Pulse Flours Market

How big is Pulse Flours Market in 2026?

USD 23.8 Billion in 2026 and USD 46.8 Billion by 2036 at a 7.0% CAGR.

Demand for pulse flours is projected to expand at 7.0% CAGR between 2026 and 2036, growing from USD 22.2 billion in 2025 to USD 23.8 billion in 2026, and escalating to USD 46.8 billion by 2036. Growth is being converted through familiar foods rather than a single specialist category. In July 2026, ZENB revised its 100% yellow-pea noodle process to improve chewiness and reduce powderiness and bean aroma, showing why flour performance has to survive the finished-product process before ingredient demand becomes repeat purchasing (ZENB 2026).

Commercial value also depends on how much functionality the flour can supply before a formulator moves to a more processed ingredient. Current portfolios position pulse flour beside functional flours, starches, fibers, and higher-protein fractions, so buyers compare total recipe performance rather than protein content alone. This favors suppliers that can offer native, deflavored, pregelatinized, or high-starch grades for different processing conditions (AGT Foods current; Avena Foods current; Ingredion current).

Key Takeaways of Pulse Flours Market

• Pulse flour gains repeat orders when familiar foods retain acceptable taste, texture, and processing behavior after reformulation.
• In 2026, Pea leads the Product Type segment with a 35.0% share because its commercial range spans native, deflavored, high-starch, and pregelatinized flour formats.
• Food & Beverages accounts for 45.0% of application demand in 2026 because pulse flour is used across pasta, soups, sauces, bakery, snacks, and other recurring food formulations.
• Pulse origin alone does not ensure sensory or dough performance, as heat treatment, particle characteristics, and inclusion level can materially alter finished-product behavior.
• USA and UK are the fastest profiled markets at 9.0% and 8.0% CAGR, while Japan, South Korea, and Germany reflect different formulation and supply conditions.
• Profiled companies include AGT Food and Ingredients Inc., Ingredion Incorporated, ADM, The Scoular Company, and Avena Foods Limited, competing across flour breadth, processing options, application support, and supply reach.

Analyst Perspective

“Pulse flour suppliers win repeat business when they solve a recipe problem, not when they sell nutrition in isolation. The commercially durable offer combines the right pulse source with a processing format that holds up in the customer’s plant and finished product.”

- Nandini Roy Choudhury, Principal Consultant, Future Market Insights

How is the Pulse Flours Market segmented?

Pulse Flours Market is segmented by Product Type, Application, and Region.

Product Type includes Pea, Chickpea, Bean, and Lentil. Application includes Food & Beverages, Snacks, Bakery Products, Beverage, Feed, Meat Products, and Others (Nutraceuticals, Cosmetics, & Industrial Usage).ulse flour revenue covers milled pulse ingredients sold in these forms and applications, including processed flour grades. Protein concentrates, isolates, purified starches, purified fibers, whole pulses, and finished foods are separate product categories.

Why does pea lead demand within the product type category?

Pea flour gives formulators starch, fiber, and protein in a less fractionated ingredient than pea protein while still supporting binding, viscosity, extrusion, and bakery applications. AGT Foods currently lists pea flour in native and pregelatinized formats, while Ingredion positions yellow pea flour across bakery, snacks, pasta, and related food uses. Buyers can therefore select the degree of processing around the recipe rather than assuming one pea-derived ingredient fits every application (AGT Foods current; Ingredion current).

• Pea holds 35.0% of Product Type demand in 2026, making it the leading botanical base within the Product Type category.
• In December 2025, Goertzen and colleagues found that two heat-treated yellow pea flours produced pan breads closest to the wheat control among the tested yellow-pea ingredients, reinforcing the importance of grade-specific processing and sensory performance (Goertzen et al. 2025).

Why does food & beverages lead demand within the application category?

