A silicon nitride substrate including silicon nitride crystal grains and a grain boundary phase and having a thermal conductivity of 50 W/m·K or more, wherein, in a sectional structure of the silicon nitride substrate, a ratio (T2/T1) of a total length T2 of the grain boundary phase in a thickness direction with respect to a thickness T1 of the silicon nitride substrate is 0.01 to 0.30, and a variation from a dielectric strength mean value when measured by a four-terminal method in which electrodes are brought into contact with a front and a rear surfaces of the substrate is 20% or less. The dielectric strength mean value of the silicon nitride substrate can be 15 kV/rum or more. According to above structure, there can be obtained a silicon nitride substrate and a silicon nitride circuit board using the substrate in which variation in the dielectric strength is decreased.