low oxalate, beans, black beans, kidney beans, navy beans

10 Of The Best Lower Oxalate Beans For Polycystic Kidney Disease

Apr 21, 2025

Do you feel like it's the wild west out there around nutrition advice for Polycystic Kidney Health? It seems that everyone, and I mean everyone, has “solved” or “reversed” PKD, and if you follow their exact process, you can too. Most of what's being pushed goes against what science [good science] has shown to be true regarding nutrition and your kidneys, it goes against widely accepted truths.

Take a step back and think, does this make sense? For example, does eating only meat make sense? Does taking 20-30 supplements to make-up for what you are eating make sense? Nope, sure doesn't. As a Kidney Dietitian who specializes in Polycystic Kidney Disease, I aim to bring you science-backed, real-world tested nutrition information and recommendations. That is my promise to you. My goal is to put food back on your plate, to open up what you feel is "safe" to eat - more than 10 foods- and to show you that what you include in your diet for PKD is important.

One area I am seeing a growing amount of self-appointed "experts" in is oxalates and kidney health. Let's weed some of that bad advice out right now. If you’re unsure about oxalates and which beans are safe (and smart!) to eat with PKD, you’re in the right place. Are black beans high in oxalates? What about chickpeas or red kidney beans? Keep reading to get your answers.

In this article, you’ll learn my Top 10 Lower Oxalate Beans for Polycystic Kidney Disease, what their oxalate load is, nutritional benefits, and my favorite, and trustworthy, oxalate list.

What Are Oxalates?

Oxalates are naturally occurring compounds found in plants and are in food from plants—think vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, fruit, and yes, beans. Your body also naturally produces oxalates as a waste product of normal metabolism.

While oxalates serve important purposes for plants, they are of no benefit to humans. We can’t break them down. The goal with Polycystic Kidney Disease is to Eat and Excrete Oxalates. How well you do that depends on several factors like your diet, gut health, kidney function, and more. Oxalates and your kidney health is a bit more complicated than you think however, and area you can control is your diet.

The goal with PKD isn't to go as low as you can with oxalates, its to not have high oxalate loads on a consistent day-to-day basis. The goal is to manage oxalates.

Managing Oxalates

Managing oxalates with PKD doesn’t need to be complicated. It’s not about trying to cut out all oxalates (which would mean ditching most plant foods—not the goal!). Instead, it’s about reducing or removing you intake of very high oxalate foods, or making lower oxalate swaps.

Here’s how to get started:

Use a reliable source for oxalate content.
Identify foods you’re eating that are high in oxalates.
Swap those for lower oxalate options, like the beans in this article.

I alway want you to think about calcium. This might feel like a curveball but on of the best ways to manage your oxalates is ensuring you are meeting you calcium needs. Oxalates don't like to be alone in your body, they are always looking for a mineral to bind with and calcium is their favorite. Not only does meeting your calcium needs help support strong bones, it binds with oxalates in your gut to help transport them out as waste - this way they never get reabsorbed and filtered through your kidneys.

These simple steps can make a big difference. I use Harvard's oxalate list as my go-to—it’s the most reputable and consistent source available. Just recently, they even updated their list with more tested items and several re-tested amounts. Harvard's list is in PDF format and a bit cumbersome to sort through. I recommend checking out the online, and easy-to-search Oxalate Food List from The Kidney Stone Diet.

The Best Low Oxalate Beans For PKD

Please note, all information provided is for ½ cup of cooked beans.

Nutrition benefits are sourced from the USDA’s FoodData Central.

1. Lima Beans

1/2 cup of Lima Beans has 0 mg of oxalates.

Taste: creamy texture with a mild flavor

Benefits: rich in copper and iron, a good source of potassium

2. Black-Eyed Peas

1/2 cup of Black-Eyed Peas has 3 mg of oxalates.

Taste: firm texture, earthy and nutty flavor

Benefits: a good source of Vitamin A, Thiamine (Vitamin B1), and folate (Vitamin B9)

3. Chickpeas, canned

1/2 cup of Canned Chickpeas (also called Garbanzo beans) has 4 mg of oxalates.

Taste: a creamy, but firm texture with a mild nutty flavor

Benefits: good source of iron, manganese, folate (Vitamin B9) and fiber

4. Mung Beans

1/2 cup of Mung Beans has 8 mg of oxalates.

Taste: slightly sweet, and starchy tasting

Benefits: excellent source of potassium, rich in essential amino acids, and good source of antioxidants

5. Red Kidney Beans

1/2 cup of Red Kidney Beans has 10 mg of oxalates.

Taste: firm in texture, milkd and earthy tasting

Benefits: rich in potassium, iron and magnesium

6. Butter Beans

1/2 cup of Butter Beans has 10 mg of oxalates.

Butter beans and Lima beans are "technically" the same bean harvested at different stages of ripeness. The flavor, texture and what dishes they are typically used in vary quite a bit so they are listed separately.

Taste: creamy and mild in flavor

Benefits: excellent source of manganese, rich in iron and zinc

7. Black Beans

1/2 cup of Black Beans has 11 mg of oxalates.

Taste: sturdy, almost "meaty" texture with a mildly sweet earthy flavor

Benefits: excellent source potassium and fiber, rich in fiber, antioxidants and folate (Vitamin B9)

8. Chickpeas, cooked from dry

1/2 cup of Chickpeas, cooked, has 11 mg of oxalates.

Taste: a creamy texture with a mild nutty flavor

Benefits: slightly higher in protein, vitamins and minerals when compared with canned chickpeas

9. Fava Beans

1/2 cup of Fava Beans (also called Broad Beans) has 20 mg oxalates.

Taste: a slightly sweet, silky textured bean with a buttery flavor

Benefits: loaded with folate (Vitamin B9), rich in fiber, copper and antioxidants

10. Adzuki Beans

1/2 cup of Adzuki Beans has 23 mg of oxalates.

Taste: a creamy textured bean with a mild nutty and sweet flavor

Benefits: good source of folate (Vitamin B9), fiber, and mangenese

In Summary

Your 10 best lower oxalate beans are:

Lima Beans
Black-Eyed Peas
Chickpeas, canned
Mung Beans
Red Kidney Beans
Butter Beans
Black Beans
Chickpeas, cooked from dry
Fava Beans
Adzuki Beans

Looking for more resources on Oxalates and Your kidney Health? Check out:

Happy Eating,

Diana, The PKD Dietitian