Goya Black Beans: Labelgrade B+ (84/100)
B+ 84 / 100 — Very low saturated fat, effectively zero sugar, very low sodium, and substantial fiber.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Goya Black Beans delivers 7g of protein and 100 calories per 0.5 cup (USDA FDC 1762335). Per 100g that’s 5.7g of protein; per oz, 1.6g. The Labelgrade is B+ (84 / 100): Very low saturated fat, effectively zero sugar, very low sodium, and substantial fiber.
Why this Labelgrade
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C- | 59 / 100 | 5.7g per 100g — below the high-protein bar; not the right product for protein hunting |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 81 / 100 | Short 3-ingredient list, no additive flags |
| Saturated fat load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0g saturated fat — perfect |
| Sodium load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 120mg per serving (28mg per oz) — low |
| Sugar load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0g of sugar — perfect |
| Fiber | B | 76 / 100 | 8.05g per serving — good |
| Overall | B+ | 84 / 100 | Weighted blend: protein 25% · ingredients 22% · saturated fat 18% · sodium 15% · sugar 12% · fiber 8% |
How it compares
| Product | Protein per serving | Per 100 g | Per oz | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goya Black Beans (this product) | 7g | 5.7g | 1.6g | 100 |
| Goya Premium Pinto Beans | 7.01g | 5.6g | 1.6g | 120 |
| Bush’s Best Pinto Beans | 6.99g | 5.4g | 1.5g | 110 |
| Goya Chick Peas (Garbanzos) | 6g | 4.9g | 1.4g | 100 |
| Plain cooked chicken breast (benchmark) | — | 31g | 8.8g | ~165 |
The fiber-and-sodium combination that wins the aisle
What earns Goya Black Beans the top grade in our canned-bean set isn’t any one number — it’s the combination. At 8g of fiber per 0.5 cup, this is the most fiber of any bean we’ve scored, covering roughly 29% of the day’s Daily Value in a single half-cup. And it does that while carrying only 120mg of sodium, the lowest in the group — less than a third of what a can of chickpeas typically holds.
That pairing is unusual. Most canned beans make you choose: the high-fiber options often come salted up, and the low-sodium ones are usually the plainer varieties. Black beans give you both at once, and that’s before you account for the other two perfect dimensions — 0g saturated fat and 0g sugar. The ingredient list is four words long (black beans, water, potassium chloride, salt), and Goya even uses potassium chloride as part of the salt, which is part of why the sodium lands so low.
The only dimension that keeps this off an A is protein density, and that’s structural: a bean is about 5.7g of protein per 100g, where meat is closer to 31g. You don’t buy black beans to hit a protein target — you buy them because they’re a cheap, shelf-stable way to add real protein and a large dose of fiber to a meal at the same time, which almost nothing else in the pantry does.
How to actually eat them (and the one optional step)
A half-cup of black beans is a genuinely useful building block: stir them into rice, fold them into a taco or burrito, blend them into a soup, or simmer them down for a side. Because the sodium here is already so low, you can season the dish yourself without starting from a salty base — a real advantage over canned beans that arrive heavily salted.
The one optional move is the classic drain-and-rinse. Tipping the can into a colander and rinsing under cold water for a few seconds washes away a chunk of the dissolved sodium — about 40% in published tests. On a can this low to begin with, that’s the difference between “barely any sodium” and “essentially none,” so it’s a nice-to-have rather than a must. (It also rinses off the slightly thick packing liquid, which some people prefer for texture; others keep it for the body it adds to soups and chilis.) Either way, you’re starting from one of the cleanest, highest-fiber packaged foods on the shelf.
Scope
This page covers Goya Black Beans (822 g), UPC 041331023658, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 1762335. Goya sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)
BLACK BEANS, WATER, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE AND SALT.
Where to buy
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Labelgrade score is independent of affiliate relationships. More.
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 0.5 cup
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (0.5 cup) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 100 |
| Protein | 7g |
| Total Fat | 0g |
| Saturated Fat | 0g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 18g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8.05g |
| Total Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 120mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 40.3mg |
| Iron | 1.81mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Black Beans (822 g) · UPC 041331023658. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
Are canned beans actually healthy?
Yes — canned beans are one of the best packaged foods you can buy. They're cheap, shelf-stable plant protein and fiber with almost no fat and no added sugar. Goya Black Beans gives you 7g of protein and a full 8g of fiber per 0.5 cup for 100 calories. The only common knock on canned beans is sodium, and this one is barely an issue at 120mg per serving — the lowest in our canned-bean set.
Why does Goya Black Beans score a B+ (84/100) — and why not higher?
It's the highest-graded bean we've scored, and the fiber and sodium numbers are why: 8g of fiber earns a B, and 120mg of sodium is an A+. Saturated fat and sugar are both effectively zero (A+ each). The single thing holding it back from an A is protein density: at 5.7g per 100g, beans simply aren't a protein-dense food the way meat or whey is. That's not a flaw — it's what a legume looks like — but our formula weights protein heavily, so a bean tops out in the B+ range no matter how clean the rest of the label is.
Are canned black beans as nutritious as dried beans you cook yourself?
Essentially yes. Canning doesn't destroy the protein or fiber, and the bean itself is the same food either way — canned is just pre-cooked for convenience. The one real difference is sodium: dried beans start at zero and you control the salt, while canned beans absorb sodium from the canning liquid. Here that's only 120mg per serving, so the gap is small. If you want it even lower, drain and rinse (see below).
How much fiber is in Goya Black Beans?
8.05g of dietary fiber per 0.5 cup — about 29% of the FDA 28g Daily Value, and the most fiber of any bean in our canned-bean comparison. A single serving covers more than a quarter of your day's fiber, which is a big part of why black beans grade so well.
Does draining and rinsing reduce the sodium?
Yes. Draining the can and giving the beans a quick rinse under cold water removes a meaningful share of the sodium that's dissolved in the packing liquid — research puts the reduction at roughly 40%. On a can this low in sodium to begin with (120mg per serving), that takes an already-minor number down to almost nothing. It's a 15-second step worth doing.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-05, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 1762335. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days of a reformulation.