Wheat Flour vs. Whole Wheat Flour

Q: Does wheat flour or whole wheat flour contain more protein?

Both wheat flour and whole wheat flour are high in protein . Wheat flour has 25% more protein than whole wheat flour - wheat flour has 12g of protein per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 9.6g of protein.

Nutrition comparison of Wheat Flour and Whole Wheat Flour

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

We compared the nutritional contents of wheat flour versus whole wheat flour (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data^[1].

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Calories and Carbs
Protein
Fat
Vitamins
Minerals
Micronutrients
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For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in wheat flour and whole wheat flour:

Both wheat flour and whole wheat flour are high in calories, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron and protein.
Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin and folate, however, whole wheat flour contains more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
Whole wheat flour is an excellent source of potassium.

Detailed nutritional comparison of wheat flour and whole wheat flour 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: Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) and Whole Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, whole-grain, soft wheat) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.

Wheat Flour src

Whole Wheat Flour src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Both wheat flour and whole wheat flour are high in calories. Wheat flour has a little more calories (9%) than whole wheat flour by weight - wheat flour has 361 calories per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 332 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, wheat flour is similar to whole wheat flour for protein, carbs and fat. Wheat flour has a macronutrient ratio of 14:82:4 and for whole wheat flour, 11:84:5 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

	Wheat Flour	Whole Wheat Flour
Protein	14%	11%
Carbohydrates	82%	84%
Fat	4%	5%
Alcohol	~	~

carbohydrates

Both wheat flour and whole wheat flour are high in carbohydrates. Wheat flour is very similar to wheat flour for carbohydrates - wheat flour has 72.5g of total carbs per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 74.5g of carbohydrates.

dietary fiber

Both wheat flour and whole wheat flour are high in dietary fiber. Whole wheat flour has 446% more dietary fiber than wheat flour - wheat flour has 2.4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 13.1g of dietary fiber.

sugar

Wheat flour and whole wheat flour contain similar amounts of sugar - wheat flour has 0.31g of sugar per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 1g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Both wheat flour and whole wheat flour are high in protein. Wheat flour has 25% more protein than whole wheat flour - wheat flour has 12g of protein per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 9.6g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Both wheat flour and whole wheat flour are low in saturated fat - wheat flour has 0.24g of saturated fat per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 0.43g of saturated fat.

Vitamins

Vitamin A

Whole wheat flour and wheat flour contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - whole wheat flour has 2.7ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and wheat flour does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Wheat flour and whole wheat flour contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - wheat flour has 0.4mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 0.53mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Wheat flour and whole wheat flour contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - wheat flour has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 1.9ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin and folate, however, whole wheat flour contains more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both wheat flour and whole wheat flour contain significant amounts of niacin.

	Wheat Flour	Whole Wheat Flour
Thiamin	0.812 MG	0.297 MG
Riboflavin	0.512 MG	0.188 MG
Niacin	7.554 MG	5.347 MG
Pantothenic acid	0.438 MG	1.011 MG
Vitamin B6	0.037 MG	0.191 MG
Folate	183 UG	28 UG

Minerals

calcium

Whole wheat flour has 120% more calcium than wheat flour - wheat flour has 15mg of calcium per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 33mg of calcium.

iron

Both wheat flour and whole wheat flour are high in iron. Wheat flour has 19% more iron than whole wheat flour - wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 3.7mg of iron.

potassium

Whole wheat flour is an excellent source of potassium and it has 294% more potassium than wheat flour - wheat flour has 100mg of potassium per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 394mg 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 wheat flour and whole wheat flour contain small amounts of beta-carotene.

	Wheat Flour	Whole Wheat Flour
beta-carotene	1 UG	5 UG
lutein + zeaxanthin	79 UG	220 UG

Customize your serving size

The comparison below is by weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).

You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Wheat Flour or Whole Wheat Flour .

Note: The specific food items compared are: Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) and Whole Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, whole-grain, soft wheat) .

Wheat Flour g ()	Daily Values (%)
KCAL %	calories	KCAL %
G %	carbohydrates	G %
G %	dietary fiber	G %
G	sugar	G
G %	total fat	G %
G %	saturated fat	G %
G	monounsaturated fat	G
G	polyunsaturated fat	G
G	trans fat	G
MG	cholesterol	MG
MG %	sodium	MG %
	Vitamins and Minerals
UG %	Vitamin A	UG %
MG %	Vitamin C	MG %
IU %	Vitamin D	IU %
MG %	calcium	MG %
MG %	iron	MG %
MG %	magnesium	MG %
MG %	potassium	MG %
MG %	thiamin (Vit B1)	MG %
MG %	riboflavin (Vit B2)	MG %
MG %	niacin (Vit B3)	MG %
MG %	Vitamin B6	MG %
MG %	pantothenic acid (Vit B5)	MG %
UG %	folate (Vit B9)	UG %
UG %	Vitamin B12	UG %
MG %	Vitamin E	MG %
UG %	Vitamin K	UG %
G %	protein	G %
UG %	biotin (Vit B7)	UG %
MG %	choline	MG %
MG %	chlorine	MG %
UG %	chromium	UG %
MG %	copper	MG %
UG %	fluoride	UG %
UG %	iodine	UG %
MG %	manganese	MG %
UG %	molybdenum	UG %
MG %	phosphorus	MG %
UG %	selenium	UG %
MG %	zinc	MG %
G	Water	G
G	Starch	G
G	Alcohol	G

Food	Amount	Action
Wheat Flour	100 g
Whole Wheat Flour	100 g

FAQ

Does wheat flour or whole wheat flour contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both wheat flour and whole wheat flour are high in calories. Wheat flour has a little more calories ( 10%) than whole wheat flour by weight - wheat flour has 361 calories in 100g and whole wheat flour has 332 calories.

Does wheat flour or whole wheat flour have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both wheat flour and whole wheat flour are high in carbohydrates. wheat flour is very similar to wheat flour for carbohydrates - wheat flour has 72.5g of carbs for 100g and whole wheat flour has 74.5g of carbohydrates.

Does wheat flour or whole wheat flour contain more iron?
Both wheat flour and whole wheat flour are high in iron. Wheat flour has 20% more iron than whole wheat flour - wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron in 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 3.7mg of iron.

Does wheat flour or whole wheat flour contain more potassium?
Whole wheat flour is a rich source of potassium and it has 290% more potassium than wheat flour - wheat flour has 100mg of potassium in 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 394mg of potassium.

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