Do Beans Have Protein?

Yes. One cup of cooked kidney beans, around 177 g, contains approximately 15.4 g of protein.

Per 100 g, cooked kidney beans contain approximately 8.7 g of protein.

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Protein in beans by serving size

Beans vary by type, so this page uses cooked kidney beans as a practical reference. Black beans, white beans, chickpeas and other legumes have similar but not identical values.

Serving Protein Calories
100 g cooked kidney beans 8.7 g 127 kcal
1/2 cup, ~89 g 7.7 g 113 kcal
1 cup, ~177 g 15.4 g 225 kcal
250 g cooked 21.7 g 318 kcal

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Are beans a good source of protein?

Yes, especially as a plant food. Beans provide a useful amount of protein together with fibre and carbohydrate.

A cooked cup of kidney beans can provide around 15 g of protein.

Beans are less protein-dense than meat, fish or tofu, so reaching 25–30 g usually requires a larger serving or pairing them with another protein source.

How much cooked kidney bean provides 20–30 g of protein?

Bean varieties differ. Use a type-specific label or database entry when precision matters.

~20 g protein

230 g

~292 kcal

~25 g protein

287 g

~364 kcal

~30 g protein

345 g

~438 kcal

Nutrition data and methodology

This page uses cooked kidney beans as the representative bean because “beans” is a broad category. USDA FoodData Central values are approximately 8.7 g protein and 127 kcal per 100 g cooked.

Frida’s European database also lists cooked ready-to-eat red kidney beans at about 8.1 g protein per 100 g, showing that real products and preparation methods can differ.

Common questions about protein in beans

Do beans have protein?

Yes. Cooked kidney beans provide roughly 8–9 g of protein per 100 g.

How much protein is in one cup of beans?

About 15 g in a cooked cup of kidney beans, depending on the exact weight and type.

Are beans high in protein?

They are a useful plant-protein food, although less protein-dense than meat, fish or tofu.

Which beans have the most protein?

Protein varies by type and preparation. Soybeans are generally higher than common kidney, black or white beans.

Are beans a complete protein?

Most common beans are relatively low in methionine compared with animal foods, but a varied diet easily supplies complementary amino acids.

How much protein should you eat per day?

Knowing that cooked kidney beans provide roughly 8–9 g of protein per 100 g is useful. Knowing how that fits into your daily protein and macro targets is more useful.