Peanuts nutrition per 100g: calories, protein and fat

The table below carries the IFCT 2017 values for raw groundnuts per 100 g, with sesame seeds (white) and kabuli chana beside them as everyday benchmarks, so the groundnut's figures read against familiar foods. Energy is 521 kcal, protein 23.65 g and fat 39.63 g; kabuli chana is the lightest of the three at 378 kcal, while sesame seeds carry the most fat at 43.05 g.

Two reading notes before the numbers. These are raw values: plain roasting and boiling change them little, but every spoon of oil or salt a recipe adds sits on top of the table. And any brand's pack may state its own rounded figures; every number on this page keeps to the IFCT values.

Per 100 g raw, edible portion. Composition: IFCT 2017 (ICMR-NIN); USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy), FDC ID 173756, NDB 16056. 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.

Peanuts calories come to 521 kcal per 100 g of the raw nut, which is dense even beside other plant foods: kabuli chana carries 378 kcal per 100 g and sesame seeds 520 kcal. What matters on the plate is the portion, so here are the three useful sizes.

A 30 g handful of groundnuts carries 156 kcal, with 7.1 g of protein, 11.9 g of fat, 5.2 g of carbohydrate and 3.1 g of fibre, which makes it a workable everyday snack size. The dietary guidelines set the nuts-and-seeds share at 35 g in their vegetarian My Plate, and that works out to 182 kcal. A full 1 cup of groundnuts is 140 g, and the cup carries 729 kcal with 55.5 g of fat, so a cup is a pantry measure for cooking, not a snack size.

Peanuts protein per 100 g is 23.65 g, above kabuli chana at 20.5 g and just ahead of sesame seeds at 21.7 g. Its 2016 review tallies every one of the 20 amino acids in the peanut, led by arginine, a strong base for a plant food. The guidelines' amino-acid table notes that nuts and seeds run short of lysine, which pulses and chickpeas are rich in, so the classic groundnut-with-dal pairing closes the gap.

In a 30 g handful the protein comes to 7.1 g, and cooked dishes scale from the same raw nut: a small bowl of our masala peanuts, one of six from the pan, carries 9.4 g of protein, while two tablespoons of moongfali chutney carry 2.1 g.

The fat line leads: 39.63 g per 100 g, against 17.27 g of carbohydrate and 10.38 g of fibre. Fibre is where groundnuts earn their place in a meal, because the guidelines describe fibre as the part of food that delays and retards the absorption of carbohydrates and fats, adding satiety value; the same chapter adds that diets rich in fibre lower glucose and lipids in the blood. Sesame seeds carry more fibre still at 16.99 g per 100 g and kabuli chana 12.2 g, but 10.38 g in a nut-sized portion is already a lot.

The fibre is why a small portion holds, and the fat is why the energy adds up quickly — which is the argument for keeping the snack at a 30 g handful rather than grazing from the bag. On the plate, groundnuts sit on the guidelines' own snack list, which names roasted or boiled peanuts among the nutritious options, and the peanuts for weight loss page walks through the fullness evidence in detail.

The peanuts glycemic index is low. GI 11 is the mean of the five groundnut entries in the University of Sydney database, with a range of 5 to 23: two entries from the Philippines, one from South Africa (crushed), one from Canada and one from Mexico, none from India. By the same source's bands, a GI of 55 or below counts as low and 70 or above as high, which places groundnuts well inside the low band.

The test behind the ratings is standard across the database: ten or more healthy people eat a portion carrying 50 g of available carbohydrate, and the two-hour blood-glucose response is compared with a glucose reference. A low rating means the food produces smaller fluctuations in blood glucose than high-rated foods, which is why people with diabetes reach for groundnuts; the peanuts for diabetes page carries the trial numbers.

The mineral rows matter for everyday planning: iron at 3.44 mg, calcium at 54 mg, magnesium at 197 mg, potassium at 679 mg, sodium at 12.21 mg and zinc at 3.18 mg per 100 g, with 90.87 mcg of folate. Sesame seeds are the calcium outlier of the three at 1283 mg per 100 g, which is why sesame-based snacks and laddus matter for that mineral; groundnuts themselves lean on magnesium and potassium.

One honest gap: IFCT 2017 carries no vitamin C value for groundnuts, so this page lists no vitamin claim for the nut. And the sodium line is the raw-nut figure — salted and oil-roasted packs add sodium and oil beyond these numbers, which is one more reason to choose plain roasted or boiled nuts over coated snack mixes.

Boiling gets the headline in the guidelines: boiling peanuts increases their antioxidant concentration up to four times more than that of raw and roasted peanuts. A 2016 review adds that roasting and boiling both increase the nut's bioactives. Energy stays close to the raw numbers when you roast or boil plain; it is the salt, oil and jaggery of snack packs and sweets that add on top of the 521 kcal base.

In the kitchen, the recipes on this site all start from the same raw nut. Peanut chikki sets roasted groundnuts in jaggery, moongfali chutney grinds them into a breakfast chutney, and the groundnut hub ties the nut's names, buying and storage together.

What is the glycemic index of peanuts?

Low — 11 on average across the five groundnut readings in the University of Sydney database, which span 5 to 23, with none recorded in India. The same source rates 55 or below as low and 70 or above as high, which places groundnuts well inside the low band.

Does moongfali have protein?

Yes, and a great deal for a nut: 23.65 g per 100 g, with 7.1 g in a 30 g handful. Every one of the 20 amino acids turns up in the peanut, arginine leading, and dal or chana beside it covers the lysine it runs short of.

Does peanuts have protein?

Yes — peanuts are groundnuts, and IFCT 2017 gives 23.65 g of protein per 100 g, above kabuli chana at 20.5 g. Cooked, a small bowl of masala peanuts delivers 9.4 g of protein and two tablespoons of moongfali chutney 2.1 g.

Can peanuts increase cholesterol?

The trial evidence does not show that. Across 13 randomised trials, the only clear change was HDL up by 2.72 mg/dl; the LDL, triglyceride and total-cholesterol figures all stayed put, and a 2016 review notes that compounds in the nut can block some cholesterol absorption from the diet.

Why peanuts are bad for you?

For most people they are not bad at all, but three things go wrong for some. A peanut allergy is serious, and the guidelines list peanuts among the common allergy-causing ingredients; salted, fried and jaggery-coated packs add what the raw nut does not carry; and at 521 kcal per 100 g, a full 729 kcal cup overshoots any snack.

Is moongfali good for weight loss?

It fits a weight-loss menu, but it is not a slimming pill. The guidelines count nuts among the foods that give fullness, 13 trials found no meaningful weight change either way, and the practical version is portion control: a 30 g handful at 156 kcal, not the 140 g cup at 729 kcal.