Powering Up on Pulses: An Expert Guide to Beans, Peas, and Lentils

Learn how to power up on pulses with this expert guide to beans, lentils, and peas, featuring nutrition benefits, cooking tips, and recipes.

Power Your Plate with Pulses: Benefits, Tips, and Easy Recipes

Pulses—beans, peas, and lentils—are among the most nutritious, affordable, and sustainable foods on the planet, yet many people don’t eat nearly enough of them. Packed with plant-based protein, fiber, iron, and protective phytochemicals, pulses support heart health, gut health, blood sugar balance, and overall wellbeing. They also play a critical role in sustainable food systems, requiring fewer resources and enriching the soil through natural nitrogen fixation. In my expert guide to powering up on pulses, I bring together evidence-based nutrition insights, sustainability takeaways, practical cooking tips, and flavorful recipes to help you make pulses a regular part of your diet. Whether you’re new to beans and lentils or looking for fresh ideas to enjoy them more often, this resource shows how easy, delicious, and impactful it can be to put pulses at the center of your plate.

Looking for a good source of plant-based, nutrient-packed protein? Then you should definitely get to know pulses! What are pulses? Pulses (also called legumes) are mature, dried seeds from pods, including beans, peas, and lentils, that have been used for sustenance since the beginning of time. Our early ancestors first learned to gather these edible seeds in the wild in their hunt for food, and later they began cultivating them during the earliest forms of agriculture. Pulses have been found in caves in Thailand and Egyptian tombs dating back some 11,000 years. In fact, nearly every culture has a pulse in its traditional diet. They’re grown in 173 countries around the world and everywhere in the United States except Alaska. Different regions around the world have developed unique ways to enjoy pulses—from Mexico’s pinto bean frijoles to French lentil salads to Greece’s herb- and olive oil-infused giant beans. They can even be found at your local farmers market! The diverse uses of pulses make them a great addition to a variety of plant-based dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Pulse Nutrition

One of the reasons pulses have become such a backbone of cultural diets is their rich nutrient cache. In fact, I consider pulses to be one of nature’s most perfect foods. One-half cup contains at least 20% DV for fiber, folate, and manganese; at least 10% DV for protein, potassium, iron, magnesium, and copper; and 6% to 8% DV for selenium and zinc; as well as phytochemicals such as alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, and phenolic compounds.

In fact, pulses have been clearly recommended by the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee at levels of 2 ½ cups per week for the average adult. More importantly, they’re part of all three dietary patterns recommended by the committee: Mediterranean, Vegetarian, and US Healthy style eating patterns. It’s no wonder they’re highlighted there, since research shows that regular consumption of these wholesome plant foods offers an array of benefits, including lower cholesterol and body weight levels; lower risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and some types of cancer; and higher intakes of fiber. 

Pulses Are Sustainable

In addition, pulses are really good for the planet. They have a low carbon and water footprint, act as a natural fertilizer because they fix nitrogen in the soil, and are economical, costing only about 10 cents per serving. This is especially significant when comparing pulses with other protein sources, in particular red meat, which has a very high impact on planetary health as it relates to carbon and water footprint and land use. With so many reasons to consume these nutrient-rich plant foods, what are you waiting for? Power up on the plant protein star pulses today!

Top Tips to Power Up on Pulses

Check out my tips on how you can power up on plant protein at every meal.

Check out my tips on how you can power up on plant protein at every meal.

1. Use Pulses as Your Gluten-free, Nutrient-Rich, High-Fiber Alternative 
Have to avoid gluten? Got it! Just turn to pulses, such as lentils, black beans, or black-eyed peas in your every day meal planning. They’re great to use as a side dish in place of grains, or even in baking (check out chickpea flour!) as a nutritious flour to replace gluten-containing grains. You can also turn to pulse pasta, such as lentil or bean pasta, as a gluten-free alternative. My recipe for Mushroom Bomb Lentil Pasta above features lentil pasta. 

2. Turn to Pulses for Plant-Based Protein Options
If you’re trying out Meatless Monday, going vegetarian, or simply introducing more plant-based meals during the week, pulses are the perfect protein option. After all, it’s a good idea to include more plant-based meals during the week—for your personal health as well as the planet’s. Pulses can take the place of animal protein on the plate in dishes like dal (curry with lentils), chili, bean burritos, red beans and rice, and lentil soup. So, go ahead, make beans the center of your plate at least a few meals a week. 

3. Purchase Pulses for Budget-Friendly Meals 
Planning a meal or two around pulses every week can offer nutrient-rich, low-saturated-fat, high-fiber meal options that are easier on your pocketbook. This is especially helpful given the high cost of food today. Beans—from dried beans to canned—are the most economical protein source available. Think a big pot of simmered black-eyed peas with greens and cornbread, or lentil tacos for taco Tuesday.

4. Familiarize Yourself with Cooking Techniques for Dried Pulses
Don’t be afraid of that bag of beans! There are numerous ways to cook dried pulses. Some methods include presoaking (soak in water the night before, discard water, and cook in fresh water the next day), the quick soak method (cover with water, bring to a boil, soak for an hour, discard water, and cook in fresh water), using a slow cooker (add soaked beans, then cook in fresh water), and pressure or Instant Pot cooking (no soaking required). Keep in mind that smaller pulses, like lentils and split peas do not require soaking ahead of time. Check out my Instant Pot guide to cooking pulses here.

5. Focus on Canned Beans as an Easy Solution
You can stock a variety of canned beans—kidney beans, chickpeas, cannelini beans, navy beans—in the pantry to use in salads, stews, soups, casseroles, and pasta dishes. Not only is this an affordable method of cooking, but a great way to save time when you want to whip up something quick in the kitchen. Toss canned chickpeas over your grain bowls, white beans into a pasta salad, and black beans on your tostada.

6. Celebrate Heritage Beans
Experiment with unusual varieties of beans, often called heritage our heirloom beans. These are beans that farmers cultivated and saved, replanting them year after year, and handing down the seeds. There are scores of bean varieties, including rattlesnake, calypso, and eye of the goat beans. Look for heirloom beans at Rancho Gordo or your farmers market. You can even try growing some yourself! These beans offer a unique way to enjoy an array of textures, colors, and flavors in your dishes. Plus, they provide a fun way to discover new recipes to make with your friends and family!

Pulse Cooking Guide

Learn More About Pulses!

Top 12 Ways to Include Pulses in Your Diet
7 Tips for Powering Up on Pulses
How to Use an Instant Pot to Cook Pulses
Eat More Pulses to Manage PCOS

Sharon’s Top 10 Pulse Recipes

Lentil Butternut Squash Wellington
Smoky Vegan Baked Beans from Scratch
Stuffed Butternut Squash with Sage Lentil Filling
Curried Lentil Quinoa Soup
Sweet Potato Black Bean Bake
Spicy Pumpkin Black Bean Veggie Burgers
Easy Vegan Green Split Pea Soup
Golden Vegan Glow Bowl with Squash, Chickpeas & Turmeric Dressing
Moroccan Apricot Tofu with Chickpeas and Brown Rice
Vegan Lentil Kofta with Tzatziki

More Tools for Eating and Living the Goodness