Protein in Broad Beans / Fava Beans: Protein, Calories, and Meal Ideas

Quick Answer

Cooked broad beans, also called fava beans, have about 7.6 g protein per 100 g. A practical 170 g cooked serving gives about 12.9 g protein and roughly 187 calories, making them a moderate-protein vegan legume and pulse.

• Protein class: moderate by weight because 7.6 g per 100 g falls in the 5-14.9 g range.
• Protein quality: partial plant protein, so fava beans work best with grains, rice, wheat, corn, soy foods, seeds, or other legumes across the day.
• Best format for this guide: cooked boiled beans. Dry beans, canned beans, salted beans, fried snacks, and restaurant preparations can differ.

Serving Sizes: 100g, 170g, and One Cup

Use cooked weight when comparing fava beans to other legumes. A 100 g cooked portion is useful for tracking apps, while a 170 g serving is closer to a generous bowl or about a cup of cooked beans depending on how they are prepared and drained.

• 100 g cooked fava beans: about 7.6 g protein and 110 calories.
• 170 g cooked fava beans: about 12.9 g protein and 187 calories.
• For a 25-30 g protein meal, pair fava beans with tofu, tempeh, seitan, edamame, Greek yogurt, eggs, fish, poultry, or a larger legume-and-grain plate.

Broad Beans vs Fava Beans

Broad beans and fava beans usually refer to the same food, Vicia faba. The nutrition changes more by maturity, cooking method, draining, salt, and whether the beans are dry, cooked, canned, or made into a prepared dish than by the name on the package.

• Use mature cooked-bean values when the beans are cooked from dry mature seeds.
• Use immature broad bean values when tracking fresh green broad beans.
• Use the product label for canned, salted, seasoned, fried, or packaged versions.

Safety Note: Favism and G6PD Deficiency

Fava beans are not appropriate for everyone. People with favism or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency can have serious reactions to fava beans. If this applies to you, avoid fava beans unless a qualified clinician has specifically cleared them for you.

• Do not use this page as medical clearance for fava beans.
• Ask a clinician before eating fava beans if you have known or suspected G6PD deficiency, favism, or a prior reaction.
• Choose other legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, black beans, or adzuki beans when fava beans are not medically appropriate.

Best Vegan Meal Pairings

Fava beans are useful in vegan meals because they bring protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates, folate, magnesium, potassium, and iron. They are still not as concentrated as tofu, tempeh, seitan, or protein powder, so most high-protein vegan meals need a second protein anchor.

• Pair fava beans with rice, whole wheat pita, bulgur, couscous, quinoa, corn, or oats for practical complementary-protein meals.
• Add tahini, olive oil, or avocado when calories need to be higher, but track those additions separately.
• Use tofu, tempeh, seitan, edamame, soy milk, or pea protein when the meal target is 30-40 g protein.

For Weight Loss or Calorie Control

Broad Beans / Fava Beans can work for weight loss or maintenance when the serving is measured and the rest of the plate is planned. The easiest approach is to decide the protein target first, then add carbs, fats, and sauces around that target. For this page's representative serving, 170 g cooked broad beans / fava beans gives about 12.9 g protein. If your meal target is 30 g protein, that is roughly 2.3 typical servings, or about 394.7 g by weight. This is why weighing the first few servings is useful: it turns a vague protein food into a repeatable meal component.

For Muscle Gain or Higher-Calorie Meals

Fava beans support muscle-gain meals best as a carb-and-fiber legume paired with higher-protein foods such as tofu, tempeh, seitan, edamame, eggs, fish, poultry, or Greek yogurt. When using broad beans / fava beans for muscle gain, the question is not only whether it contains protein; it is whether the whole meal has enough total protein, carbohydrates, and calories to support training. If you need a leaner plant option, compare against tofu, seitan, tempeh, edamame, or pea protein powder. If you need more energy, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, pasta, oats, and quinoa can help. A practical muscle-gain plate is to keep the broad beans / fava beans portion consistent, then adjust rice, pasta, oats, potatoes, bread, beans, oil, nuts, or dairy up or down depending on your calorie target.

For Meal Prep and Repeatable Tracking

Broad Beans / Fava Beans is easiest to track when the serving method stays the same from week to week. Choose one default serving, log it with the matching raw, cooked, dry, drained, or label-based entry, and then build meals around that known number. Good repeatable options include Fava bean bowl with rice, herbs, lemon, and tofu, Broad bean salad with whole-grain pita and tahini sauce, Fava bean stew with vegetables and seitan, and similar meals where the protein portion is measured before sauces and toppings are added.