What is a Legume?

A legume is, by dictionary definition "a plant that has its seeds in a pod, such as the bean or pea".


Peanuts, often referred to as nuts, are actually legumes and not tree nuts at all. 

Some people who are allergic to peanuts are only allergic to peanuts. It does not necessarily follow that someone who's allergic to peanuts is also allergic to other legumes. 

The same applies in reverse: you can be allergic to one legume, or some, or all. Some people can eat peas but not peanuts, beans but not chickpeas, and so on. 

Being allergic to one item in a food group is not necessarily a reason to avoid all foods in that group and every allergy is different - please consult your allergy clinic if you're unsure.

Here is a list of all the legumes we can possibly think of:


Alfafa

Asparagus bean/pea (not asparagus itself)

Lima bean

Black bean

Black-eyed pea

Black turtle bean

Boston (navy) bean

Broad bean

Cannellini bean

Carob bean (locust bean)

Chickpea (also 'gram flour')

Chilli bean

Cranberry bean (not cranberries themselves)

Dwarf bean

Edamame (soya bean)

Egyptian (white broad) bean

English bean

Fava bean

Fava coceira

Field pea

French green bean

Frijol bola roja

Frijole negro

Gram flour (from chickpeas)

Great northern bean

Green and yellow peas

Houmous (from chickpeas)

Kidney bean

Lentils

Lespedeza

Liquorice

Lima bean

Locust bean (carob bean)

Lupin

Madagascar bean

Mange tout

Mexican black bean

Mexican red bean

Molasses face bean

Mung bean

Mung pea

Navy bean

Pea bean

Peanut

Peruvian bean

Pinto bean

Red bean

Red clover

Red eye bean

Red kidney bean

Rice bean

Runner bean

Scarlet runner bean

Small red bean

Snow pea

Southern pea

Sugar snap pea

Soya bean / soy bean (edamame)

Wax bean

White clover

White kidney bean

White pea bean. 

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