If you want to dine like a royal, try any of the top 10 Basmati rice brands in India. Understandably, they are expensive.
Yet, the benefits of consuming Basmati rice from these leading brands has immense benefits.
India is the world’s single largest producer of Basmati rice. Over 65 percent of this produce makes its way into markets in the Arabian Gulf, Europe and North America.
A huge domestic market for Basmati rice also exists in India. Hence, the variety of Basmati rice available locally is vast.
However, not all Basmati rice qualifies as top brands. There are good reasons for this. I will explain them later in the article.
Till then, let us learn more about the top 10 brands of Basmati rice in India and why they lead the market.
Top 10 Basmati Rice Brands in India
Indeed, buying Basmati rice in India is very confusing. Any supermarket or online store will offer multiple choices.
The same brand will offer Basmati rice of various variants. These are sheer marketing gimmicks, as I will explain later.
Look for Basmati rice from these top 10 Indian brands the next time you go shopping.
Please note, prices are purely indicative: they may differ according to your region and location.
1- Patanjali Sampoorn Traditional Basmati Rice (Rs.925/5kg)
Patanjali Sampoorn Traditional Basmati Rice comes from Patanjali Ayurved, which now ranks as the third largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies in India in revenue terms.
How Patanjali keeps prices low? It sources traditional Basmati rice directly from farmers. Thus, it has control over farming techniques.
Patanjali Ayurved also provides the highest quality seeds to farmers while encouraging organic agriculture.
The company also operates nearly two dozen rice mills across the country and keeps overhead costs in supply chain low.
Patanjali Sampoorn Traditional Basmati sells like hotcakes. In fact, you may have to place advance orders to ensure you get a bag.
Also Read: Best Selling Patanjali Products in India
2- Lal Qilla Traditional Basmati Rice (Rs.1,200/5kg)
Lal Qilla Traditional Basmati rice comes from Amar Singh Chawal Wala (ASCW), an Indian company specializing in superior quality Basmati rice for over a century.
This is a top brand of Basmati rice for strong reasons. Firstly, this is a traditional Basmati rice.
Meaning, it is grown at foothills of the Himalaya range using centuries old farming methods.
Secondly, Lal Qilla Traditional Basmati rice is known as ‘Purani Malai’ (Old Cream) because the grains are matured for at least two years before the sale.
This ensures each grain elongates to at least 2cm or more, after cooking. Also, it has that amazing flavour you expect from the finest Basmati rice.
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3- Kohinoor Extra Long Grain Basmati Rice (Rs.1,150/5kg)
You can buy Kohinoor Extra Long Grain Basmati Rice almost anywhere in India and most countries of the Middle East, Europe and North America.
The brand is available in 60 countries. In fact, brand owner Kohinoor Foods Ltd says, each grain of this top brand of Basmati rice in India has the longest elongation upon cooking.
A properly cooked grain elongates to as much as 2.5cm.
The company, Kohinoor Foods Ltd, also ensures that Basmati grains that are at least a couple of years mature go into every pack of this brand.
Hence, Kohinoor Extra Long Grain Basmati rice carries that rich aroma. Kohinoor Foods Ltd uses only cultivates Basmati 1121 Pusa seeds to grow this bestselling brand of rice.
The extra-long grain is something that every chef desires while preparing Biryani, Pilaf or sweets.
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4- Daawat Biryani Basmati Rice (Rs.1,100/ 5kg)
Bollywood megastar, Amitabh Bachchan is brand ambassador of the Daawat brand made by LT Foods Ltd.
Movie stars apart, Daawat Biryani Basmati rice ranks among my list of top 10 brands in India for two main reasons.
Firstly, LT Foods Ltd sources grains that go into each pack of Daawat Biryani Basmati Rice from local farmers with paddy fields at foothills of the Himalayas.
This allows the company a complete control of their Basmati rice sourcing process. These grains undergo a careful process of cleansing and polishing without loss of nutrition.
Later, they are aged in state-of-the-art silos to bring out that perfect color, grain size and flavor when cooking.
