Ricebean Nutrition Calculator — Dry, Cooked, Sprouted & Roasted

Ricebean (Vigna umbellata) delivers 450mg calcium per 100g dry seeds — substantially more than mung bean (132mg), cowpea (110mg), chickpea (105mg), and lentil (35mg) ^[1][2]. Boiling reduces this to approximately 166mg per 100g cooked due to water absorption, but a 1-cup cooked serving (180g) still provides 299mg calcium (23% DV).

This calcium density rivals dairy-range values: 100g dry ricebean provides more calcium than 100ml of whole cow's milk (~120mg). For plant-based meal journaling, ricebean is one of the most calcium-efficient pulse options per serving ^[3].

Dry ricebean provides 24.0g protein per 100g at 338 kcal — a protein efficiency of 14.1 kcal per gram of protein ^[1][2]. This matches horse gram (22g at 321 kcal = 14.6 kcal/g) and outperforms pigeon pea (21.7g at 343 kcal = 15.8 kcal/g) for protein density.

Ricebean protein ranges from 18-26% across genotypes, with an amino acid profile rich in lysine (6.8% of protein) but limited in methionine (1.0%) — typical of Vigna species ^[4]. Pairing with rice or wheat compensates for the methionine gap, creating a complete amino acid profile.

Ricebean's potassium at 1,463mg per 100g dry (31% DV) rivals kidney bean (~1,406mg) and significantly exceeds chickpea (~875mg) ^[2][3]. A quarter-cup dry serving (50g) provides 732mg potassium (16% DV) before cooking.

The mineral density extends to iron at 6.0mg per 100g dry (33% DV) and phosphorus at 393mg (31% DV). Combined with the exceptional calcium, ricebean delivers one of the most mineral-dense profiles among Indian pulses — comparable to or exceeding soybean for calcium while having dramatically less fat (1.4g vs 19.9g) ^[1].

Sprouted ricebean delivers 12.0mg vitamin C per 100g — a 2.4x increase from dry seeds (5.0mg), driven by metabolic activation during germination ^[1]. Simultaneously, water absorption drops calories from 338 to 108 kcal per 100g (68% reduction), while fiber remains at 3.5g per 100g — lower than dry seeds (4.8g) but nearly double the cooked form (1.8g).

Sprouting also reduces phytic acid and tannin content — antinutrients that can bind minerals and reduce absorption. The net effect is both more absorbable iron and calcium, plus increased B-vitamins. For nutrient-density-per-calorie journaling, sprouted ricebean is significantly more efficient than cooked ^[4].

Among the Vigna genus pulses, ricebean (338 kcal, 24g protein, 450mg Ca) stands out from mung bean (347 kcal, 23.9g protein, 132mg Ca) and horse gram (321 kcal, 22g protein, 287mg Ca) ^[1][2]. Ricebean has 3.4x the calcium of mung bean and 1.6x that of horse gram.

Fat content differs substantially: ricebean at 1.4g is between horse gram's ultra-lean 0.5g and mung bean's 1.2g. For pulse-diversity journaling, rotating between these three Vigna species provides varied mineral profiles — particularly calcium — while maintaining similar protein levels.