Black beans calories come to 227 for one cup (172 g) of beans boiled without salt and 132 per 100 g. Carbs supply 70% of those calories, but the same cup also brings 15.2 g of protein and 15 g of fiber, which is why a modest bowl fills you up more than the number suggests.
227kcal
1 cup · 172 g, boiled, no added salt
26%protein
15.2 gProtein
41 gCarbs
0.9 gFat
How to burn off 227 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Boiled, no added salt · per 172 g
Calories
227 kcal
Protein
15.2 g
Carbohydrate
41 g
Fat
0.9 g
Saturated fat
0.2 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
2 mg
Potassium
611 mg
Iron
3.6 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
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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 →
Black 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 (172 g)
227
15.2 g
40.8 g
0.9 g
2 mg
11%
From canned (180 g)
241
16 g
43.8 g
0.8 g
626 mg
12%
100 g
132
8.9 g
23.7 g
0.5 g
1 mg
7%
3 × 1 cup (172 g)
681
45.7 g
5 mg
5 × 1 cup (172 g)
1,135
76.2 g
9 mg
A cup of black beans is a 227-calorie side
A cup of boiled black beans lands at 227 calories, which is 11% of the daily value for calories. That is a sensible side-dish portion, the kind you spoon next to rice or into a taco bowl. A 100 g scoop, a little over half a cup, comes to 132 calories.
Totals climb quickly when beans become the main event. Two cups (344 g) reach 454 calories with 30.5 g of protein, and three cups (516 g) hit 681 calories. A big pot of chili built on five cups (860 g) holds 1,135 calories and 76.2 g of protein before any meat, cheese or oil goes in, so divide that pot honestly when you serve it.
Canned beans land in nearly the same place. The USDA serving from a can is 180 g and lists 241 calories, close enough to a home-cooked cup that the calorie count barely moves. The real difference between the two sits in the sodium row, covered below.
Carbs are 70% of the calories, protein a solid 26%
Per 100 g, boiled black beans carry 23.7 g of carbs, 8.9 g of protein and just 0.5 g of fat. In calorie terms that splits into 70% carbs, 26% protein and 4% fat. Fat is almost a rounding error here, with 0.1 g saturated per 100 g and 0 mg of cholesterol.
The carb number looks big until you look at what it is made of. Of those 23.7 g, 8.7 g is fiber and only 0.3 g is sugar, so most of the rest is starch. A full cup delivers 15 g of fiber, more than half of the 28 g daily value used on this page.
Protein is the other reason beans earn a spot on the plate. One cup gives 15.2 g, which is 30% of the daily value, for 227 calories. That makes black beans one of the easier ways to add protein to a meatless meal without adding fat.
Canned beans bring 626 mg of sodium
Beans boiled from dry without salt are practically sodium-free: 1 mg per 100 g and 2 mg per cup, which rounds to 0% of the daily value. Canned is another story. The 180 g canned serving lists 626 mg of sodium, or 27% of the daily value.
That gap matters if you watch sodium. A single serving of canned beans uses up more than a quarter of the day's sodium value before you add salsa, cheese or seasoning. Draining and rinsing removes some of the salty canning liquid, and canned or refried products such as Goya Black Beans vary, so the label on your can is the number to trust.
Cooking dried beans yourself keeps sodium in your hands. You salt to taste, and the beans themselves start near zero. Potassium runs the other way, at 355 mg per 100 g.
The toppings decide the bowl, not the beans
Because black beans carry almost no fat, they leave room in a meal for the ingredients that make them taste good. A spoonful of avocado, a sprinkle of cheese or a drizzle of olive oil adds flavor, and those extras usually decide how many calories the bowl ends up with.
Rice and beans is the classic pairing, and it works because each covers for the other: beans add protein and fiber, rice adds bulk and a softer texture. Black beans also slide into salads, burritos, soups and veggie burgers. If you track intake, log the beans and the extras separately so the toppings do not hide.
BodyPal can log a bowl of black beans from a photo, which helps when the plate mixes beans, rice and toppings in one go.
How does black beans compare?
Here is how black beans stack up against pinto beans and white beans, per 100 g and per usual cup serving.
Verdict: Black beans are the lightest of the three at 132 calories per 100 g, against 143 for pinto beans and 139 for white beans, so pick them if you count every calorie. White beans edge ahead on protein at 9.7 g per 100 g, but the gap is small enough that taste and the recipe should decide.
Most popular black beans brands in the United States
Ranked by popularity in the BodyPal database
# Productkcal / 100 g
1Goya Black Beans1/2 cup · 122 g107 kcal
2Goya Premium Black Beans1/2 cup · 122 g74 kcal
3Goya Refried Black Beans1/2 cup · 128 g78 kcal
4Goya Refried Black Beans1/2 cup · 130 g115 kcal
5Goya Vegan Refried Black Beans1/2 cup · 130 g146 kcal
Canned beans are labeled as they sit in their packing liquid, so they read lower than beans boiled from dried, while refried versions add fat. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Black beans FAQs
How many calories are in a cup of black beans?
A cup of black beans boiled from dried (172 g) is 227 calories. A cup from canned with no added fat (180 g) is 241 calories.
Are black beans good for weight loss?
Cooked black beans are 132 calories per 100 g with 8.7 g fiber and only 0.5 g fat. A full cup is 227 calories and carries 15.0 g fiber.
Do canned black beans have more calories than dried?
Almost the same: canned black beans with no added fat are 134 calories per 100 g against 132 for beans boiled from dried. Canned beans carry more sodium, 348 mg per 100 g versus 1 mg.
How much protein is in black beans?
Cooked black beans have 8.86 g protein per 100 g, so a cup (172 g) gives 15.2 g. The same cup has 40.8 g carbs and 0.9 g fat.
How many calories are in 100 g of black beans?
Boiled black beans have 132 calories per 100 g, with 8.9 g of protein, 23.7 g of carbs and 0.5 g of fat. That amount, a little over half a cup, also carries 8.7 g of fiber.
How much fiber is in a cup of black beans?
A cup (172 g) of boiled black beans has 15 g of fiber, more than half of the 28 g daily value. The 180 g canned serving lists 18.2 g, so both forms are a strong fiber source.
Are canned black beans high in sodium?
Compared with home-cooked, yes. A 180 g canned serving lists 626 mg of sodium, 27% of the daily value, while a cup boiled without salt has just 2 mg. Rinsing removes some of the canning liquid.
How many calories are in 2 cups of black beans?
Two cups (344 g) of boiled black beans have 454 calories and 30.5 g of protein. Add a third cup and the total reaches 681 calories, which is why bean-heavy chili adds up fast.
Do black beans have sugar?
Barely. A cup of boiled black beans has 0.6 g of sugar, and 100 g has 0.3 g. Nearly all of the 40.8 g of carbs in a cup is starch and fiber.
