Lentils vs split peas: which has more protein?
Full comparison · Protein · Calories · Carbs
Lentils and split peas have about the same protein: 9 g vs 8.3 g per 3.5 oz (100 g). The difference is per calorie: 7.8 g vs 7.1 g per 100 calories.
USDA FoodData Central.
| Lentils | Split peas | |
|---|---|---|
| Per 3.5 oz (100 g) | 9 g | 8.3 g |
| Per serving | 17.9 g in 1 cup (7 oz, 198 g) | 16.3 g in 1 cup (6.9 oz, 196 g) |
| Per 100 calories | 7.8 g | 7.1 g |
| To get 30 g of protein | 11.7 oz (333 g), about 1.7 × 1 cup | 12.7 oz (360 g), about 1.8 × 1 cup |
Protein per calorie
Per 100 calories, lentils gives 7.8 g of protein and split peas 7.1 g. This is the number that matters when you are fitting protein into a calorie budget, and it can rank foods differently from grams per 3.5 oz (100 g).
What the numbers don't tell you
Can one replace the other in soup or dal? Yes. Cooked, they sit close on calories, protein and fiber. The real gap is iron: these lentils list about 2.5 times as much.
Less of it reaches you. When 19 women ate a lentil dal, they absorbed 2.2 percent of its iron, against 23.6 percent from the same iron load as ferrous sulfate. Split peas have no such measurement.
Fullness and cholesterol data cover pulses as a group. In 9 feeding trials, pulse meals gave 31 percent more fullness, but people did not eat less at the next meal. Across 38 trials, about 4.6 oz (130 g) of pulses a day lowered LDL by 5.4 mg/dL (0.14 mmol/L) over a median 6 weeks, with similar results by pulse type. The authors want trials on lentils and dried peas specifically. In one snack trial retold in a 2026 review, neither a split yellow pea nor a green lentil snack lowered glucose significantly.
Neither food is among the nine major US allergens, yet a review calls pea and lentil allergies frequent causes of severe reactions. At a London clinic, lentil led these allergies in children, and in Italian children pea, lentil and chickpea allergies often came together. If someone reacts to one, check with an allergist before swapping in the other.
Otherwise, pick by recipe.
Evidence behind this note
- Level B In 19 women eating isotope-labeled lentil dal, only about 2.2% of the iron was absorbed versus 23.6% from ferrous sulfate, with more absorbed by women with anemia. J Nutr, 2015
- Level A In 9 acute feeding trials, meals with pulses gave 31% more fullness than matched controls but did not reduce how much people ate at the next meal. Obesity (Silver Spring), 2014
- Level A Across 38 trials with 2,095 people, eating about 4.6 oz (130 g) of pulses a day for a median 6 weeks lowered LDL cholesterol by 5.4 mg/dL (0.14 mmol/L), with similar effects across pulse types. J Am Heart Assoc, 2026
- Level C Split peas are not automatically blood-sugar friendly: in one trial reviewed in 2026, a split yellow pea snack did not lower glucose, while pinto bean and chickpea snacks did. Nutr Rev, 2026
- Level E FDA lists soybeans among the nine major food allergens in the United States, together with milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and sesame. US FDA, Food Allergies
- Level C A scoping review of 47 studies found that allergy to legumes outside the priority list, pea and lentil among them, is often behind severe reactions, and no study had looked at labeling for them. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract, 2021
- Level C In a London clinic, lentils were the most common non-priority legume allergy in children, and only 21% of lentil-allergic children outgrew it by age 15. Pediatr Allergy Immunol, 2025
- Level C In 55 Italian children with legume allergy, co-allergy among pea, lentil and chickpea was frequent (56 to 86%). Nutrients, 2026
- Level B In a controlled feeding RCT in 18 adults, a 3.5 oz (98.5 g) serving of cooked lentils delivered 119 calories, about 16% fewer calories than standard Atwater factors predict. Nutrients, 2025
Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Read more about these foods
- Lentils and split peas: a small cholesterol drop, shown for pulses as a group
- Lentils: the iron on the label and the iron you get
- Split peas: plenty of fiber, and a cholesterol result that belongs to pulses as a group
Rankings and guides
Where the numbers come from
- Lentils: USDA FoodData Central, Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, FDC ID 172421 · full profile · all forms of lentils
- Split peas: USDA FoodData Central, Peas, split, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, FDC ID 172429 · all forms of split peas
Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.