Broken Wheat Protein Per 100G | Smart Whole-Grain Swap

A 100-gram serving of broken wheat usually provides around 12 grams of protein along with fiber, B vitamins, and slow-release starch.

Broken wheat turns whole wheat kernels into smaller pieces, and many home cooks use it as a nutty base for porridge, pilaf, and salads. If you care about daily protein targets or plan vegetarian meals, knowing the protein in broken wheat per 100 grams helps you judge portions, balance the plate, and compare it with other grains. This article breaks down what the number means, how raw and cooked values differ, and practical ways to hit your protein goal with this simple pantry staple.

What Broken Wheat Actually Is

Broken wheat goes by several names across regions, including dalia, lapsi, fada, and cracked wheat. Producers start with whole wheat kernels, clean them, then mill them just enough to break each kernel into coarse, medium, or fine fragments. Because the bran and germ stay in place, broken wheat keeps the protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals of whole wheat while cooking in less time than intact berries.

You can buy broken wheat as raw grains that need boiling, or as pre-toasted bulgur that softens after a short soak and simmer. That difference matters for nutrition tables, because some databases list values for dry grain while others list cooked portions. Always check whether a label or nutrition site gives protein per 100 grams cooked or per 100 grams uncooked, then compare like with like.

Broken Wheat Protein Per 100G Basics

Raw Broken Wheat Protein Per 100G

Most nutrition datasets group broken wheat with bulgur and use measurements for the dry grain. When you look at those entries, a typical figure for raw bulgur shows about 11–12 grams of protein per 100 grams, along with hefty complex carbohydrates and around 370 calories. That protein portion comes from the wheat endosperm and germ and sits right in the range you would expect from a whole wheat product.

Data drawn from MyFoodData’s entry for dry bulgur, which cites the USDA FoodData Central record, lists 11.8 grams of protein, 75.9 grams of carbohydrate, 2.4 grams of fat, and 11.7 grams of fiber per 100 grams of raw grain. Public food composition tables from Norway and other national agencies report nearly the same values, reinforcing that range for broken wheat made from whole kernels.

Cooked Broken Wheat Protein Per 100G

When you cook broken wheat in water, protein per 100 grams drops simply because the grains soak up water and swell. Boiled bulgur and broken wheat land around 3–4 grams of protein per 100 grams cooked, with lower calorie density and softer texture. The absolute protein in your bowl stays similar; you just spread it across a larger cooked weight.

Food labels on retail packs may show values per 30-gram serving, per 50-gram serving, or per cup cooked, which can make protein figures look smaller than they are. To compare brands or plan recipes, convert everything to a standard 100-gram basis. If a pack lists 3.5 grams of protein per 30 grams dry, multiplying by a little over three tells you it lines up with the 11–12 grams per 100 grams you see in composition tables.

Protein levels shift slightly with wheat variety and processing method. Whole hard wheat tends to test a bit higher in protein than soft wheat, and some bulgur products are partly precooked before drying, which changes moisture content. Government datasets that track whole grains, including European Commission tables and national food databases, treat values around 11–13 grams of protein per 100 grams dry as a realistic range for broken wheat.

For everyday cooking, you can use a simple rule of thumb: dry broken wheat carries roughly three times as much protein per 100 grams as the same weight cooked. That ratio stays steady whether you simmer it plain, steam it in a pilaf, or cook it in milk for breakfast, as long as you avoid adding large amounts of extra fat or protein from butter, cream, or meat.

Once you get used to that pattern, protein planning with broken wheat becomes far more straightforward than it first appears.

Broken Wheat Nutrition Snapshot Per 100 Grams

The numbers in the table use dry bulgur values from a USDA-linked dataset and boiled bulgur values from diabetes-focused nutrition tools, which give a practical picture of how cooking changes density rather than total protein. Exact figures shift slightly from brand to brand, yet the overall pattern stays the same: plenty of carbohydrate, decent fiber, and a solid 11–13 grams of protein per 100 grams in the dry grain.

