Lentils macros per 100g

What 100 g of lentils delivers, cooked or dry

Lentils are measured two ways, and the gap between them is roughly threefold. Raw (dry) lentils provide about 352 calories per 100 g (3.5 oz), while boiled lentils provide about 116 calories for the same weight because cooking water adds mass without adding energy. USDA FoodData Central publishes both entries, so confirm which version a label is quoting before you log it.

The quick reference table below converts those numbers into the portions people actually eat, with grams and US household measures shown side by side.

Watch out: Lentils are not keto-friendly at normal portions. A 100 g cooked serving carries about 12 g of net carbs, and one cup carries roughly 24 g, which can consume most of a strict keto day.

Protein: strong for a plant food, incomplete on its own

Cooked lentils deliver about 9.0 g of protein per 100 g and about 17.9 g per cup. That is more than three times the protein in the same weight of cooked white rice. Lentils are rich in lysine and comparatively low in methionine, so they balance grains such as rice, wheat, oats, and corn, which are low in lysine.

That does not mean you have to combine them at the same meal. Current dietetic guidance is that amino acids from plant foods eaten across the day pool together, so a lentil dish at lunch and a grain dish at dinner still works. Same-meal pairing is a convenience and a flavor habit more than a nutritional requirement.

Digestibility matters too. Lentil protein is less bioavailable than animal protein, and soaking plus thorough cooking improves it by reducing phytate and other antinutrients. For most people the practical answer is simple: treat lentils as a solid protein contributor, not as an equal to eggs or chicken.

Carbs, fiber, and net carbs

A 100 g cooked serving has 20.1 g of carbohydrate, of which 7.9 g is fiber and 1.8 g is sugar. That leaves about 12.2 g of net carbs per 100 g, or roughly 24 g per cup. Most of the starch is slowly digested, and some studies suggest that cooling cooked lentils before reheating nudges the resistant starch fraction up slightly, though the effect is smaller than it is for potatoes or rice.

Fiber is the headline number. One cup supplies about 15.6 g, which is roughly 40 to 60% of the 25 to 38 g daily target used in US and Canadian guidance, depending on which end of the range applies to you. Fiber is also a major reason lentils keep you full longer than an equivalent portion of rice.

Glycemic index and blood sugar response

Cooked lentils sit low on the glycemic index, generally around 30 for brown and green varieties, with red and split lentils often similar or slightly lower. Using a GI of about 30 and roughly 24 g of available carbohydrate per cup, the glycemic load of a one-cup serving works out to about 7.

Those figures are estimates, not constants. Variety, cooking time, prior soaking, and the rest of the meal all shift the response. Pairing lentils with fat, acid, or non-starchy vegetables tends to flatten the curve further.

Lentils vs chickpeas, beans, and rice

Lentils win on protein density and cooking speed, but they are not the only pulse worth tracking. The comparison below uses cooked weights for all four foods so the columns stay comparable.

Variety, portions, and how to use the numbers

Red, green, brown, and beluga lentils are close enough in macronutrients that the differences do not matter for most tracking. USDA entries for the different colors cluster within a few grams of protein and carbohydrate per 100 g. What changes is kitchen behavior: red lentils break down in 15 to 20 minutes and thicken soups, while green and brown lentils hold their shape for salads and grain bowls.

Use cooked weights for anything scooped from a pot and dry weights when planning a batch. Dry lentils roughly double and a half in weight as they absorb water: one-quarter cup of dry lentils (48 g) yields about 120 g cooked, or roughly two-thirds of a cup. A one-pound bag (454 g dry, about 1,600 kcal) rehydrates to roughly 5.5 to 6 cups of finished lentils, which is about 7 servings of 230 calories each.

If protein is the goal, build the plate around one cup of cooked lentils. If calories are the constraint, anchor on half-cup portions and let the 7.8 g of fiber per half cup do the satiety work.