What are the differences between lentils and beans? What is better? Here’s what you need to know about these powerful legumes.
Lentils or beans: which is better? Let’s think for a moment. These two plant-based proteins are both part of a healthy diet. But is there a clear winner between the two? What are some of the main differences? Here’s a breakdown.
Lentils vs. Beans: Overview
First, let’s discuss the definition of each of these foods. Lentils and beans are both part of the legume family, also called impulses. This plant family also includes peas and peanuts.
- What are lenses? Lentils are small dried lenticular seeds. Packed with plant-based protein, they’re a staple around the world, from India to France to Ethiopia. There are many varieties of lentils, brown, red, green, yellow, black and french. (To learn more, go to What are lenses?)
- What are beans? Beans belong to the legume family, the seeds of a flowering plant. There are over 40,000 varieties of beans worldwide, but only a fraction are mass-produced. Common bean types include: black, kidney, pinto, and navy beans, soy/edamame (including tofu), chickpeas, and peas (including split peas).
Lentils vs. Beans: Nutritional Facts
Now let’s review the nutritional differences between lentils and beans. Both are very high in protein and fiber. Here is the basic nutritional information for 1 cup of cooked lentils versus 1 cup of cooked pinto beans:
| ingredient | calories | protein | crabs | fiber | Large |
| lenses | 230 | 18 grams | 40 grams | 15 grams | 1 gram |
| pinto beans | 245 | 15 grams | 45 grams | 15 grams | 1 gram |
Data sources: lentil nutrition, bean nutrition
nutrient comparison
To understand the full lentils vs. beans chart, you need to look at the nutrients too! Here is the breakdown of the nutrients:
- lenses are a good source of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. They are an excellent source of polyphenols, which have potential inhibitory effects on cancer cells.
- beans contain many nutrients, a good amount of zinc, copper, manganese, selenium and vitamins B1, B6, E and K.
Glycemic Index
Another measure to consider is the glycemic index. The glycemic index (GI) value shows how a food affects a person’s blood sugar levels. A low reading indicates that food has less of an impact on your blood sugar, so low readings are good here. This is especially relevant for people with diabetes. The stats range from low GI: 1 to 55, medium GI: 56 to 69, and high GI: 70 and up. (Learn more at the Mayo Clinic.)
- lenses have a glycemic index of 32, meaning foods with a low glycemic index. (The source)
- Red beans have a glycemic index of 24 and chickpeas have a GI of 28, so they are also a low GI food. (The source)
So lentils vs. beans: which is better?
In the table above you can see the following differences between lentils and rice:
- Calories and carbohydrates: Lentils have similar calories and carbohydrates to beans.
- Protein: Lentils contain slightly more plant-based protein than beans, but they’re both exceptionally high. 1 cup provides about 30% of your daily value.
- Fiber: Lentils and beans have the same fiber. 1 cup cooked has 60% of the daily value.
- Large: Lentils and beans are low-fat foods.
- Nutrient: Lentils and beans are packed with beneficial nutrients.
- Glycemic Index: Lentils and beans are low glycemic index foods.
At the end of the line: Lentils and beans are both part of a healthy diet! They are very similar nutritionally and are nutrient dense: high in protein, fiber and nutrients and low in fat.
