Chickpeas vs Pinto Beans – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

When comparing chickpeas to pinto beans, we picked the pinto beans.

Why?

Both are great! And an argument could be made for either…

In terms of macros, pinto beans have slightly more fiber and slightly more protein, while chickpeas have slightly more carbs, and thus predictably higher net carbs. In the category of those proteins, they both have a comparable spread of amino acods, with pinto beans having very slightly more of each amino acid. All this adds up to a clear, but moderate, win for pinto beans.

When it comes to vitamins, technically chickpeas have more of vitamins A, B3, B5, C, K, and choline, but the margins are so small as to be almost meaningless. Meanwhile, pinto beans have more of vitamins B1, B6, and E, and/but the only one where the margin is enough to really care about is vitamin E (a little over 2x what chickpeas have). So, an argument could be made either way, but we’re going to call this category a tie.

The story with minerals is similar; chickpeas have more copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc, all with small margins, while pinto beans have more potassium and selenium, and/but also less sodium. We’d call this either a tie, or a very slight win for chickpeas.

Adding up the sections gives for a very modest win for pinto beans, but as we say, an argument could be made for either.

Certainly, enjoy both!

Want to learn more?

You might like to read:

• Chickpeas vs Black Beans – Which is Healthier?
• Kidney Beans vs Fava Beans – Which is Healthier?
• What Matters Most For Your Heart? Eat More (Of This) For Lower Blood Pressure

Take care!