Quinoa nutrition, glycemic index, calories, net carbs & more

Carbs in quinoa
Cooked quinoa contains 72% water and 28% macronutrients. Most of the macronutrients in quinoa are carbs. One hundred grams of quinoa contains 21.3g of carbs, which covers 7% of the daily need (in the case of a 2000 calorie diet).
To cover the daily carb need, a person would need to consume 1.4kg of quinoa.
Macronutrients chart
Carbs per serving size
The average serving size of quinoa is 185 grams (one cup), containing 39.4g of carbs.
Different types
Raw or uncooked quinoa has three times more carbs compared to cooked quinoa.
Not only is uncooked quinoa high in carbs, but it is also not recommended due to being high in antinutrients.
Carbohydrate type breakdown
The chart below shows that all carbs that break down to simple sugars are starch.
Carbohydrate type breakdown
Quinoa net carbs
As previously mentioned, 100g of quinoa contains 21.3g of carbs: 18.5 net carbs and 2.8g dietary fiber. As quinoa is high in net carbs, it is not the best choice for low-carb diets such as Keto.
Quinoa is often compared to rice. Calculations have shown that white rice contains 1.5 times more net carbs and less dietary fiber than quinoa. To know more about their differences, you can visit this page.
Soluble or insoluble fiber
Most of the fiber found in quinoa is insoluble. According to one study, 78% of quinoa’s dietary fiber is insoluble, whereas according to another one, 88-90% of the fiber is insoluble (1, 2).
Fiber content ratio for Quinoa
References
Important nutritional characteristics for Quinoa

Quinoa Glycemic index (GI)
Mineral coverage chart
Mineral chart - relative view
Vitamin coverage chart
Vitamin chart - relative view
Protein quality breakdown
Fat type information
All nutrients for Quinoa per 100g
Nutrient | Value | DV% | In TOP % of foods | Comparison |
Calories | 120kcal | 6% | 68% |
2.6 times more than Orange![]() |
Protein | 4.4g | 10% | 64% |
1.6 times more than Broccoli![]() |
Fats | 1.92g | 3% | 68% |
17.3 times less than Cheese![]() |
Vitamin C | 0mg | 0% | 100% |
N/A![]() |
Net carbs | 18.5g | N/A | 33% |
2.9 times less than Chocolate![]() |
Carbs | 21.3g | 7% | 33% |
1.3 times less than Rice![]() |
Cholesterol | 0mg | 0% | 100% |
N/A![]() |
Vitamin D | 0µg | 0% | 100% |
N/A![]() |
Iron | 1.49mg | 19% | 48% |
1.7 times less than Beef![]() |
Calcium | 17mg | 2% | 59% |
7.4 times less than Milk![]() |
Potassium | 172mg | 5% | 66% |
1.2 times more than Cucumber![]() |
Magnesium | 64mg | 15% | 19% |
2.2 times less than Almond![]() |
Sugar | 0.87g | N/A | 67% |
10.3 times less than Coca-Cola![]() |
Fiber | 2.8g | 11% | 28% |
1.2 times more than Orange![]() |
Copper | 0.19mg | 21% | 32% |
1.4 times more than Shiitake![]() |
Zinc | 1.09mg | 10% | 52% |
5.8 times less than Beef![]() |
Starch | 17.63g | 7% | 92% |
1.2 times more than Potato![]() |
Phosphorus | 152mg | 22% | 52% |
1.2 times less than Chicken meat![]() |
Sodium | 7mg | 0% | 87% |
70 times less than White Bread![]() |
Vitamin A | 5IU | 0% | 70% |
3341.2 times less than Carrot![]() |
Vitamin A RAE | 0µg | 0% | 100% | |
Vitamin E | 0.63mg | 4% | 53% |
2.3 times less than Kiwifruit![]() |
Manganese | 0.63mg | 27% | 36% | |
Selenium | 2.8µg | 5% | 73% | |
Vitamin B1 | 0.11mg | 9% | 46% |
2.5 times less than Pea raw![]() |
Vitamin B2 | 0.11mg | 8% | 66% |
1.2 times less than Avocado![]() |
Vitamin B3 | 0.41mg | 3% | 81% |
23.2 times less than Turkey meat![]() |
Vitamin B6 | 0.12mg | 9% | 59% |
Equal to Oat![]() |
Vitamin B12 | 0µg | 0% | 100% |
N/A![]() |
Vitamin K | 0µg | 0% | 100% |
N/A![]() |
Folate | 42µg | 11% | 37% |
1.5 times less than Brussels sprout![]() |
Saturated Fat | 0.23g | 1% | 76% |
25.5 times less than Beef![]() |
Monounsaturated Fat | 0.53g | N/A | 71% |
18.6 times less than Avocado![]() |
Polyunsaturated fat | 1.08g | N/A | 44% |
43.8 times less than Walnut![]() |
Tryptophan | 0.05mg | 0% | 85% |
5.9 times less than Chicken meat![]() |
Threonine | 0.13mg | 0% | 87% |
5.5 times less than Beef![]() |
Isoleucine | 0.16mg | 0% | 87% |
5.8 times less than Salmon![]() |
Leucine | 0.26mg | 0% | 88% |
9.3 times less than Tuna![]() |
Lysine | 0.24mg | 0% | 84% |
1.9 times less than Tofu![]() |
Methionine | 0.1mg | 0% | 83% |
Equal to Quinoa![]() |
Phenylalanine | 0.19mg | 0% | 86% |
3.6 times less than Egg![]() |
Valine | 0.19mg | 0% | 88% |
11 times less than Soybean raw![]() |
Histidine | 0.13mg | 0% | 84% |
5.9 times less than Turkey meat![]() |
Omega-3 - EPA | 0g | N/A | 100% |
N/A![]() |
Omega-3 - DHA | 0.02g | N/A | 39% |
97.3 times less than Salmon![]() |
Omega-3 - DPA | 0g | N/A | 100% |
N/A![]() |
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NUTRITION FACTS LABEL
Serving Size ______________
Health checks




Quinoa nutrition infographic

References
The source of all the nutrient values on the page (excluding the main article and glycemic index text the sources for which are presented separately if present) is the USDA's FoodCentral. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.