How many calories are in a cup of peas?
A cup of shelled raw green peas weighs 145 g and carries 117 calories. Per 100 g peas run 81 calories, which puts them near the top of the vegetable drawer rather than the bottom. The payoff is what rides along: 7.9 g of protein and 8.3 g of fiber in that same cup.
You'd need to walk about 23 minutes to burn the 117 calories in a 1-cup (145 g) serving.
How long does it take to burn off peas?
A 1-cup (145 g) serving is 117 kcal. Enter your weight and the amount you ate to see how long it takes you to burn that off:
lb
| Activity | Time to burn 117 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 23 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 15 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 17 min |
| Jogging | 14 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 26 min |
Times are for a 155 lb adult at a steady pace; change the weight to see yours. The amount is set to the portion in the text (145 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Peas quick facts
- US servings, from a quarter cup to a full cup
- Cooked, frozen, canned and podded peas
- Fiber and protein are the rows that surprise people
- How do peas compare?
- Most popular peas brands
- Peas FAQs
Peas quick facts
The numbers below come from the USDA record FNDDS 2709797, "Green peas, raw". That is the row for shelled garden peas straight out of the pod, and it is the one record that carries a proper household measure of one cup at 145 g. The SR Legacy entry 170419, "Peas, green, raw" is the same food with identical values, but it lists no cup weight, so every serving on this page is scaled from the FNDDS row.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 cup (145 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 81 | 117 | — |
| Total fat | 0.4 g | 0.6 g | 1% |
| Saturated fat | 0.07 g | 0.1 g | 1% |
| Carbohydrate | 14.45 g | 21.0 g | 8% |
| Dietary fiber | 5.7 g | 8.3 g | 30% |
| Total sugars | 5.67 g | 8.2 g | — |
| Protein | 5.42 g | 7.9 g | 16% |
| Sodium | 5 mg | 7 mg | 0% |
% Daily Value is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
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 →
Two rows you will see on a frozen-pea bag are missing here on purpose. USDA does not publish added sugars or trans fat for raw vegetable records, and raw peas contain no added sugar anyway, so both lines are left out rather than filled with a guess. Cholesterol is a clean 0 mg. Potassium is worth a mention: 244 mg per 100 g works out to 354 mg in a cup, or 8% of the Daily Value the FDA sets for the Nutrition Facts label.
US servings, from a quarter cup to a full cup
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup shelled | 36 g | 29 kcal |
| 1/2 cup shelled | 73 g | 59 kcal |
| 1 cup shelled | 145 g | 117 kcal |
| 1 oz raw | 28 g | 23 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 81 kcal |
Only the full cup at 145 g is an actual USDA household measure. The half cup, the quarter cup and the ounce are our own arithmetic from that cup weight and the USDA 100 g figure, not USDA servings. The half cup matters most in practice, because that is the side-dish scoop most people actually plate: 59 calories, 4.2 g of fiber and 4.0 g of protein.
The ounce is the one that trips people up. Peas are small and heavy for their volume, so an ounce is only about a fifth of a cup and 23 calories. If a recipe calls for peas by weight and you measure by cup instead, you are working with roughly five ounces, not one.
Cooked, frozen, canned and podded peas
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh, cooked, no added fat | 84 kcal | 1 cup (160 g) | 134 kcal |
| Frozen, cooked, no added fat | 78 kcal | 1 cup (160 g) | 125 kcal |
| Canned, drained | 68 kcal | 1 cup (160 g) | 109 kcal |
| Frozen, cooked with butter | 95 kcal | 1 cup (165 g) | 157 kcal |
| Snow peas, edible-podded, raw | 42 kcal | 1 oz (28 g) | 12 kcal |
| Split peas, boiled | 118 kcal | 1 oz (28 g) | 33 kcal |
Cooking does not make peas lighter. Boiling drives off water, so fresh peas climb from 81 to 84 calories per 100 g, and a cup of cooked peas packs down to 160 g instead of 145 g. Add both effects and the cup you serve at dinner is 134 calories, seventeen more than the raw cup you measured.
Frozen peas land slightly under fresh ones at 78 calories per 100 g, because they are blanched before freezing and hold a little more water. Frozen, cooked peas also carry more sodium, 188 mg per 100 g against 5 mg raw. Store bags track that range closely: Giant Eagle Sweet Green Peas list 60 calories per 2/3 cup, 365 Whole Foods Market Green Peas 70 per 1/2 cup, and Pictsweet Farms sits highest at 90 calories per 100 g. A tablespoon of butter stirred in changes more than any brand choice does, pushing the cup to 157 calories.
Snow peas and sugar snap peas are a different food entirely. You eat the pod, which is mostly water and structure, so they run 42 calories per 100 g, roughly half of shelled peas. Split peas go the other way: dried and hulled, they are 364 calories per 100 g in the bag, and even after boiling they sit at 118 calories per 100 g, the densest row on this page.
Fiber and protein are the rows that surprise people
Fiber is the headline. One cup of raw peas delivers 8.3 g, 30% of the 28 g Daily Value, which is more than most people get from a whole meal. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans flag fiber as a nutrient of public health concern precisely because typical intakes fall short of that target.
