Highest-Protein Legumes per 100g (USDA) Ranked
Quick answer
Which legumes have the most protein?
Cooked soybeans have 17g protein per 100g, the highest of the 19 legumes in Calorique's USDA-based dataset. Cooked lupini beans follow at 15.6g, edamame at 11g, and the everyday beans cluster between 7 and 10g per 100g.
Per USDA cup, the leaders are soybeans (29.2g), lupini beans (25.8g) and lentils (17.8g). All values are the cooked, boiled, unsalted USDA records; dry beans look 2-3 times higher only because they hold almost no water.
Key Takeaways
- ✓Soy foods (soybeans, edamame) and lupini beans are the only legumes above 10g protein per 100g cooked.
- ✓A USDA cup of most cooked beans supplies 13-18g protein and 11-19g fiber for 200-300 calories.
- ✓Ranking by protein per 100 calories changes the order: Lupini Beans (Cooked) first, then Soybeans (Cooked) and Edamame.
- ✓Every row links to the USDA FoodData Central record it was checked against (FDC ID column).
Ranking: protein per 100g cooked
Sorted by grams of protein per 100g cooked weight. The % DV column is the share of the FDA 50g protein Daily Value in 100g; a food serving at 20% DV or more counts as high under the FDA label guide.
| # | Legume (cooked) | Protein /100g | % DV | kcal /100g | Fiber /100g | Potassium /100g | Protein /100 kcal | FDC ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soybeans (Cooked) | 17g | 34% | 173 | 6g | 515mg | 9.8g | 174271 |
| 2 | Lupini Beans (Cooked) | 15.6g | 31% | 119 | 2.8g | 245mg | 13.1g | 172424 |
| 3 | Edamame | 11g | 22% | 122 | 5.2g | 436mg | 9g | 168411 |
| 4 | White Beans (Cannellini, Cooked) | 9.7g | 19% | 139 | 6.3g | 561mg | 7g | 175203 |
| 5 | Lentils (Cooked) | 9g | 18% | 116 | 7.9g | 369mg | 7.8g | 172421 |
| 6 | Cranberry Beans (Borlotti) | 9g | 18% | 136 | 9g | 387mg | 6.6g | 173736 |
| 7 | Pinto Beans (Cooked) | 9g | 18% | 143 | 9g | 436mg | 6.3g | 175200 |
| 8 | Black Beans (Cooked) | 8.9g | 18% | 132 | 8.7g | 355mg | 6.7g | 173735 |
| 9 | Chickpeas (Cooked) | 8.9g | 18% | 164 | 7.6g | 291mg | 5.4g | 173757 |
| 10 | Kidney Beans (Cooked) | 8.7g | 17% | 127 | 6.4g | 405mg | 6.9g | 173740 |
| 11 | Split Peas (Cooked) | 8.3g | 17% | 118 | 8.3g | 362mg | 7g | 172429 |
| 12 | Navy Beans (Cooked) | 8.2g | 16% | 140 | 10.5g | 389mg | 5.9g | 173746 |
| 13 | Lima Beans (Cooked) | 7.8g | 16% | 115 | 7g | 508mg | 6.8g | 174253 |
| 14 | Black-Eyed Peas (Cooked) | 7.7g | 15% | 116 | 6.5g | 278mg | 6.6g | 173759 |
| 15 | Fava Beans (Cooked) | 7.6g | 15% | 110 | 5.4g | 268mg | 6.9g | 173753 |
| 16 | Adzuki Beans (Cooked) | 7.5g | 15% | 128 | 7.3g | 532mg | 5.9g | 173728 |
| 17 | Mung Beans (Cooked) | 7g | 14% | 105 | 7.6g | 266mg | 6.7g | 174257 |
| 18 | Pigeon Peas | 7g | 14% | 136 | 5g | , | 5.1g | , |
| 19 | Green Peas (Fresh) | 5.4g | 11% | 81 | 5.1g | 244mg | 6.7g | 170419 |
Lupini Beans (Cooked): The /calories/lupini-beans/ page lists the USDA raw/dry lupin record (371 kcal, 36 g protein per 100 g); ranked here on the cooked USDA record FDC 172424.
Ranking: protein per USDA cup
A cup of cooked legumes weighs 145-230g depending on the bean, so the cup ranking is not identical to the per-100g ranking. Cup weights are the household measures USDA publishes for each record.
