Which Beans and Lentils Have the Most Fibre? Dried, Canned and Cooked Compared
Beans and lentils are among the best everyday sources of fibre, but the figure you see depends heavily on whether the pulse is dried, canned or cooked. Dried split peas show 25.5g of fibre per 100g, while the same pulse once cooked is a fraction of that, because water adds weight and no fibre. Here is how the main types compare, using the real figures from our high fibre beans, lentils and pulses ranking.
Dried pulses: the highest numbers, but not what ends up on your plate
Per 100g of dried pulses, our database shows split peas at 25.5g of fibre, lima beans at 19.0g, mung beans at 16.3g, puy lentils at 16.0g, pinto beans at 15.5g, navy beans at 15.3g, red lentils at 10.8g and green lentils at 8.9g. These are real figures, but they describe the food before it absorbs water. Nobody eats 100g of dry split peas in one sitting, so these numbers are best used to compare one pulse with another, not to count your daily fibre.
Cooked and canned pulses: the figures that match a real portion
| Food | Per 100g | Per 80g portion |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked green lentils | 7.9g | 6.3g |
| Black beans (canned) | 7.6g | 6.1g |
| Red kidney beans in water | 6.8g | 5.4g |
| Chickpeas (cooked) | 6.0g | 4.8g |
| Broad beans (frozen) | 5.4g | 4.3g |
| Chickpeas (canned) | 5.4g | 4.3g |
| Cannellini beans (canned) | 5.3g | 4.2g |
| Edamame, boiled | 5.2g | 4.2g |
| Butter beans (canned) | 4.6g | 3.7g |
| Red lentils (cooked) | 3.9g | 3.1g |
Using the NHS portion of 80g of cooked pulses, which counts once towards your five a day, cooked green lentils give about 6.3g of fibre, canned black beans about 6.1g and chickpeas about 4.8g. One 80g spoonful of lentils or beans therefore covers roughly a fifth of the 30g a day the NHS recommends for adults.
Are baked beans high in fibre?
Baked beans in tomato sauce are a decent source rather than a standout. Our canned baked beans entry shows 3.7g of fibre per 100g, with 84 kcal, 5.9g of sugars and 0.6g of salt. An 80g portion gives about 3g of fibre. They are a convenient way to add pulses, but lentils, black beans and chickpeas deliver roughly double the fibre for the same weight, and plain canned pulses in water carry no added sugar or salt.
How to use this when you shop and cook
When comparing products, check the label for per 100g of the prepared or canned food, not the dry pack, so the numbers match what you will actually eat. Rinsing canned pulses lowers salt without changing the fibre. If you are building fibre up gradually, add pulses a spoonful at a time and drink plenty of water, because a sudden jump can cause bloating.
To see every pulse ranked side by side, with the dried and ready-to-eat figures in separate tables, open the full high fibre beans, lentils and pulses list, or browse the wider legumes and pulses category. For the highest-fibre foods across every category, see our ranking of the foods highest in fibre.
Where you will see it used on this site
Every food shown here has its own real, live page, and the full high fibre beans, lentils and pulses list and the wider Legumes & Pulses category list every food we track, filterable by protein, fat, sugar and more. This comparison is a different lens from the legal question of which foods can carry the words “high fibre” on a label, covered in What Does “High Fibre” Actually Mean? For a ranking across every food type see 8 Foods Highest in Fibre, Ranked, and for what a realistic day adds up to see 5 Everyday Meals That Add Up to 30g of Fibre a Day.
Sources: fibre figures per 100g come from the UK government’s composition of foods data (CoFID) and manufacturer labels held in our database. The 30g a day target and the 80g pulse portion come from NHS guidance on getting more fibre into your diet and SACN.
*This article is general information, not medical or dietary advice. If you’re making dietary changes for a specific health reason, speak to a doctor or registered dietitian.