Food & Beverages captures the broadest set of recurring formulations, including pasta, soups, sauces, meal components, and general recipe bases. Current supplier portfolios also position chickpea flour and other pulse flours across bakery, extrusion, binding, and thickening tasks, allowing processors to use flour for both nutrition and function. The commercial advantage is widest where a flour can enter an existing recipe without forcing a separate protein-isolate system or major process redesign (AGT Foods current; Avena Foods current).

• Food & Beverages holds 45.0% of Application demand in 2026, ahead of the separately defined Snacks, Bakery Products, Beverage, Feed, Meat Products, and Others categories.
• University of Reading researchers reported in February 2025 that partial faba bean flour substitution could raise protein and fiber in bread while preserving an acceptable product experience, illustrating a practical route for pulse flour in mainstream foods (University of Reading 2025).

What are the drivers, restraints and opportunities in the Pulse Flours Market?

Familiar-food reformulation expands demand, sensory and processing variability slows qualification, and functional flour grades create substitution opportunities.

• Driver: Familiar-food reformulation creates repeat ingredient demand when pulse flour can improve nutrition without breaking the existing eating occasion.
• Restraint: Flavor, color, dough behavior, and texture can change materially by pulse type, process, particle profile, and inclusion rate.
• Opportunity: Functional pulse flours can replace selected starches, gums, eggs, or conventional flour components when they meet the required processing function.

Why does familiar-food reformulation support pulse flour demand?

A 2025 USDA-supported study tested whole pulse flour from cowpea, navy bean, and red bean at 5%, 10%, and 15% in whole-wheat bread, showing that formulation teams can raise pulse inclusion while measuring dough and bread-quality trade-offs. The commercial signal is clear: demand expands through controlled reformulation of staple foods rather than through nutrition claims alone (Rajpurohit et al. 2025).

Why do flavor and texture differences slow qualification?

Sensory and structure remain binding constraints because the same botanical source can behave differently after processing. Goertzen et al. found that heat-treated yellow pea flours were closer to the wheat control than the tested isolates in pan bread, while a 2025 extrusion study showed that pulse-flour processing conditions changed hydration and bread texture. Buyers therefore qualify the exact grade, inclusion rate, and process conditions rather than approving pulse flour as a generic ingredient class (Goertzen et al. 2025; Tuluk et al. 2025).

Where can functional pulse flours open substitution opportunities?

Supplier innovation is widening the range of recipe jobs that flour can perform. AGT Foods offers pregelatinized pulse flours for cold-water viscosity, while Avena Foods positions functional pulse flours for binding, structure building, gelling, and selected egg or starch replacement. That creates an opportunity beyond basic gluten-free flours: a processor may justify pulse flour when one ingredient can contribute nutrition and remove a separate functional component from the formula (AGT Foods current; Avena Foods current).

Which country CAGRs are profiled in the Pulse Flours Market?

Country CAGR forecasts cover 2026 to 2036.

Country	CAGR
USA	9.0%
UK	8.0%
Japan	7.0%
South Korea	6.0%
Germany	5.0%

How do country-level CAGRs compare in the pulse flours market?

USA and UK form the faster-growth group at 9.0% and 8.0%. Japan matches the global market at 7.0%, followed by South Korea at 6.0% and Germany at 5.0%. The four-point spread reflects different starting conditions for ingredient processing, staple-food reformulation, and pulse supply rather than a single adoption pathway.

• USA: 2025 bread research supported by USDA programs shows commercial interest in incorporating whole pulse flours while measuring dough and finished-loaf performance (Rajpurohit et al. 2025).
• UK: University of Reading’s 2025 Raising the Pulse work focuses on faba bean flour in bread as a route to higher protein and fiber in a familiar staple (University of Reading 2025).
• Japan: ZENB’s 2026 yellow-pea noodle reformulation makes cooked texture and bean aroma concrete product-development targets for pulse-based foods (ZENB 2026).
• South Korea: A 2025 Korean study on faba bean powder in bread recorded measurable changes in moisture, color, and hardness as inclusion increased, highlighting formulation sensitivity (Park and Choi 2025).
• Germany: Federal agricultural data updated in 2026 show expanded domestic pulse cultivation in 2025, including peas and faba beans, giving processors a broader local raw-material base to evaluate (BZL 2026).