| # | Legume | USDA cup weight | Protein /cup | % DV | kcal /cup | Fiber /cup | Potassium /cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soybeans (Cooked) | 172g | 29.2g | 58% | 298 | 10.3g | 886mg |
| 2 | Lupini Beans (Cooked) | 166g | 25.8g | 52% | 198 | 4.6g | 407mg |
| 3 | Lentils (Cooked) | 198g | 17.8g | 36% | 230 | 15.6g | 731mg |
| 4 | White Beans (Cannellini, Cooked) | 179g | 17.4g | 35% | 249 | 11.3g | 1004mg |
| 5 | Adzuki Beans (Cooked) | 230g | 17.3g | 35% | 294 | 16.8g | 1224mg |
| 6 | Edamame | 155g | 17.1g | 34% | 189 | 8.1g | 676mg |
| 7 | Split Peas (Cooked) | 196g | 16.3g | 33% | 231 | 16.3g | 710mg |
| 8 | Cranberry Beans (Borlotti) | 177g | 15.9g | 32% | 241 | 15.9g | 685mg |
| 9 | Pinto Beans (Cooked) | 171g | 15.4g | 31% | 245 | 15.4g | 746mg |
| 10 | Kidney Beans (Cooked) | 177g | 15.4g | 31% | 225 | 11.3g | 717mg |
| 11 | Black Beans (Cooked) | 172g | 15.3g | 31% | 227 | 15g | 611mg |
| 12 | Navy Beans (Cooked) | 182g | 14.9g | 30% | 255 | 19.1g | 708mg |
| 13 | Lima Beans (Cooked) | 188g | 14.7g | 29% | 216 | 13.2g | 955mg |
| 14 | Chickpeas (Cooked) | 164g | 14.6g | 29% | 269 | 12.5g | 477mg |
| 15 | Mung Beans (Cooked) | 202g | 14.1g | 28% | 212 | 15.4g | 537mg |
| 16 | Black-Eyed Peas (Cooked) | 171g | 13.2g | 26% | 198 | 11.1g | 475mg |
| 17 | Fava Beans (Cooked) | 170g | 12.9g | 26% | 187 | 9.2g | 456mg |
| 18 | Green Peas (Fresh) | 145g | 7.8g | 16% | 117 | 7.4g | 354mg |
How to read the numbers
Cooked, not dry. USDA lists raw lentils at 24.6g protein per 100g and cooked lentils at 9.0g. Nothing is lost in the pot; the cooked bean simply weighs about three times more because it absorbed water. Every row above is the cooked, boiled, unsalted record so the numbers match a plate, not a bag. The cooked vs dry bean calorie table shows both sides for 20 varieties.
Lupini beans are an exception. The lupini bean page lists the USDA raw lupin record (371 kcal and 36g protein per 100g) because that is what most databases show. Lupini are always soaked and boiled before they are eaten, so this ranking uses the USDA cooked record (119 kcal, 15.6g protein per 100g) instead.
Protein per 100 calories is the fairer comparison for a calorie deficit. Soybeans and edamame stay on top; among the classic beans, lentils, split peas, lima beans and mung beans give the most protein for their calories because they are lower in energy per gram than chickpeas or pinto beans.
Sodium. The unsalted records above contain 0-8mg sodium per 100g. Canned beans can be very different; the label, not this table, is the source for canned products.
Data sources and method
- Calories, protein, carbohydrate, fat and fiber per 100g come from Calorique's food dataset, which standardizes USDA FoodData Central reference values. Potassium, household portion weights and dry-bean values are read directly from the USDA SR Legacy release; the FDC ID column links to each record.
- Percent Daily Values use the FDA reference amounts for adults (protein 50g, dietary fiber 28g, potassium 4,700mg, sodium 2,300mg) published at fda.gov. The FDA label guide treats 20% DV or more per serving as high and 5% DV or less as low.
- Rankings are generated by a script (
scripts/rank-usda-foods.py) from the dataset, not hand-typed, so the tables match the individual food pages. Generated 2026-09-17. - Dataset pages for each legume (for example pinto beans, chickpeas and black-eyed peas) show the same per-100g values scaled to USDA cup portions with % Daily Value columns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which legume has the most protein per 100g?
On a cooked basis, soybeans lead with 17g protein per 100g (34% of the 50g Daily Value), followed by cooked lupini beans at 15.6g and edamame at 11g. Among common beans, white beans (9.7g), lentils (9g) and pinto beans (9g) sit at the top of the 8-10g band. Dry or raw legumes show 20-36g per 100g in USDA records only because they contain almost no water; the cooked value is the one that matches what you eat.
How much protein is in 1 cup of cooked lentils?
One USDA cup of cooked lentils weighs 198g and provides about 17.8g protein, 230 calories, 15.6g fiber and 731mg potassium (USDA FDC ID 172421). That is 36% of the protein Daily Value and 56% of the fiber Daily Value in one cup.
Which legume gives the most protein per calorie?
Per 100 calories, Lupini Beans (Cooked) delivers 13.1g protein, then Soybeans (Cooked) (9.8g) and Edamame (9g). Most cooked beans land between 6 and 8g protein per 100 calories because roughly 70% of their calories come from carbohydrate. If protein density matters more than fiber, soy foods and lupini beans are the strongest legume choices.
Are legumes good for weight loss?
Cooked legumes are moderate-calorie foods (about 105-173 calories per 100g in this ranking) that pair 7-17g protein with 5-10g fiber per 100g, which is why a one-cup serving is filling for 200-300 calories. Use the calorie calculator to set a daily target, then treat a cup of beans or lentils as a protein-plus-fiber base and add lean protein if you need more than the 13-18g a cup provides.
Turn legume protein into a daily target
Set your protein goal in grams, then split your calories so a cup of beans or lentils fits the plan.
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