Last reviewed on 12 September 2026.
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This page gives the raw figures from IFCT 2017 (the Indian Food Composition Tables published by NIN), converts them into what actually lands in a katori, and explains why dal eaten with rice or roti is better protein than dal eaten on its own.
Which dal has the most protein per 100 g?
Masoor dal, at roughly 24 g of protein per 100 g raw, sits at the top of the everyday list in IFCT 2017, with moong dal almost level and urad dal about a gram behind. Toor (arhar) dal comes in near 22 g and chana dal at about 21 to 22 g. These are dry, uncooked figures, and they shift by a gram or so between harvests, varieties and laboratories, so anything within two grams is effectively a tie. Rajma and kabuli chana, eaten whole rather than split, usually land a little lower, at around 18 to 20 g.
| Pulse | Protein per 100 g raw |
|---|---|
| Masoor | roughly 24 g |
| Moong | almost level with masoor |
| Urad | about a gram behind moong |
| Toor (arhar) | near 22 g |
| Chana | about 21 to 22 g |
| Rajma and kabuli chana | around 18 to 20 g |
| Soybean, which is not a dal | roughly 35 to 38 g |
Figures shift with harvest, variety and laboratory, so anything within two grams is a tie.
Does soybean beat every dal?
Yes, by a wide margin. Soybean carries roughly 35 to 38 g of protein per 100 g raw in IFCT 2017, and some older Indian tables put it above 40 g. It is a legume but not a dal in the kitchen sense: it is rarely split and simmered like masoor, and Indians mostly eat it as soya chunks, tofu or soy milk. Soybean also brings considerably more fat than the pulses do. If protein per gram is the only goal, soya wins outright; if you want a daily dal, the choice among the others matters much less than the portion.
How much protein is in a katori of cooked dal?
A thin, everyday katori made from 25 to 30 g of raw dal gives roughly 6 to 7 g of protein. That is about what each person gets when a family of four shares a cup of dry dal at dinner. A thick dal, the kind that coats the back of a spoon, may hold 40 to 50 g of raw dal per katori and deliver 9 to 12 g. The dal is identical in both bowls; only the water differs. This is why the question of which dal to buy matters less than how much of it goes into the pressure cooker for each person.
Why does cooked dal show so much less protein per 100 g?
Because water has been added, not because protein has been lost. Dal roughly doubles or triples in weight as it cooks, and a soupy dal carries extra water on top of that. So 100 g of cooked dal can hold anywhere from about 4 g of protein, for a thin dal, to around 9 g, for a thick, drained one. Pressure cooking and boiling do not destroy protein in any meaningful amount. When an app or a packet gives a cooked figure, check how thick its reference dal was before comparing it with what you serve at home.
Is the protein in dal complete?
Not quite, on its own, because one essential amino acid runs short. Dal protein is rich in lysine but relatively low in methionine and the other sulphur-containing amino acids. Cereals such as rice and wheat show the opposite pattern: enough methionine, not much lysine. Neither food lacks any amino acid entirely, but each has a limiting one, which lowers how well the body can use its protein when that food is eaten alone. This is the scientific reason the plate matters more than the choice of pulse.
Why do dal-chawal and dal-roti work so well together?
Because each covers the other's weak amino acid. The lysine in dal fills the gap in the grain, and the methionine in the grain fills the gap in the dal, so the mixed meal scores higher for protein quality than either food alone. They do not even need to share a mouthful; the body draws on amino acids from meals across the day. The same pairing runs through khichdi, idli, dosa and dal-bhaat, and it is one of the quiet strengths of the traditional Indian vegetarian plate, worked out in kitchens long before anyone measured an amino acid.
Is whole dal better than split dal for protein?
No. Split, dehusked dal usually shows a gram or so more protein per 100 g than the whole bean, because the husk that is removed is mostly fibre. Whole moong or whole masoor keeps that husk, so it brings more fibre and a little more of some minerals, and it tends to keep people full for longer. For protein alone the difference is trivial. For fibre, fullness and a gentler rise in blood sugar, the whole bean has a modest edge, which is a good reason to rotate whole and split dals through the week.
