Quinoa vs. Lamb

Nutrition comparison of Cooked Quinoa and Cooked Lamb

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

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

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

  • Both quinoa and lamb are high in calories.
  • Lamb has more riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B12, however, quinoa contains more folate.
  • Lamb has signficantly less carbohydrates than quinoa.
  • Lamb is an excellent source of potassium and protein.
  • Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber.
Detailed nutritional comparison of quinoa and lamb 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 Lamb (Lamb, ground, cooked, broiled) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.

Image of Quinoa src
Image of Lamb src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Both quinoa and lamb are high in calories. Lamb has 136% more calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories per 100 grams and lamb has 283 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, quinoa is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and much lighter in fat compared to lamb per calorie. Quinoa has a macronutrient ratio of 15:71:14 and for lamb, 36:0:64 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Quinoa Lamb
Protein 15% 36%
Carbohydrates 71% ~
Fat 14% 64%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Lamb has signficantly less carbohydrates than quinoa - quinoa has 21.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and lamb does not contain significant amounts.

dietary fiber

Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than lamb - quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and lamb does not contain significant amounts.

sugar

Quinoa and lamb contain similar amounts of sugar - quinoa has 0.87g of sugar per 100 grams and lamb does not contain significant amounts.

Protein

protein

Lamb is an excellent source of protein and it has 463% more protein than quinoa - quinoa has 4.4g of protein per 100 grams and lamb has 24.8g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Lamb is high in saturated fat and quinoa has 97% less saturated fat than lamb - quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat per 100 grams and lamb has 8.1g of saturated fat.

cholesterol

Quinoa has less cholesterol than lamb - lamb has 97mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamins

Vitamin A

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

Vitamin D

Lamb and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - lamb has 2iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Quinoa and lamb contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and lamb has 0.14mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Lamb has more Vitamin K than quinoa - lamb has 5.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.

The B Vitamins

Lamb has more riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B12, however, quinoa contains more folate. Both quinoa and lamb contain significant amounts of thiamin and Vitamin B6.

Quinoa Lamb
Thiamin 0.107 MG 0.1 MG
Riboflavin 0.11 MG 0.25 MG
Niacin 0.412 MG 6.7 MG
Pantothenic acid ~ 0.66 MG
Vitamin B6 0.123 MG 0.14 MG
Folate 42 UG 19 UG
Vitamin B12 ~ 2.61 UG

Minerals

calcium

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

iron

Quinoa and lamb contain similar amounts of iron - quinoa has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and lamb has 1.8mg of iron.

potassium

Lamb is an excellent source of potassium and it has 97% more potassium than quinoa - quinoa has 172mg of potassium per 100 grams and lamb has 339mg of potassium.

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, lamb has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than quinoa per 100 grams, however, quinoa contains more dha than lamb per 100 grams.

Quinoa Lamb
alpha linoleic acid 0.085 G 0.26 G
DHA 0.015 G ~
Total 0.1 G 0.26 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both quinoa and lamb contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.

Quinoa Lamb
linoleic acid 0.974 G 1.07 G
other omega 6 0.003 G 0.07 G
Total 0.977 G 1.14 G


Customize your serving size


The comparison below is by weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).

You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Quinoa or Lamb .

Note: The specific food items compared are: Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) and Lamb (Lamb, ground, cooked, broiled) .

Cooked Quinoa 100g

( 100 g )
Daily Values (%)

Cooked Lamb 100g

( 100 g )
120KCAL 6%
calories 136%
283KCAL 14%
21G 9%
>999% carbohydrates
2.8G 11%
>999% dietary fiber
0.87G >999% sugar
1.9G 3%
total fat 953%
20G 31%
0.23G 1%
saturated fat >999%
8.1G 45%
0.53G monounsaturated fat >999% 8.3G
1.1G polyunsaturated fat 27% 1.4G
cholesterol >999% 97MG
7MG 1%
sodium >999%
81MG 5%
Vitamins and Minerals
1.5UG 0.2%
>999% Vitamin A
Vitamin D >999%
2IU 0.4%
17MG 2%
calcium 29%
22MG 2%
1.5MG 8%
iron 20%
1.8MG 10%
64MG 21%
167% magnesium
24MG 8%
172MG 8%
potassium 97%
339MG 15%
0.11MG 10%
10% thiamin (Vit B1)
0.1MG 9%
0.11MG 10%
riboflavin (Vit B2) 127%
0.25MG 23%
0.41MG 3%
niacin (Vit B3) >999%
6.7MG 48%
0.12MG 10%
Vitamin B6 17%
0.14MG 11%
pantothenic acid (Vit B5) >999%
0.66MG 13%
42UG 11%
121% folate (Vit B9)
19UG 5%
Vitamin B12 >999%
2.6UG 109%
0.63MG 4%
350% Vitamin E
0.14MG 1%
Vitamin K >999%
5.3UG 6%
4.4G 9%
protein 468%
25G 50%
23MG 5%
choline 304%
93MG 22%
0.19MG 16%
46% copper
0.13MG 11%
0.63MG 35%
>999% manganese
0.02MG 1%
152MG 22%
phosphorus 32%
201MG 29%
2.8UG 5%
selenium 900%
28UG 50%
1.1MG 14%
zinc 327%
4.7MG 58%
72G 31% Water 55G
18G >999% Starch


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

FAQ

Does quinoa or lamb contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both quinoa and lamb are high in calories. Lamb has 140% more calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories in 100g and lamb has 283 calories.

Is quinoa or lamb better for protein?
Lamb is a fantastic source of protein and it has 460% more protein than quinoa - quinoa has 4.4g of protein per 100 grams and lamb has 24.8g of protein.

Does quinoa or lamb have more carbohydrates?
By weight, lamb has signficantly fewer carbohydrates than quinoa - quinoa has 21.3g of carbs for 100g and lamb has no carbs..

Does quinoa or lamb contain more potassium?
Lamb is a rich source of potassium and it has 100% more potassium than quinoa - quinoa has 172mg of potassium in 100 grams and lamb has 339mg of potassium.