Protein is the second surprise. At 7.9 g per cup, 16% of the Daily Value, peas out-protein most common green vegetables on the plate. That is why MyPlate counts beans, peas and lentils in the vegetable group and in the protein foods group at the same time. You get to pick which slot they fill.
The row to watch is sodium, and only in the can. Raw peas are 7 mg per cup, effectively nothing. Canned peas are 273 mg per 100 g, which is 437 mg in a cup, about 19% of the Daily Value, or roughly a fifth of a teaspoon of table salt. Frozen cooked peas sit in between at 301 mg per cup. If you are watching sodium, frozen peas rinsed into a hot pan are the better pick; if you are watching only calories, the can wins by 16 calories a cup.
How do peas compare?
| Version | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green peas, raw | 81 kcal | 1 cup, 145 g | 117 kcal | 5.42 g | 0.4 g |
| Green peas, fresh, cooked | 84 kcal | 1 cup, 160 g | 134 kcal | 5.63 g | 0.42 g |
| Green peas, frozen, cooked | 78 kcal | 1 cup, 160 g | 125 kcal | 5.14 g | 0.27 g |
| Green peas, canned | 68 kcal | 1 cup, 160 g | 109 kcal | 4.47 g | 0.8 g |
Our take: buy frozen. The spread across all four is 25 calories a cup, which is not worth a single decision, so pick on the numbers that actually move. Frozen peas keep the protein and fiber close to fresh, cost less, and stay under 130 calories a cup. The can is the lightest of the three cooked options at 109 calories, but it trades away protein, drops to 4.47 g per 100 g, and brings 437 mg of sodium along. Save the butter for something that needs it.
Most popular peas brands in the United States
Ranked by how widely each product appears among foods sold in the United States, from the BodyPal food database of over 3.3 million products. Calories are the figures printed on each Nutrition Facts label, checked against USDA FoodData Central.
| Product | Calories (per 100 g) |
|---|---|
| Giant Eagle Sweet Green Peas | 67 cal |
| 365 Whole Foods Market Green Peas | 82 cal |
| Full Circle Market Green Peas | 79 cal |
| Clearly Organic Organic Green Peas | 79 cal |
| Pictsweet Farms Green Peas | 90 cal |
| Publix Green Peas | 78 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Peas FAQs
How many calories are in 1 cup of peas?
A cup of shelled raw peas weighs 145 g and carries 117 calories. That cup also brings 7.9 g of protein and 8.3 g of fiber, which is 30% of the Daily Value. Cooked peas pack a cup more densely at 160 g, so the same cup measure comes to 134 calories.
How many calories in frozen peas?
A cup of cooked frozen peas is 125 calories, from 78 calories per 100 g at a 160 g cup. Frozen peas are blanched before freezing, so they hold slightly more water than fresh-cooked peas and run about nine calories lighter per cup. Sodium climbs to 301 mg for that cup.
How many calories in canned peas?
A cup of drained canned peas is 109 calories, at 68 calories per 100 g. That is the lightest of the cooked options, but sodium jumps from 7 mg in a cup of raw peas to 437 mg, about 19% of the Daily Value and roughly a fifth of a teaspoon of table salt.
Do peas have more calories cooked or raw?
Cooked peas are slightly higher: 84 calories per 100 g against 81 raw. Per cup the gap widens to 134 against 117, because a cup of cooked peas weighs 160 g while a cup of raw shelled peas weighs 145 g. Boiling drives off water rather than adding anything.
How much protein is in a cup of peas?
A cup of raw shelled peas has 7.9 g of protein, 16% of the Daily Value, from 5.42 g per 100 g. That is unusually high for a vegetable, and it is why MyPlate counts beans, peas and lentils in both the vegetable group and the protein foods group.
Are peas high in carbs?
A cup of raw peas holds 21.0 g of total carbohydrate, 8% of the Daily Value, and 8.3 g of that is fiber. Total sugars are 8.2 g, all of it naturally occurring. Subtract the fiber and a cup leaves about 12.7 g, modest for a starchy vegetable.
Are peas a vegetable or a protein?
A cup of peas brings 7.9 g of protein, so MyPlate counts beans, peas and lentils in both the vegetable group and the protein foods group. Raw peas run 5.42 g of protein per 100 g, above most vegetables, while 14.45 g of carbohydrate keeps them in the starchy column.
Are peas good for weight loss?
At 81 calories per 100 g, peas are heavier than watery vegetables, but 8.3 g of fiber and 7.9 g of protein per cup make them filling. If you are watching calories, raw or frozen peas at 117 and 125 calories per cup beat the same cup finished with butter at 157.
Similar foods
- Papaya salad — 190 cal per plate
- Sweet Potato — 103 cal per medium, baked
- Ear of Corn — 99 cal per medium ear
- Carrot — 53 cal per cup chopped
- Onion — 46 cal per cup sliced
- Broccoli — 55 cal per cup chopped
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the plate and BodyPal counts the peas for you, cup or spoonful.