The country profiles combine the CAGR figures above with current formulation and supply conditions. They do not imply identical market size, product mix, or route to customer qualification.

Country-wise Analysis

• USA is projected to grow at 9.0% CAGR from 2026 to 2036. Product developers are testing pulse flour in mainstream bakery rather than limiting use to specialist foods. A 2025 Cereal Chemistry study supported in part by USDA programs evaluated cowpea, navy bean, and red bean flour in whole-wheat bread at several inclusion levels. For suppliers, that creates a practical sales route through flour specification, dough behavior, and finished-loaf acceptance. Commercial expansion depends on grades that work on existing bakery systems without forcing unacceptable changes in texture or handling (Rajpurohit et al. 2025).
• UK demand is forecast to rise at 8.0% CAGR through 2036. The University of Reading’s Raising the Pulse work places faba bean flour inside a high-frequency staple, with 2025 project communication reporting higher protein and fiber from partial substitution while protecting taste and texture. That matters commercially because a flour supplier can address both nutrition and normal bread consumption rather than create a separate niche occasion. Millers still need consistent color, flavor, and hydration behavior before industrial bakeries can scale the formulation (University of Reading 2025).
• Japan is projected to expand at 7.0% CAGR from 2026 to 2036. ZENB’s July 2026 update to its 100% yellow-pea noodles focused on a chewier texture and lower powderiness and bean aroma while keeping yellow peas as the sole raw material. The example makes process compatibility a visible buying criterion: the flour or milled pulse base has to work through mixing, forming, cooking, and eating quality. Suppliers that can control flavor and hydration therefore have a clearer route into noodle and convenience-food development (ZENB 2026).
• South Korea carries a 6.0% CAGR from 2026 to 2036. A 2025 study published in the Journal of Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society tested faba bean powder in bread and recorded changes in moisture, color, soluble solids, and hardness as inclusion increased. This makes bakery formulation a technical rather than purely nutritional decision. Ingredient suppliers can support growth by providing tighter particle, color, and functional specifications that help developers manage the visible and textural effects of pulse inclusion (Park and Choi 2025).
• Germany is forecast to grow at 5.0% CAGR through 2036. Federal agricultural information updated in March 2026 reported that pulses for grain occupied about 2.6% of German arable land in 2025 and that pea and faba bean cultivation remained important within the domestic pulse base. A larger crop pool gives millers more raw material to evaluate, but food use still competes with feed and other outlets. Suppliers therefore need milling, flavor, and application economics that make food-grade flour attractive beyond the farm-gate availability of pulses (BZL 2026; BMEL Statistics 2026).

Who are the notable companies in the Pulse Flours Market?

AGT Food and Ingredients Inc., Ingredion Incorporated, ADM, The Scoular Company, Avena Foods Limited.

Competition is shaped by botanical breadth, flour processing, application support, and continuity of supply. AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. currently markets native, deflavored, high-starch, and pregelatinized pulse flours. Avena Foods Limited offers bean, chickpea, lentil, and pea flours in native and functional formats. ADM combines integrated beans and pulses sourcing with flour, grit, meal, and powder formats. Ingredion Incorporated maintains a HOMECRAFT pulse flour portfolio across several pulse bases, while The Scoular Company supplies pea and chickpea flour within food and pet-food ingredient channels. These positions connect the pulse flour market with the broader plant-based protein formulation ecosystem without making flour interchangeable with isolates or concentrates.

• Broad pulse flour portfolios: AGT Food and Ingredients Inc., ADM, and Avena Foods Limited compete through multiple botanical sources and processing formats.
• Formulation-led ingredient platform: Ingredion Incorporated combines pulse flour products with broader formulation support across bakery, snacks, pasta, and related applications.
• Specialty ingredient channels: The Scoular Company supplies pea and chickpea flour into targeted food and pet-food applications where texture, nutrition, and grain-free positioning matter.

