Group · Pulses
Chickpeas
The chickpea is a pulse that has been grown since the Neolithic period in the Near East, and is now the base of hummus, falafel and Indian curries. The values below are for chickpeas boiled in water, as they are eaten.
In terms of nutrition facts, they provide 148 kcal per 100 g, with 17.7 g of carbohydrate, 8.31 g of plant protein, 3 g of fat and above all 8.2 g of fibre, two to three times more than an ordinary vegetable. They also provide 72 mg of calcium, 44 mg of magnesium and 1.3 mg of iron per 100 g.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 148 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 620 kJ |
| Protein | 8,4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 17,7 g |
| Fat | 3 g |
| Fibre | 8,2 g |
Micronutrients per 100 g
All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.
- Manganese0,86 mg43 %
- Copper0,24 mg24 %
- Phosphorus140 mg20 %
- Omega-6 LA1,5 g15 %
- Magnesium44 mg12 %
- Zinc1,1 mg11 %
- Vitamin E1,22 mg10 %
- Iron1,3 mg9 %
- Vitamin B9dietary folate equivalents84,4 µg
See the other 11 nutrients
- Calcium72 mg9 %
- Potassium170 mg9 %
- Vitamin B60,09 mg6 %
- Vitamin B10,06 mg5 %
- Omega-3 ALA0,08 g4 %
- Total omega-30,1 g4 %
- Vitamin K12,53 µg3 %
- Vitamin B50,14 mg2 %
- Vitamin B20,03 mg2 %
- Vitamin B30,21 mg1 %
- Vitamin A1,08 µg0 %
Anses Ciqual 2025. Source: Anses, 2025, Ciqual food composition table
Tips
Fibre and fullness. 8.2 g of fibre per 100 g: a 150 g portion covers nearly half of the recommended 25 to 30 g a day, when the average intake in France tops out around 20 g. Combined with protein, this fibre slows digestion and gives chickpeas a low glycaemic index.
Protein: complete on one condition. Like all pulses, chickpeas are low in methionine and rich in lysine, exactly the opposite of cereals. Paired with semolina, rice or bread, they form a complete protein intake. That is the principle behind couscous and hummus served with pitta bread.
Digestion: two steps that change everything. Rinse tinned chickpeas thoroughly, and for dried ones, throw away the soaking water and then cook in fresh water. Increasing quantities gradually gives the gut microbiota time to adapt.
Dried or tinned? Nutritionally, the gap is small. Tinned saves hours of soaking; dried costs less and lets you control the salt. A drained tin weighs about 250 g.
For active people and vegetarians. 8.31 g of protein per 100 g once cooked is modest compared with meat, but chickpeas also provide fibre, iron and magnesium that meat does not. See also lentils and hummus, and the pulse family to compare.
If you have diabetes: pulses have one of the lowest glycaemic indexes. Portions and studies are in our guide lentils and diabetes.
