Calories in grains, bread and pasta

Grain foods are the main source of carbohydrate in most diets. Whether the figure looks high or low depends almost entirely on water: dry oats, breakfast cereal and bread sit around 250–420 kcal per 100 g, while cooked rice, pasta, couscous and oatmeal absorb so much water that they fall to roughly 70–130 kcal.

foods in this category

265kcal

median per 100 g (1,109 kJ)

71–440

kcal range per 100 g

Typical traits of grains, bread and pasta

Starch is the main fuel. Carbohydrate supplies 70–85% of the energy in most grain foods, which makes them a staple source of energy for exercise and daily activity.
Cooked versus dry changes everything. Rice and pasta roughly triple in weight when cooked, so always compare like with like: dry with dry, cooked with cooked.
Whole grains bring the fibre. Oats, wholemeal and rye bread have several times the fibre of white rice or white bread.
Moderate protein. Bread, bagels and oats provide 9–17 g of protein per 100 g, a useful contribution when eaten in large amounts.
Pastries and fried noodles are different. Croissants, granola and instant ramen get much of their energy from added fat.

Where the energy comes from

Averaged across the 22 grain foods below, most of the energy comes from carbohydrate. The bar shows the average share contributed by each macronutrient (4 kcal per gram for protein and carbohydrate, 9 for fat, 7 for alcohol).

Protein 13%Carbohydrate 73%Fat 14%

Top 5 rankings

The highest and lowest grain foods for the figures people compare most. Every name links to the full nutrition breakdown.

Most fibre

per 100 g

Most protein

per 100 g

Oats16.9 g
Cheerios12.8 g
Whole wheat bread12.4 g
Sourdough bread10.8 g
Bagel10.6 g

Lowest in calories

per 100 g

Oatmeal71 kcal
Rice noodles108 kcal
Couscous112 kcal
Quinoa120 kcal
Brown rice123 kcal

Highest in calories

per 100 g

Ramen noodles440 kcal
Granola420 kcal
Croissant406 kcal
Oats389 kcal
Rice cakes387 kcal

Calorie table: all 22 grain foods

Energy in kcal and kJ with protein, carbohydrate, fat and fibre. Lowest: Oatmeal at 71 kcal; highest: Ramen noodles at 440 kcal per 100 g.

Per 100 g. Click a column heading to sort.
Food	kcal	kJ	Protein g	Carbs g	Fat g	Fibre g
Bagel Plain, enriched	264	1,105	10.6	52.4	1.3	1.6
Brown rice Cooked, no added fat	123	515	2.4	25.8	1.1	1
Cheerios brand Original ready-to-eat oat cereal (US label)	359	1,502	12.8	74.4	6.4	10.3
Couscous Cooked	112	469	3.8	23.2	0.2	1.4
Croissant Butter	406	1,699	8.2	45.8	21	2.6
English muffin Plain, enriched	227	950	8.9	44.2	1.7	3.5
Granola Ready-to-eat cereal	420	1,757	9.8	67.3	13	7.4
Hamburger bun Plain	279	1,167	9.8	50.1	3.9	1.8
Oatmeal Oats cooked with water, no salt	71	297	2.5	12	1.5	1.7
Oats Raw, rolled or steel-cut	389	1,628	16.9	66.3	6.9	10.6
Pasta Spaghetti, enriched, cooked without salt	158	661	5.8	30.9	0.9	1.8
Pita bread White, enriched	275	1,151	9.1	55.7	1.2	2.2
Quinoa Cooked	120	502	4.4	21.3	1.9	2.8
Ramen noodles Instant, dry, any flavour	440	1,841	10.2	60.3	17.6	2.9
Rice cakes Brown rice, plain, unsalted	387	1,619	8.2	81.5	2.8	4.2
Rice noodles Cooked	108	452	1.8	24	0.2	1
Rye bread Commercially prepared	259	1,084	8.5	48.3	3.3	5.8
Sourdough bread French or Vienna style, includes sourdough	272	1,138	10.8	51.9	2.4	2.2
Tortilla Flour, refrigerated, ready-to-bake	306	1,280	8.2	49.4	8	3.5
White bread Commercially prepared, enriched	266	1,113	7.6	50.6	3.3	2.4
White rice Long-grain, cooked, unenriched	130	544	2.7	28.2	0.3	0.4
Whole wheat bread Commercially prepared	252	1,054	12.4	42.7	3.5	6

Other food categories

To compare categories side by side, see the energy density chart on the food index. To convert any figure between units, use the kilojoule and calorie converter.

Source: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy and FNDDS); branded products from the manufacturer's label. Values are averages; individual samples vary.