Fava beans (broad beans)

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By the Nutriveda editorial team · Updated 5 November 2026

Fava beans, also called broad beans (Vicia faba), are large, flat legumes eaten fresh from the pod in late spring and early summer, or dried and cooked like other beans. A cup of boiled fava beans (170 g) has 187 kcal, 12.9 g of protein, 9.2 g of fibre and 177 µg of folate, about 44% of an adult’s daily RDA. They also come with a safety note that most beans do not: in people with G6PD deficiency, an inherited enzyme disorder, eating fava beans can destroy red blood cells, a reaction called favism. And the pods are on the list of foods to avoid with some MAO inhibitor antidepressants.

Fava bean nutrition per 100 g and per portion

Nutrient	Dried, raw, 100 g	Boiled, 100 g	Fresh, in pod, raw, 100 g	Portion: 1 cup boiled (170 g)
Energy	341 kcal	110 kcal	88 kcal	187 kcal
Protein	26.1 g	7.6 g	7.9 g	12.9 g
Fat	1.5 g	0.4 g	0.7 g	0.7 g
Carbohydrate	58.3 g	19.6 g	17.6 g	33.3 g
of which sugars	5.7 g	1.8 g	9.2 g	3.1 g
Fibre	25.0 g	5.4 g	7.5 g	9.2 g
Folate	423 µg	104 µg	148 µg	177 µg
Iron	6.7 mg	1.5 mg	1.6 mg	2.6 mg
Potassium	1,060 mg	268 mg	332 mg	456 mg
Magnesium	192 mg	43 mg	33 mg	73 mg
Phosphorus	421 mg	125 mg	129 mg	213 mg
Manganese	1.63 mg	0.42 mg	0.66 mg	0.72 mg
Copper	0.82 mg	0.26 mg	0.40 mg	0.44 mg
Zinc	3.1 mg	1.0 mg	1.0 mg	1.7 mg
Vitamin K	9.0 µg	2.9 µg	40.9 µg	4.9 µg
Sodium	13 mg	241 mg	25 mg	410 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: “Broadbeans (fava beans), mature seeds, raw” (FDC 175205), “Broadbeans (fava beans), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, with salt” (FDC 173798) and “Beans, fava, in pod, raw” (FDC 168574), checked 5 November 2026. The portion column is calculated from the boiled record’s measure “1 cup” = 170 g. Values rounded. The boiled record was cooked with salt, which explains its sodium; beans cooked in unsalted water have far less. The “in pod” record describes young fresh fava beans and has a different profile from the dried seeds.

Read the dried column with care. Cooked beans absorb water, so per 100 g they have about a third of the energy of dried beans (110 against 341 kcal). The boiled column and the cup are the numbers that match what lands on your plate.

Glycemic index

Fava beans are not listed in the international GI tables (Atkinson 2008). Other legumes in the same table have low values: chickpeas 28 ± 9, kidney beans 24 ± 4 and lentils 32 ± 5 (glucose = 100). These numbers are for other beans and cannot be transferred directly to fava beans. A cup of boiled fava beans has about 33 g of carbohydrate, 9 g of it fibre. More on the topic in What is the glycemic index.

Health benefits: what the evidence says

• Plant protein and fibre together. A cup of boiled fava beans gives 12.9 g of protein and 9.2 g of fibre. EFSA considers 25 g of fibre a day adequate for normal bowel function in adults, so one portion covers more than a third of it.
• Folate. NIH sets the adult RDA for folate at 400 µg DFE a day, 600 µg in pregnancy, and names beans and peas among the natural food sources. A cup of boiled fava beans has about 177 µg. NIH also advises women who could become pregnant to take 400 µg of folic acid a day from supplements or fortified foods, in addition to folate from food.
• Iron from plants. A cup gives about 2.6 mg of iron. The NIH adult RDA is 8 mg for men and 18 mg for women aged 19-50, and 1.8 times higher for vegetarians, because the non-heme iron in beans is absorbed less well. NIH notes that phytate in beans reduces iron absorption and vitamin C improves it, so fava beans with lemon, tomatoes or parsley is a good habit.
• Potassium and magnesium. A cup has about 456 mg of potassium and 73 mg of magnesium. NIH gives an adequate intake for potassium of 3,400 mg a day for men and 2,600 mg for women and notes that higher potassium intakes may help lower blood pressure.
• Part of the vegetable group. USDA MyPlate counts dry beans, peas and lentils as one of the vegetable subgroups, so a portion of fava beans counts towards your vegetables as well.

