Quinoa vs. Black Beans

Nutrition comparison of Cooked Quinoa and Black Beans


Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of cooked quinoa versus black beans (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in quinoa and black beans:

  • Both quinoa and black beans are high in dietary fiber.
  • Black bean has more pantothenic acid, however, quinoa contains more Vitamin B6.
  • Black bean is an excellent source of potassium.
  • For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more dha than black bean.
Detailed nutritional comparison of quinoa and black beans is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) and Black Beans (Beans, black turtle, mature seeds, canned) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Quinoa src
Image of Black Beans src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Quinoa is high in calories and black bean has 24% less calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories per 100 grams and black bean has 91 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, quinoa is lighter in protein, heavier in fat and similar to black beans for carbs. Quinoa has a macronutrient ratio of 15:71:15 and for black beans, 26:71:3 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Quinoa Black Beans
Protein 15% 26%
Carbohydrates 71% 71%
Fat 15% 3%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Quinoa and black beans contain similar amounts of carbs - quinoa has 21.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and black bean has 16.6g of carbohydrates.

dietary fiber

Both quinoa and black beans are high in dietary fiber. Black bean has 146% more dietary fiber than quinoa - quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and black bean has 6.9g of dietary fiber.

sugar

Quinoa and black beans contain similar amounts of sugar - quinoa has 0.87g of sugar per 100 grams and black bean has 0.23g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Black bean has 37% more protein than quinoa - quinoa has 4.4g of protein per 100 grams and black bean has 6g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Both quinoa and black beans are low in saturated fat - quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat per 100 grams and black bean has 0.08g of saturated fat.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Black bean has more Vitamin C than quinoa - black bean has 2.7mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin A

Black beans and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - black bean has 1.2ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Quinoa and black beans contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and black bean has 0.62mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Black beans and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - black bean has 2.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.

The B Vitamins

Black bean has more pantothenic acid, however, quinoa contains more Vitamin B6. Both quinoa and black beans contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate.

Quinoa Black Beans
Thiamin 0.107 MG 0.14 MG
Riboflavin 0.11 MG 0.12 MG
Niacin 0.412 MG 0.62 MG
Pantothenic acid ~ 0.184 MG
Vitamin B6 0.123 MG 0.055 MG
Folate 42 UG 61 UG

Minerals

calcium

Black bean has 106% more calcium than quinoa - quinoa has 17mg of calcium per 100 grams and black bean has 35mg of calcium.

iron

Black bean has 28% more iron than quinoa - quinoa has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and black bean has 1.9mg of iron.

potassium

Black bean is an excellent source of potassium and it has 79% more potassium than quinoa - quinoa has 172mg of potassium per 100 grams and black bean has 308mg of potassium.

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more DHA than black bean per 100 grams. Both quinoa and black beans contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).

Quinoa Black Beans
alpha linoleic acid 0.085 G 0.057 G
DHA 0.015 G ~
Total 0.1 G 0.057 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, quinoa has more linoleic acid than black bean per 100 grams.

Quinoa Black Beans
linoleic acid 0.974 G 0.068 G
other omega 6 0.003 G ~
Total 0.977 G 0.068 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: Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) and Black Beans (Beans, black turtle, mature seeds, canned) .

Cooked Quinoa 185g

( cup )
Daily Values (%)

Black Beans 240g

( cup )
222KCAL 11%
2% calories
218KCAL 11%
39G 16%
carbohydrates 3%
40G 16%
5.2G 21%
dietary fiber 227%
17G 66%
1.6G 191% sugar 0.55G
3.6G 6%
414% total fat
0.7G 1%
0.43G 2%
139% saturated fat
0.18G 1%
0.98G >999% monounsaturated fat 0.06G
2G 566% polyunsaturated fat 0.3G
13MG 1%
sodium >999%
922MG 61%
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin A >999%
2.9UG 0.4%
Vitamin C >999%
6.5MG 9%
31MG 3%
calcium 171%
84MG 8%
2.8MG 15%
iron 64%
4.6MG 25%
118MG 38%
40% magnesium
84MG 27%
318MG 14%
potassium 132%
739MG 32%
0.2MG 18%
thiamin (Vit B1) 70%
0.34MG 31%
0.2MG 19%
riboflavin (Vit B2) 45%
0.29MG 26%
0.76MG 5%
niacin (Vit B3) 97%
1.5MG 11%
0.23MG 18%
77% Vitamin B6
0.13MG 10%
pantothenic acid (Vit B5) >999%
0.44MG 9%
78UG 19%
folate (Vit B9) 87%
146UG 37%
1.2MG 8%
Vitamin E 25%
1.5MG 10%
Vitamin K >999%
5.5UG 6%
8.1G 16%
protein 73%
14G 29%
43MG 10%
choline 30%
56MG 13%
0.36MG 30%
copper 28%
0.46MG 38%
1.2MG 65%
114% manganese
0.56MG 31%
281MG 40%
8% phosphorus
259MG 37%
5.2UG 9%
68% selenium
3.1UG 6%
2MG 25%
54% zinc
1.3MG 16%
132G Water 38% 182G
33G >999% Starch


NO SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS (either food): Alcohol, chlorine, chromium, fluoride, iodine, molybdenum, Vitamin D, biotin (Vit B7), Vitamin B12, cholesterol, trans fat.

FAQ

Does quinoa or black beans contain more calories in 100 grams?
Quinoa is high in calories and black bean has 20% less calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories in 100g and black bean has 91 calories.

Does quinoa or black beans have more carbohydrates?
By weight, quinoa and black beans contain similar amounts of carbs - quinoa has 21.3g of carbs for 100g and black bean has 16.6g of carbohydrates.

Does quinoa or black beans contain more potassium?
Black bean is a rich source of potassium and it has 80% more potassium than quinoa - quinoa has 172mg of potassium in 100 grams and black bean has 308mg of potassium.

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