Are beans a fruit?
Ava Hall
Published Apr 02, 2026
Are beans a fruit or a vegetable? Beans are botanically a fruit, because the beans are seeds in the fruit pods of the plant. However, culinary sources usually classify beans as a vegetable. While all beans may be considered a legume, not all legumes are considered to be beans.
Are beans a fruit or legume?
Technically, beans are legumesBotanically, beans are classified into a group of plant foods known as legumes. All legumes are members of a family of flowering plants called Fabaceae, also known as Leguminosae. These plants produce fruits and seeds inside a pod.
What are beans classified as?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Patterns classify beans and peas as a subgroup of the Vegetable Group. The USDA Food Patterns also indicate that beans and peas may be counted as part of the Protein Foods Group.Are legumes technically fruit?
Botanically, they're a fruit, hands down. But according to the U.S. government, they are legally a vegetable. Since beans are a legume, and botanically a fruit, then it stands to reason that legumes are fruits, from a scientific perspective.What vegetables are actually fruits?
- Tomatoes.
- Tomatillos.
- Sweet peppers.
- Eggplants.
- Winter squashes (like butternut)
- Summer squashes (like zucchini)
- Cucumbers.
- Bitter gourds.