Chana dal glycemic index: is it good for diabetes?

Chana dal sits at the low end of the glycemic index scale: the University of Sydney database records 11 for boiled Bengal gram dal, against the low-GI band of 55 or below and the high-GI band of 70 or above. The catch is that 11 comes from a single India-tested entry, so read it as a strong hint rather than a settled number. What matters for a meal is the glycemic load, and here the dal does well: a katori of cooked dal, made with 30 g of dry dal, has about 14 g of available carbohydrate, which puts its glycemic load around 1.5. It also carries 15.15 g of fibre per 100 g. Separately, a review of trials found that pulses lowered fasting blood glucose in people with and without diabetes. Portion and pairing still decide the day.

The glycemic index measures how a fixed portion of carbohydrate in a food affects blood glucose, and the University of Sydney group that maintains the scale measures it by feeding 10 or more healthy people a portion of the food containing 50 g of digestible (available) carbohydrate and following their response. Foods scoring 55 or under count as low GI, while 70 or higher marks the high band. Chana dal is recorded at 11, from one entry: boiled Bengal gram dal, tested in India in 1981. One entry is a thin base, so the 11 is best read as “this dal tests very low”, not as a precise, universal figure; the database is one line per test. The same pattern holds across legumes worldwide: the 2021 international GI tables note that legumes, along with dairy, pasta and many fruits, usually test low-GI with values that hold steady around the world.

Per 100 g, dry chana dal carries 46.72 g of available carbohydrate and, counted separately, 15.15 g of fibre, with 21.55 g of protein. On fibre, the ICMR-NIN dietary guidelines note that it delays the absorption of carbohydrate and fat and raises the satiety value. A review of pulses makes the same point: they combine high fibre with a low glycemic index. One cooking note from the guidelines: boiling with just enough water, without having to drain the water, is the best way to retain the folate in legumes, so cook the dal in a measured amount of water.

The glycemic index is per a standard portion of carbohydrate, which makes glycaemic load the number that reflects what you actually eat. A katori of cooked chana dal, made with 30 g of dry dal, holds about 14 g of available carbohydrate (the fibre, 4.5 g, is counted separately). Multiply the GI by the available carbohydrate and divide by 100: 11 x 14.02 / 100, and the katori's glycaemic load comes to about 1.5, which is very low. A larger serving made with 50 g of dry dal still lands at roughly 2.6 (11 x 23.36 / 100). For comparison, the standard test portion used to measure a food's GI contains 50 g of available carbohydrate, about three and a half katoris' worth of chana dal.

Portion practice for a diabetes plate: one katori of cooked dal, made with 30 g of dry chana dal, gives about 99 kcal, 14 g of carbohydrate and 4.5 g of fibre, and a larger serving made with 50 g of dry dal gives about 165 kcal, 23.4 g of carbohydrate and 7.6 g of fibre. The ICMR-NIN guidelines include 85 g of pulses a day in their adult plate, and advise pairing them with cereals in a ratio of about 3 to 1, since the pair together give good quality protein. So build the meal around the dal plus a smaller portion of cereal, plus vegetables: dal-chawal, one of the chana dal recipes like khichdi, or dal with a roti. Skip sweetened dal, keep the tadka modest, and let the dal carry the plate.

Within the chana family, split and whole behave a little differently. The database records the dal at GI 11 from a single India-tested entry, while whole boiled chickpeas, kala chana, average GI 23 across nine international entries with a spread of 5 to 36, all still inside the low-GI band. The table below puts the two side by side: the whole gram carries more fibre, 25.2 g against 15.15 g per 100 g, and fewer calories, 287 kcal against 329 kcal, while the split dal gives more protein, 21.55 g against 18.8 g. Both are low-GI choices; the dal cooks faster, the whole gram needs the longer soak. The stronger lever is still the pairing: cereals and pulses in a ratio of about 3 to 1, as the ICMR-NIN guidelines recommend, and a review of trials found that pulses in low-GI diets lowered glycated haemoglobin or fructosamine. More on the dal and its kitchen is on the chana dal hub page.

Per 100 g raw, edible portion. Composition: IFCT 2017 (ICMR-NIN). GI: University of Sydney GI database. — means not reported. These are average values for the food; the label on a pack gives the values for that product.

Chana dal can sit on a diabetes plate, but the plate around it decides everything. If you take medication for diabetes, or are adjusting carbohydrate portions, talk to your doctor or dietitian: ask how much carbohydrate per meal is right for you, whether a katori of chana dal fits that plan, and how to time it with your medication. Keep your usual checks and appointments, and use the dal as one part of the pattern your doctor has set, not a change to it.

What is the glycemic index of chana dal?

The database records 11, from one entry: boiled Bengal gram dal tested in India in 1981. Because it is a single entry, read it as a strong signal that the dal tests very low, not a precise universal figure; the low-GI band runs 55 or below and the high-GI band 70 or above. A katori of the cooked dal has a glycaemic load near 1.5.

Is chana dal good for diabetes?

Yes, as a dal option on a diabetes plate: it tests at GI 11, has 15.15 g of fibre per 100 g, and a katori's glycaemic load is about 1.5. A review of trials found pulses lowered fasting blood glucose and, in low-GI diets, glycated haemoglobin or fructosamine. It is not a medicine: it is one food that fits a pattern of portions, pairing and medication set with your doctor.

Can chana dal be cooked without soaking?

Yes. Split chana dal cooks without a soak if you rinse it and give it more pot time, though a one-hour soak in room-temperature water, or thirty minutes in hot water for a quick hot soak, shortens the cooking and evens it out. For dishes where the dal must hold its shape the soak matters more; for soft dal it matters less. The routine is in the chana dal soak guide.

What is bengal gram?

Bengal gram is the English name for chickpea, the brown desi type. Chana dal is Bengal gram split and husked, the golden inner seed without the dark skin, which is what the boiled-dal GI test measured. Whole Bengal gram with the skin is kala chana, and it also tests low, averaging GI 23 across database entries.

Does chana dal have protein?

Yes: the dry dal holds 21.55 g of protein per 100 g, per IFCT 2017, alongside 46.72 g of carbohydrate, of which 15.15 g is fibre. On a diabetes plate the protein and fibre together make the dal a filling partner to rice or roti, and the ICMR-NIN guidelines recommend cereals and pulses in a ratio of about 3 to 1 for good quality protein.

Does chana dal raise blood sugar?

Only gently. Boiled chana dal tests at GI 11, a very low value, and a katori carries about 14 g of available carbohydrate for a glycaemic load near 1.5, with 15.15 g of fibre per 100 g of dry dal. Pairing still matters: serve it with cereal and vegetables in the ratio your doctor or dietitian has set for you.