Cooked lentils calories come to 230 for 1 cup (198 g) and 116 per 100 g, boiled without salt. The thing to notice is how much that cup delivers: 17.9 g of protein and 15.6 g of fiber, while fat barely registers at 0.8 g. Portion size, not added fat, is what moves the total.
230kcal
1 cup · 198 g, boiled, without salt
30%protein
17.9 gProtein
40 gCarbs
0.8 gFat
How to burn off 230 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
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Nutrition facts
Boiled, without salt · per 198 g
Calories
230 kcal
Protein
17.9 g
Carbohydrate
40 g
Fat
0.8 g
Saturated fat
0.1 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
4 mg
Potassium
731 mg
Iron
6.6 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 →
Cooked lentils: 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 (198 g)
230
17.9 g
39.9 g
0.8 g
4 mg
11%
100 g
116
9 g
20.1 g
0.4 g
2 mg
6%
1 tbsp (12.3 g)
14
1.1 g
2.5 g
0 g
0 mg
1%
3 × 1 cup (198 g)
689
53.6 g
12 mg
5 × 1 cup (198 g)
1,148
89.3 g
20 mg
One cup is a 230-calorie side, two cups a 459-calorie meal
A 1 cup (198 g) serving of lentils lands at 230 calories, which is 11% of a 2000-calorie daily value. That same cup brings 17.9 g of protein, 36% of the daily value. It is a modest calorie number for a food that fills a bowl.
The total climbs in a straight line because nothing in the lentil itself is calorie-dense. Two cups (396 g) come to 459 calories with 35.7 g of protein. Three cups (594 g) reach 689 calories and 53.6 g of protein. A batch of 5 cups (990 g) holds 1,148 calories in total, which is handy to know if you cook one pot on Sunday and portion it across the week.
Small amounts barely register. A tablespoon (12.3 g) scattered over a salad adds about 14 calories and 1.1 g of protein. If you weigh food instead of using cups, 100 g is 116 calories, roughly half a cup's worth.
Two thirds of the calories are carbs, almost a third is protein
Carbohydrates supply 67% of the calories in cooked lentils, protein supplies 30%, and fat only 3%. Per 100 g that works out to 20.1 g of carbs, 9 g of protein and 0.4 g of fat. Saturated fat sits at 0.1 g and cholesterol at 0.
The carb number looks bigger than it eats. Of those 20.1 g, 7.9 g is fiber and just 1.8 g is sugars, so most of the carbohydrate is starch bound up with fiber rather than anything sweet. A full cup carries 39.9 g of carbs but only 3.6 g of sugars.
That split is what makes lentils unusual. Few foods give you a protein share near a third while keeping fat this low. Lentils read like a starch with a serious protein side attached, which is why they can stand in for both the grain and part of the protein on a plate.
Fiber is the standout row, sodium is close to zero
The fiber line is the one worth reading twice. One cup holds 15.6 g of fiber against a daily value of 28 g, a large share from a single side dish. Even 100 g gives you 7.9 g. If you are new to eating this much fiber, starting with smaller portions is a sensible way to see how it sits.
Sodium is the opposite story. Lentils boiled without salt have 2 mg per 100 g and 4 mg per cup, which rounds to 0% of the 2300 mg daily value. Every bit of sodium in a lentil dish comes from what the cook adds: salt in the water, stock, or a seasoning blend. If you watch sodium, plain lentils give you full control.
Potassium is another quiet plus at 369 mg per 100 g, measured against a daily value of 4700 mg. Taken together, the micronutrient rows reward you for leaving lentils fairly plain and seasoning with herbs, acid and spice.
Lentils carry a meal and leave room for the fat you choose
Because the lentils themselves bring only 0.8 g of fat per cup, almost all the fat in a lentil dish is a choice you make. A drizzle of olive oil, a spoon of yogurt or a handful of nuts will add more calories than you might expect, so count them separately rather than assuming the dish stays at 230.
Lentils pair well with vegetables, rice or bread for a filling plate, and with something acidic like lemon or vinegar to lift the earthy flavor. Red varieties such as Bob's Red Mill Red Lentils cook down soft for soups and dal, while firmer types like Whole Foods Market French Green Organic Lentils hold their shape in salads. Pereg Autumn Blend Heirloom Lentils mix several types in one bag.
Lentil soups and curries are hard to estimate by eye because the oil and portion vary so much. BodyPal can log a bowl from a photo, which helps when you did not weigh what went into the pot.
How does cooked lentils compare?
Here is how cooked lentils stack up against butter beans and almonds, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: Lentils and butter beans are nearly even on calories, 116 versus 115 per 100 g, but lentils carry more protein at 9 g against 7.8 g, so pick lentils when protein is the goal. Almonds pack 598 calories per 100 g, about 5.2 times as much, so treat them as a topping and let lentils fill the bowl.
Most popular cooked lentils brands in the United States
Ranked by popularity in the BodyPal database
# Productkcal / 100 g
1365 Everyday Value Green Lentils1/4 cup · 50 g360 kcal
2Bob's Red Mill Red Lentils1/4 cup · 50 g380 kcal
3Bob's Red Mill Red Lentils Heritage Beans1/4 cup · 52 g365 kcal
4Pereg Autumn Blend Heirloom Lentils100 g353 kcal
5Whole Foods Market Green Lentils1/4 cup · 35 g343 kcal
6Whole Foods Market French Green Organic Lentils1/4 cup · 50 g360 kcal
Packaged lentils are labeled by dry weight, so their numbers read about three times higher than the cooked figures above. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Cooked lentils FAQs
How many calories are in a cup of cooked lentils?
One cup of boiled lentils (198 g) is 230 calories. Per 100 g that works out to 116 calories.
Are lentils good for weight loss?
A cup holds 230 calories with 17.9 g protein and 15.6 g fiber, and only 0.8 g fat.
Lentils vs split peas: which has fewer calories?
Cooked lentils have 116 calories per 100 g and cooked split peas 118, so the two are almost identical.
How much protein is in cooked lentils?
Cooked lentils have 9 g of protein per 100 g, which is 17.9 g in a one-cup serving (198 g).
How many calories are in 100 grams of cooked lentils?
There are 116 calories in 100 g of cooked lentils boiled without salt. That weight also gives you 9 g of protein, 20.1 g of carbs, 7.9 g of fiber and 0.4 g of fat.
What is the full nutrition for 1 cup of cooked lentils?
One cup (198 g) of cooked lentils has 230 calories, 17.9 g of protein, 39.9 g of carbs and 0.8 g of fat. It also brings 15.6 g of fiber, 3.6 g of sugars and 4 mg of sodium.
How many carbs are in a cup of cooked lentils?
A cup of cooked lentils has 39.9 g of carbohydrates. Of that, 15.6 g is fiber and only 3.6 g is sugars, so most of the carbohydrate comes as fiber-rich starch.
What does the USDA list for 1 cup of cooked lentils?
Using the USDA entry for lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, 1 cup (198 g) has 230 calories and 17.9 g of protein. That protein covers 36% of the daily value.
How much sodium is in a cup of cooked lentils?
A cup of cooked lentils boiled without salt has just 4 mg of sodium, which is 0% of the daily value. Any real sodium comes from salt, stock or seasonings added during cooking.