Do sprouted dals have more protein?
No, sprouting does not create protein. A bowl of sprouted moong shows a lower figure per 100 g than dry moong simply because the seeds have soaked up water. Sprouting does reduce some of the compounds, such as phytate, that interfere with mineral absorption, and many people find sprouts lighter on the stomach than a heavy bowl of whole dal. Raw sprouts carry a food-safety question of their own, which the sibling page on sprouts, their benefits and safety deals with properly.
Which dal is easiest to digest?
Split moong dal is the one most people tolerate best, which is why it is the standard dal for toddlers, older adults and anyone recovering from a stomach upset. Urad and chana dal, and whole beans such as rajma, contain more of the fermentable sugars (raffinose and stachyose) that produce gas in some people. Soaking dal for a few hours, discarding the soaking water and pressure cooking it thoroughly reduces both the gas and the trypsin inhibitors that can blunt protein digestion. A tempering with hing and ginger is traditional for good reason.
How much dal do you need to meet your protein target?
More than one katori, for almost every adult. ICMR-NIN (Nutrient Requirements for Indians, 2020) puts the adult requirement at about 0.83 g of protein per kg of body weight a day, so a 60 kg adult needs roughly 50 g. Two thin katoris of dal supply only 12 to 14 g of that. The rest has to come from milk, curd, paneer, grains, nuts and, for those who eat them, eggs, fish or meat. The protein calculator works out a personal target, and the fuller list of foods lives on the page about vegetarian protein sources in Indian food.
How can you get more protein from the dal you already cook?
Put more dal in the pot and less water in the katori. Using 40 g of raw dal per person instead of 25 g raises the protein in each serving by more than half without changing the recipe. Other easy moves are to stir in a spoon of crumbled paneer, serve the dal beside a bowl of curd, or pick preparations that are naturally thick. A dal tadka made with toor and moong can be kept dense, and the Bengali cholar dal, cooked from chana dal with coconut, is thick by tradition. Neither needs thinning for the table.
Getting more protein from the same recipe
Nothing here changes what you cook. It changes how much dal goes in and how much water comes out.
Measure the dry dal
Weigh it once per person instead of guessing from the bowl. Moving from 25 g to 40 g each raises the protein in a serving by more than half.
Keep the katori thick
A dal that coats the back of a spoon holds far more dal per bowl than a soupy one. Serve extra water separately if anyone wants it thinner.
Put something beside it
A spoon of crumbled paneer stirred in, or a bowl of curd next to the plate, adds protein without a new recipe.
Serve it with rice or roti
The grain covers the amino acid the dal runs short of, so the same protein goes further.
Who should be careful with dal?
People with advanced chronic kidney disease are sometimes asked to limit protein, and often potassium and phosphorus as well, and dal carries all three. The right quantity in that situation depends on blood reports and the stage of the disease, so it should be set by a nephrologist or renal dietitian before anyone increases their dal. People with gout are often told to avoid pulses, although research suggests plant sources of purines matter far less than meat and seafood; that too is worth settling with the treating doctor rather than alone.
Learning plant protein properly
Comparing dals is the entry point to a wider subject: building vegetarian and vegan diets that meet protein, iron, B12 and calcium needs across a lifetime. NNWA's Plant-Based Nutrition course covers plant proteins, key micronutrients, balanced vegan plates, the Indian advantage in pulses and grains, needs across life stages, and supplements and gaps. It runs for six weeks at specialisation level, and the fee is 10,999 rupees against an original 15,999, with EMI of 1,833 rupees a month. Learners receive NNWA certificates.
The honest summary
Masoor, moong and urad dal lead the everyday dals at roughly 23 to 24 g of protein per 100 g raw, with toor and chana dal a gram or two behind and soybean far ahead of them all. Once cooked, water decides the figure: a thin katori gives about 6 to 7 g and a thick one nearly twice that. Eat dal with rice or roti for better protein quality, measure the dry dal instead of guessing, and choose whichever variety your household enjoys enough to eat daily.