Quinoa vs. Cauliflower

Nutrition comparison of Cooked Quinoa and Cauliflower


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

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

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

  • Cauliflower has 3.2 times less carbohydrates than quinoa.
  • Cauliflower has more pantothenic acid.
  • Cauliflower is a great source of potassium.
  • Cauliflower is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
  • Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber.
Detailed nutritional comparison of quinoa and cauliflower 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 Cauliflower (Cauliflower, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Quinoa src
Image of Cauliflower src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Quinoa is high in calories and cauliflower has 79% less calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories per 100 grams and cauliflower has 25 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, quinoa is lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and heavier in fat compared to cauliflower per calorie. Quinoa has a macronutrient ratio of 15:71:15 and for cauliflower, 26:66:8 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Quinoa Cauliflower
Protein 15% 26%
Carbohydrates 71% 66%
Fat 15% 8%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Cauliflower has 3.2 times less carbohydrates than quinoa - quinoa has 21.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and cauliflower has 5g of carbohydrates.

dietary fiber

Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 40% more dietary fiber than cauliflower - quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and cauliflower has 2g of dietary fiber.

sugar

Quinoa and cauliflower contain similar amounts of sugar - quinoa has 0.87g of sugar per 100 grams and cauliflower has 1.9g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Quinoa has 129% more protein than cauliflower - quinoa has 4.4g of protein per 100 grams and cauliflower has 1.9g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Both quinoa and cauliflower are low in saturated fat - quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cauliflower has 0.13g of saturated fat.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Cauliflower is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has more Vitamin C than quinoa - cauliflower has 48.2mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin A

Quinoa and cauliflower contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - quinoa has 1.5ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cauliflower does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Quinoa and cauliflower contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and cauliflower has 0.08mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Cauliflower has more Vitamin K than quinoa - cauliflower has 15.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.

The B Vitamins

Cauliflower has more pantothenic acid. Both quinoa and cauliflower contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate.

Quinoa Cauliflower
Thiamin 0.107 MG 0.05 MG
Riboflavin 0.11 MG 0.06 MG
Niacin 0.412 MG 0.507 MG
Pantothenic acid ~ 0.667 MG
Vitamin B6 0.123 MG 0.184 MG
Folate 42 UG 57 UG

Minerals

calcium

Quinoa and cauliflower contain similar amounts of calcium - quinoa has 17mg of calcium per 100 grams and cauliflower has 22mg of calcium.

iron

Quinoa has 255% more iron than cauliflower - quinoa has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and cauliflower has 0.42mg of iron.

potassium

Cauliflower is a great source of potassium and it has 74% more potassium than quinoa - quinoa has 172mg of potassium per 100 grams and cauliflower has 299mg of potassium.

Antioxidants and Phytonutrients

carotenoids

Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]

For specific types of carotenoids,

Quinoa Cauliflower
beta-carotene 3 UG ~
lutein + zeaxanthin 53 UG 1 UG

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) and DHA than cauliflower per 100 grams.

Quinoa Cauliflower
alpha linoleic acid 0.085 G 0.015 G
DHA 0.015 G ~
Total 0.1 G 0.015 G

omega 6s

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

Quinoa Cauliflower
linoleic acid 0.974 G 0.016 G
other omega 6 ~ 0.003 G
Total 0.974 G 0.019 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 Cauliflower (Cauliflower, raw) .

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FAQ

Does quinoa or cauliflower contain more calories in 100 grams?
Quinoa is high in calories and cauliflower has 80% less calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories in 100g and cauliflower has 25 calories.

Does quinoa or cauliflower have more carbohydrates?
By weight, cauliflower has 3.2 times fewer carbohydrates than quinoa - quinoa has 21.3g of carbs for 100g and cauliflower has 5g of carbohydrates.

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