Brown Rice vs. White Rice
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Brown Rice and Cooked White Rice
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
white rice
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in brown rice and white rice:
- Both white rice and brown rice are high in calories.
- Brown rice has more riboflavin and Vitamin B6, however, white rice contains more folate.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Brown Rice (Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) and White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both white rice and brown rice are high in calories. White rice has a little more calories (6%) than brown rice by weight - white rice has 130 calories per 100 grams and brown rice has 123 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, brown rice is lighter in carbs, heavier in fat and similar to white rice for protein. Brown rice has a macronutrient ratio of 9:84:7 and for white rice, 8:91:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Brown Rice | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 9% | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 84% | 91% |
| Fat | 7% | 2% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
White rice and brown rice contain similar amounts of carbs - white rice has 28.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and brown rice has 25.6g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Brown rice has 433% more dietary fiber than white rice - white rice has 0.3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and brown rice has 1.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Brown rice and white rice contain similar amounts of sugar - brown rice has 0.24g of sugar per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
White rice and brown rice contain similar amounts of protein - white rice has 2.4g of protein per 100 grams and brown rice has 2.7g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both white rice and brown rice are low in saturated fat - white rice has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.26g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin E
Brown rice and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - brown rice has 0.17mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Brown rice and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - brown rice has 0.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Brown rice has more riboflavin and Vitamin B6, however, white rice contains more folate. Both brown rice and white rice contain significant amounts of thiamin, niacin and pantothenic acid.
| Brown Rice | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.178 MG | 0.167 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.069 MG | 0.016 MG |
| Niacin | 2.561 MG | 1.835 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.38 MG | 0.411 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.123 MG | 0.05 MG |
| Folate | 9 UG | 58 UG |
Minerals
calcium
White rice and brown rice contain similar amounts of calcium - white rice has 3mg of calcium per 100 grams and brown rice has 3mg of calcium.
iron
White rice has 166% more iron than brown rice - white rice has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.56mg of iron.
potassium
Brown rice has 197% more potassium than white rice - white rice has 29mg of potassium per 100 grams and brown rice has 86mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both brown rice and white rice contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Brown Rice | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.011 G | 0.01 G |
| Total | 0.011 G | 0.01 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, brown rice has more linoleic acid than white rice per 100 grams.
| Brown Rice | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.004 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 0.355 G | 0.046 G |
| Total | 0.359 G | 0.046 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 White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) .
Cooked Brown Rice g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked White 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 white rice or brown rice contain more calories in 100 grams?Both white rice and brown rice are high in calories. White rice has a little more calories ( 10%) than brown rice by weight - white rice has 130 calories in 100g and brown rice has 123 calories.
Does white rice or brown rice have more carbohydrates?
By weight, white rice and brown rice contain similar amounts of carbs - white rice has 28.6g of carbs for 100g and brown rice has 25.6g of carbohydrates.