Are Peas Bad for Gout? Green Pea Purine Content Explained

TL;DR

• Peas aren’t bad for gout. Raw green peas measured about 20 mg of purines per 100 g in the one analysis available, though a US analysis of canned peas found about 70, so treat them as low to moderate.
• In large studies, purine-rich vegetables, peas included, were not linked to new gout, and plant purines carried far less flare risk than meat and seafood.
• Fresh or frozen peas are the best everyday choice. Watch the salt in canned peas and the ham in split pea soup.

No, peas are not bad for gout. Green peas are low to moderate in purines, and the large studies that tracked what people with and without gout actually ate found that peas, beans and lentils didn’t raise gout risk the way meat and seafood did.

The confusion comes from old “foods to avoid” lists, which grouped peas with meat and seafood as foods to limit. The newer data, and the way researchers now think about plant purines, tell a different story.

How Many Purines Are in Green Peas?

Our charts use four bands: low (under 50 mg per 100 g), moderate (50–100), high (100–200) and very high (over 200). Peas are a case where the data are thin and the analyses disagree, so it’s worth showing all of them:

Peas	Purines per 100 g	Per serving	Source
Green peas, raw	~20 mg	~15 mg per ½ cup (73 g)	One Japanese analysis (2020)
Green peas, canned	~19 mg	~17 mg per ½ cup (88 g)	One Japanese analysis (2014)
Sweet peas, canned	~72 mg	~63 mg per ½ cup (88 g)	USDA analysis (2024)
Green peas, frozen	Not measured	—	Treat like fresh
Split peas, dried	~195 mg	Not measured cooked	One US analysis (1976)
Pea protein isolate	Not measured	—	Made from dried peas

Two things stand out. First, the only analysis of raw green peas comes from a single sample, and older gout tables list peas at about 65 mg per 100 g. Second, the USDA’s own 2024 analysis of canned sweet peas came in at about 72 mg, in the moderate band. With so little data, it’s safest to call peas low to moderate rather than purine-free.

Even at the higher figure, a half-cup side of peas carries roughly 63 mg of purines. A 4-ounce portion of raw chicken breast carries about 180 mg, and the same weight of farmed salmon about 280 mg.

Split peas are different again. Dried, they measure about 195 mg per 100 g, but they absorb a lot of water as they cook and no one has analyzed them cooked. Our purine content in vegetables chart lists the other legumes the same way.

Do Peas Raise Uric Acid or Gout Risk?

The best evidence says no, or not much. Three studies looked at peas specifically as part of a “purine-rich vegetables” or plant-purine group:

• Choi et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2004. This study followed 47,150 men without gout for 12 years. Men who ate the most meat had a 41% higher risk of developing gout, and those who ate the most seafood a 51% higher risk. Purine-rich vegetables, a group that included peas, beans and lentils, were not linked to a higher risk.
• Zhang et al., Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 2012. In 633 people who already had gout, researchers compared what they ate in the two days before a flare with what they ate in calmer periods. Peas were among the foods asked about. The highest intake of animal purines was linked to about 2.4 times the odds of a flare. For plant purines, the highest intake was linked to about 1.4 times the odds, a much weaker association that was only borderline statistically.
• Zgaga et al., PLoS ONE, 2012. Among 2,076 adults in Scotland, intake of purine-rich vegetables (cauliflower, spinach, peas, beans and lentils) was not associated with blood urate levels.

The Arthritis Foundation’s gout diet advice reflects this. It tells people with gout to fill up on “peas, beans, lentils, tofu as well as leafy and starchy greens,” noting that they don’t raise uric acid levels and may even protect against attacks.

Plant purines aren’t completely neutral during a flare. But at the amounts in a normal serving of peas, they’re a small part of the picture. The beans article and our deeper look at lentils and the plant vs. animal purine research cover the evidence in more detail.

What Else Is in a Serving of Peas?

