugar) averaged 11.8% above the low-sugar baseline (n=118 vs 421, CI [+0.79, +10.73] mg/dL).
✗ Not for you if
  • ▸You default to mango sticky rice or coconut-milk dessert builds. Fat-paired logs averaged 21.4% above the lean baseline (n=342 vs 104, p<0.001, CI [+4.45, +14.51] mg/dL) — the dominant penalty on this page.
  • ▸You eat sticky rice as part of a high-carb meal (≥60g total carbs). That load increased the glucose response by 19.1% — a CI of [+4.66, +12.83] mg/dL above the low-carb baseline (n=296, p<0.001).
  • ▸You log sticky rice at breakfast. Breakfast logs averaged +55.1 mg/dL (n=51) — the highest meal-time window measured, likely reflecting the mango-sticky-rice and other sweet breakfast builds.
  • ▸You assume the 'GI 75' label means moderate. The cohort puts sticky rice +5 mg/dL above plain white rice (matched cuts), driven by its near-pure amylopectin profile.
● How it fits your day

Calorie band and pairings (member-measured)

Per serving
251–633 kcal
A single-item sticky-rice log averages 251 kcal and 44g carbs (n=47); multi-item meals containing sticky rice average 633 kcal and 69g carbs across 610 logged meals.
● Pair before
  • ▸Keep total meal carbs under 40g: light-carb builds averaged +45.8 mg/dL vs +59.3 mg/dL for very-heavy (110g+) — a 29.5% swing across 184 vs 91 logs.
  • ▸Skip the coconut-milk-sweetened builds: fat-paired logs averaged 21.4% above the lean baseline (n=342, CI [+4.45, +14.51] mg/dL, p<0.001).
● Pair after
  • ▸A 20-min walk within 30 min of eating blunts carb-driven peaks — especially relevant given 78.5% of sticky-rice logs exceeded +30 mg/dL.
  • ▸Avoid stacking high-sugar items post-rice: high-sugar logs averaged 11.8% higher than the low-sugar baseline (n=118, CI [+0.79, +10.73] mg/dL).
● Avoid pairing
  • ▸Eating mango sticky rice or coconut-milk dessert builds: those land in the high-fat modifier band, +21.4% above the lean baseline.
  • ▸Logging sticky rice at breakfast: breakfast logs averaged +55.1 mg/dL (n=51), the highest meal-time window measured.
● Quick definitions (click to expand)
mg/dL — milligrams per deciliter. The unit blood glucose is measured in. A rise of "+30 mg/dL above baseline" means blood sugar went up 30 units after the meal.
Glycemic Index (GI) — a 0–100 score for how fast a food raises blood sugar in lab tests. Under 55 = low, 56–69 = medium, 70+ = high.
Glycemic Load (GL) — GI adjusted for portion size. Under 10 = low, 10–19 = medium, 20+ = high.
CGM — Continuous Glucose Monitor. A wearable sensor that tracks blood glucose every few minutes. Signos members wear CGMs while eating meals they log.
● Related Foods: How sticky rice compares to other staples — and what the CGM data says about each

Frequently Asked Questions

Methodology

This page is grounded in 657 logged meals containing sticky (glutinous) rice from 453 unique Signos members, captured through the Signos production PPGR cohort between March 2025 and April 2026. Data was filtered to meals with a measured glucose rise between 0 and 100 mg/dL (ppgr_case='regular') to exclude outliers and sensor artifacts. Statistical comparisons between modifier groups use Welch's t-test on matched pairs; all effects reported at p<0.05 minimum, with the dominant modifiers reaching p<0.001. The mean peak across this right-skewed distribution is +50.7 mg/dL; the median is +49 mg/dL with an IQR spanning 35 mg/dL (p25: +33, p75: +68). The single-item sub-cohort is small (n=47, mean +49.0 mg/dL); the broader cohort is used as the page primary to provide more stable modifier estimates. The 657-log cohort sits in the medium-confidence tier — large enough to characterize the dominant modifiers but smaller than higher-volume rice pages. Sticky-rice logs were identified via a regex cohort match on the canonical food names "Sticky Rice" and "Glutinous Rice." A minimum of 30 matched meals was required for any modifier group to be reported.

Limitations

  • Self-reported portion sizes introduce measurement error — a 'basket of sticky rice' logged by one member may differ meaningfully in cooked weight and starch content from another's.
  • Cohort skews health-motivated; Signos members are actively monitoring glucose, so general population responses — particularly among people with greater insulin resistance — may differ.
  • The 657-log cohort is medium-confidence — large enough to characterize the dominant fat and carb modifiers, but smaller than higher-volume rice pages. The +50.7 mg/dL mean is directionally clear but should be read with the sample size in mind.
  • The single-item sticky-rice sub-cohort is small (n=47); the broader cohort is used as the page primary to provide more stable estimates.
  • The protein-pairing modifier (n=507 vs n=93 lean baseline) showed a low-confidence +7.5% directional effect rather than the expected protein discount — likely reflecting that most protein pairings in this cohort sit inside richly sauced Thai/Lao dishes where the carb-and-fat load dominates.
  • All findings are observational, not causal — confounders such as concurrent medications, activity levels, and sleep quality are not controlled for in the modifier analysis.
● Get your own data

See your own sticky rice response

Across 657 logged meals containing sticky rice, the average glucose peak was +50.7 mg/dL — but the IQR spans 35 mg/dL (p25: +33, p75: +68). That's not noise; it's biology. Your carb load at the meal, your coconut-milk pairing, even the time of day all shift the outcome measurably. Fat pairings (mostly coconut milk in dessert builds) push the peak 21.4% above the lean baseline in our cohort; a very-heavy carb load lifts it to +59.3 mg/dL. Only a CGM tells you which end of that range you live on.

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