How to eat fava beans

• Fresh beans: pod them, blanch in boiling water for a minute or two and cool in cold water. Small young beans can be eaten with their skins; larger beans have a tough, pale skin that slips off when you pinch it. Toss with olive oil, lemon and mint, or with peas and feta.
• Dried whole beans: soak overnight, discard the water and simmer until tender. They take longer than lentils; dried split and peeled fava beans cook faster and fall apart into a purée.
• Ful medames: the Egyptian breakfast of slow-cooked fava beans mashed with garlic, lemon, cumin and olive oil. Canned fava beans make a quick version.
• Purée and dips: blend cooked beans with olive oil, garlic and lemon, as you would chickpeas for hummus.
• Salt: cook dried beans in unsalted water and season at the end, and rinse canned beans to remove some of the brine.
• Storage: fresh pods keep a few days in the fridge, blanched beans freeze well, and dried beans keep for many months in an airtight jar.

Who should be careful

• G6PD deficiency (favism). G6PD deficiency is an inherited condition in which red blood cells break down when exposed to certain triggers. MedlinePlus names fava beans as one of them, together with infections and certain medicines; for some people even inhaling pollen from fava plants can cause a reaction. About 400 million people worldwide have G6PD deficiency. It is inherited in an X-linked pattern and is more common in men and in people with family roots in Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Symptoms of a reaction include dark urine, fatigue, pallor, yellow skin (jaundice), fever, abdominal pain, rapid heart rate and shortness of breath. People with G6PD deficiency must strictly avoid their triggers. If you or a family member have G6PD deficiency, do not eat fava beans, and if you are not sure, a blood test can check your G6PD level.
• MAO inhibitor antidepressants. The prescribing information for phenelzine (Nardil), an MAO inhibitor, tells patients to avoid “pods of broad beans (fava beans)”, together with aged cheeses, cured sausages, yeast extract and other foods that can cause a dangerous rise in blood pressure with this type of medicine. If you take an MAO inhibitor, follow the food list your doctor or pharmacist gives you and ask before eating fava beans.
• Salt. Fava beans boiled in salted water had 241 mg of sodium per 100 g in the USDA record, against 13 mg in the dried beans. Canned beans and ful medames from a tin can be salty too; check the label if you watch your blood pressure.

Related entries and articles

• Chickpeas – the other bean behind Middle Eastern dips and falafel
• Lentils – quicker to cook, no soaking needed
• Peas – the spring partner for fresh fava beans
• White beans and kidney beans – more dried beans compared
• Black-eyed peas
• Mediterranean diet for beginners
• Plant-based meals for weight loss

FAQ

What is favism?

Favism is the breakdown of red blood cells (hemolytic anaemia) after eating fava beans or inhaling pollen from fava plants, in people with the inherited condition G6PD deficiency. It can cause dark urine, jaundice, fatigue and shortness of breath and needs medical care. People with G6PD deficiency should avoid fava beans completely.

Are fava beans and broad beans the same?

Yes, they are two names for the same plant, Vicia faba. “Broad beans” is the more common name in British English, and USDA lists the dried beans as “Broadbeans (fava beans)”. You may also see “faba beans” on packs of dried or split beans.

Do you have to peel fava beans?

The pods, yes, always. The skin around each bean is optional: very young beans are tender enough to eat whole, while larger beans have a tougher skin that most cooks remove after a quick blanch. Dried split fava beans are sold already peeled.

Sources

1. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Broadbeans (fava beans), mature seeds, raw (FDC 175205). fdc.nal.usda.gov
2. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Broadbeans (fava beans), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, with salt (FDC 173798). fdc.nal.usda.gov
3. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Beans, fava, in pod, raw (FDC 168574). fdc.nal.usda.gov
4. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (reviewed 29 January 2026). medlineplus.gov
5. MedlinePlus Genetics: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. medlineplus.gov
6. NARDIL (phenelzine sulfate) Prescribing Information, Contraindications. Pfizer. pfizermedical.com
7. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Folate, Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
8. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron, Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
9. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Potassium, Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
10. EFSA NDA Panel (2010). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre. EFSA Journal 8(3):1462. efsa.europa.eu
11. USDA MyPlate: Vegetables. myplate.gov
12. 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

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