Brown Rice vs. Quinoa
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Brown Rice and Cooked Quinoa
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
brown rice
versus
cooked
quinoa
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in brown rice and quinoa:
- Both quinoa and brown rice are high in calories.
- Brown rice has more niacin and pantothenic acid, however, quinoa contains more folate.
- Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Brown Rice (Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) and Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both quinoa and brown rice are high in calories. Quinoa is very similar to quinoa for calories - quinoa has 120 calories per 100 grams and brown rice has 123 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, brown rice is lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to quinoa per calorie. Brown rice has a macronutrient ratio of 9:84:7 and for quinoa, 15:71:15 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Brown Rice | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 9% | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 84% | 71% |
| Fat | 7% | 15% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Quinoa and brown rice contain similar amounts of carbs - quinoa has 21.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and brown rice has 25.6g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 75% more dietary fiber than brown rice - quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and brown rice has 1.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Quinoa and brown rice contain similar amounts of sugar - quinoa has 0.87g of sugar per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.24g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Quinoa has 61% more protein than brown rice - quinoa has 4.4g of protein per 100 grams and brown rice has 2.7g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both quinoa and brown rice are low in saturated fat - quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.26g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Quinoa and brown rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - quinoa has 1.5ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and brown rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Quinoa and brown rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.17mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Brown rice and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - brown rice has 0.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Brown rice has more niacin and pantothenic acid, however, quinoa contains more folate. Both brown rice and quinoa contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin and Vitamin B6.
| Brown Rice | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.178 MG | 0.107 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.069 MG | 0.11 MG |
| Niacin | 2.561 MG | 0.412 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.38 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.123 MG | 0.123 MG |
| Folate | 9 UG | 42 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Quinoa has 467% more calcium than brown rice - quinoa has 17mg of calcium per 100 grams and brown rice has 3mg of calcium.
iron
Quinoa has 166% more iron than brown rice - quinoa has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.56mg of iron.
potassium
Quinoa has 100% more potassium than brown rice - quinoa has 172mg of potassium per 100 grams and brown rice has 86mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) and DHA than brown rice per 100 grams.
| Brown Rice | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.011 G | 0.085 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.015 G |
| Total | 0.011 G | 0.1 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, quinoa has more linoleic acid than brown rice per 100 grams.
| Brown Rice | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.003 G |
| linoleic acid | 0.355 G | 0.974 G |
| Total | 0.355 G | 0.977 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: Brown Rice (Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) and Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) .
Cooked Brown Rice g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Quinoa 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 quinoa or brown rice contain more calories in 100 grams?Both quinoa and brown rice are high in calories. Quinoa is quite similar to quinoa for calories - quinoa has 120 calories in 100g and brown rice has 123 calories.
Does quinoa or brown rice have more carbohydrates?
By weight, quinoa and brown rice contain similar amounts of carbs - quinoa has 21.3g of carbs for 100g and brown rice has 25.6g of carbohydrates.