When it comes to quinoa verse brown rice’s more processed cousin, white rice, there is no real contest in terms of health. Quinoa vs. Brown Rice: Nutritional Comparison. Brown Rice: Better source of Maganese (not to be confused with Magnesium) and Selinium. 1.4mg of Iron vs. .4mg for Brown Rice. … But that doesn’t mean quinoa is a shoo-in to win the categories of taste and culinary use. Protein: Quinoa has 1.6 times more protein than brown rice, and double that of white rice. A cup of brown rice has 5 grams of protein. Quinoa however has more than 50 per cent more protein with 8.0 grams per cup and it is also one of just a few plant sources that is a complete … Here, quinoa … So quinoa vs rice: which is healthier? Quinoa also wins big in terms of protein—4gm to brown rice’s 2.5gm . Fiber: Quinoa has 1.5 times more fiber than brown rice. Reference the table above and you can see the following differences between quinoa vs brown rice: Calories and carbs: Quinoa has similar calories and carbs to that of rice. Health Benefits. Quinoa vs White Rice. Brown rice, which contains the hull of the rice kernel, contains more nutrients and antioxidants than white, according to Goldberg, including additional magnesium, calcium, and potassium. While brown rice is better than white rice, quinoa may provide a higher proportion of nutrients and could be a better option all around. Quinoa … When comparing quinoa with brown rice, quinoa wins every time.