Barley vs. Brown Rice
Nutrition comparison of Barley and Cooked Brown Rice
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
barley
versus
cooked
brown rice
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in barley and brown rice:
- Both brown rice and barley are high in calories.
- Barley has more Vitamin B6 and folate.
- Barley is a great source of iron, potassium and protein.
- Barley is an excellent source of dietary fiber.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Barley (Barley, pearled, raw) and Brown Rice (Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both brown rice and barley are high in calories. Barley has 186% more calories than brown rice - brown rice has 123 calories per 100 grams and barley has 352 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, barley is lighter in fat and similar to brown rice for protein and carbs. Barley has a macronutrient ratio of 11:86:3 and for brown rice, 9:84:7 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Barley | Brown Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11% | 9% |
| Carbohydrates | 86% | 84% |
| Fat | 3% | 7% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Barley is high in carbohydrates and brown rice has 67% less carbohydrates than barley - brown rice has 25.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Barley is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has 875% more dietary fiber than brown rice - brown rice has 1.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and barley has 15.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Brown rice and barley contain similar amounts of sugar - brown rice has 0.24g of sugar per 100 grams and barley has 0.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Barley is a great source of protein and it has 262% more protein than brown rice - brown rice has 2.7g of protein per 100 grams and barley has 9.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both brown rice and barley are low in saturated fat - brown rice has 0.26g of saturated fat per 100 grams and barley has 0.24g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Barley and brown rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - barley has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and brown rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Brown rice and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - brown rice has 0.17mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and barley has 0.02mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Brown rice and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - brown rice has 0.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and barley has 2.2ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Barley has more Vitamin B6 and folate. Both barley and brown rice contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid.
| Barley | Brown Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.191 MG | 0.178 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.114 MG | 0.069 MG |
| Niacin | 4.604 MG | 2.561 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.282 MG | 0.38 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.26 MG | 0.123 MG |
| Folate | 23 UG | 9 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Barley has 867% more calcium than brown rice - brown rice has 3mg of calcium per 100 grams and barley has 29mg of calcium.
iron
Barley is a great source of iron and it has 346% more iron than brown rice - brown rice has 0.56mg of iron per 100 grams and barley has 2.5mg of iron.
potassium
Barley is a great source of potassium and it has 226% more potassium than brown rice - brown rice has 86mg of potassium per 100 grams and barley has 280mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, barley has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than brown rice per 100 grams.
| Barley | Brown Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.055 G | 0.011 G |
| Total | 0.055 G | 0.011 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both barley and brown rice contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Barley | Brown Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.505 G | 0.355 G |
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.004 G |
| Total | 0.505 G | 0.359 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Barley (Barley, pearled, raw) and Brown Rice (Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) .
Barley g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Brown Rice g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does brown rice or barley contain more calories in 100 grams?Both brown rice and barley are high in calories. Barley has 190% more calories than brown rice - brown rice has 123 calories in 100g and barley has 352 calories.
Does brown rice or barley have more carbohydrates?
By weight, barley is high in carbohydrates and brown rice has 70% fewer carbohydrates than barley - brown rice has 25.6g of carbs for 100g and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.