White rice (cooked) vs Brown rice (cooked)

The short answer

Brown rice keeps the bran, so it holds more fibre and magnesium; white rice is softer, cooks faster and is gentler on a sensitive stomach. They are close on calories — the real difference is fibre, not energy. Brown for the fibre, white for speed and a lighter texture.

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

	White rice (cooked) · per 100 g	Brown rice (cooked) · per 100 g
Calories	130	123
Protein	2.7 g	2.7 g
Fat	0.3 g	1 g
Carbs	28.2 g	25.6 g
Fiber	0.4 g	1.6 g
Sugars	0.1 g	0.2 g
Sodium	1 mg	4 mg
Vitamins & minerals — where both carry data
Calcium	10 mg	3 mg
Folate	58 µg	9 µg
Iron	1.2 mg	0.6 mg
Magnesium	12 mg	39 mg
Niacin	1.5 mg	2.6 mg
Phosphorus	43 mg	103 mg
Potassium	35 mg	86 mg
Riboflavin	0 mg	0.1 mg
Thiamin	0.2 mg	0.2 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	0.2 mg
Vitamin K	0 µg	0.2 µg
Zinc	0.5 mg	0.7 mg

At equal calories (per 100 kcal)

Protein — White rice (cooked): 2.1 g, Brown rice (cooked): 2.2 g · Fiber — White rice (cooked): 0.3 g, Brown rice (cooked): 1.3 g · Sodium — White rice (cooked): 0.8 mg, Brown rice (cooked): 3.3 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 Brown rice (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.