Brown Rice vs. Pasta
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Brown Rice and Pasta
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
pasta
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in brown rice and pasta:
- Both brown rice and pasta are high in calories.
- Pasta has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate.
- Pasta is a great source of potassium.
- Pasta is an excellent source of dietary fiber, iron and protein.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Brown Rice (Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) and Pasta (Pasta, dry, enriched) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both brown rice and pasta are high in calories. Pasta has 202% more calories than brown rice - brown rice has 123 calories per 100 grams and pasta has 371 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, brown rice is lighter in protein and similar to pasta for carbs and fat. Brown rice has a macronutrient ratio of 9:84:7 and for pasta, 14:82:4 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Brown Rice | Pasta | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 9% | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 84% | 82% |
| Fat | 7% | 4% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Pasta is high in carbohydrates and brown rice has 66% less carbohydrates than pasta - brown rice has 25.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and pasta has 74.7g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Pasta is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has 100% more dietary fiber than brown rice - brown rice has 1.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and pasta has 3.2g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Brown rice and pasta contain similar amounts of sugar - brown rice has 0.24g of sugar per 100 grams and pasta has 2.7g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Pasta is an excellent source of protein and it has 376% more protein than brown rice - brown rice has 2.7g of protein per 100 grams and pasta has 13g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both brown rice and pasta are low in saturated fat - brown rice has 0.26g of saturated fat per 100 grams and pasta has 0.28g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin E
Brown rice and pasta contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - brown rice has 0.17mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and pasta has 0.11mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Brown rice and pasta contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - brown rice has 0.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and pasta has 0.1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Pasta has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate. Both brown rice and pasta contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
| Brown Rice | Pasta | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.178 MG | 0.891 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.069 MG | 0.4 MG |
| Niacin | 2.561 MG | 7.177 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.38 MG | 0.431 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.123 MG | 0.142 MG |
| Folate | 9 UG | 237 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Pasta has 600% more calcium than brown rice - brown rice has 3mg of calcium per 100 grams and pasta has 21mg of calcium.
iron
Pasta is an excellent source of iron and it has 489% more iron than brown rice - brown rice has 0.56mg of iron per 100 grams and pasta has 3.3mg of iron.
potassium
Pasta is a great source of potassium and it has 159% more potassium than brown rice - brown rice has 86mg of potassium per 100 grams and pasta has 223mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, pasta has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than brown rice per 100 grams.
| Brown Rice | Pasta | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.011 G | 0.024 G |
| Total | 0.011 G | 0.024 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both brown rice and pasta contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Brown Rice | Pasta | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.004 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 0.355 G | 0.54 G |
| Total | 0.359 G | 0.54 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 Pasta (Pasta, dry, enriched) .
Cooked Brown Rice g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Pasta 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 brown rice or pasta contain more calories in 100 grams?Both brown rice and pasta are high in calories. Pasta has 200% more calories than brown rice - brown rice has 123 calories in 100g and pasta has 371 calories.
Does brown rice or pasta have more carbohydrates?
By weight, pasta is high in carbohydrates and brown rice has 70% fewer carbohydrates than pasta - brown rice has 25.6g of carbs for 100g and pasta has 74.7g of carbohydrates.
Does brown rice or pasta contain more iron?
Pasta is an abundant source of iron and it has 490% more iron than brown rice - brown rice has 0.56mg of iron in 100 grams and pasta has 3.3mg of iron.