Quinoa vs. White Rice
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Quinoa and Cooked White Rice
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
quinoa
versus
cooked
white rice
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in quinoa and white rice:
- Both white rice and quinoa are high in calories.
- Quinoa has more riboflavin and Vitamin B6, however, white rice contains more niacin and pantothenic acid.
- Quinoa has signficantly more potassium than white rice.
- Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) and White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both white rice and quinoa are high in calories. White rice has a little more calories (8%) than quinoa by weight - white rice has 130 calories per 100 grams and quinoa has 120 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, quinoa is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to white rice per calorie. Quinoa has a macronutrient ratio of 15:71:15 and for white rice, 8:91:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Quinoa | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 15% | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 71% | 91% |
| Fat | 15% | 2% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Quinoa has 25% less carbohydrates than white rice - white rice has 28.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and quinoa has 21.3g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 833% more dietary fiber than white rice - white rice has 0.3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Quinoa and white rice contain similar amounts of sugar - quinoa has 0.87g of sugar per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Quinoa has 85% more protein than white rice - white rice has 2.4g of protein per 100 grams and quinoa has 4.4g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both white rice and quinoa are low in saturated fat - white rice has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams and quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Quinoa and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - quinoa has 1.5ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Quinoa has more Vitamin E than white rice - quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Quinoa has more riboflavin and Vitamin B6, however, white rice contains more niacin and pantothenic acid. Both quinoa and white rice contain significant amounts of thiamin and folate.
| Quinoa | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.107 MG | 0.167 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.11 MG | 0.016 MG |
| Niacin | 0.412 MG | 1.835 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | ~ | 0.411 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.123 MG | 0.05 MG |
| Folate | 42 UG | 58 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Quinoa has 467% more calcium than white rice - white rice has 3mg of calcium per 100 grams and quinoa has 17mg of calcium.
iron
White rice and quinoa contain similar amounts of iron - white rice has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and quinoa has 1.5mg of iron.
potassium
Quinoa has signficantly more potassium than white rice - white rice has 29mg of potassium per 100 grams and quinoa has 172mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) and DHA than white rice per 100 grams.
| Quinoa | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.085 G | 0.01 G |
| DHA | 0.015 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.1 G | 0.01 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, quinoa has more linoleic acid than white rice per 100 grams.
| Quinoa | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.974 G | 0.046 G |
| other omega 6 | 0.003 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.977 G | 0.046 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 White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) .
Cooked Quinoa g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked White Rice 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 quinoa contain more calories in 100 grams?Both white rice and quinoa are high in calories. White rice has a little more calories ( 10%) than quinoa by weight - white rice has 130 calories in 100g and quinoa has 120 calories.
Does white rice or quinoa have more carbohydrates?
By weight, quinoa has 30% fewer carbohydrates than white rice - white rice has 28.6g of carbs for 100g and quinoa has 21.3g of carbohydrates.