White rice (cooked) vs Quinoa (cooked)

The short answer

Quinoa carries more protein and fibre per 100 g and is naturally gluten-free; white rice is lighter, softer and a neutral base that takes on any flavour. They sit close on calories — pick quinoa when you want the protein in the side itself, rice when it is a backdrop to the dish.

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

	White rice (cooked) · per 100 g	Quinoa (cooked) · per 100 g
Calories	130	120
Protein	2.7 g	4.4 g
Fat	0.3 g	1.9 g
Carbs	28.2 g	21.3 g
Fiber	0.4 g	2.8 g
Sugars	0.1 g	0.9 g
Sodium	1 mg	7 mg
Vitamins & minerals — where both carry data
Calcium	10 mg	17 mg
Folate	58 µg	42 µg
Iron	1.2 mg	1.5 mg
Magnesium	12 mg	64 mg
Niacin	1.5 mg	0.4 mg
Phosphorus	43 mg	152 mg
Potassium	35 mg	172 mg
Riboflavin	0 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 mg	0.6 mg
Vitamin K	0 µg	0 µg
Zinc	0.5 mg	1.1 mg

At equal calories (per 100 kcal)

Protein — White rice (cooked): 2.1 g, Quinoa (cooked): 3.7 g · Fiber — White rice (cooked): 0.3 g, Quinoa (cooked): 2.3 g · Sodium — White rice (cooked): 0.8 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 White 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.