How Many Calories Are in a Potato? Higher or Lower Than Rice?

How Many Calories Are in a Potato vs Rice? The Quick Answer

Raw potato has 77 calories per 100 grams. Dry white rice has 365 calories per 100 grams and dry brown rice 370, which makes uncooked rice nearly five times more calorie dense than raw potato by weight. That headline gap is real, but it is also the most misleading number in food comparisons, because rice is never eaten dry. When cooked, rice absorbs about two to three times its weight in water and falls to 130 calories per 100 grams (white) or 123 (brown), while a boiled potato sits at 87. So the correct answer depends on which weight you use: raw, dry or cooked.

This matters when you read labels, follow recipes or log food in a calorie app. Packaged rice lists its calories for the dry grain, and packaged frozen potatoes may list the raw weight, while a plate of food is measured cooked. A mismatch of this kind is one of the most common causes of wrong calorie counts. This guide compares potato and rice per 100 grams raw, dry and cooked, compares white and brown rice, shows how much dry rice makes a cup of cooked rice, and explains which is lighter on your plate. It includes three comparison tables and an FAQ.

Raw potato has 77 calories per 100 grams and dry rice 365, but rice triples in weight when cooked

How Many Calories Are in Potato and Rice by Raw and Dry Weight?

By raw and dry weight, rice is far denser than potato. A potato is about 79 percent water before cooking, while dry rice holds only 10 to 12 percent water. That means 100 grams of dry rice has roughly five times the starch of 100 grams of raw potato. The comparison only makes sense when both foods are placed in the same cooked state.

How Many Calories Are in Cooked Potato and Rice per 100 Grams?

After cooking, rice drops to roughly one third of its dry calorie density, while potato barely changes. Boiled potato is still the lighter food, but only by 43 calories per 100 grams, not by 288.

Potato vs Rice: Raw, Dry and Cooked Calories Compared

The practical lesson is simple: always compare cooked with cooked, or raw with raw adjusted for water. If a recipe says "100 g rice" it almost certainly means dry weight, which equals about 280 to 300 grams cooked and around 365 calories. If it says "100 g potato" it means raw or boiled weight, and the calories stay near 77 to 87.

One quarter cup of dry rice makes about three quarters of a cup cooked

How Much Dry Rice Makes a Cup of Cooked Rice?

White rice expands to about 2.8 times its dry weight when boiled in the typical ratio of two parts water to one part rice, and brown rice expands to about 2.5 times. In volume, one cup of dry rice makes about three cups cooked. This conversion lets you log calories correctly either way.

A cup of cooked white rice at 205 calories therefore starts from roughly 56 grams (a bit under a third of a cup) of dry grain. A person who measures "one cup of rice" before cooking gets about 675 calories, not 205. This single error can add 470 calories to a meal.

Which Has More Calories: Potato or Rice?

Rice has more calories in every state: raw against dry, cooked against cooked, and cup against typical potato. The gap is largest by dry weight (365 against 77) and smallest in cooked form (130 against 87). By typical servings, a cup of cooked white rice (205) has about 38 percent more calories than a medium boiled potato (148). Rice does have more protein per 100 grams cooked, while potato has far more potassium and some vitamin C.

Interestingly, when you compare nutrients per calorie instead of per gram, protein is about equal, because potato protein is concentrated in a low calorie food. Potatoes give you more fiber, potassium and vitamin C for every calorie.

White Rice vs Brown Rice: Is Brown Really Lighter?

Many people assume brown rice has far fewer calories. It does not. Dry brown rice has 370 calories per 100 grams against 365 for white. Cooked, brown rice has 123 against 130, a gap of only 7 calories per 100 grams, because brown rice absorbs a bit more water. What brown rice offers is more fiber (1.6 g against 0.4 g per 100 g cooked), more magnesium and manganese, and a lower glycemic index. For weight control, the calorie difference is negligible, but the extra fiber may help fullness.

If your main goal is calories, wild rice and potato are the lightest choices, white and brown rice are about the same, and portion size matters more than the type.

Which Is More Filling per Calorie?

Because potato has fewer calories per gram, you get a larger plate for the same energy. 200 calories of boiled potato weighs 230 grams, about one large potato, while 200 calories of cooked white rice weighs 154 grams, roughly one cup. Satiety research found that boiled potatoes scored about 323 on an index where white bread is 100, compared with 138 for white rice and 132 for brown rice. In other words, potatoes tend to leave people fuller on fewer calories.

Pairing rice or potato with protein and vegetables builds a balanced and filling plate

How Do Fried Forms Change the Comparison?