Competitive Benchmarking: Pulse Flours Market

Company	Botanical Flour Breadth	Functional Flour Range	Application Support	Geographic Reach
AGT Food and Ingredients Inc.	High	High	High	USA and Canada ingredient production with global customer reach
Ingredion Incorporated	High	Medium	High	Americas, EMEA, and APAC ingredient platforms
ADM	High	Medium	High	North American integrated beans and pulses supply
The Scoular Company	Medium	Medium	Medium	United States food and pet-food ingredient channels
Avena Foods Limited	High	High	High	Canadian pulse milling serving customers in multiple markets

Key Developments in the Pulse Flours Market

• In December 31, 2024, Ingredion Incorporated filed a Form 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission committing to cease operations at its Vanscoy, Saskatchewan, plant protein concentrates and flour manufacturing facility, effective January 6, 2025, following a strategic review of the business. The change altered its North American manufacturing footprint and increased the importance of confirming the active source behind each quoted pulse-flour grade (Ingredion 2025; Ingredion 2026).
• Avena Foods Limited operates the Avena RegenAg Protocol (ARAP), an outcome-based framework that verifies regenerative practices across its oat and pulse ingredient networks. The protocol is confirmed as an active program supporting traceability and regenerative-agriculture positioning in its pulse and oat ingredient supply chains.
• In May 2026, ADM launched eight new soy and pea protein solutions in North America and Europe. The move expands the set of higher-protein alternatives competing with flour for plant-based formulation budgets and reinforces the need for pulse flour suppliers to sell cost, texture, and process functionality as well as nutrition (ADM 2026).

Key Players in the Pulse Flours Market

Broad pulse flour milling portfolios

• AGT Food and Ingredients Inc.
• ADM
• Avena Foods Limited

Global formulation-led ingredient platform

• Ingredion Incorporated

Specialty food and pet-food ingredient channels

• The Scoular Company

Pulse Flours Market - Report Scope

Coverage field	Report scope
Market breakdown	Product Type; Application; Region.
Quantitative Units	Revenue in USD Billion and CAGR in %.
Market Definition	Revenue from Pea, Chickpea, Bean, and Lentil flours sold within the stated applications, including native and processed flour grades. Protein concentrates, isolates, purified starches, purified fibers, whole pulses, finished foods, equipment, and unrelated services are excluded.
Regions Covered	North America; Latin America; Western Europe; Eastern Europe; East Asia; South Asia and Pacific; Middle East and Africa.
Countries Covered	USA; UK; Japan; South Korea; Germany.
Key Companies Profiled	AGT Food and Ingredients Inc.; Ingredion Incorporated; ADM; The Scoular Company; Avena Foods Limited.
Forecast Period	2026 to 2036
Approach	Primary and secondary research with market triangulation.

Pulse Flours Market - Research Methodology

Method	Approach
Primary Research	FMI analysts gathered input from manufacturers, millers, ingredient distributors, food developers, procurement teams, end users, and subject-matter experts. Interviews examined product qualification, pricing, processing requirements, sensory performance, supply continuity, and application support.
Desk Research	Desk research covered government statistics, peer-reviewed food science, technical literature, company filings, current product information, and official corporate announcements relevant to pulse flour supply and applications.
Market Sizing and Forecasting	The market model combined the baseline value with historical performance, segment structure, country-level demand conditions, pricing and volume indicators, supplier participation, and adoption across the stated applications.
Data Validation	Market estimates were cross-checked against multiple demand, supply, company, and country indicators. Segment and regional estimates were reconciled to the global market total and reviewed against the stated market definition.

