Pasta vs rice: which has more protein?
Full comparison · Protein · Calories · Carbs
Pasta has more protein: 5.8 g per 3.5 oz (100 g) of pasta vs 2.7 g in rice (2.2× as much).
USDA FoodData Central.
| Pasta | Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Per 3.5 oz (100 g) | 5.8 g | 2.7 g |
| Per serving | 7.2 g in 1 cup spaghetti not packed (4.4 oz, 124 g) | 4.3 g in 1 cup (5.6 oz, 158 g) |
| Per 100 calories | 3.7 g | 2.1 g |
| To get 30 g of protein | 18.2 oz (517 g), about 4.2 × 1 cup spaghetti not packed | 39.3 oz (1115 g), about 7.1 × 1 cup |
Protein per calorie
Per 100 calories, pasta gives 3.7 g of protein and rice 2.1 g. This is the number that matters when you are fitting protein into a calorie budget, and it can rank foods differently from grams per 3.5 oz (100 g).
What the numbers don't tell you
Per 3.5 oz (100 g) cooked, white rice has fewer calories than pasta, 130 against 158. Per cup the order flips: this cup of spaghetti, 4.4 oz (124 g), comes to about 196 calories, a cup of rice, 5.6 oz (158 g), to about 205. No trial has tested pasta on its own for weight.
Eaten plain, rice had a glycemic index of 63 and spaghetti 44 in one randomized test, and fat-based sauces shrank or erased the gap. In 12 adults with type 1 diabetes, regular pasta meals peaked 43 mg/dL lower than white rice. Rice varieties run from 48 to 93. Cohort data link the highest white rice intake to 55% more type 2 diabetes in Asian populations, with no clear link in Western ones.
Wheat pasta contains gluten, so with celiac disease it is out. Rice carries arsenic, and lab studies rank rinsing as the best cooking step for lowering it. Children with celiac disease had a median urinary arsenic of 3.3 mcg/L before a gluten-free diet and 13.6 mcg/L six months in. Cooked rice left at room temperature can grow B. cereus, whose toxin survives brief reheating.
For blood sugar, plain pasta gave the smaller rise, though rice variety and sauce move the gap. Rinse rice you eat daily, and do not leave cooked rice sitting out.
Evidence behind this note
- Level A The main pasta meta-analysis found no randomized trial that tested pasta on its own. All 32 comparisons tested pasta inside low-glycemic diets. BMJ Open, 2018
- Level B In a randomized trial, plain rice had a glycemic index of 63 versus 44 for spaghetti, and adding olive oil or pesto shrank the difference. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2021
- Level B In 12 adults with type 1 diabetes, regular pasta meals produced peak glucose 43 mg/dL lower than white rice meals. Diabetes Technol Ther, 2019
- Level B A systematic review found the glycemic index of rice varieties ranged from 48 to 93, depending on starch type, parboiling and cooking. Br J Nutr, 2015
- Level C Cohort data link the highest white rice intake to a 55 percent higher risk of type 2 diabetes in Chinese and Japanese populations, with no clear link in Western populations. BMJ, 2012
- Level D A meta-analysis of laboratory food studies ranked rinsing as the most effective cooking step for lowering arsenic in rice, ahead of parboiling. Int J Environ Health Res, 2024
- Level E NIDDK lists pastas among the foods that contain gluten, which people with celiac disease must avoid. NIDDK (NIH), Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Celiac Disease
- Level C Children who went gluten free after a celiac diagnosis had four times more arsenic in their urine six months later, because rice is what replaces wheat. American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2025
- Level E CDC notes that B. cereus is often present in uncooked rice and its spores may survive cooking. If cooked rice is then held at room temperature, the bacteria multiply and make a heat-stable toxin that can survive brief heating such as stir frying. In a 1993 fried rice outbreak at two day care centers, 12 of the 14 cases were children aged 2.5 to 5 years. CDC, MMWR 1994, Bacillus cereus food poisoning associated with fried rice at two child day care centers
Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Read more about these foods
- Pasta or rice: a modest blood sugar edge for pasta
- Pasta: the study everyone quotes never tested pasta
- Rice: the arsenic question, and the water you pour away
What the studies say
- Is pasta good for weight loss? Nobody has tested pasta on its own
- Is pasta bad for cholesterol? No sign it is, though pasta alone was never tested
Rankings and guides
- Which foods are highest in protein?
- Which foods give the most protein for the fewest calories?
- How much protein do you need per day?
- Protein: what it does and how much you need
- Protein: top food sources and Daily Value
- Pasta: full nutrition facts
- Rice: full nutrition facts
More comparisons
Where the numbers come from
- Pasta: USDA FoodData Central, Pasta, cooked, enriched, without added salt, FDC ID 169737 · full profile · all forms of pasta
- Rice: USDA FoodData Central, Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked, FDC ID 168878 · full profile · all forms of rice
Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.