Broken rice is fragments of rice grains, broken in the field, during drying, during transport, or by milling. Mechanical separators are used to separate the broken grains from the whole grains and sort them by size.

Broken rice is fragmented, not defective; there is nothing wrong with it. It is as nutritious as the equivalent unbroken rice (i.e. if all the germand bran remains, it is as nutritious as brown rice; if none remains, it is only as nutritious as white rice).

Due to the different size and shape of the grains, broken rice has a different, softer texture from "unbroken" rice and absorbs flavors more easily. It cooks faster, using less fuel, and can be used to make rice porridges and congees, which need long cooking times.

The broken varieties are often less expensive and so are preferred by poorer consumers, but they are also eaten by choice, with some cookbooks describing how to break unbroken rice to produce the desired texture or speed cooking.

Broken rice is consumed as part of local cuisine in West Africa (where the traditional African rice is easier to break), Thailand and elsewhere in South East Asia. In Vietnam Cơm tấm (literally "broken rice") is a popular rice dish with pork. Thieboudienne is a popular dish in west Africa often made with broken rice.