Beef vs. Quinoa
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Beef and Cooked Quinoa
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
beef
versus
cooked
quinoa
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in beef and quinoa:
- Both beef and quinoa are high in calories.
- Beef has more niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, quinoa contains more folate.
- Beef has signficantly less carbohydrates than quinoa.
- Beef is a great source of iron and potassium.
- Beef is an excellent source of protein.
- For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more dha than beef.
- Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Beef (Beef, ground, 70% lean meat / 30% fat, patty, cooked, broiled) and Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both beef and quinoa are high in calories. Beef has 131% more calories than quinoa - beef has 277 calories per 100 grams and quinoa has 120 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, beef is much heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to quinoa per calorie. Beef has a macronutrient ratio of 38:0:62 and for quinoa, 15:71:15 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Beef | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 38% | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 71% |
| Fat | 62% | 15% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Beef has signficantly less carbohydrates than quinoa - quinoa has 21.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.
dietary fiber
Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than beef - quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Quinoa and beef contain similar amounts of sugar - quinoa has 0.87g of sugar per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Beef is an excellent source of protein and it has 477% more protein than quinoa - beef has 25.4g of protein per 100 grams and quinoa has 4.4g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Beef is high in saturated fat and quinoa has 97% less saturated fat than beef - beef has 7.3g of saturated fat per 100 grams and quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Quinoa has less trans fat than beef - beef has 1.2g of trans fat per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Quinoa has less cholesterol than beef - beef has 88mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Beef and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - beef has 3ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin D
Beef and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - beef has 2iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Beef and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - beef has 0.12mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Beef and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - beef has 3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Beef has more niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, quinoa contains more folate. Both beef and quinoa contain significant amounts of thiamin and riboflavin.
| Beef | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.051 MG | 0.107 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.176 MG | 0.11 MG |
| Niacin | 4.537 MG | 0.412 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.658 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.336 MG | 0.123 MG |
| Folate | 11 UG | 42 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.9 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Beef has 106% more calcium than quinoa - beef has 35mg of calcium per 100 grams and quinoa has 17mg of calcium.
iron
Beef is a great source of iron and it has 51% more iron than quinoa - beef has 2.3mg of iron per 100 grams and quinoa has 1.5mg of iron.
potassium
Beef is a great source of potassium and it has 60% more potassium than quinoa - beef has 275mg of potassium per 100 grams and quinoa has 172mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more DHA than beef per 100 grams. Both beef and quinoa contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Beef | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.056 G | 0.085 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.015 G |
| Total | 0.056 G | 0.1 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, quinoa has more linoleic acid than beef per 100 grams.
| Beef | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.047 G | 0.003 G |
| linoleic acid | 0.39 G | 0.974 G |
| Total | 0.437 G | 0.977 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.
Cooked Beef g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Quinoa 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 beef or quinoa contain more calories in 100 grams?Both beef and quinoa are high in calories. Beef has 130% more calories than quinoa - beef has 277 calories in 100g and quinoa has 120 calories.
Is beef or quinoa better for protein?
Beef is a fantastic source of protein and it has 480% more protein than quinoa - beef has 25.4g of protein per 100 grams and quinoa has 4.4g of protein.
Does quinoa or beef have more carbohydrates?
By weight, beef has signficantly fewer carbohydrates than quinoa - quinoa has 21.3g of carbs for 100g and beef has no carbs..