Masoor dal vs toor dal: protein, nutrition and which to choose

Masoor is the leaner dal: more protein, fibre and iron per 100 g and about half the fat, sold split as red lentils.

Toor is the richer one in folate, calcium, magnesium and potassium, the dal of sambar.

The winner is the dish. On energy the two dals are nearly twins, 323 kcal against 331 kcal per 100 g, so the choice belongs to what you are cooking and what you want from it.

The table below puts the pair side by side per 100 g; the ratios, the GI and the cooking notes follow; and a reader choosing for one person can jump to which for whom. Toor's own pages are on the site too, from the arhar dal protein per 100g page to the toor dal recipes roundup, and for masoor on its own the masoor dal hub runs from nutrition to storage.

The table uses IFCT 2017 for both dals, raw and per 100 g. Read down the mineral rows and the two dals split the winnings: masoor holds iron 7.06 mg against 3.90 mg and zinc 3.61 mg against 2.63 mg, while toor holds calcium 71.73 mg against 44.32 mg, magnesium 119 mg against 74.69 mg and potassium 1395 mg against 786 mg. Read across the energy row and they are nearly equal, 323 kcal and 331 kcal; carbohydrates sit at 52.53 g and 55.23 g and fat at 0.75 g and 1.56 g.

On the protein row masoor leads, 24.35 g against 21.70 g, and on fibre too, 10.43 g against 9.06 g. Folate is the one big gap the other way: 108 mcg in toor against 49.99 mcg in masoor. Vitamin C is not reported for either dal in these tables. The per-katori and percentage detail follows in the next section; the masoor side of the table continues on the masoor dal protein per 100g 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.

Turn the table into ratios and the shape of the comparison shows. Masoor dal beats arhar dal on protein, 24.35 g against 21.70 g per 100 g, which is about 12 percent more, and on dietary fibre, 10.43 g against 9.06 g, about 15 percent more. The iron gap is the widest in masoor's favour: 7.06 mg against 3.90 mg, about 81 percent more, with zinc another 37 percent ahead at 3.61 mg against 2.63 mg.

Toor's wins sit in the other columns: calcium 71.73 mg against 44.32 mg, about 62 percent more; magnesium 119 mg against 74.69 mg, about 59 percent more; potassium 1395 mg against 786 mg, about 77 percent more; and folate 108 mcg against 49.99 mcg, more than double. Energy and carbohydrates are close enough to call level: 331 kcal against 323 kcal, about 2 percent more, and 55.23 g of carbohydrates against 52.53 g, about 5 percent more, with toor carrying about double the fat at 1.56 g against 0.75 g.

Per katori, cooked from 30 g of dry dal, the differences shrink to spoon level: masoor gives about 97 kcal, 7.3 g of protein, 3.1 g of fibre and 2.1 mg of iron; toor gives about 99 kcal, 6.5 g of protein, 2.7 g of fibre and 1.2 mg of iron.

Both dals are low GI, and the two numbers come from the University of Sydney GI database. Masoor dal's mean GI is 25, from five recorded tests of plain red lentils that run from 18 to 32: four Canadian entries of red lentils dried and boiled, and one UK entry of red split lentils boiled 25 minutes. No India-tested plain entry exists; the Sri Lankan masoor parippu curry and the Pakistani masoor daal khichari in the database are mixed dishes, so neither counts in the mean.

Toor dal's mean GI is 20, from four recorded tests that run from 7 to 43: three Philippine entries of pigeon peas, two soaked overnight, boiled, cooled overnight and microwaved, and one soaked and boiled 45 minutes, plus a Jamaican entry with no preparation printed. All four used whole pigeon peas, not split dal, and none was tested in India. On this database's scale, 55 and below is low GI and 70 and above is high, which keeps both dals inside the low band; what that means at mealtimes is on masoor dal for diabetes.

