Legumes, soy and plant protein
Chickpeas on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 8 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), cooked or tinned, drained, for around 150 calories. A cup, drained, about 150 g (5.3 oz), gives roughly 12 g of protein for 225 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from chickpeas alone you would need about 375 g (13.2 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How chickpeas sits on a GLP-1
Chickpeas are firmer than lentils, with a nutty, slightly mealy bite, and at about 8 g per 100 g (3.5 oz) they are a moderate protein carrying a lot of fibre and starch. On a GLP-1 that makes a big bowl of chickpeas a filling meal that delivers less protein than it feels like it should. They are far more useful in small amounts, roasted until crunchy as a snack, or blended into hummus, where they become something you can eat a little of without a plate.
When your appetite is small
A third of a cup, about 50 g (1.8 oz), roasted crisp with salt and paprika is a crunchy 4 g snack that keeps in a jar and gives you something to eat when a meal is out of the question. For a real stop, put them beside protein: a small bowl of chickpeas, tinned tuna and lemon is about 28 g and needs no cooking.
Three ways to prepare it
Roasted crisp in the oven
Drained, dried, tossed in oil and salt, 25 minutes at 200C, about 390F. They keep for a week in a jar and are the snack for a flat afternoon.
Warmed with tinned tuna, lemon and parsley
Half a tin of chickpeas, a tin of tuna, lemon, olive oil. About 28 g in a small bowl and two minutes of work.
Blended into a soup
Chickpeas blended into a chicken or vegetable soup thicken it and add protein without any texture to manage.
What to eat it with
Tuna, chicken, feta, yoghurt or egg to lift the protein, and lemon, cumin and olive oil for flavour. A chickpea salad with no other protein is filling and short.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chickpeas | about 8 g | 150 kcal | this page |
| Lentils | about 9 g | 115 kcal | See the page |
| Hummus | about 7 g | 230 kcal | See the page |
| Falafel | about 13 g | 330 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, cooked or tinned, drained, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Chickpeas in Australia and the UK, garbanzo beans on some US labels and chickpeas on others. Tinned chickpeas come in 400 g (14 oz) tins in Australia and the UK and 15 oz (425 g) cans in the US, all giving about 240 g (8.5 oz) drained.
Questions people ask
How much protein is in a tin of chickpeas?
A standard tin drains to about 240 g (8.5 oz), which is roughly 19 g of protein and a lot of fibre. Most people on a small appetite cannot eat a whole tin at once, so we use half a tin with tuna or feta rather than counting the tin as a stop.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.