Create allergy card
← Browse ingredients

Cowpea Leaves

Cowpea leaves are edible leafy greens commonly cooked as a vegetable or added to stews.

Cowpea Leaves — illustrative ingredient image

About Cowpea Leaves

Cowpea leaves are the tender leaves and young shoots of the cowpea plant, harvested as a leafy vegetable. They are commonly chopped and cooked in stews, sauces, or alongside staple foods; some cuisines also preserve them by drying.

Fresh leaves are green and soft, with a mild, vegetal flavour when cooked. They become tender with a texture similar to other braised greens, though retained stems may remain firmer. The exact cowpea variety and maturity are unspecified.

Cowpea leaves may be sold fresh, wilted, chopped, blanched, or dried. Fresh leaves appear green and soft, while dried leaves are darker and more brittle. Preservation and preparation change the appearance, cooking time, and proportion of stem retained.

Ingredient type
whole food

FOLLOW IT TO THE PLATE

Where will you meet it?

Explore the dishes that use this ingredient and their country and cuisine connections.

Explore linked dishes

ON A MENU OR LABEL

Find local names and written forms to help recognise this ingredient.

See local names

Where cowpea leaves appears

1 linked foods

Find foods to recognise by country and type. Recipes and products vary; these are recorded ingredient connections.

Showing 1–1 of 1

Sides

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for cowpea leaves

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Cowpea Leaves

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Cowpea Leaves nutrition & diet

Cowpea Leaves nutritional value

Cowpeas, leafy tips, raw

Per 100 g of the edible portion in the recorded food form.

Calories
29kcal
Protein
4.1g
Carbs
4.8g
Fat
0.3g

Per 100 g of the named reference food. Preparation, cultivar and product formulation can change these values; use the stated form when comparing.

Portions & preparation

Confirm the cowpea species or local variety and match fresh, dried, blanched, or cooked leaves. Remove inedible stems as appropriate, and distinguish plain greens from preparations containing oil, broth, ground ingredients, or prolonged cooking.

Compare the right form: A reference must match identified cowpea leaves by variety and fresh, dried, blanched, or cooked edible portion, including stem treatment.

Diet considerations

Cowpea leaves are plant-derived leafy material. Compatibility changes with cooking oil, animal broth, meat, dairy, cereal thickeners, ground legumes, and serving accompaniments. Plain cooked leaves differ from a stew or relish whose portion-dependent carbohydrate pattern comes largely from added starches or legumes.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Typically compatible
  • Vegetarian
    Typically compatible
  • Pescatarian
    Typically compatible
  • Keto
    Depends on the version
  • Paleo
    Typically compatible
  • Low-carb
    Depends on the version
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Vegetarian · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Pescatarian · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Keto · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Paleo · Typically compatible
The plain form fits the conventional paleo food groups. Added ingredients and individual interpretations can differ.
Low-carb · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: USDA FoodData Central — Cowpeas, leafy tips, raw ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .