Pulses

Pulses are the seeds of beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas and soya beans. Most aren’t safe to eat raw: soak dried ones and boil them well – steaming isn’t enough.

Pulses provide plant protein, complex carbs, fibre and important micronutrients in one food. In this entry you'll find out what lentils, chickpeas and beans have in common botanically, how to prepare them properly and what to look out for when buying them and when it comes to how well you tolerate them.

What are pulses?

Pulses are the edible seeds of plants from the Fabaceae family, also known as the legume or pea family. They include lentils, chickpeas, beans, peas and soya beans, among others. They grow in pods, are mostly sold dried and play an important role in traditional cuisines around the world – from dal in India and hummus in the Middle East to bean dishes in Latin America.

Fresh pulses such as young peas or green beans have a season, but most of the everyday varieties you'll buy dried or ready-cooked in jars or tins. That makes them available all year round, long-lasting and great for the store cupboard and meal prep.

Nutrition per 100 g

The values vary depending on the variety and whether the food is weighed cooked or dry. For everyday cooking, cooked values are the most practical.

Food (cooked)	Calories	Protein	Fat	Carbohydrate	Fibre	Iron	Folate	Magnesium
Lentils	about 116 kcal	about 9 g	about 0.4 g	about 20 g	about 8 g	about 3.3 mg	about 180 µg	about 36 mg
Chickpeas	about 164 kcal	about 8.9 g	about 2.6 g	about 27 g	about 7.6 g	about 2.9 mg	about 170 µg	about 48 mg
Black beans	about 132 kcal	about 8.9 g	about 0.5 g	about 24 g	about 8.7 g	about 2.1 mg	about 150 µg	about 70 mg
Brown/green lentils	about 110–120 kcal	about 8–9 g	about 0.4 g	about 20 g	about 7–8 g	about 3 mg	about 180 µg	about 35 mg

Why pulses are interesting

• Per 100 g cooked, they provide much more protein than most vegetables, which makes them a useful building block for a plant-focused diet. You'll find more on protein in our guide to the high-protein diet.
• They contain a lot of fibre. Fibre belongs in a varied diet alongside wholegrains, veg, nuts and seeds such as linseed or chia seeds.
• Pulses naturally contain folate, iron, magnesium and potassium. The exact amounts depend on the variety, how they're grown and how they're prepared.
• Their amino acid profile isn't identical to animal protein, but it's easy to complement in everyday meals, for example with grains such as rice, oats or quinoa.
• They're cheap, keep for a long time and, compared with many animal protein sources, usually give you a lot of nutrients for your money.

The main varieties at a glance

Red lentils

Red lentils are usually hulled and split. That's why they cook quickly, don't need soaking and break down easily as they cook. This makes them handy for soups, stews, dal and creamy curries.

Green or brown lentils

These varieties hold their shape better than red lentils. They're good for salads, lentil bolognese, fillings or as a side dish. Cooking time is usually around 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the variety and age.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas have a firm, slightly floury texture and a nutty flavour. You can use them for hummus, oven bakes, salads, curries or falafel. Dried chickpeas usually need a long soaking and cooking time.

Black beans

Black beans are common in Latin American cooking and work well in bowls, stews, wraps and chilli. Cooked, they're fairly firm and bring a dark colour and a dense texture.

Kidney beans and white beans

Kidney beans are a classic for chilli or salads; white beans are more for Mediterranean stews or purées. Important: raw or undercooked beans are not safe to eat.

How to use pulses properly

The right preparation decides the flavour, the texture and often how well you tolerate them.

• Sort and rinse dried pulses: Pick out small stones or damaged pulses, then rinse thoroughly.
• Soak: Soak beans and chickpeas in plenty of water, usually for 8 to 12 hours. This can shorten the cooking time. Red lentils don't need soaking, and green and brown lentils usually don't strictly need it either.
• Pour away the soaking water: This makes sense especially for beans and chickpeas. Then cook them in fresh water.
• Add salt later: Cooks disagree on this. In practice, this often works: cook until soft first, then salt. That applies even more with acidic ingredients such as tomatoes, because they can lengthen the cooking time.
• Skim off the foam: Foam may form while cooking – you can skim it off, but you don't have to.
• Choose fitting spices: Cumin, coriander, bay, fennel, garlic or ginger are often used. That's mainly for flavour; how well you tolerate pulses is a separate question.

Cooking times as a guide

• Red lentils: 10–15 minutes
• Green/brown lentils: 25–35 minutes
• Chickpeas, soaked: 60–90 minutes
• Black beans, soaked: 60–90 minutes
• Kidney beans, soaked: usually 60–90 minutes

A pressure cooker can shorten the cooking time considerably. Ready-cooked pulses from a jar or tin are a practical alternative when you need to be quick.

Buying and storing pulses

Dried pulses should look fairly even, be dry and show no signs of moisture or pests. With very old stock, the cooking time is often much longer. If you buy beans or lentils in jars or tins, look for a short ingredients list: ideally pulses, water and maybe salt.

For storage:

• keep dry, cool and dark
• store well sealed
• tip opened packets into storage jars or containers
• eat cooked pulses from the fridge within 3 to 4 days or freeze them in portions

If you use tinned pulses, you can rinse them in a sieve. This removes excess salt and the liquid from the tin. One exception is chickpea water (aquafaba), which you can use in some recipes as a plant-based foaming agent.

Possible side effects / take care if

Pulses contain natural compounds such as lectins and phytic acid. Soaking and thorough cooking reduce problematic amounts considerably. This is especially important with raw beans: never eat them undercooked.

If you have a sensitive gut, large amounts can cause wind or a feeling of fullness at first. One reason is fermentable carbohydrates. If you react to them, smaller portions, increasing the amount slowly and well-cooked varieties such as red lentils can be more practical day to day. If you have IBS or your tolerance varies a lot, our guide to the low-FODMAP diet may be useful.

When it comes to the gut and microbiome, individual tolerance plays a role too: more fibre isn't automatically better if you increase the amount too quickly. Drinking enough is part of it.

Recipes with pulses

Here are a few ideas for everyday cooking:

• Vegan recipes with pulses
• Breakfast recipes with savoury ideas
• Bowls and meal prep recipes
• Lentil soup with veg and olive oil
• Chickpea salad with roast veg and avocado

FAQ

Do pulses really provide much protein?

Yes, especially compared with most vegetables. Per 100 g cooked, they usually provide around 8 to 9 g of protein. If you want to eat plenty of protein overall, it makes sense to combine them with other protein sources, such as soya products, dairy or grains.

Do I always have to soak pulses?

No. Red lentils don't need soaking, and many green or brown lentils don't either. Beans and chickpeas, on the other hand, usually benefit from it, because the cooking time is shorter and they cook more evenly.

Why do beans sometimes not go soft?

Often it's down to old stock, hard water or acidic ingredients such as tomatoes being added too early. Cook beans in water until soft first, and only add salt and acid later.

Are tinned pulses worse?

Not as a rule. They're practical, safely cooked and save time. The difference lies more in texture and salt content. If you rinse them, they fit easily into everyday cooking.

Summary

Pulses are versatile staples with a useful amount of protein, fibre and micronutrients. If you choose the right variety, soak and cook beans thoroughly and, if your digestion is sensitive, increase the amount slowly, they're easy to work into lots of dishes.