Brown rice (cooked) vs Quinoa (cooked)

The short answer

Both wholegrain and close on calories. Quinoa edges ahead on protein and is a complete plant protein; brown rice is milder, cheaper and keeps its bite. Quinoa when you want the protein in the base, brown rice for a plain wholegrain side.

Brown rice (cooked) and Quinoa (cooked), per 100 g and per portion. A gap means USDA has no value for it — not zero.

	Brown rice (cooked) · per 100 g	Quinoa (cooked) · per 100 g
Calories	123	120
Protein	2.7 g	4.4 g
Fat	1 g	1.9 g
Carbs	25.6 g	21.3 g
Fiber	1.6 g	2.8 g
Sugars	0.2 g	0.9 g
Sodium	4 mg	7 mg
Vitamins & minerals — where both carry data
Calcium	3 mg	17 mg
Folate	9 µg	42 µg
Iron	0.6 mg	1.5 mg
Magnesium	39 mg	64 mg
Niacin	2.6 mg	0.4 mg
Phosphorus	103 mg	152 mg
Potassium	86 mg	172 mg
Riboflavin	0.1 mg	0.1 mg
Thiamin	0.2 mg	0.1 mg
Vitamin A	0 µg	0 µg
Vitamin B12	0 µg	0 µg
Vitamin B6	0.1 mg	0.1 mg
Vitamin C	0 mg	0 mg
Vitamin D	0 µg	0 µg
Vitamin E	0.2 mg	0.6 mg
Vitamin K	0.2 µg	0 µg
Zinc	0.7 mg	1.1 mg

At equal calories (per 100 kcal)

Protein — Brown rice (cooked): 2.2 g, Quinoa (cooked): 3.7 g · Fiber — Brown rice (cooked): 1.3 g, Quinoa (cooked): 2.3 g · Sodium — Brown rice (cooked): 3.3 mg, Quinoa (cooked): 5.8 mg

Generic USDA foods (not brands), so both carry micronutrients. Numbers are per 100 g unless the portion toggle is on. USDA FoodData Central, as of 2026-08-12.

Common questions

Is Brown rice (cooked) or Quinoa (cooked) better?

Neither is “better” on its own — it depends what you want from it. The table shows where each is higher; the short answer says when each one fits. Compare on the same basis (per 100 g) and pick for your dish and your goal.

How were these numbers worked out?

Straight from USDA FoodData Central for the generic form of each food, per 100 g. We show the portion view too, but portion sizes differ between foods, so per 100 g is the fair comparison.

Why does one column say “no data”?

Because USDA has no value for that nutrient in that food — so we leave it blank rather than print a 0 that would read as “none”. A real zero from USDA still shows as 0.