Couscous vs. Quinoa
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Couscous and Cooked Quinoa
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
quinoa
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in couscous and quinoa:
- Both quinoa and couscous are high in calories.
- Quinoa has more riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, couscous contains more niacin and pantothenic acid.
- Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Couscous (Couscous, cooked) and Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both quinoa and couscous are high in calories. Quinoa has a little more calories (7%) than couscous by weight - quinoa has 120 calories per 100 grams and couscous has 112 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, couscous is heavier in carbs, lighter in fat and similar to quinoa for protein. Couscous has a macronutrient ratio of 14:85:2 and for quinoa, 15:71:15 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Couscous | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 14% | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 85% | 71% |
| Fat | 2% | 15% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Quinoa and couscous contain similar amounts of carbs - quinoa has 21.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and couscous has 23.2g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 100% more dietary fiber than couscous - quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and couscous has 1.4g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Quinoa and couscous contain similar amounts of sugar - quinoa has 0.87g of sugar per 100 grams and couscous has 0.1g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Quinoa and couscous contain similar amounts of protein - quinoa has 4.4g of protein per 100 grams and couscous has 3.8g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both quinoa and couscous are low in saturated fat - quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat per 100 grams and couscous has 0.03g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Quinoa and couscous contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - quinoa has 1.5ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and couscous does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Quinoa and couscous contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and couscous has 0.13mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Couscous and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - couscous has 0.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Quinoa has more riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, couscous contains more niacin and pantothenic acid. Both couscous and quinoa contain significant amounts of thiamin.
| Couscous | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.063 MG | 0.107 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.027 MG | 0.11 MG |
| Niacin | 0.983 MG | 0.412 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.371 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.051 MG | 0.123 MG |
| Folate | 15 UG | 42 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Quinoa has 113% more calcium than couscous - quinoa has 17mg of calcium per 100 grams and couscous has 8mg of calcium.
iron
Quinoa has 292% more iron than couscous - quinoa has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and couscous has 0.38mg of iron.
potassium
Quinoa has 197% more potassium than couscous - quinoa has 172mg of potassium per 100 grams and couscous has 58mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) and DHA than couscous per 100 grams.
| Couscous | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.003 G | 0.085 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.015 G |
| Total | 0.003 G | 0.1 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, quinoa has more linoleic acid than couscous per 100 grams.
| Couscous | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.06 G | 0.974 G |
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.003 G |
| Total | 0.06 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.
Cooked Couscous 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 couscous contain more calories in 100 grams?Both quinoa and couscous are high in calories. Quinoa has a little more calories ( 10%) than couscous by weight - quinoa has 120 calories in 100g and couscous has 112 calories.
Does quinoa or couscous have more carbohydrates?
By weight, quinoa and couscous contain similar amounts of carbs - quinoa has 21.3g of carbs for 100g and couscous has 23.2g of carbohydrates.