Wasabi Peas Nutrition: Benefits, Risks, Snacking Tips and More

Wasabi peas are a crunchy snack made with dehydrated peas and wasabi seasoning. A popular snack in Japan, they are salty, spicy and bursting with bold flavor.

In addition to their unique flavor, wasabi peas have certain nutritional benefits that make them a reasonably healthy snack — especially compared to many other salty, crunchy choices. They provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals, will keep you satiated and add a large amount of flavor to a dish in small amounts.

One ounce of wasabi peas (about 55 pieces) is equal to a single serving. One ounce of wasabi peas contains:

• ​Calories​: 122
• ​Total fat​: 3.3 g
  • ​Saturated fat:​ 1.4 g
• ​Cholesterol​: 0 mg
• ​Sodium​: 198.5 mg
• ​Total carbs​: 18.9 g
  • ​Dietary fiber​: 4.7 g
  • ​Sugar​: 0.9 g
  • ​Added sugar​: 0 g
• ​Protein​: 4.7 g
• ​Iron​: 6% DV

Wasabi peas offer plenty of nutrients in a small, spicy package. Because they're filled with protein and also provide fiber, they can help you stay full for longer. Great paired with crunchy nuts or used as a flavor booster for a balanced meal, wasabi peas are more nutritious than many other salty snacks.

With just a 1-ounce serving of wasabi peas, you'll get 4.7 grams of plant-based protein.

Most adults need to get about 10 to 35 percent of their total calorie needs from protein. That equals about 100 grams of protein (20 percent) for a 2,000-calorie diet, per the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM). All of the cells in the human body contain protein, and it is essential for repairing cells, making new ones and maintaining overall good health.

While wasabi peas won't replace a protein-rich meal, they can help keep you full when they're part of a balanced snack. "If you pair them with dried fruit and nuts, you'll have a really great plant-forward snack with plenty of nutrients and a nice flavor," says Joan Salge Blake, EdD, RDN, a clinical professor at Boston University.

High-protein foods move more slowly through your digestive system than other foods, which helps you stay full for longer, and protein contributes to steady blood sugar levels, per the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The body also uses more calories to digest protein than it does to digest fat or carbohydrates, which may aid in reaching or managing a healthy weight.

In fact, people who get at least 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal may experience improvements in appetite, body weight management and heart health, per a June 2015 review in ​The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition​.

Meanwhile, other crunchy snacks like chips or crackers tend to be more processed, and provide short-lived energy that ultimately results in a crash. That's because their processing results in quickly digesting simple carbohydrates, which immediately send glucose into your bloodstream — eventually causing a dip in energy that leaves you fatigued, per the American Heart Association.

Wasabi peas also deliver dietary fiber, which provides many benefits, including helping to maintain a healthy weight and lowering the risk of diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, per the Mayo Clinic.

The type of fiber found in peas, soluble fiber, is known to slow the absorption of sugar during digestion and help improve blood sugar levels in those with diabetes. An ounce of wasabi peas has 4.7 grams of fiber.

Although they're considered a snack food, wasabi peas provide beneficial compounds.

"They're full of antioxidants that are found in fruits and vegetables," Blake says. Antioxidants may prevent or slow down some types of cell damage, per the NLM.

A 1-ounce serving of wasabi peas also offers 6 percent of the DV of iron. This mineral is part of the protein hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, per the NLM. Getting too little iron in your diet can lead to iron deficiency anemia.

Because wasabi peas combine sweet, salty and spicy tastes, they can add a burst of flavor to a snack or meal without high levels of sodium or calories.

"You might eat a whole bag of pretzels, but because wasabi peas are so spicy, you're more likely to eat them in moderation," Blake says. "It's also spice that gives them most of their flavor, so they don't have as much sodium as many other snack foods."

A 1-ounce serving of wasabi peas contains around 200 milligrams of sodium. In comparison, a 1-ounce serving of hard pretzels contains 352 milligrams.

Reducing your sodium intake by just 1,000 milligrams per day can improve your blood pressure and heart health. The American Heart Association recommends getting no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily, with an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 milligrams daily for most adults, particularly those adults with high blood pressure.

While you should keep an eye on how much sodium you eat throughout the day, especially if you're eating many packaged, processed foods (this is where most of the sodium in our diets comes from), wasabi peas are a better choice than several other salty snacks.

Allergy to green peas is not common, but has been reported — in fact, any food containing protein can cause an allergic reaction, per the UK-based charity Anaphylaxis Campaign. If you suspect you have an allergy to green peas, speak to an allergist to assess your risk.

Food allergies can cause severe reactions (including life-threatening anaphylaxis) and you may need to have epinephrine nearby at all times.

Spicy foods like wasabi peas may trigger heartburn, which occurs when stomach acid becomes backed up in the esophagus (responsible for transporting food from your mouth to your stomach), per Cedars-Sinai. Avoiding foods that trigger the problem or eating smaller and more frequent meals may help prevent heartburn.

Talk to your doctor if you experience heartburn: If lifestyle changes or over-the-counter antacids don't help, you may have a more serious form of acid reflux called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

There are a number of ways you can enjoy wasabi peas as part of a nutritious snack or meal.

​Use them as a flavor booster​: As a bonus, you'll also get a nutrient boost by adding wasabi peas to your snacks and meals. Try creative recipes such as:

• Adding wasabi peas to nuts to make a trail mix
• Topping your favorite stir-fry recipe with wasabi peas
• Crushing wasabi peas with whole-wheat bread crumbs to make a bold coating for grilled chicken or fish
• Stirring wasabi peas into tuna salad, pasta salad or homemade soup to enhance the flavor and add a bit of crunch

​Store in an air-tight container:​ Your favorite wasabi peas can likely be stored similarly to regular dried peas. Keep them in the unopened container they've been sold in, or transfer them to an air-tight glass or metal container after opening. Dried peas should generally be kept in a cool, dry place (avoid the refrigerator), and will maintain their quality for 6 to 12 months.

Many nuts and seeds will provide a similar crunch to wasabi peas, along with protein and fiber. Swap wasabi peas for spiced almonds, sunflower seeds or hazelnuts. You can also replace them with other legumes, such as roasted chickpeas or roasted lentils.