Quinoa vs. Red Bell Pepper

Nutrition comparison of Cooked Quinoa and Red Bell Pepper


Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of cooked quinoa versus red bell pepper (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in quinoa and red bell pepper:

  • Both quinoa and red bell pepper are high in dietary fiber.
  • For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more dha than red bell pepper.
  • Red bell pepper has 72% less carbohydrates than quinoa.
  • Red bell pepper has more niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
  • Red bell pepper is an excellent source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
Detailed nutritional comparison of quinoa and red bell pepper is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) and Red Bell Pepper (Peppers, sweet, red, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Quinoa src
Image of Red Bell Pepper src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Quinoa is high in calories and red bell pepper has 78% less calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 26 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, quinoa is lighter in carbs, heavier in fat and similar to red bell pepper for protein. Quinoa has a macronutrient ratio of 15:71:15 and for red bell pepper, 13:79:8 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Quinoa Red Bell Pepper
Protein 15% 13%
Carbohydrates 71% 79%
Fat 15% 8%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Red bell pepper has 72% less carbohydrates than quinoa - quinoa has 21.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 6g of carbohydrates.

The carbs in quinoa are made of 83% starch, 13% dietary fiber and 4% sugar, whereas the carbs in red bell pepper comprise of 67% sugar and 33% dietary fiber.

dietary fiber

Both quinoa and red bell pepper are high in dietary fiber. Quinoa has 33% more dietary fiber than red bell pepper - quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 2.1g of dietary fiber.

sugar

Quinoa and red bell pepper contain similar amounts of sugar - quinoa has 0.87g of sugar per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 4.2g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Quinoa has 344% more protein than red bell pepper - quinoa has 4.4g of protein per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 0.99g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Both quinoa and red bell pepper are low in saturated fat - quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 0.06g of saturated fat.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Red bell pepper is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has more Vitamin C than quinoa - red bell pepper has 127.7mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin A

Red bell pepper is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than quinoa - red bell pepper has 157ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Quinoa and red bell pepper contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 1.6mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Red bell pepper and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - red bell pepper has 4.9ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.

The B Vitamins

Red bell pepper has more niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both quinoa and red bell pepper contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin and folate.

Quinoa Red Bell Pepper
Thiamin 0.107 MG 0.054 MG
Riboflavin 0.11 MG 0.085 MG
Niacin 0.412 MG 0.979 MG
Pantothenic acid ~ 0.317 MG
Vitamin B6 0.123 MG 0.291 MG
Folate 42 UG 46 UG

Minerals

calcium

Quinoa has 143% more calcium than red bell pepper - quinoa has 17mg of calcium per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 7mg of calcium.

iron

Quinoa has 247% more iron than red bell pepper - quinoa has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 0.43mg of iron.

potassium

Quinoa and red bell pepper contain similar amounts of potassium - quinoa has 172mg of potassium per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 211mg 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 quinoa and red bell pepper contain significant amounts of lutein + zeaxanthin.

Quinoa Red Bell Pepper
beta-carotene 3 UG 1624 UG
lutein + zeaxanthin 53 UG 51 UG
alpha-carotene ~ 20 UG

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more DHA than red bell pepper per 100 grams. Both quinoa and red bell pepper contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).

Quinoa Red Bell Pepper
alpha linoleic acid 0.085 G 0.056 G
DHA 0.015 G ~
Total 0.1 G 0.056 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, quinoa has more linoleic acid than red bell pepper per 100 grams.

Quinoa Red Bell Pepper
linoleic acid 0.974 G 0.1 G
other omega 6 0.003 G ~
Total 0.977 G 0.1 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: Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) and Red Bell Pepper (Peppers, sweet, red, raw) .

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FAQ

Does quinoa or red bell pepper contain more calories in 100 grams?
Quinoa is high in calories and red bell pepper has 80% less calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories in 100g and red bell pepper has 26 calories.

Does quinoa or red bell pepper have more carbohydrates?
By weight, red bell pepper has 70% fewer carbohydrates than quinoa - quinoa has 21.3g of carbs for 100g and red bell pepper has 6g of carbohydrates. the carbs in quinoa are made of 80% starch, 10% dietary fiber and 0% sugar, whereas the carbs in red bell pepper comprise of 70% sugar and 30% dietary fiber.