Couscous vs. White Rice
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Couscous 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
couscous
versus
cooked
white rice
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in couscous and white rice:
- Both white rice and couscous are high in calories.
- White rice has more thiamin and folate.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Couscous (Couscous, cooked) 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 couscous are high in calories. White rice has 16% more calories than couscous - white rice has 130 calories per 100 grams and couscous has 112 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, couscous is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and similar to white rice for fat. Couscous has a macronutrient ratio of 14:85:2 and for white rice, 8:91:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Couscous | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 14% | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 85% | 91% |
| Fat | 2% | 2% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
White rice and couscous contain similar amounts of carbs - white rice has 28.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and couscous has 23.2g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Couscous has 367% more dietary fiber than white rice - white rice has 0.3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and couscous has 1.4g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Couscous and white rice contain similar amounts of sugar - couscous has 0.1g of sugar per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
White rice and couscous contain similar amounts of protein - white rice has 2.4g of protein per 100 grams and couscous has 3.8g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both white rice and couscous are low in saturated fat - white rice has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams and couscous has 0.03g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin E
Couscous and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - couscous has 0.13mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Couscous and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - couscous has 0.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
White rice has more thiamin and folate. Both couscous and white rice contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
| Couscous | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.063 MG | 0.167 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.027 MG | 0.016 MG |
| Niacin | 0.983 MG | 1.835 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.371 MG | 0.411 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.051 MG | 0.05 MG |
| Folate | 15 UG | 58 UG |
Minerals
calcium
White rice and couscous contain similar amounts of calcium - white rice has 3mg of calcium per 100 grams and couscous has 8mg of calcium.
iron
White rice has 292% more iron than couscous - white rice has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and couscous has 0.38mg of iron.
potassium
White rice and couscous contain similar amounts of potassium - white rice has 29mg of potassium per 100 grams and couscous has 58mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both couscous and white rice contain small amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Couscous | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.003 G | 0.01 G |
| Total | 0.003 G | 0.01 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both couscous and white rice contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Couscous | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.06 G | 0.046 G |
| Total | 0.06 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: Couscous (Couscous, cooked) and White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) .
Cooked Couscous 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 couscous contain more calories in 100 grams?Both white rice and couscous are high in calories. White rice has 20% more calories than couscous - white rice has 130 calories in 100g and couscous has 112 calories.
Does white rice or couscous have more carbohydrates?
By weight, white rice and couscous contain similar amounts of carbs - white rice has 28.6g of carbs for 100g and couscous has 23.2g of carbohydrates.