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Buckwheat vs Quinoa - In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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What are the differences between Buckwheat and Quinoa?

  • Quinoa is richer than Buckwheat in Phosphorus, Manganese, Iron, Folate, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, and Copper.
  • Quinoa's daily need coverage for Phosphorus is 12% more.

We used Buckwheat groats, roasted, cooked and Quinoa, cooked types in this article.

Infographic

Buckwheat vs Quinoa infographic
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Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" chart below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food
Buckwheat
Buckwheat
1
:
7
Quinoa
Quinoa
Contains less Sodium -42.9%
Contains more Calcium +142.9%
Contains more Iron +86.3%
Contains more Magnesium +25.5%
Contains more Phosphorus +117.1%
Contains more Potassium +95.5%
Contains more Zinc +78.7%
Contains more Copper +31.5%
Buckwheat
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper 3% 30% 37% 30% 8% 1% 17% 49%
Quinoa
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper 6% 56% 46% 66% 16% 1% 30% 64%
Contains less Sodium -42.9%
Contains more Calcium +142.9%
Contains more Iron +86.3%
Contains more Magnesium +25.5%
Contains more Phosphorus +117.1%
Contains more Potassium +95.5%
Contains more Zinc +78.7%
Contains more Copper +31.5%

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" chart below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food
Buckwheat
Buckwheat
3
:
6
Quinoa
Quinoa
Contains more Vitamin B3 +128.2%
Contains more Vitamin K +∞%
Contains more Vitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin E +600%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +167.5%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +182.1%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +59.7%
Contains more Folate +200%
Buckwheat
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 0% 2% 0% 0% 10% 9% 18% 22% 18% 11% 0% 5%
Quinoa
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 1% 13% 0% 0% 27% 26% 8% 0% 29% 32% 0% 0%
Contains more Vitamin B3 +128.2%
Contains more Vitamin K +∞%
Contains more Vitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin E +600%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +167.5%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +182.1%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +59.7%
Contains more Folate +200%

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Buckwheat
Buckwheat
1
:
4
Quinoa
Quinoa
Contains more Protein +30.2%
Contains more Fats +209.7%
Contains more Other +79.1%
Equal in Carbs - 21.3
Equal in Water - 71.61
Buckwheat
3% 20% 76%
Protein: 3.38 g
Fats: 0.62 g
Carbs: 19.94 g
Water: 75.63 g
Other: 0.43 g
Quinoa
4% 2% 21% 72%
Protein: 4.4 g
Fats: 1.92 g
Carbs: 21.3 g
Water: 71.61 g
Other: 0.77 g
Contains more Protein +30.2%
Contains more Fats +209.7%
Contains more Other +79.1%
Equal in Carbs - 21.3
Equal in Water - 71.61

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Buckwheat
Buckwheat
1
:
2
Quinoa
Quinoa
Contains less Saturated Fat -42%
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +180.9%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +473.4%
Buckwheat
26% 37% 37%
Saturated Fat: 0.134 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.188 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.188 g
Quinoa
13% 29% 59%
Saturated Fat: 0.231 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.528 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1.078 g
Contains less Saturated Fat -42%
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +180.9%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +473.4%

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Buckwheat
Buckwheat
3
:
1
Quinoa
Quinoa
Contains more Sucrose +∞%
Contains more Glucose +∞%
Contains more Fructose +∞%
Contains more Starch +∞%
Buckwheat
57% 29% 14%
Starch: 0 g
Sucrose: 0.4 g
Glucose: 0.2 g
Fructose: 0.1 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0 g
Galactose: 0 g
Quinoa
100%
Starch: 17.63 g
Sucrose: 0 g
Glucose: 0 g
Fructose: 0 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0 g
Galactose: 0 g
Contains more Sucrose +∞%
Contains more Glucose +∞%
Contains more Fructose +∞%
Contains more Starch +∞%

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the most right column. It shows the amounts side by side, making it easier to realize the amount of difference.
Buckwheat Quinoa
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in price ok
Rich in minerals ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Saturated Fat ok
Lower in glycemic index ok
Lower in Cholesterol Equal
Rich in vitamins Equal

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Buckwheat Quinoa Opinion
Net carbs 17.24g 18.5g Quinoa
Protein 3.38g 4.4g Quinoa
Fats 0.62g 1.92g Quinoa
Carbs 19.94g 21.3g Quinoa
Calories 92kcal 120kcal Quinoa
Starch 17.63g Quinoa
Fructose 0.1g Buckwheat
Sugar 0.9g 0.87g Quinoa
Fiber 2.7g 2.8g Quinoa
Calcium 7mg 17mg Quinoa
Iron 0.8mg 1.49mg Quinoa
Magnesium 51mg 64mg Quinoa
Phosphorus 70mg 152mg Quinoa
Potassium 88mg 172mg Quinoa
Sodium 4mg 7mg Buckwheat
Zinc 0.61mg 1.09mg Quinoa
Copper 0.146mg 0.192mg Quinoa
Vitamin A 0IU 5IU Quinoa
Vitamin E 0.09mg 0.63mg Quinoa
Vitamin B1 0.04mg 0.107mg Quinoa
Vitamin B2 0.039mg 0.11mg Quinoa
Vitamin B3 0.94mg 0.412mg Buckwheat
Vitamin B5 0.359mg Buckwheat
Vitamin B6 0.077mg 0.123mg Quinoa
Folate 14µg 42µg Quinoa
Vitamin K 1.9µg 0µg Buckwheat
Tryptophan 0.049mg 0.052mg Quinoa
Threonine 0.129mg 0.131mg Quinoa
Isoleucine 0.127mg 0.157mg Quinoa
Leucine 0.212mg 0.261mg Quinoa
Lysine 0.172mg 0.239mg Quinoa
Methionine 0.044mg 0.096mg Quinoa
Phenylalanine 0.133mg 0.185mg Quinoa
Valine 0.173mg 0.185mg Quinoa
Histidine 0.079mg 0.127mg Quinoa
Saturated Fat 0.134g 0.231g Buckwheat
Omega-3 - DHA 0g 0.015g Quinoa
Monounsaturated Fat 0.188g 0.528g Quinoa
Polyunsaturated fat 0.188g 1.078g Quinoa

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Buckwheat Quinoa
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Calories diet ok
Low glycemic index diet ok

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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

The summary scores show how much of your all daily needs across all vitamins or minerals this food would cover if you took three 100 grams servings of it (approximation of 3 serving sizes)
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
8%
Buckwheat
11%
Quinoa
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
22%
Buckwheat
35%
Quinoa

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Quinoa
Quinoa is lower in Sugar (difference - 0.03g)
Which food is cheaper?
Quinoa
Quinoa is cheaper (difference - $2.4)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Quinoa
Quinoa is relatively richer in minerals
Which food contains less Sodium?
Buckwheat
Buckwheat contains less Sodium (difference - 3mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Buckwheat
Buckwheat is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.097g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Buckwheat
Buckwheat is lower in glycemic index (difference - 8)
Which food contains less Cholesterol?
?
The foods are relatively equal in Cholesterol (0 mg)
Which food is richer in vitamins?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.

References

The source of all the nutrient values on the page (excluding the main article the sources for which are presented separately if present) is the USDA's FoodCentral. The exact links to the foods presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Buckwheat - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170686/nutrients
  2. Quinoa - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168917/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000 calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.