Millet Glycemic Index Chart: All Millets Compared
Certified organic food specialists · Sources: NIN Hyderabad, ICMR, USDA FoodData Central
The glycemic index (GI) ranks carbohydrate foods by how quickly and how much they raise blood glucose compared with a reference food, on a scale of 0–100. Foods are usually grouped as Low (55 or under), Medium (56–69) and High (70 and above) (Atkinson et al., Diabetes Care 2008). This page is the reference chart we link to from our other millet guides.
Millet glycemic index chart
The table below groups common grains by GI band. Millets generally fall in the low-to-medium range, while white rice is typically high. Because GI varies with variety, degree of polishing, and how a grain is cooked, we show bands rather than a single "exact" number for each millet — treat these as indicative, not precise.
| Grain | Typical GI band | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Barnyard millet | Low | Often cited around GI ~41 in Indian studies — among the lowest of the millets. |
| Foxtail millet | Low–Medium | Popular rice substitute; keep it unpolished. |
| Little millet | Low–Medium | Mild flavour, cooks like rice. |
| Kodo millet | Low–Medium | High in fibre. |
| Browntop millet | Low–Medium | Rarest Siridhanya millet. |
| Finger millet (ragi) | Medium | GI rises when finely ground and made into soft dough/porridge. |
| Pearl millet (bajra) | Medium | Whole/cracked forms are lower than fine flour. |
| Sorghum (jowar) | Medium | Whole grain is lower than refined flour. |
| White rice | High | Commonly ~70+; a benchmark high-GI staple. |
| Whole wheat | Medium–High | Depends heavily on how finely it is milled. |
GI bands are drawn from published GI tables and Indian nutrition literature (see sources). Exact GI values for individual millet varieties vary between studies; where a specific number is well established (e.g. barnyard ~41) we have noted it, otherwise we use bands.
What changes a millet’s GI
- Polishing: unpolished millets keep their fibre-rich bran, which slows sugar absorption. Choose unpolished millets where possible.
- Grinding: whole or cracked grain generally has a lower GI than very fine flour.
- Cooking & cooling: overcooking into a soft paste tends to raise GI; some resistant starch forms on cooling.
- What you eat it with: pairing with vegetables, dal, curd or healthy fat lowers the overall glycemic response of the meal.
Millets and blood-sugar-conscious eating
Because most millets are lower-GI and high in fibre, they are often chosen as part of a balanced, blood-sugar-conscious diet in place of white rice. Millets are a food, not a treatment — they do not cure or reverse any condition. If you are managing diabetes, read our detailed guide to the best millets for diabetes and shop the millets for diabetes range, and always follow your doctor’s advice on diet and medication.
Sources & References
- Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values. Diabetes Care 2008;31(12):2281–2283
- Indian Food Composition Tables (2017) — National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad / ICMR
- USDA FoodData Central — U.S. Department of Agriculture
