Cornstarch vs. Wheat Flour
Nutrition comparison of Cornstarch and Wheat Flour
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cornstarch
versus
wheat flour
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cornstarch and wheat flour:
- Both wheat flour and cornstarch are high in calories and carbohydrates.
- Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
- Wheat flour is a great source of dietary fiber and protein.
- Wheat flour is an excellent source of iron.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cornstarch (Cornstarch) and Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both wheat flour and cornstarch are high in calories. Cornstarch has a little more calories (6%) than wheat flour by weight - wheat flour has 361 calories per 100 grams and cornstarch has 381 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cornstarch is lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to wheat flour per calorie. Cornstarch has a macronutrient ratio of 0:100:0 and for wheat flour, 14:82:4 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cornstarch | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | ~ | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 100% | 82% |
| Fat | ~ | 4% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both wheat flour and cornstarch are high in carbohydrates. Cornstarch has 26% more carbohydrates than wheat flour - wheat flour has 72.5g of total carbs per 100 grams and cornstarch has 91.3g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Wheat flour is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 167% more dietary fiber than cornstarch - wheat flour has 2.4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and cornstarch has 0.9g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Wheat flour and cornstarch contain similar amounts of sugar - wheat flour has 0.31g of sugar per 100 grams and cornstarch does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Wheat flour is a great source of protein and it has 45 times more protein than cornstarch - wheat flour has 12g of protein per 100 grams and cornstarch has 0.26g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both wheat flour and cornstarch are low in saturated fat - wheat flour has 0.24g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cornstarch has 0.01g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Wheat flour and cornstarch contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - wheat flour has 0.6ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cornstarch does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Wheat flour has more Vitamin E than cornstarch - wheat flour has 0.4mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and cornstarch does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Wheat flour and cornstarch contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - wheat flour has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and cornstarch does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Cornstarch | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | ~ | 0.812 MG |
| Riboflavin | ~ | 0.512 MG |
| Niacin | ~ | 7.554 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | ~ | 0.438 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | ~ | 0.037 MG |
| Folate | ~ | 183 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Wheat flour has 650% more calcium than cornstarch - wheat flour has 15mg of calcium per 100 grams and cornstarch has 2mg of calcium.
iron
Wheat flour is an excellent source of iron and it has 838% more iron than cornstarch - wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron per 100 grams and cornstarch has 0.47mg of iron.
potassium
Wheat flour has 32 times more potassium than cornstarch - wheat flour has 100mg of potassium per 100 grams and cornstarch has 3mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, wheat flour has more linoleic acid than cornstarch per 100 grams.
| Cornstarch | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.025 G | 0.685 G |
| Total | 0.025 G | 0.685 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: Cornstarch (Cornstarch) and Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) .
Cornstarch g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Wheat Flour 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 wheat flour or cornstarch contain more calories in 100 grams?Both wheat flour and cornstarch are high in calories. Cornstarch has a little more calories ( 10%) than wheat flour by weight - wheat flour has 361 calories in 100g and cornstarch has 381 calories.
Does wheat flour or cornstarch have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both wheat flour and cornstarch are high in carbohydrates. cornstarch has 30% more carbohydrates than wheat flour - wheat flour has 72.5g of carbs for 100g and cornstarch has 91.3g of carbohydrates.
Does wheat flour or cornstarch contain more iron?
Wheat flour is an abundant source of iron and it has 840% more iron than cornstarch - wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron in 100 grams and cornstarch has 0.47mg of iron.