Barley vs. Wild Rice
Nutrition comparison of Barley and Cooked Wild 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
wild rice
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in barley and wild rice:
- Both wild rice and barley are high in calories.
- Barley has more thiamin and niacin.
- 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 Wild Rice (Wild rice, cooked) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both wild rice and barley are high in calories. Barley has 249% more calories than wild rice - wild rice has 101 calories per 100 grams and barley has 352 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, barley is lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and similar to wild rice for fat. Barley has a macronutrient ratio of 11:86:3 and for wild rice, 15:82:3 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Barley | Wild Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11% | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 86% | 82% |
| Fat | 3% | 3% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Barley is high in carbohydrates and wild rice has 73% less carbohydrates than barley - wild rice has 21.3g 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 767% more dietary fiber than wild rice - wild rice has 1.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and barley has 15.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Wild rice and barley contain similar amounts of sugar - wild rice has 0.73g of sugar per 100 grams and barley has 0.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Barley is a great source of protein and it has 148% more protein than wild rice - wild rice has 4g of protein per 100 grams and barley has 9.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both wild rice and barley are low in saturated fat - wild rice has 0.05g of saturated fat per 100 grams and barley has 0.24g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Barley and wild rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - barley has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and wild rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Wild rice and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - wild rice has 0.24mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and barley has 0.02mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Wild rice and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - wild rice has 0.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and barley has 2.2ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Barley has more thiamin and niacin. Both barley and wild rice contain significant amounts of riboflavin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Barley | Wild Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.191 MG | 0.052 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.114 MG | 0.087 MG |
| Niacin | 4.604 MG | 1.287 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.282 MG | 0.154 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.26 MG | 0.135 MG |
| Folate | 23 UG | 26 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Barley has 867% more calcium than wild rice - wild 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 317% more iron than wild rice - wild rice has 0.6mg of iron per 100 grams and barley has 2.5mg of iron.
potassium
Barley is a great source of potassium and it has 177% more potassium than wild rice - wild rice has 101mg of potassium per 100 grams and barley has 280mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
carotenoids
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids, both barley and wild rice contain small amounts of beta-carotene.
| Barley | Wild Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 13 UG | 2 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 160 UG | 64 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both barley and wild rice contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Barley | Wild Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.055 G | 0.095 G |
| Total | 0.055 G | 0.095 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, barley has more linoleic acid than wild rice per 100 grams.
| Barley | Wild Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.505 G | 0.119 G |
| Total | 0.505 G | 0.119 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).
You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Barley or Wild Rice .
Barley g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Wild 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 % |
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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 % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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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 wild rice or barley contain more calories in 100 grams?Both wild rice and barley are high in calories. Barley has 250% more calories than wild rice - wild rice has 101 calories in 100g and barley has 352 calories.
Does wild rice or barley have more carbohydrates?
By weight, barley is high in carbohydrates and wild rice has 70% fewer carbohydrates than barley - wild rice has 21.3g of carbs for 100g and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.