5- India Gate Classic Basmati Rice (Rs.1,075/5kg)
The duo began trading and exporting finest quality Indian Basmati rice in 1889.
In fact, the two partners are among pioneers of India’s Basmati rice exports to Europe and America.
As the brand names suggests, India Gate Classic Basmati Rice is a traditionally grown grain.
Hence, it packs all the goodness of authentic Basmati rice such as excellent nutrition, superb aroma and long grain with pearly white color.
This very popular Basmati rice brand is available at most stores and supermarkets across India.
6- Aeroplane La Taste Long Grain Basmati Rice (Rs.950/kg)
It comes from Amir Chand Jagdish Kumar Exports Ltd, a New Delhi-based firm that is in business for nearly half a century.
Aeroplane La Taste Long Grain Basmati Rice is available at all major stores in India and online too. It is a Basmati rice of choice among chefs and connoisseurs.
The company has several different types of Basmati rice for the Indian and export markets.
It has a unique raw Basmati rice that has huge demand in foreign countries. Aeroplane La Taste Long Grain Basmati is traditional rice grown on foothills of Himalayas.
The brand will surely satisfy any discerning diner and chef, thanks to its excellent aroma and long grain with fine texture.
7- Fortune Biryani Classic Basmati Rice (Rs.900/ 5kg)
Firstly, Fortune Biryani Classic Basmati rice has slender grains. This makes it ideal for all types of Biryanis and Pilafs as well as Indian-Chinese rice dishes.
Further, Fortune Biryani Classic Basmati rice is highly aromatic. Hence, it helps bring out excellent flavors in various kinds of rice dishes.
You can truly call Fortune Biryani Classic Basmati rice a global brand.
It is very versatile and hence blends with every cuisine of the world. It also ranks among the most exported brands of Basmati rice in India.
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8- Tilda Wandaful Premium Basmati Rice (Rs.860/ 5kg)
This is a very exclusive and top brand of Indian Basmati rice available only online or at select stores in India.
The reason?
Tilda Wandaful Premium Basmati rice is an export quality product. Though available in India, its main markets are abroad.
So why is this relatively lesser known brand special?
A packet of Tilda Wandaful contains finest quality Basmati rice that grows in farms just below the Himalayan slopes.
Hence, melting snow from these mountains irrigates the paddy and lends it a unique, subtle flavour.
Tilda is a brand owned by US-based food and beverages giant, The Hain Celestial Group.
9- Tata Sampann Basmati Rice (Rs.130/ 1kg)
Therefore, you can be completely sure of getting only the finest and best quality Basmati rice when you buy this topmost Indian brand.
Further, Tata Group prices this top brand of Basmati rice very affordably.
It may not be very easy to get a pack of Tata Sampann Basmati Rice from smaller stores.
It would be available at large supermarkets, malls and select online stores only. Further, it is available in 1kg packs only. You can use Tata Sampann Basmati rice for vegetarian or meat-based dishes.
10- SriSri Super Basmati Rice (Rs.130/1kg)
After debut in India’s FMCG market in 2017, SriSri Tattva now offers an almost organic brand of Indian Basmati rice.
SriSri Tattva therefore ranks among the top brands of Basmati rice brands in India.
SriSri Super Basmati Rice is grown on paddy fields that have relatively lower or zero use of inorganic fertilizers.
The company checks its source of Basmati rice before procurement. This ensures that SriSri Super Basmati Rice does not have residues of any harmful chemicals.
Try this brand of Basmati rice, if you are wary of inorganic foods.
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Reasons Why Basmati Rice is Special
Other than long grain, aroma and versatility, premium grade Basmati rice is special for several reasons.
- Basmati rice has a low glycemic index. In simple words, sugar content in Basmati is much lower than other types of rice. Hence, it is safe for diabetics to consume Basmati, albeit in limited quantities.
- Protein content in Basmati rice is fairly high. This means a person consuming a normal two cup (120gm-150gm) serving of cooked Basmati rice gets sufficient protein. This eliminates the need to consume meat, fish or poultry products.
