Waxy rice starch was impregnated with xanthan and heat-treated in a dry state. The effects on the pasting and rheological properties of the treated starch-xanthan mixture were evaluated. Swelling of the granule was restricted, and a continuous rise of the viscosity during pasting was provided for the treated sample. After pasting, the gel forming ability of the treated starch was strengthened, as both storage and loss modulus increased and tanδ decreased. The paste also owned the highest zero order Newtonian viscosity and yield stress. An increase in starch particle size of the dry heated starch-xanthan mixture suggested a cross linking of the starch granules by the xanthan polymers. An increase of crystallinity was observed for the starch after dry heat treatment, but with the addition of xanthan the amorphous region of the granule became more resistant to dry-heating. The melting enthalpy was found to be correlated with the crystallinity.