Fried potato products and fried rice reverse the picture. French fries have 312 calories per 100 grams and potato chips 536, which exceeds the calorie density of dry rice. Fried rice made with oil and egg has about 163 calories per 100 grams, and restaurant versions can reach 190. A medium order of fries (117 g) has 365 calories, while a plate of fried rice (250 g) holds around 410. So frying matters more than the choice between the two starches.

If you want the lowest calories, boil, bake or steam either food and flavor it with herbs, lemon, spices or a little yogurt, instead of frying.

Should You Weigh Potatoes and Rice Raw or Cooked?

For accurate tracking, weigh rice dry before cooking if you cook one batch for one person, and weigh potato raw or boiled using the matching database entry. If you cook a large batch of rice and eat part of it later, weigh the cooked portion and use the cooked value of 130 calories per 100 grams. Never mix a dry-weight entry with a cooked-weight amount. Many apps list "rice" without saying which state it covers, so check the grams of carbohydrate. Dry rice shows about 80 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams, and cooked rice about 28.

Does the Way You Cook Rice Change Its Calories?

Yes, slightly. Rice cooked by absorption (the kateh method, or a rice cooker) keeps all of its starch, so the cooked value of about 130 calories per 100 grams applies. Rice that is boiled in a large pot of water and drained (the method used for Persian chelow, called abkesh) loses a small amount of starch to the cooking water. Research on rice boiled in excess water and drained suggests a loss of some starch and also some water-soluble minerals, but the calorie difference is small, usually 5 to 10 percent. Rinsing rice before cooking removes surface starch, which changes the texture more than the calories.

Potatoes behave differently. Boiling leaches a little potassium and vitamin C into the water, but the calories stay about the same. Baking concentrates the potato slightly as water evaporates, which is why a baked potato has 93 calories per 100 grams against 87 for boiled.

What Do Potatoes and Rice Cost per 100 Calories?

Both foods are among the cheapest sources of energy, which is part of why they are staples in so many cuisines. Per calorie, rice is usually cheaper than potato, because dry rice is dense and stores for years. Potatoes are cheaper per kilogram but heavy and watery, so the cost per calorie is higher. Prices vary widely by country, season and brand, so use the table below only as a rough guide to the pattern: dry rice delivers the most calories per unit of weight, and potato the fewest.

This weight difference is why rice is easier to transport and store, and why potatoes, though cheaper to grow per acre in terms of total calories produced, are bulkier to eat. It also explains why potatoes feel more filling: you have to eat more of them to reach the same energy.

How Do Potatoes and Rice Compare in Vitamins and Minerals?

Potatoes with skin are a surprisingly nutrient-rich food. A medium baked potato supplies about 28 percent of the daily value of vitamin C, 27 percent of vitamin B6 and 26 percent of potassium (more than a banana). Cooked white rice is often enriched with iron and B vitamins, such as folic acid, thiamin and niacin, depending on the country, but it provides little potassium or vitamin C. Brown rice contributes more magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and selenium. Neither is a complete food, but both fit well into a balanced diet alongside vegetables and protein.

Per serving, the baked potato gives 161 calories with the highest potassium and vitamin C. Brown rice supplies the most magnesium. White rice, if enriched, gives the most folate. The best strategy for micronutrients is variety rather than a single winner.

Which Is Better for Athletes, Children and Older Adults?

Different life stages value different qualities. Endurance athletes often prefer white rice before and during long efforts because it is easy to digest, low in fiber and compact in calories. Strength athletes in a bulking phase use rice to reach calorie targets without feeling overly full. Athletes cutting weight often prefer potatoes for volume and fullness. Children can eat either, but should get whole grains and vegetables as part of the day. Older adults who struggle to eat enough may benefit from the compact calories of rice or mashed potato made with milk, while those managing weight or blood pressure may prefer potatoes with skin for the potassium.

Sample Day: Swapping Rice for Potato in a 1,800 Calorie Plan

Suppose a person eats rice at both lunch and dinner, one cup each, for 410 calories. Replacing one meal with a medium boiled potato and a half cup of rice at the other cuts the starch to 148 + 103 = 251 calories, saving 159 calories a day. Over a week, that is 1,113 calories, and over a year more than 58,000. It would not be wise to cut starch entirely, since both foods supply energy and nutrients, but a smart rotation keeps meals interesting and calories in check.

These examples assume the starches are boiled or steamed. A swap that adds fries or butter would erase the saving.

Key Takeaways: Potato vs Rice Calories

Raw potato has 77 calories per 100 grams, while dry white rice has 365 and dry brown rice 370. Cooked, boiled potato has 87 and cooked rice 130 (white) or 123 (brown). Rice multiplies its weight by two to three times when cooked, so always compare like with like. Potato is lighter and more filling per calorie, and brown rice is no lower in calories than white. Frying changes everything: fries have 312 calories per 100 grams.