What this USDA lentil entry represents
This page describes Lentils, raw, the dry mature seed before water is added. It is different from a cooked-lentil entry: soaking and simmering add water and change the weight per spoonful, so raw and cooked values should not be compared as if they were the same serving. The database note is about 100 g raw, roughly half a cup of dry lentils; the exact volume varies by lentil size and variety.
Raw lentils nutrition per 100 g
The headline values are 352 kcal, 24.63 g protein, 63.35 g carbohydrate, 10.7 g dietary fiber and 1.06 g total fat. They also contain 2.03 g total sugar, 6 mg sodium, 6.51 mg iron, 479 mcg folate and 677 mg potassium. These numbers are for dry lentils as recorded by USDA FoodData Central, not for a bowl of cooked lentils. If you weigh 50 g dry, the listed calories and nutrients are approximately half; do not apply the 100 g figures to a cooked weight without a matching cooked-food record.
Cooking, portions and digestion
Do not use raw lentils as a ready-to-eat snack. Sort and rinse them, then simmer until tender according to the package and recipe; cooking improves texture and digestibility. For calorie tracking, weigh the dry amount before cooking or select a cooked-lentil database entry after cooking, and keep that choice consistent. Increase portions gradually if a high-fiber meal causes bloating, and drink enough fluid with the meal.
How to use the nutrition facts
Lentils can anchor soups, dal, salads and grain bowls. Pairing them with vegetables or fruit adds variety, but no single food guarantees blood-sugar, cholesterol or weight outcomes. People with a diagnosed condition, food allergy or a medically prescribed diet should use their clinician's advice. The most useful comparison is the label and serving state: raw lentils, 100 g dry versus a separately measured cooked portion.
🧊 Storage Guide
❄️
Fridge
4–5 days (cooked)
🧊
Freezer
2–3 months (cooked)
⚠️ Signs of
Spoilage:
- smell: rancid or off odors
- visual: mold growth, insect presence, discoloration
- texture: clumping from moisture
- when to discard: any sign of mold or strong odor
🔬 Detailed Nutrition Profile (USDA)
Common Portions
1.00 tablespoon
(12.00g)
1.00 cup
(192.00g)
| Nutrient | Amount | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 8.2600 | g |
| Energy | 352.0000 | kcal |
| Energy | 1473.0000 | kJ |
| Protein | 24.6300 | g |
| Total lipid (fat) | 1.0600 | g |
| Ash | 2.7100 | g |
| Carbohydrate, by difference | 63.3500 | g |
| Fiber, total dietary | 10.7000 | g |
| Total Sugars | 2.0300 | g |
| Sucrose | 1.4700 | g |
| Glucose | 0.0000 | g |
| Fructose | 0.2700 | g |
| Lactose | 0.0000 | g |
| Maltose | 0.3000 | g |
| Galactose | 0.0000 | g |
| Starch | 49.9000 | g |
| Calcium, Ca | 35.0000 | mg |
| Iron, Fe | 6.5100 | mg |
| Magnesium, Mg | 47.0000 | mg |
| Phosphorus, P | 281.0000 | mg |
| Potassium, K | 677.0000 | mg |
| Sodium, Na | 6.0000 | mg |
| Zinc, Zn | 3.2700 | mg |
| Copper, Cu | 0.7540 | mg |
| Manganese, Mn | 1.3930 | mg |
| Selenium, Se | 0.1000 | µg |
| Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | 4.5000 | mg |
| Thiamin | 0.8730 | mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.2110 | mg |
| Niacin | 2.6050 | mg |
| Pantothenic acid | 2.1400 | mg |
| Vitamin B-6 | 0.5400 | mg |
| Folate, total | 479.0000 | µg |
| Folic acid | 0.0000 | µg |
| Folate, food | 479.0000 | µg |
| Folate, DFE | 479.0000 | µg |
| Choline, total | 96.4000 | mg |
| Vitamin B-12 | 0.0000 | µg |
| Vitamin B-12, added | 0.0000 | µg |
| Vitamin A, RAE | 2.0000 | µg |
| Retinol | 0.0000 | µg |
| Carotene, beta | 23.0000 | µg |
| Carotene, alpha | 0.0000 | µg |
| Cryptoxanthin, beta | 0.0000 | µg |
| Vitamin A, IU | 39.0000 | IU |
| Lycopene | 0.0000 | µg |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | 0.0000 | µg |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.4900 | mg |
| Vitamin E, added | 0.0000 | mg |
| Tocopherol, beta | 0.0000 | mg |
| Tocopherol, gamma | 4.2300 | mg |
| Tocopherol, delta | 0.0000 | mg |
| Tocotrienol, alpha | 0.0000 | mg |
| Tocotrienol, beta | 0.0000 | mg |
| Tocotrienol, gamma | 0.0000 | mg |
| Tocotrienol, delta | 0.0000 | mg |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3), International Units | 0.0000 | IU |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3) | 0.0000 | µg |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | 5.0000 | µg |
| Fatty acids, total saturated | 0.1540 | g |
| SFA 4:0 | 0.0000 | g |
| SFA 6:0 | 0.0000 | g |
| SFA 8:0 | 0.0000 | g |
| SFA 10:0 | 0.0000 | g |
| SFA 12:0 | 0.0000 | g |
| SFA 14:0 | 0.0030 | g |
| SFA 16:0 | 0.1360 | g |
| SFA 18:0 | 0.0150 | g |
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | 0.1930 | g |
| MUFA 16:1 | 0.0030 | g |
| MUFA 18:1 | 0.1840 | g |
| MUFA 20:1 | 0.0060 | g |
| MUFA 22:1 | 0.0000 | g |
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | 0.5260 | g |
| PUFA 18:2 | 0.4140 | g |
| PUFA 18:3 | 0.1120 | g |
| PUFA 18:4 | 0.0000 | g |
| PUFA 20:4 | 0.0000 | g |
| PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA) | 0.0000 | g |
| PUFA 22:5 n-3 (DPA) | 0.0000 | g |
| PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA) | 0.0000 | g |
| Fatty acids, total trans | 0.0000 | g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0000 | mg |
| Tryptophan | 0.2210 | g |
| Threonine | 0.8820 | g |
| Isoleucine | 1.0650 | g |
| Leucine | 1.7860 | g |
| Lysine | 1.7200 | g |
| Methionine | 0.2100 | g |
| Cystine | 0.3220 | g |
| Phenylalanine | 1.2150 | g |
| Tyrosine | 0.6580 | g |
| Valine | 1.2230 | g |
| Arginine | 1.9030 | g |
| Histidine | 0.6930 | g |
| Alanine | 1.0290 | g |
| Aspartic acid | 2.7250 | g |
| Glutamic acid | 3.8190 | g |
| Glycine | 1.0020 | g |
| Proline | 1.0290 | g |
| Serine | 1.1360 | g |
| Alcohol, ethyl | 0.0000 | g |
| Caffeine | 0.0000 | mg |
| Theobromine | 0.0000 | mg |
Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC ID: 172420)
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