White Rice vs. Lentils
Nutrition comparison of Cooked White Rice and Cooked Lentils
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
white rice
versus
cooked
lentils
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in white rice and lentils:
- Both white rice and lentils are high in calories.
- Lentil has more riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and folate.
- Lentil is a great source of protein.
- Lentil is an excellent source of dietary fiber, iron and potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) and Lentils (Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both white rice and lentils are high in calories. White rice has 12% more calories than lentil - white rice has 130 calories per 100 grams and lentil has 116 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, white rice is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and similar to lentils for fat. White rice has a macronutrient ratio of 8:91:2 and for lentils, 30:67:3 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| White Rice | Lentils | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 8% | 30% |
| Carbohydrates | 91% | 67% |
| Fat | 2% | 3% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Lentil has 30% less carbohydrates than white rice - white rice has 28.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and lentil has 20.1g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Lentil is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has 25 times more dietary fiber than white rice - white rice has 0.3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and lentil has 7.9g of dietary fiber.
sugar
White rice has less sugar than lentil - lentil has 1.8g of sugar per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Lentil is a great source of protein and it has 279% more protein than white rice - white rice has 2.4g of protein per 100 grams and lentil has 9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both white rice and lentils are low in saturated fat - white rice has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams and lentil has 0.05g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Lentil has more Vitamin C than white rice - lentil has 1.5mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Lentils and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - lentil has 2.4ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Lentils and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - lentil has 0.11mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Lentils and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - lentil has 1.7ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Lentil has more riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and folate. Both white rice and lentils contain significant amounts of thiamin, niacin and pantothenic acid.
| White Rice | Lentils | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.167 MG | 0.169 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.016 MG | 0.073 MG |
| Niacin | 1.835 MG | 1.06 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.411 MG | 0.638 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.05 MG | 0.178 MG |
| Folate | 58 UG | 181 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Lentil has 533% more calcium than white rice - white rice has 3mg of calcium per 100 grams and lentil has 19mg of calcium.
iron
Lentil is an excellent source of iron and it has 123% more iron than white rice - white rice has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and lentil has 3.3mg of iron.
potassium
Lentil is an excellent source of potassium and it has 11 times more potassium than white rice - white rice has 29mg of potassium per 100 grams and lentil has 369mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, lentil has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than white rice per 100 grams.
| White Rice | Lentils | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.01 G | 0.037 G |
| Total | 0.01 G | 0.037 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, lentil has more linoleic acid than white rice per 100 grams.
| White Rice | Lentils | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.046 G | 0.137 G |
| Total | 0.046 G | 0.137 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: White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) and Lentils (Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) .
Cooked White Rice g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Lentils 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 lentils contain more calories in 100 grams?Both white rice and lentils are high in calories. White rice has 10% more calories than lentil - white rice has 130 calories in 100g and lentil has 116 calories.
Does white rice or lentils have more carbohydrates?
By weight, lentil has 30% fewer carbohydrates than white rice - white rice has 28.6g of carbs for 100g and lentil has 20.1g of carbohydrates.
Does white rice or lentils contain more iron?
Lentil is an abundant source of iron and it has 120% more iron than white rice - white rice has 1.5mg of iron in 100 grams and lentil has 3.3mg of iron.
Does white rice or lentils contain more potassium?
Lentil is a rich source of potassium and it has 11 times more potassium than white rice - white rice has 29mg of potassium in 100 grams and lentil has 369mg of potassium.