Maize and sorghum represent economic, social, and nutritional significance worldwide. This work evaluated the physicochemical properties, carbohydrate, and lipids profile, as well as nutraceutical properties of sorghum and maize varieties used for obtaining popped grains. Proximate composition, carbohydrate profiles, fatty acids, and phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity were evaluated. Sorghum and maize shared traits, but white sorghum had higher amylose (27%) while Palomero maize 2 had the lowest (18%). Sucrose accounted for 87% of the low molecular weight carbohydrates (LMWC), followed by raffinose (up to 10%) and fructose (up to 7%). As for monomeric carbohydrates, maize contained more xylose and arabinose, while sorghum had a higher glucose content. The fatty acid profile was similar among varieties, but maize show high contents of total, unsaturated, and saturated fatty acids. Conversely, red sorghum exhibited significantly higher levels of palmitoleic and cis-vaccenic acids compared to the other varieties. Red sorghum showed the highest content of phenolic compounds, including free and bound phenols, condensed and hydrolyzed tannins, flavonoids (bound), and antioxidant capacity (ABTS and DPPH). While Palomero maize 2 exhibited a higher proportion of free flavonoids. These findings provide valuable information for selecting and using these varieties in different agricultural and industrial sectors.