Boiled beans calories come to 245 for 1 cup (171 g) of pinto beans boiled with salt, or 143 per 100 g. Look past the calories at the cup itself: 15.4 g of protein and 15.4 g of fiber come with almost no fat. Sodium is the one number to keep an eye on.
245kcal
1 cup of boiled beans · 171 g, pinto beans, boiled, with salt
25%protein
15.4 gProtein
45 gCarbs
1.1 gFat
How to burn off 245 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Pinto beans, boiled, with salt · per 171 g
Calories
245 kcal
Protein
15.4 g
Carbohydrate
45 g
Fat
1.1 g
Saturated fat
0.2 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
407 mg
Potassium
746 mg
Iron
3.6 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
🛡️
Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
Boiled beans: calories, protein and sodium by serving
Percent of daily value uses the FDA reference of 2,000 kcal a day.
Serving
kcal
Protein
Carbs
Fat
Sodium
% DV kcal
1 cup (171 g)
245
15.4 g
44.8 g
1.1 g
407 mg
12%
Black beans (172 g)
227
15.2 g
40.8 g
0.9 g
408 mg
11%
100 g
143
9 g
26.2 g
0.7 g
238 mg
7%
3 × 1 cup (171 g)
734
46.2 g
1,221 mg
5 × 1 cup (171 g)
1,223
77 g
2,035 mg
One cup is 245 calories, three cups are 734
A 1 cup serving of boiled pinto beans weighs 171 g and carries 245 calories, which is 12% of the daily value for calories. That is a modest number for a food this filling. The same cup brings 15.4 g of protein and 15.4 g of fiber, so the plate does a lot of work for its calorie cost.
The trouble starts when beans become the main event. Two cups (342 g) reach 489 calories, three cups (513 g) land at 734, and 5 cups (855 g) total 1,223 calories. Chili bowls and burrito fillings often hold more than a single cup, so check the ladle before you log it.
Weighing helps. At 143 calories per 100 g, a kitchen scale turns any bowl into a quick estimate, and BodyPal can log the beans from a photo if you would rather skip the scale. Either way, keep the cup in mind as your unit: one is a side dish, two is a meal, three is a lot.
Carbs supply 71% of the calories, protein 25%
Per 100 g, boiled pinto beans hold 26.2 g of carbs, 9 g of protein and 0.7 g of fat. Translate that to calories and carbs account for 71%, protein for 25% and fat for just 4%. This is a starch food with a serious protein side, not a protein food.
What sets these carbs apart from rice or pasta is the fiber. Of the 26.2 g of carbohydrate in 100 g, 9 g is fiber and only 0.3 g is sugar. A cup delivers 15.4 g of fiber with 0.6 g of sugar, which is why beans sit heavy and keep you full longer than the calorie count suggests.
Protein deserves credit too. The 15.4 g in a cup covers 31% of the 50 g daily value, with almost nothing else attached. Saturated fat barely registers at 0.1 g per 100 g, and cholesterol is 0.
Salt in the pot sets the sodium
This entry is pinto beans boiled with salt, and the sodium row shows it. One cup carries 407 mg, or 18% of the daily value. Per 100 g that is 238 mg, which puts it at 10% of the daily value for a small portion.
Sodium scales with portions just like calories do. Two cups hit 814 mg, three cups reach 1,221 mg, and 5 cups add up to 2,035 mg, close to a full day's daily value before any cheese, salsa or tortillas join in. Big batches of beans are where this row quietly climbs.
If you watch sodium, the fix is in the cooking. Butter beans list just 2 mg of sodium per 100 g, a hint of how much of the 238 mg here comes from salted cooking water. Cook beans with less salt, or rinse them, and season at the table instead. The same 100 g still brings 436 mg of potassium either way.
Black beans run a little lighter
Swap pinto for black beans and the cup gets a little lighter. A 172 g serving of black beans comes to 227 calories, 11% of the daily value, against 245 for the pinto cup. Protein (15.2 g) and fiber (15 g) barely move, and sodium sits at 408 mg because both were cooked with salt.
In a day of eating, beans pair best with foods that fill their gaps. They are low in fat, so a little avocado, olive oil or cheese rounds out a bowl. They are high in carbs, so go lighter on rice or tortillas if beans are already the base of the meal.
Vegetables, salsa and a squeeze of lime add volume and flavor without many calories. Eggs or chicken on the side push protein higher if that is your goal. Beans are flexible enough to play side dish one night and main course the next; just count the cups.
How does boiled beans compare?
Here is how boiled pinto beans stack up against cooked beans and butter beans, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For the fewest calories and almost no sodium pick butter beans, at 216 for a 188 g cup and only 2 mg of sodium per 100 g. For more protein per bite, boiled beans win with 9 g per 100 g against 7.8 g, and cooked beans are the same food at 245 per cup.
Boiled beans FAQs
How many calories are in a cup of boiled beans?
About 245 calories for a 171 g cup of boiled pinto beans, or 143 calories per 100 g.
Are boiled beans good for weight loss?
One cup of boiled beans is 245 calories, with 15.4 g of protein and 15.4 g of fiber per cup, and only 1.1 g of fat.
Boiled beans vs cooked beans: are the calories different?
No. Both are about 143 calories per 100 g, so a cup of either works out to roughly 245 calories for a 171 g serving.
How much protein is in a cup of boiled beans?
A 171 g cup of boiled beans has about 15.4 g of protein, 44.8 g of carbs and 15.4 g of fiber. Per 100 g that is 9.0 g of protein.
How many calories are in 100 g of boiled beans?
100 g of boiled pinto beans has 143 calories, 7% of the daily value. That weight brings 9 g of protein, 26.2 g of carbs, 0.7 g of fat and 9 g of fiber.
Are black beans lower in calories than pinto beans?
Slightly. A 172 g serving of boiled black beans has 227 calories, while a 171 g cup of boiled pinto beans has 245. Protein is nearly the same at 15.2 g versus 15.4 g.
How much fiber is in a cup of boiled beans?
A 1 cup (171 g) serving of boiled pinto beans has 15.4 g of fiber and only 0.6 g of sugar. Per 100 g, that works out to 9 g of fiber.
How much sodium is in boiled beans?
A cup of pinto beans boiled with salt has 407 mg of sodium, 18% of the daily value. Per 100 g it is 238 mg, so less salt in the pot lowers this number.
How many calories are in 2 cups of boiled beans?
Two cups (342 g) of boiled pinto beans come to 489 calories. That portion also carries 30.8 g of protein and 814 mg of sodium.