Broken Wheat Protein Per 100 Grams In Everyday Meals

Protein per 100 grams gives a clean reference, yet home cooks usually measure broken wheat with cups or spoons. As a rough rule, 100 grams of dry broken wheat is a generous half cup, which yields about one and a half to two cups cooked, depending on grain size and how much water you use. That cooked amount fits one large main-course bowl or two smaller side portions.

If you eat that entire cooked bowl made from 100 grams dry, you take in around 11–12 grams of protein just from the grain. Add a cup of lentils, chickpeas, or Greek yogurt on the side and your plate climbs into the 20–30 gram range, which suits many people’s targets for a main meal. Smaller servings, such as a half cup cooked broken wheat sprinkled over salad, carry only a few grams of protein but still add satisfying chew and whole-grain texture.

Breakfast dishes such as sweet dalia with milk and nuts often use smaller amounts of broken wheat, so the grain might supply 4–6 grams of protein while milk and nuts add the rest. Lunch and dinner dishes, like a broken wheat pilaf with vegetables and beans, usually feature larger portions, which pushes the grain contribution closer to the full 11–12 grams of protein that show up in nutrient tables.

How Reliable Are Broken Wheat Protein Numbers

Behind the simple grams-per-100-grams figure sit large reference datasets compiled by public agencies and research groups. USDA FoodData Central builds its numbers from laboratory analysis and survey data for staple foods such as bulgur, while European Union and national databases apply their own sampling and rounding rules. When you see small differences from one site or package to another, you are usually looking at this sampling noise rather than a real nutritional gap.

How Broken Wheat Protein Compares With Other Grains

When you look at protein alone, broken wheat sits in the middle of the grain cupboard. Dry bulgur delivers more protein per 100 grams than white rice or couscous, and runs close to many brown rice products. Raw oats and quinoa edge ahead, yet portion sizes and toppings often narrow that gap in real meals.

Protein Per 100 Grams: Broken Wheat Versus Common Grains

Protein tables like this are rounded snapshots, so treat the figures as ballparks rather than lab-exact promises. The takeaway is straightforward: broken wheat gives more protein per 100 grams than many refined grains, sits close to other whole wheat products, and only trails higher-protein grains such as oats and quinoa by a few grams.

Practical Ways To Boost Protein With Broken Wheat

Because broken wheat itself is mostly carbohydrate with moderate protein, the easiest way to raise protein per serving is to pair it with legumes and dairy. Cooking it with lentils or split peas in the same pot turns a simple pilaf into a dish that carries both grain protein and bean protein. Serving a broken wheat salad with cubes of paneer, feta, or grilled chicken beside it also lifts protein without sacrificing the pleasant, slightly chewy texture you get from the grain.

For a protein-aware breakfast, many people simmer broken wheat with milk, stir in a spoonful of nut butter, then finish the bowl with seeds. That kind of combination can push a single serving toward 20 grams of protein while still keeping the base flavor familiar if you usually eat wheat-based cereals. If you lean toward savory snacks, try a small bowl of cooked broken wheat tossed with yogurt, diced cucumber, and herbs in place of part of your usual rice or bread.

Who Might Need To Limit Broken Wheat

Broken wheat comes from the same grain as regular wheat flour, so it still contains gluten. Anyone with coeliac disease or medically diagnosed gluten sensitivity needs to avoid broken wheat, no matter how much fiber and protein it offers. People who manage blood sugar also watch portion size, because broken wheat remains a high-carbohydrate food, even if its fiber and slowly digested starch help flatten blood-glucose spikes compared with some refined grains.

Broken Wheat Protein Handy Reference

To keep the numbers straight when you shop or cook, it helps to remember a few simple points about broken wheat and protein.

• Dry broken wheat or bulgur averages about 11–12 grams of protein per 100 grams, plus plenty of fiber and complex carbohydrate.
• Cooked broken wheat holds roughly 3–4 grams of protein per 100 grams, since added water spreads the same nutrients through a larger serving.
• Among grains, broken wheat roughly matches brown rice and trails oats and quinoa.

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