For masoor, the masoor dal tadka recipe prints the figure: the dal is brought to one whistle on high, then the flame is turned low for 6 minutes, and split red masoor needs no soaking first. For toor, this page gives no whistle or minute figure, so judge the dal by hand — it is done when it is soft enough to mash between fingers. The GI records explain why the two cannot be timed side by side: the toor tests used whole pigeon peas, not split dal. How long split toor needs, and when a soak helps, is the topic of the how to soak toor dal page.

On the plate the two dals also go different places. Masoor turns up in masoor dal tadka, khichdi, soup, dosa and porridge, all in the masoor dal recipes roundup. Toor is the sambar dal: its product page lists dal tadka, sambar and khichdi among its uses, and unpolished toor keeps its golden colour and natural flavour, as the organic toor dal product page describes it.

No prices here: both are everyday dals, and the choice that matters is the dish. Masoor fits the weeknight pot, the soup and the one-pan khichdi; toor fits sambar, dal tadka and khichdi, the uses its product page lists. Pick by what you cook.

COWBERRY sells the toor side of this comparison as unpolished organic toor dal, grown in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. For masoor, the guide to whole and split masoor says how to read the pack.

• Cooking time: split masoor needs no soaking and, in the masoor dal tadka recipe, is brought to one whistle on high, then the flame is turned low for 6 minutes; for toor there is no whistle or minute figure here, so cook it until it is soft enough to mash between fingers.
• Protein and iron: masoor, with 12 percent more protein and 81 percent more iron per 100 g.
• Folate, calcium, magnesium and potassium: toor, with folate at more than double masoor's.
• Sambar and the southern dal: toor, the dal the sambar pot is built on.
• Someone with diabetes: both dals are low GI, 25 and 20, and the rest of the meal counts too; see masoor dal for diabetes and toor dal for diabetes, and clear portions with your doctor or dietitian.
• Weight loss: the two dals are 97 and 99 kcal a katori, so the swap saves about 2 kcal; portions decide. The arithmetic is on masoor dal for weight loss.
• A gassy stomach: pulses carry galacto-oligosaccharides that ferment in the colon with the release of gas, and most people who get gas adapt within a few weeks of eating pulses regularly; how much varies from person to person.

Difference between masoor dal and toor dal?

Two different plants and two different seeds. Masoor dal comes from the lentil, Lens culinaris, whose English name is red lentils; toor dal comes from the pigeon pea, Cajanus cajan, known in English as red gram or pigeon pea. Per 100 g masoor has more protein, 24.35 g against 21.70 g, and iron, 7.06 mg against 3.90 mg; toor has more folate, 108 mcg against 49.99 mcg, and calcium, 71.73 mg against 44.32 mg.

What is masoor dal?

The red lentil, the seed of Lens culinaris that IFCT 2017 records as Lentil, dal. Indian shops sell the one seed in two forms: sabut masoor, the whole brown lentil, and dhuli masoor, the split red one that most kitchens mean by masoor dal. The name in all the Indian languages is on masoor dal names.

How much protein in masoor dal?

24.35 g per 100 g of raw dal in IFCT 2017, against toor dal's 21.70 g. Cooked, a katori from 30 g dry gives about 7.3 g from masoor and 6.5 g from toor. The full nutrition table and the GI are on the masoor dal protein per 100g page.

Which masoor dal is best?

It depends on the dish, and both forms are the one seed, Lens culinaris: sabut masoor comes whole with its brown coat on, and dhuli masoor comes split with the red inside showing. The kitchen guide to whole and split masoor compares brown against red and says which form suits which dish.

Can masoor dal cause gas?

Some people report gas and intestinal discomfort with pulses. A 2019 review attributes these effects to galacto-oligosaccharides that the small intestine cannot digest and the colon ferments with the release of gas, though it notes that explanation has recently been questioned, and that most people who get gas adapt within a few weeks if they keep eating pulses. How much varies from person to person.

Is masoor dal non veg?

No. Masoor dal is a legume seed grown in the field, so it is vegetarian from plant to plate, in the whole sabut form and the split dhuli form alike. Toor dal is the same: the seed of the pigeon pea plant, not an animal product.