The best beans for protein: 15 beans and lentils ranked by the cup

The short answer: soybeans are the best beans for protein, with about 31g per cooked cup, followed by edamame (18.5g), lentils (17.9g) and white beans (17.4g), according to USDA data. Most other beans, including black, pinto and kidney beans, give about 15g a cup. Soy is a complete protein. Other beans become one when you eat them alongside grains over the day.

Beans already top our list of the cheapest protein foods, and they sit near the top of our high-fiber foods list too. This guide goes bean by bean, so you can pick the ones that fit your meals.

What beans have the most protein?

Soybeans have the most protein of any common bean, about 31g per cooked cup. After that, lentils, white beans and edamame lead, while most everyday beans land between 13g and 17g per cup. We pulled these numbers from USDA FoodData Central for beans boiled without salt.

Source: our calculations from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, for beans boiled without salt.

Beans are cheap protein too. Using September 2026 US average prices, dried pinto beans cost about $0.52 for 30g of protein, against $0.90 for eggs and $1.24 for chicken breast, according to our protein price data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t publish average prices for other beans.

Two things stand out. Navy beans have the most fiber here, at 19.1g a cup. And black beans vs pinto beans is close to a tie: 15.2g against 15.4g of protein, so pick the one you like.

What beans have the most protein per calorie?

Soybeans and edamame give the most protein per calorie, about 10.6g and 9.8g for every 100 calories, by our count from USDA data. Lentils come next at 7.8g per 100 calories, and split peas and great northern beans each give about 7.1g. Chickpeas are at the low end, at about 5.4g.

If you want to reach about 30g of protein at a meal, which our guide to protein per meal explains, it takes roughly 1 cup of soybeans, 1.7 cups of lentils or about 2 cups of black or pinto beans.

How much protein is in beans vs chicken?

Beans have about a third of the protein of chicken breast by weight. USDA data puts cooked lentils at 9g of protein per 100g and roasted chicken breast at 31g. To get 30g of protein, you’d eat about 97g (3.4 oz) of chicken breast at about 160 calories, or 1.7 cups of lentils at about 390 calories.

Those extra bean calories come with something chicken doesn’t have. That same 1.7 cups of lentils brings about 26g of fiber, which is more than the 20g a day the NHS says most UK adults eat. Our guide to how much protein you need can help you work out your own daily target.

Are beans a complete protein?

Soybeans are a complete protein, but most other beans aren’t. Harvard’s Nutrition Source explains that your body needs nine essential amino acids that it can’t make, so they must come from food. A complete protein has all nine. Plant foods often lack one or more, Harvard says, while soy protein contains all nine. That makes edamame, tofu and tempeh complete proteins too. Harvard also names quinoa and chia seeds.

Are beans and rice a complete protein?

Yes, beans and rice together cover what each one lacks. A 2026 study of the meals of 193 vegans found that legumes supplied more lysine, while grains, nuts and seeds supplied more sulfur amino acids (such as methionine). The meals that scored highest for protein quality had about twice as much legume as grain.

You don’t need to eat them at the same sitting. MedlinePlus says essential amino acids don’t need to be eaten at every meal, and that the balance over the whole day matters more. Harvard’s advice is similar: eat a variety of protein-containing plant foods each day. The study authors argue that pairing them within a meal is still the safer bet if you eat no animal foods at all. For most people, beans with rice, tortillas, bread or pasta does the job either way.

Are canned beans as healthy as dried beans?

Canned beans are a healthy choice, but they usually carry much more sodium than beans you cook yourself. Harvard’s Nutrition Source says legumes in their whole, unprocessed form are low in sodium, and advises checking processed legume products for added sodium and sugar. Here’s what USDA data shows for one cup:

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy. Brands vary, so check the label.

Draining and rinsing helps, and the low-sodium can does about as well. A cup of drained, rinsed canned chickpeas also has less protein (10.7g) than home-cooked (14.5g), because canned beans hold more water. If you’re watching salt, our guide to how much sodium per day puts these numbers in context. Dried beans are cheapest, and canned beans are the fastest. Both count.

Why do beans give you gas, and how do you reduce it?

Beans give you gas because they contain carbohydrates called oligosaccharides that your body can’t digest. Harvard’s Nutrition Source explains that bacteria in your colon ferment them, which makes gas and can cause bloating and cramps in some people. NIDDK, part of the National Institutes of Health, lists beans, peas and lentils among the foods that may cause gas.