- White Basmati rice also has reasonable fiber content. This helps digestion and helps improve health of your gastro-intestinal system.
- Basmati rice is non-glutinous and hence, non-sticky. Preparing dishes with Basmati therefore does not require much oil or fat.
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Why Premium Basmati is Expensive?
Like any other food grain, there are several qualities of Basmati rice that grow in India. However, not every kind of Basmati is premium or fetches high price.
Basmati grown on foothills of Himalayan range is the best. It gets irrigation from melting snow and ice that forms on the Himalayas. Water temperature and soil play a great role in giving Basmati rice its unique texture and fragrance.
A naturally occurring chemical, 2-Acetyl-1-Pyroline and lend that unique flavor to Basmati rice. Higher the content, more fragrant the Basmati rice.
Also, all seeds used in cultivating Basmati do not produce grains that can elongate as much as 2cm or more upon cooking.
Basmati rice grains are very delicate despite their versatility. Hence, they can lose flavor and texture if processing goes wrong. Manufacturers therefore take extra precautions while milling superior quality Basmati rice.
Hence, top brands of Basmati rice in India are expensive because they contain grains from very select farms.
There are cheaper variants too. These are Basmati rice as well. But brand owners use marketing gimmicks to attract customers.
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Brown Basmati Rice
Yes, Basmati rice is also available in its brown variant. This means, the premium Basmati rice has not undergone much processing. Therefore, it retains part of the kernel that lends the brown color.
Brown Basmati rice is expensive. Yet, it packs in more nutrition and health benefits for consumers.
Additionally, Brown Basmati rice is useful in preparation of dishes and sweets that require grains in natural color.
The only flipside of Brown Basmati: it has a different flavor when cooking due to presence of a kernel portion.
However, Brown Basmati rice is very rich in taste.
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Black Basmati Rice
Black Basmati rice is very expensive. It is a type of Basmati rice that grows in wilderness and hence, rare. It has high nutrition value.
In fact, Black Basmati rice finds uses in gourmet foods. Top chefs use Black Basmati rice to add color to various dishes or as taste enhancer.
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Basmati Gimmicks & Cheaper Variants
While visiting a store to buy Basmati rice, you will see different types of products from various top brands. They will cost much lesser than top quality Basmati rice for reasons I explain here.
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Mogra Basmati Rice: This is a type of Basmati rice that does not have very long grain like premium ones. Also, fragrance is lower than traditional or classic Basmati rice. Hence, Mogra Basmati rice costs lesser.
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Basmati Rice Dubar: Also Basmati rice. However, the grain is about 75 percentshorter than the premium variant. This can be due to any of these two reasons. One, when the brand is selling premium Basmati grains that broke during
milling process. Or two, the subspecies of this Basmati rice produces shorter grain only.
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Basmati Rice Tibar: In rice trader’s parlance, this means Basmati rice that is broken thrice during milling. Basmati Tibar is only 60
percent size of a premium Basmati grain. There is also a subspecies of Basmati that produces shorter grain.
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‘Everyday’ or ‘Rozana Basmati’: Ideal for daily meals, as the name suggests. These are variants of Basmati rice that are not as fragrant or long grain as the premium type. Hence, prices are much lower in comparison with premium Basmati rice.
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‘Hyderabadi’, ‘Jeera’ and others: These are not Basmati rice at all. Instead, they are other varieties of rice such as Sona Masuri. They are sold as Basmati only as
marketing
gimmick.
Wrap Up
Facts that I present above might help you in making informed choice while buying Basmati rice.
To get the best from top 10 Basmati brands in India, follow cooking instructions that come on the pack.
Generally, you have to soak premium Basmati grains for a few minutes before cooking.
This process reduces cooking time and consequently exposure to direct heat. The compound lending fragrance to Basmati rice perishes due to heat.
By soaking grains and cooking for shorter time, you reduce damage and ensure the Basmati flavor remains. Enjoy Basmati rice from these top 10 brands in India. It is worth your money.