Mung beans

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By Nikola · Precision Nutrition L1 · Updated 4 November 2026

Mung beans (Vigna radiata) are small green legumes, eaten whole, split and hulled as yellow mung dal, or sprouted into the bean sprouts sold in supermarkets. They cook faster than most dried beans and are known for a mild taste. Per 100 g cooked, mung beans give 105 kcal, 7 g of protein, 7.6 g of fibre and 159 µg of folate, with almost no fat. A cup of cooked mung beans provides about 15 g of fibre and 14 g of protein. In Indian cooking they are the base of dal and kitchari, and in Ayurveda they are listed as suitable for all three body types.

Mung bean nutrition per 100 g and per portion

Nutrient	Cooked, 100 g	Portion: 1 cup cooked (202 g)	Dry, 100 g
Energy	105 kcal	212 kcal	347 kcal
Protein	7.0 g	14.2 g	23.9 g
Fat	0.4 g	0.8 g	1.2 g
Carbohydrate	19.2 g	38.8 g	62.6 g
of which fibre	7.6 g	15.4 g	16.3 g
of which sugars	2.0 g	4.0 g	6.6 g
Folate	159 µg	321 µg	625 µg
Potassium	266 mg	537 mg	1250 mg
Magnesium	48 mg	97 mg	189 mg
Iron	1.4 mg	2.8 mg	6.7 mg
Zinc	0.84 mg	1.7 mg	2.7 mg
Thiamin (B1)	0.16 mg	0.33 mg	0.62 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: “Mung beans, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt” (FDC 174257) and “Mung beans, mature seeds, raw” (FDC 174256), checked 4 November 2026. The cup weight is from the USDA record; the portion column is calculated from the cooked values. Values rounded.

Dry mung beans roughly triple in weight when cooked: going by energy, 100 g dry gives about 330 g cooked. A 60-70 g dry portion per person is plenty for a main dish.

Glycemic index

Mung beans are not listed in the international GI tables (Atkinson 2008), so we do not give a number. For context, the related legumes in the same tables have low values: kidney beans 24 ± 4, chickpeas 28 ± 9 and lentils 32 ± 5. Mung beans share the same pattern of carbohydrate packed together with protein and plenty of fibre (100 g cooked: 19.2 g carbohydrate, 7.6 g fibre, 7 g protein), but without a measured value we cannot say they behave the same.

Health benefits: what the evidence says

• Fibre. One cup of cooked mung beans gives about 15 g of fibre. EFSA considers 25 g a day adequate for normal bowel function in adults, so a single portion covers well over half of that.
• Cholesterol. In a meta-analysis of 26 randomised controlled trials (Ha et al., CMAJ 2014), diets including about one serving of pulses a day (median 130 g) lowered LDL cholesterol by an average of 0.17 mmol/L compared with control diets. The trials covered pulses as a group, not mung beans alone.
• Folate. A cup of cooked mung beans provides about 321 µg of folate. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements lists beans and peas among good folate sources; folate is needed to make DNA. Note that women who could become pregnant are advised to take 400 µg of folic acid daily in addition to food folate, because folic acid before and in early pregnancy helps prevent neural tube defects.
• Plant protein, potassium and iron. 14 g of protein, 537 mg of potassium and 2.8 mg of iron per cup, with less than 1 g of fat. The iron is non-heme, which the body absorbs less well; NIH ODS notes that vitamin C foods such as tomatoes, peppers or citrus help.

Ayurveda: mung beans in the traditional system

In Usha and Vasant Lad’s food guidelines, mung beans are favourable for Vata and Pitta and favourable in moderation for Kapha. By comparison, kidney beans on the same list are favoured only for Pitta and marked “avoid” for Vata and Kapha. Split mung dal cooked with rice, known as kitchari, is a staple dish of Ayurvedic cooking. It is a traditional view, not a clinical finding. Our Ayurvedic diet for beginners explains the doshas in more detail.

How to cook and use mung beans

• Whole green mung: rinse, soak for 4-8 hours if you can (it shortens cooking), then simmer in fresh water for about 30-45 minutes until soft. Unsoaked, allow longer.
• Yellow mung dal: split and hulled, it needs no soaking and turns creamy in about 20-30 minutes. Rinse until the water runs clearer.
• Simple dal: cook mung dal with water, turmeric and salt; fry cumin, garlic and ginger in a little ghee and stir it in at the end. Finish with lemon and coriander.
• Kitchari: cook mung dal and rice together (roughly equal parts) with spices and vegetables into a soft one-pot meal. Try it with brown rice for more fibre.
• Salads and soups: whole cooked mung beans work like lentils in a salad with tomato, cucumber and herbs, or in a vegetable soup with spinach.
• Sprouts: mung beans are the usual source of bean sprouts; see mung bean sprouts for nutrition and safe handling.

Who should be careful

• Digestive comfort. If you rarely eat legumes, start with small portions and increase slowly, drinking enough water as your fibre intake goes up.
• Kidney disease. A cup of cooked mung beans has over 500 mg of potassium. If you have been told to limit potassium, ask your doctor or dietitian how legumes fit your plan.
• Low iron. Mung beans help, but plant iron is absorbed less well. If you have iron deficiency, follow your doctor’s advice on diet and supplements.

Related entries and articles

• Mung bean sprouts
• Lentils and chickpeas – other quick legumes
• Kidney beans
• Brown rice – the partner grain for kitchari
• Ayurvedic diet for beginners
• Natural remedies for better digestion

FAQ

Do you need to soak mung beans?

No, but it helps. Whole green mung beans cook in about 30-45 minutes after a 4-8 hour soak and take longer without one. Split yellow mung dal needs no soaking at all and is ready in 20-30 minutes.

What is the difference between mung beans and mung dal?

Mung dal is the same bean, split and with the green skin removed. It cooks faster, becomes creamy and is the version used in most dal and kitchari recipes. Whole beans keep their shape better for salads and stews.

Are mung beans good for weight loss?

They can help as part of an overall eating plan. A cup of cooked mung beans has about 212 kcal with 14 g of protein and 15 g of fibre, a combination that makes a meal filling. No single food causes weight loss on its own.

Sources

1. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Mung beans, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (FDC 174257). fdc.nal.usda.gov
2. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Mung beans, mature seeds, raw (FDC 174256). fdc.nal.usda.gov
3. Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values: 2008. Diabetes Care 2008;31(12):2281-2283. PMC
4. EFSA NDA Panel (2010). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre. EFSA Journal 8(3):1462. efsa.europa.eu
5. Ha V et al. Effect of dietary pulse intake on established therapeutic lipid targets for cardiovascular risk reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. CMAJ 2014;186(8):E252-262. PubMed
6. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Folate – Fact Sheet for Consumers. ods.od.nih.gov
7. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron – Fact Sheet for Consumers. ods.od.nih.gov
8. Lad U, Lad V. Food Guidelines for Basic Constitutional Types, from Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing, 2nd ed. The Ayurvedic Institute. ayurveda.com

This page is for information only and is not medical or dietary advice.