Foods

Quinoa vs Brown rice protein: Which Has More Protein?

Brown rice protein wins on protein: 80g per 100g versus 4.4g, a gap of 75.6g. Calories and protein quality change the picture, so here is the full comparison.

Head to head, per 100g

FoodProteinCalories
๐ŸŒพ Brown rice protein80g390
๐ŸŒพ Quinoa (cooked)4.4g120

Per 100g.

What the numbers mean

Quinoa delivers 4.4g of protein for 120 calories per 100g. Brown rice protein delivers 80g for 390 calories. If you are counting calories as well as protein, quinoa is the leaner choice per 100g.

Protein quality: quinoa is a complete protein, brown rice protein is a incomplete protein. Complete proteins carry all nine essential amino acids in useful amounts; incomplete ones are still valuable, they just want a complementary source across the day.

Rare complete-protein grain. Low in lysine โ€” pair with pea protein for complete profile. ~24g per scoop.

Which should you choose?

  • For maximum protein per 100g: brown rice protein (80g).
  • For the fewest calories per 100g: quinoa.
  • For everyday practicality, the better choice is the one you will actually eat regularly โ€” the difference between 4.4g and 80g matters far less than consistency across the week.
  • Mixing both across the week covers a wider spread of micronutrients than committing to one.

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Common questions

Does quinoa or brown rice protein have more protein?

Brown rice protein, at 80g per 100g versus 4.4g for quinoa.

Which has fewer calories, quinoa or brown rice protein?

Quinoa โ€” 120 calories per 100g versus 390.

Can I swap one for the other in a recipe?

Usually yes, but adjust the weight so the protein matches. To replace 100g of brown rice protein you need about 1818g of quinoa.

Keep reading

Protein in quinoa4.4g per 100g in full detail.Protein in brown rice protein80g per 100g in full detail.Compare any two foodsSearch the full protein database.

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Protein Hunter is a protein and nutrition app with a database of 232 foods โ€” from a leaf of kale to a wagyu steak โ€” plus AI tools that answer protein questions, count a whole meal, build recipes to a macro target, and track what you actually eat.

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Why it's different: the numbers are calculated from a fixed ingredient database rather than guessed, and when a target is not physically achievable the app says so instead of inventing a figure.

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