Beans and soy

Chickpeas nutrition, and what the pan changes.

1 cup of boiled chickpeas is 269 calories and 15 g of protein. The source is the USDA entry “Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt”. Preparation shifts it more than most tables admit, from 164 calories per 100 g at the low end to 378 at the top. Set the serving below and the panel works it out, with the full nutrient table following your choice.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Source data is USDA FoodData Central (173757, 173756). The sums run on your device and nothing leaves it.

The calorie count for chickpeas

The short answer is 269 calories for 1 cup of boiled chickpeas. By weight that is 164 per 100 g, and the table gives the other common portions.

What chickpeas offers in protein

For protein, 1 cup of boiled chickpeas gives you 15 g, which fills 29 percent of the daily 50 g benchmark. About 22 percent of its calories are protein. That is a useful contribution rather than a protein source you would build a meal around.

Looked at as a share of calories: carbohydrate 65 percent, fat 14 percent, protein 21 percent.

What cooking does to chickpeas

The cheapest way to eat chickpeas, in calorie terms, is boiled at 164 per 100 g. Raw costs 378, which is 130 percent more, because of water absorbed during cooking, which dilutes every gram.

To keep it fair, all figures are for 164 g.

Choosing and cooking chickpeas

Dried chickpeas should look plump and bright, not dusty or shrivelled. Avoid bags with too much powder at the bottom, which suggests old age. You can choose the common pale, round beige variety, or seek out the smaller, darker black chickpeas. Canned options are convenient, but the canning liquid should be clear, not murky.

Simmering dried chickpeas requires a long soak beforehand to ensure even softening. The most common mistake is cooking them in acidic liquid, which keeps the skins tough forever. Adding a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to the boiling water helps break down the stubborn skins, yielding a velvety texture when mashed.

These pulses carry strong spices well. In Middle Eastern cookery, they are puréed with sesame paste and garlic, or ground raw and fried. In Indian dishes, they are simmered in rich, spiced tomato gravies. Roasted until crisp, they make an excellent savoury snack with salt and chilli.

Micronutrients in chickpeas

Measured against FDA Daily Values, the strongest lines for 1 cup of boiled chickpeas are folate (71 percent of the Daily Value), iron (26 percent of the Daily Value), zinc (23 percent of the Daily Value). Adjust the panel at the top and these rows recalculate.

Fibre is a genuine strength: 7.6 g in every 100 g, which is 27 percent of the Daily Value.

Putting chickpeas into a day of eating

1 cup of boiled chickpeas: 13 percent of 2,000 calories, 29 percent of the protein Daily Value. Those are reference numbers; the TDEE calculator finds yours, and the macro calculator converts them to grams.

Chickpeas recipes, with the numbers

Written by the Calorie Counter Team. The nutrition under each one is not an estimate: every ingredient is matched to its USDA FoodData Central record and the totals are summed from those, then divided by the servings.

Snack · Mediterranean

Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

Crisp oven-roasted chickpeas seasoned with cumin and paprika.

35 min · serves 2

219kcal

8.9gprotein

8.8gfat

28gcarbs

Ingredients

• Canned chickpeas, drained 240 g
• Olive oil 10 g
• Ground cumin seed 3 g
• Ground paprika 2 g
• Table salt 2 g

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Dry the drained chickpeas thoroughly using a clean tea towel.
3. Toss the chickpeas with the olive oil, ground cumin, paprika, and salt in a bowl.
4. Spread the seasoned chickpeas in a single layer on a baking tray.
5. Roast in the oven for thirty minutes, shaking the tray halfway through, until dry and crisp.

Per serving, from 5 USDA FoodData Central records. Cooking changes weight and some nutrients; treat these as close rather than exact.

Lunch · Middle Eastern

Classic Hummus

A smooth dip made from blended chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic.

10 min · serves 4

209kcal

6.9gprotein

14gfat

18gcarbs

Ingredients

• Canned chickpeas, drained 240 g
• Tahini 60 g
• Lemon juice 30 g
• Raw garlic, minced 5 g
• Olive oil 15 g
• Water 30 g
• Table salt 2 g

Method

1. Combine the tahini and lemon juice in a food processor and blend for one minute.
2. Add the garlic, olive oil, and salt, then blend for thirty seconds.
3. Add the drained chickpeas and blend until the mixture is smooth.
4. Pour in the water gradually while blending to adjust the texture.

7 USDA records went into this total. It describes the ingredients as weighed, not the dish after cooking losses.

Dinner · British

Chickpea and Spinach Stew

A warm stew of chickpeas and fresh spinach cooked in a spiced tomato broth.

25 min · serves 2

339kcal

14gprotein

12gfat

50gcarbs

Ingredients

• Drained canned chickpeas 240 g
• Canned chopped tomatoes 400 g
• Fresh spinach 100 g
• Olive oil 15 g
• Onion 110 g
• Garlic clove 6 g
• Salt 3 g
• Ground cumin 2 g

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic, then cook for five minutes until soft.
3. Stir in the cumin, salt, tomatoes, and drained chickpeas.
4. Simmer the mixture gently for ten minutes.
5. Add the spinach and stir until the leaves wilt.

Summed from 8 USDA records and divided by servings. Heat alters weight and a few nutrients, so read it as a close figure.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

Chickpeas as part of a meal

One way to build a meal around chickpeas, costed from the same records. Substitute freely; the method carries over.

Chickpeas or something else?

All figures are for 100 g. Check the form column before comparing a raw food with a cooked one.

Questions about chickpeas

How many calories does 1 cup of boiled chickpeas have?

Count 269 calories. The source is the USDA record “Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt” (FDC 173757), which lists 164 calories per 100 g.

How much protein is in chickpeas?

Per 100 g, chickpeas contains 8.9 g of protein. 1 cup of boiled chickpeas therefore gives 15 g, which is 29 percent of a 50 g day.

Do the calories in chickpeas change with how it is prepared?

It does. The same 164 g is 269 calories boiled and 620 raw, with the other preparations listed here falling in between.

Does chickpeas fit a calorie deficit?

It can fit any calorie target; no single food decides the outcome. What matters here is that 1 cup of boiled chickpeas costs 269 calories and returns 15 g of protein, so 22 percent of its energy is protein — which means it needs a protein-rich partner on the plate.

Why are my cooked chickpeas still hard?

They were likely old. Aged dried chickpeas lose their ability to absorb water fully. To remedy this, add bicarbonate of soda to the cooking pot next time, as this alters the water alkalinity and softens the stubborn outer skins.

Can I use the liquid from canned chickpeas?

Yes, this viscous liquid is called aquafaba and behaves much like egg whites. You can whisk it into a stable foam for baking, or use it to bind sauces without adding any noticeable chickpea flavour.

Sources

• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, raw — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 173756
• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 173757
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9