Pasta vs. White Rice
Nutrition comparison of Pasta and Cooked White Rice
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
pasta
versus
cooked
white rice
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in pasta and white rice:
- Both white rice and pasta are high in calories.
- Pasta has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate.
- Pasta is a great source of potassium.
- Pasta is an excellent source of dietary fiber, iron and protein.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Pasta (Pasta, dry, enriched) and White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both white rice and pasta are high in calories. Pasta has 185% more calories than white rice - white rice has 130 calories per 100 grams and pasta has 371 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, pasta is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and similar to white rice for fat. Pasta has a macronutrient ratio of 14:82:4 and for white rice, 8:91:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Pasta | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 14% | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 82% | 91% |
| Fat | 4% | 2% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Pasta is high in carbohydrates and white rice has 62% less carbohydrates than pasta - white rice has 28.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and pasta has 74.7g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Pasta is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has 967% more dietary fiber than white rice - white rice has 0.3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and pasta has 3.2g of dietary fiber.
sugar
White rice has less sugar than pasta - pasta has 2.7g of sugar per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Pasta is an excellent source of protein and it has 448% more protein than white rice - white rice has 2.4g of protein per 100 grams and pasta has 13g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both white rice and pasta are low in saturated fat - white rice has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams and pasta has 0.28g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin E
Pasta and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - pasta has 0.11mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Pasta and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - pasta has 0.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Pasta has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate. Both pasta and white rice contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid.
| Pasta | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.891 MG | 0.167 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.4 MG | 0.016 MG |
| Niacin | 7.177 MG | 1.835 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.431 MG | 0.411 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.142 MG | 0.05 MG |
| Folate | 237 UG | 58 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Pasta has 600% more calcium than white rice - white rice has 3mg of calcium per 100 grams and pasta has 21mg of calcium.
iron
Pasta is an excellent source of iron and it has 121% more iron than white rice - white rice has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and pasta has 3.3mg of iron.
potassium
Pasta is a great source of potassium and it has 669% more potassium than white rice - white rice has 29mg of potassium per 100 grams and pasta has 223mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, pasta has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than white rice per 100 grams.
| Pasta | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.024 G | 0.01 G |
| Total | 0.024 G | 0.01 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, pasta has more linoleic acid than white rice per 100 grams.
| Pasta | White Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.54 G | 0.046 G |
| Total | 0.54 G | 0.046 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: Pasta (Pasta, dry, enriched) and White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) .
Pasta g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked White Rice 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 white rice or pasta contain more calories in 100 grams?Both white rice and pasta are high in calories. Pasta has 190% more calories than white rice - white rice has 130 calories in 100g and pasta has 371 calories.
Does white rice or pasta have more carbohydrates?
By weight, pasta is high in carbohydrates and white rice has 60% fewer carbohydrates than pasta - white rice has 28.6g of carbs for 100g and pasta has 74.7g of carbohydrates.
Does white rice or pasta contain more iron?
Pasta is an abundant source of iron and it has 120% more iron than white rice - white rice has 1.5mg of iron in 100 grams and pasta has 3.3mg of iron.