Brown Rice vs. Couscous
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Brown Rice and Cooked Couscous
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
brown rice
versus
cooked
couscous
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in brown rice and couscous:
- Both couscous and brown rice are high in calories.
- Brown rice has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Brown Rice (Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) and Couscous (Couscous, cooked) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both couscous and brown rice are high in calories. Couscous is very similar to couscous for calories - couscous has 112 calories per 100 grams and brown rice has 123 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, brown rice is lighter in protein, heavier in fat and similar to couscous for carbs. Brown rice has a macronutrient ratio of 9:84:7 and for couscous, 14:85:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Brown Rice | Couscous | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 9% | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 84% | 85% |
| Fat | 7% | 2% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Couscous and brown rice contain similar amounts of carbs - couscous has 23.2g of total carbs per 100 grams and brown rice has 25.6g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Couscous and brown rice contain similar amounts of dietary fiber - couscous has 1.4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and brown rice has 1.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Couscous and brown rice contain similar amounts of sugar - couscous has 0.1g of sugar per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.24g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Couscous and brown rice contain similar amounts of protein - couscous has 3.8g of protein per 100 grams and brown rice has 2.7g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both couscous and brown rice are low in saturated fat - couscous has 0.03g of saturated fat per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.26g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin E
Couscous and brown rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - couscous has 0.13mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.17mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Couscous and brown rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - couscous has 0.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.2ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Brown rice has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6. Both brown rice and couscous contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid and folate.
| Brown Rice | Couscous | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.178 MG | 0.063 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.069 MG | 0.027 MG |
| Niacin | 2.561 MG | 0.983 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.38 MG | 0.371 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.123 MG | 0.051 MG |
| Folate | 9 UG | 15 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Couscous and brown rice contain similar amounts of calcium - couscous has 8mg of calcium per 100 grams and brown rice has 3mg of calcium.
iron
Couscous and brown rice contain similar amounts of iron - couscous has 0.38mg of iron per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.56mg of iron.
potassium
Couscous and brown rice contain similar amounts of potassium - couscous has 58mg of potassium per 100 grams and brown rice has 86mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, brown rice has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than couscous per 100 grams.
| Brown Rice | Couscous | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.011 G | 0.003 G |
| Total | 0.011 G | 0.003 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, brown rice has more linoleic acid than couscous per 100 grams.
| Brown Rice | Couscous | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.004 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 0.355 G | 0.06 G |
| Total | 0.359 G | 0.06 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Brown Rice (Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) and Couscous (Couscous, cooked) .
Cooked Brown Rice g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Couscous g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does couscous or brown rice contain more calories in 100 grams?Both couscous and brown rice are high in calories. Couscous is quite similar to couscous for calories - couscous has 112 calories in 100g and brown rice has 123 calories.
Does couscous or brown rice have more carbohydrates?
By weight, couscous and brown rice contain similar amounts of carbs - couscous has 23.2g of carbs for 100g and brown rice has 25.6g of carbohydrates.