Quinoa vs. Chickpeas
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Quinoa and Cooked Chickpeas
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
quinoa
versus
cooked
chickpeas
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in quinoa and chickpeas:
- Both quinoa and chickpeas are high in calories and dietary fiber.
- Chickpea has more pantothenic acid and folate.
- Chickpea is a great source of calcium, iron, potassium and protein.
- For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more dha than chickpea.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) and Chickpeas (Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both quinoa and chickpeas are high in calories. Chickpea has 37% more calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories per 100 grams and chickpea has 164 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, quinoa is lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and similar to chickpeas for fat. Quinoa has a macronutrient ratio of 15:71:15 and for chickpeas, 21:65:14 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Quinoa | Chickpeas | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 15% | 21% |
| Carbohydrates | 71% | 65% |
| Fat | 15% | 14% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Quinoa has 22% less carbohydrates than chickpea - quinoa has 21.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and chickpea has 27.4g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both quinoa and chickpeas are high in dietary fiber. Chickpea has 171% more dietary fiber than quinoa - quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chickpea has 7.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Quinoa and chickpeas contain similar amounts of sugar - quinoa has 0.87g of sugar per 100 grams and chickpea has 4.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Chickpea is a great source of protein and it has 101% more protein than quinoa - quinoa has 4.4g of protein per 100 grams and chickpea has 8.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both quinoa and chickpeas are low in saturated fat - quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chickpea has 0.27g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Chickpea has more Vitamin C than quinoa - chickpea has 1.3mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Chickpeas and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - chickpea has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Quinoa and chickpeas contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chickpea has 0.35mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Chickpeas and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - chickpea has 4ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Chickpea has more pantothenic acid and folate. Both quinoa and chickpeas contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
| Quinoa | Chickpeas | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.107 MG | 0.116 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.11 MG | 0.063 MG |
| Niacin | 0.412 MG | 0.526 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | ~ | 0.286 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.123 MG | 0.139 MG |
| Folate | 42 UG | 172 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Chickpea is a great source of calcium and it has 188% more calcium than quinoa - quinoa has 17mg of calcium per 100 grams and chickpea has 49mg of calcium.
iron
Chickpea is a great source of iron and it has 94% more iron than quinoa - quinoa has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and chickpea has 2.9mg of iron.
potassium
Chickpea is a great source of potassium and it has 69% more potassium than quinoa - quinoa has 172mg of potassium per 100 grams and chickpea has 291mg 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 quinoa and chickpeas contain small amounts of beta-carotene.
| Quinoa | Chickpeas | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 3 UG | 16 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 53 UG | ~ |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more DHA than chickpea per 100 grams. Both quinoa and chickpeas contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Quinoa | Chickpeas | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.085 G | 0.043 G |
| DHA | 0.015 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.1 G | 0.043 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both quinoa and chickpeas contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Quinoa | Chickpeas | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.974 G | 1.113 G |
| other omega 6 | 0.003 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.977 G | 1.113 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.
Cooked Quinoa g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Chickpeas 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 chickpeas contain more calories in 100 grams?Both quinoa and chickpeas are high in calories. Chickpea has 40% more calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories in 100g and chickpea has 164 calories.
Does quinoa or chickpeas have more carbohydrates?
By weight, quinoa has 20% fewer carbohydrates than chickpea - quinoa has 21.3g of carbs for 100g and chickpea has 27.4g of carbohydrates.