Here’s how fresh, frozen and canned peas compare per 100 g, from USDA FoodData Central:

Per 100 g	Raw	Frozen, boiled	Canned, drained
Calories	81	78	68
Protein	5.4 g	5.2 g	4.5 g
Fiber	5.7 g	4.5 g	4.9 g
Total sugar	5.7 g	4.4 g	3.0 g
Vitamin C	40 mg	9.9 mg	4.2 mg
Sodium	5 mg	72 mg	273 mg

Peas are sweet for a vegetable, but the amounts are small. A half cup of raw peas has about 4 g of sugar, mostly sucrose, and it comes packaged with fiber and protein. That’s very different from the high-fructose corn syrup in sweetened drinks, which the American College of Rheumatology’s 2020 gout guideline (Arthritis Care & Research, 2020) lists among the things people with gout should limit.

Fresh, Frozen or Canned: Which Peas Are Best for Gout?

• Fresh or frozen are the best everyday choice. They have more vitamin C and less salt than canned peas, and they’re cheap and easy to keep on hand.
• Canned peas are fine occasionally, but they’re saltier, and the USDA’s canned sample was the one that measured highest for purines. Rinsing helps a little with salt: USDA lists canned peas at about 231 mg of sodium per 100 g after draining and rinsing, versus 273 mg drained only. Look for no-salt-added cans.
• Snow peas and sugar snap peas have almost no purine data. The closest entry in the USDA and ODS-NIH database, a single Japanese sample listed as “podded peas,” measured about 10 mg per 100 g. They’re eaten pod and all as a green vegetable, and there’s no evidence that they’re a gout concern.

Peas in Common Dishes

• Split pea soup: the peas are fine; the ham often isn’t the best part. Ham is processed meat, and current analyses put it higher in purines than most people expect (see is ham bad for gout). Try a version made with smoked paprika, onion, carrots and celery instead, and remember that purines from the peas stay in the broth.
• Peas and rice, pea risotto, pea pasta: low-purine bases with peas as a side. Easy wins.
• Fried rice: peas, egg and rice are all low in purines. Go easy on the shrimp.
• Pea protein shakes: see is protein powder bad for gout. A plain pea or soy powder is a reasonable choice.

How Many Peas Can You Eat With Gout?

There’s no evidence-based limit. A half cup to a cup as a side dish, several times a week, is a normal, healthy amount. A few practical tips:

• Use peas to stretch meat. Swap part of the beef in a shepherd’s pie or the chicken in a pasta dish for peas. You keep the protein feel of the meal and cut animal purines.
• During a flare, keep peas to a normal side portion and focus on the treatment plan your doctor gave you. Skip the ham-heavy soups and the beer.
• Count the whole plate. The 2020 ACR guideline conditionally recommends limiting purine intake overall. Peas contribute little; the meat or fish next to them usually contributes far more.

Better Pea Swaps

Instead of	Try	Why it helps
Split pea soup with ham hock	Split pea soup with smoked paprika and vegetables	Removes the processed meat and much of the salt
Canned peas	Frozen peas	Less salt, more vitamin C
A second piece of chicken	An extra half cup of peas	Far fewer purines, plus fiber
Creamed peas with bacon	Peas with butter, mint and lemon	Skips the bacon

The Bottom Line

Peas are not bad for gout. The single analysis of raw green peas found them low in purines, and while a US analysis of canned peas came in higher, even that is a modest amount per serving. More importantly, large studies found that peas, beans and lentils weren’t linked to new gout, and plant purines carried far less flare risk than meat and seafood. Choose fresh or frozen peas, watch the salt in canned ones, and skip the ham in split pea soup.

Sources

• Choi HK, et al. Purine-rich foods, dairy and protein intake, and the risk of gout in men. New England Journal of Medicine, 2004.
• Zhang Y, et al. Purine-rich foods intake and recurrent gout attacks. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 2012.
• Zgaga L, et al. The association of dietary intake of purine-rich vegetables, sugar-sweetened beverages and dairy with plasma urate, in a cross-sectional study. PLoS ONE, 2012.
• Arthritis Foundation. Gout Diet: Dos and Don’ts.
• USDA Agricultural Research Service. USDA and ODS-NIH Database for the Purine Content of Foods.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk to your rheumatologist or healthcare provider about your specific situation.