Barley vs. Quinoa
Nutrition comparison of Barley and Cooked Quinoa
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
barley
versus
cooked
quinoa
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in barley and quinoa:
- Both quinoa and barley are high in calories and dietary fiber.
- Barley has more niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
- Barley is a great source of iron, potassium and protein.
- For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more dha than barley.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Barley (Barley, pearled, raw) and Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both quinoa and barley are high in calories. Barley has 193% more calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories per 100 grams and barley has 352 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, barley is lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to quinoa per calorie. Barley has a macronutrient ratio of 11:86:3 and for quinoa, 15:71:15 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Barley | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11% | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 86% | 71% |
| Fat | 3% | 15% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Barley is high in carbohydrates and quinoa has 73% less carbohydrates than barley - quinoa has 21.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both quinoa and barley are high in dietary fiber. Barley has 457% more dietary fiber than quinoa - quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and barley has 15.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Quinoa and barley contain similar amounts of sugar - quinoa has 0.87g of sugar per 100 grams and barley has 0.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Barley is a great source of protein and it has 125% more protein than quinoa - quinoa has 4.4g of protein per 100 grams and barley has 9.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both quinoa and barley are low in saturated fat - quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat per 100 grams and barley has 0.24g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Barley and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - barley has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Quinoa and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and barley has 0.02mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Barley and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - barley has 2.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Barley has more niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both barley and quinoa contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin and folate.
| Barley | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.191 MG | 0.107 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.114 MG | 0.11 MG |
| Niacin | 4.604 MG | 0.412 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.282 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.26 MG | 0.123 MG |
| Folate | 23 UG | 42 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Barley has 71% more calcium than quinoa - quinoa has 17mg of calcium per 100 grams and barley has 29mg of calcium.
iron
Barley is a great source of iron and it has 68% more iron than quinoa - quinoa has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and barley has 2.5mg of iron.
potassium
Barley is a great source of potassium and it has 63% more potassium than quinoa - quinoa has 172mg of potassium per 100 grams and barley has 280mg 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 barley and quinoa contain small amounts of beta-carotene.
| Barley | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 13 UG | 3 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 160 UG | 53 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more DHA than barley per 100 grams. Both barley and quinoa contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Barley | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.055 G | 0.085 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.015 G |
| Total | 0.055 G | 0.1 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both barley and quinoa contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Barley | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.505 G | 0.974 G |
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.003 G |
| Total | 0.505 G | 0.977 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.
Barley g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Quinoa 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 barley contain more calories in 100 grams?Both quinoa and barley are high in calories. Barley has 190% more calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories in 100g and barley has 352 calories.
Does quinoa or barley have more carbohydrates?
By weight, barley is high in carbohydrates and quinoa has 70% fewer carbohydrates than barley - quinoa has 21.3g of carbs for 100g and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.