Lentils: Calories, Nutrition & Healthier Swaps

Lentils are legumes rich in plant protein and fiber, plus folate and iron. They need no soaking; red lentils cook in about 15 minutes.

Lentils nutrition facts per 100 g and per serving

Values per 100 g as eaten, averaged from food composition tables (USDA FoodData Central and others) and rounded — a specific brand or recipe will differ a little.

Lentils: nutrition highlights

A serving (plate, 200 g) provides 18 g of protein — about 32% of the 56 g daily reference for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult (0.8 g per kg). It has 16 g of fiber per serving — roughly 63% of the 25 g a day most adults fall short of.

On the open Nutri-Score algorithm, lentils gets an A: one of the better picks in its category. The score weighs calories, sugar, saturated fat and salt against protein, fiber and the share of fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts.

What to watch

• No red flags on the traffic light: sugar, salt and saturated fat per 100 g are all within the low-to-medium range.

How much movement is one serving?

One serving (plate, 200 g) is 232 kcal — roughly 76 min of easy walking or 29 min of cycling for a 70 kg (154 lb) person. In the diary, minutes are worked out for your weight and the activities you actually do.

Healthier swaps for Lentils

There's no swap in our base that is clearly better at the same calories — lentils is already one of the better choices in its category.