The worry may be bigger than the problem. In three US feeding studies where adults ate half a cup of beans a day, fewer than half reported more gas in the first week with pinto or baked beans, and only 19% did with black-eyed peas. Between 3% and 11% reported more gas even on the control diets with no beans. The researchers noted that people respond differently to different beans.

Try these, drawn from Harvard, NIDDK and the NHS:

• Soak dried beans. Harvard says soaking dried beans for at least three hours and then cooking them may help.
• Start small. Harvard warns that a sudden jump in these fibers can cause gas and bloating. Begin with a few spoonfuls and build up over a few weeks.
• Eat smaller meals. NIDDK suggests smaller, more frequent meals, eating slowly and sitting down to eat.
• Swap the bean. If one kind always bothers you, try another. Black-eyed peas caused the least gas in the studies above.
• Keep a food diary. NIDDK says a diary of what you eat and your symptoms can help your doctor find the trigger.

Gas on its own is normal. The NHS says to see a doctor if you’re bloated regularly even after changing your diet, or if bloating comes with weight loss you can’t explain or blood in your poo. Our guide to gut health foods explains why that fermentation is also good news for your gut bacteria.

Your next step

Pick one bean from the top half of the table and use it in one meal this week. Lentils are an easy place to start, and a pot of lentil soup from our high-protein soup recipes covers several lunches. If you’re managing blood sugar, beans also fit the plate in our prediabetes diet guide. If you have kidney disease or have been told to limit protein, check with your doctor before eating more. For easy breakfasts and snacks with the fiber listed on every recipe, The Banana Book below is a simple companion. For ideas, see our lentil recipes and high protein vegetarian meals.

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Quick questions

Which bean has the highest protein?

Soybeans have the highest protein of common beans, at about 31g per cooked cup, by USDA data. Shelled edamame, which are young soybeans, have about 18.5g. Among other beans and lentils, lentils lead with 17.9g a cup, just ahead of white beans at 17.4g and adzuki beans at 17.3g.

Are black beans or pinto beans higher in protein?

Black beans and pinto beans are almost identical in protein. A cooked cup of pinto beans has about 15.4g and black beans about 15.2g, according to USDA data. Their fiber is close too, at 15.4g and 15.0g. Pinto beans were also the cheapest protein in our September 2026 price comparison.

Are lentils a complete protein?

Lentils aren’t a complete protein on their own. Like most beans, they’re lower in sulfur amino acids such as methionine, which grains, nuts and seeds supply. MedlinePlus says you don’t need every amino acid at every meal, because the balance over the day matters more. Lentils with rice or bread make a well-balanced pair.

Are canned beans healthy?

Canned beans are healthy and count just as much as dried beans toward your protein and fiber. The main difference is sodium. A cup of regular canned chickpeas with the liquid has about 667mg, against 11mg home-cooked without salt, USDA data shows. Draining and rinsing, or choosing low-sodium cans, brings that down to about 320mg.

How much protein is in a can of beans?

A typical can of beans has about 15 to 20g of protein, depending on the bean. USDA data shows a drained can of pinto beans weighs about 277g and has about 19g of protein, and a drained can of red kidney beans weighs about 266g and has about 21g. Check the label for your brand.

Do beans make you constipated?

Beans are more likely to help constipation than cause it, because they’re high in fiber. The NHS suggests adding pulses like beans, lentils or chickpeas to stews, curries and salads to eat more fiber. Adding a lot at once can cause gas and bloating, so build up slowly and drink plenty of fluids.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have kidney disease, a bowel condition such as IBS, or have been told to limit protein, fiber or sodium, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing your diet. See a doctor for bloating that keeps coming back, blood in your poo or weight loss you can’t explain.

Sources

• USDA. FoodData Central, SR Legacy dataset
• Nourish & Strong. Protein cost data, September 2026
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source. Protein
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source. Straight talk about soy
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source. Legumes and Pulses
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source. The Microbiome
• MedlinePlus. Protein in diet
• Soh BXP et al. Beyond daily totals: meal-level digestible indispensable amino acid score reveals how food groups shape protein quality in vegan diets. Front Nutr, 2026
• NIDDK. Symptoms and Causes of Gas in the Digestive Tract
• NIDDK. Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Gas in the Digestive Tract
• Winham DM, Hutchins AM. Perceptions of flatulence from bean consumption among adults in 3 feeding studies. Nutr J, 2011
• NHS. Bloating
• NHS. How to get more fibre into your diet