Cooked legumes vary meaningfully in calorie density. Water uptake, fat content and species can put 100 g anywhere from under 100 calories to more than 170. Higher-calorie does not mean lower-quality; it simply means more energy is concentrated in the same cooked weight.
Approximate ranking per 100 g cooked
| Legume | Calories/100 g | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked green peas | ~84 | ~5.4 g |
| Cooked lentils | ~116 | ~9.0 g |
| Cooked edamame | ~121 | ~11–12 g |
| Cooked kidney beans | ~127 | ~8.7 g |
| Cooked black beans | ~130–135 | ~8.5–9 g |
| Cooked chickpeas | ~164 | ~8.9 g |
| Cooked mature soybeans | ~170–175 | ~18 g |
These are plain cooked references without oil or sauce. Variety and canning liquid can shift the exact numbers.
Why peas are lower
Green peas are eaten before the seed reaches full dry maturity and they contain more water. At roughly 84 calories per 100 g versus about 164 for cooked chickpeas, the difference is around 80 calories per 100 g.
Soybeans are higher for a different reason
Mature soybeans contain substantially more fat than lentils, chickpeas or common beans. That raises calories while also supplying unsaturated fat. Cooked mature soybeans provide around 18 g protein per 100 g—roughly twice the protein of cooked lentils or chickpeas.
What happens in a real serving?
A 200 g serving of cooked lentils at 116 kcal/100 g is about 232 calories. The same weight of chickpeas at 164 kcal/100 g is about 328 calories, a difference of roughly 96 calories.
Dry and cooked values are not interchangeable
Dry lentils are around 350 calories per 100 g because very little of that weight is water. Once cooked, they absorb water and fall to about 116 calories per 100 g. Energy has not disappeared; the food simply weighs more.
Added fat can matter more than the bean choice
Fifteen grams of cooking oil contributes about 135 calories. That can exceed the calorie difference between large servings of two different legumes, so compare the legume itself separately from oil, sausage or sauce.
A low-calorie ranking does not tell you which legume is most filling or useful
Cooked calorie values are strongly influenced by water. Peas or very hydrated beans can look lighter per 100 grams partly because that weight contains more water, not because their dry seed is fundamentally free of energy. This is why a ranking based on cooked weights should stay a cooked ranking. Drained canned beans, home-cooked beans, and thick bean purées may all contain different amounts of water even when the variety is the same.
Protein and fiber complicate the idea of choosing the “lowest” option. A slightly higher-calorie legume may deliver more protein, more fiber, or simply a portion that keeps a person satisfied longer. Soybeans sit high in many calorie tables because they contain much more fat than lentils or kidney beans, but they also provide substantially more protein. That is a different nutritional package, not merely a worse version of a low-calorie bean.
Real meals also make the legume itself only one part of the total. A cup of lentils cooked in water has a very different energy content from lentils finished with several tablespoons of oil, sausage, coconut milk, or cheese. Hummus contains sesame paste and often olive oil; refried beans may contain added fat. Those ingredients can move calories more than switching from one plain cooked bean to another. When weight management is the goal, measuring added fats and serving size may therefore matter more than chasing the lowest row in a table.
The most useful choice is often the legume a person enjoys enough to eat regularly. Lentils, chickpeas, beans, peas, and soy foods all contribute nutrients that refined starches do not provide in the same combination. Use calorie rankings to understand differences, not to eliminate every higher-calorie option. A reasonable portion of a more energy-dense legume can still fit easily when the rest of the meal is built around vegetables, whole grains, and an appropriate amount of added fat.
Bottom line
For lower calorie density, peas, lentils and many common beans sit below chickpeas and mature soybeans per 100 g cooked. Protein, fiber, micronutrients and serving size still matter when choosing among them.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central — Cooked composition data for peas, lentils, beans, chickpeas, edamame and soybeans.