White rice (cooked) vs Couscous (cooked)

The short answer

Both light, mild bases. Couscous is wheat, so it carries a little more protein and cooks in minutes; white rice is gluten-free and a touch softer. Couscous for speed and a fluffy grain, rice for a neutral, gluten-free side.

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

	White rice (cooked) · per 100 g	Couscous (cooked) · per 100 g
Calories	130	112
Protein	2.7 g	3.8 g
Fat	0.3 g	0.2 g
Carbs	28.2 g	23.2 g
Fiber	0.4 g	1.4 g
Sugars	0.1 g	0.1 g
Sodium	1 mg	5 mg
Vitamins & minerals — where both carry data
Calcium	10 mg	8 mg
Folate	58 µg	15 µg
Iron	1.2 mg	0.4 mg
Magnesium	12 mg	8 mg
Niacin	1.5 mg	1 mg
Phosphorus	43 mg	22 mg
Potassium	35 mg	58 mg
Riboflavin	0 mg	0 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 mg	0.1 mg
Vitamin K	0 µg	0.1 µg
Zinc	0.5 mg	0.3 mg

At equal calories (per 100 kcal)

Protein — White rice (cooked): 2.1 g, Couscous (cooked): 3.4 g · Fiber — White rice (cooked): 0.3 g, Couscous (cooked): 1.3 g · Sodium — White rice (cooked): 0.8 mg, Couscous (cooked): 4.5 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 White rice (cooked) or Couscous (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.