Pulse Flours Market by Segments

Pulse Flours Market segmented by Product Type:

• Pea
• Chickpea
• Bean
• Lentil

Pulse Flours Market segmented by Application:

• Food & Beverages
• Snacks
• Bakery Products
• Beverage
• Feed
• Meat Products
• Others (Nutraceuticals, Cosmetics, & Industrial Usage)

Pulse Flours Market by Region:

• North America
  • United States
  • Canada
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Argentina
  • Chile
• Western Europe
  • Germany
  • France
  • United Kingdom
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Benelux
  • Nordics
• Eastern Europe
  • Poland
  • Czech Republic
  • Romania
  • Hungary
• East Asia
  • China
  • Japan
  • South Korea
• South Asia and Pacific
  • India
  • ASEAN
  • Australia and New Zealand
• Middle East and Africa
  • GCC Countries
  • South Africa
  • Türkiye
  • Israel

Research Sources and Bibliography

• ZENB (2026, July 13). ZENB Noodle (round noodles) reformulated for its chewiest texture [English translation].
• Rajpurohit, B., Tilley, M., Wu, X., and Li, Y. (2025, October 23). Incorporating Whole Pulse Flour From Cowpea, Navy Bean, and Red Bean in Whole Wheat Flour Bread. Cereal Chemistry.
• Goertzen, A. D., et al. (2025, December 11). Investigation of Flavor and Functional Properties of Diverse Yellow Pea Ingredients for Pan Bread Applications. Journal of Food Science.
• Tuluk, K., Altınel, B., Bozdogan, N., and Tavman, S. (2025, August 25). The Effects of Die Temperature and Screw Speed on Extruded Pulse Flours and Their Application in Bread Production. Food Science & Nutrition.
• Foods (2025). Qualitative Characteristics of Semolina-Pulse Flour Mixes and Related Breads, 14(21), 3720.
• Future Foods (2025, June). Unraveling the functional potential of microbial resources and pulse-based matrices for sourdough breadmaking, 11, 100643.
• Current Research in Food Science (2025). Selection of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria to improve the nutritional quality, volatile profile, and biofunctional properties of chickpea flour, 11, 101204.
• Journal of Food Composition and Analysis (2025, June). Influence of coarse particles on nutritional quality of flour ingredients: A comparison between cereals and pulses, 142, 107407.
• University of Reading (2025, February 10). Raising the Pulse: How faba beans can transform our diet and the planet.
• Park, C.-H., and Choi, S.-H. (2025). Quality Characteristics of Bread Supplemented with Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) Powder. Journal of Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society, 26(6), 271-276.
• Bundeszentrum für Landwirtschaft (2026, March 26). Der Anbau von Hülsenfrüchten in Deutschland.
• BMEL Statistics (2026). Supply and cultivation statistics for pulses in Germany, including 2025 production and use.
• AGT Foods (current). PulsePlus Flours.
• AGT Foods (2025). Pulse Ingredients Product List.
• Ingredion Incorporated (current). HOMECRAFT Pulse flours.
• Ingredion Incorporated (2025, January 6). Current Report on Form 8-K: Vanscoy exit and disposal activities.
• Ingredion Incorporated (2026). Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.
• ADM (current). Beans, Pulses, and Seeds.
• ADM (2026, May 20). ADM Advances Protein Innovation with New Ingredient Solutions.
• ADM (2026). Beans & Pulses Trends and Opportunities.
• The Scoular Company (current). Chickpea Flour and Pea Flour product pages.
• The Scoular Company (2025). Food Ingredient Portfolio.
• The Scoular Company (2025, October 2). Scoular progresses on regenerative agriculture and other sustainability goals.
• Avena Foods Limited (2025, July 21). Launching Avena Regen Ag Protocol Oat and Pulse Ingredients.

This bibliography is provided for reader reference and is not exhaustive. The full report contains the complete reference list and detailed citations.

This Report Answers

• How large is the pulse flours market in 2025 and 2026, and what value is forecast for 2036?
• Which food reformulation needs are creating repeat demand for pulse flours?
• Why does Pea lead demand within the Product Type category?
• Why does Food & Beverages lead demand within the Application category?
• How do growth rates and commercial conditions differ across the profiled countries?
• Which companies offer broad pulse flour portfolios, processed formats, or application support?
• What sensory and processing constraints can slow pulse flour adoption or supplier switching?
• What should manufacturers qualify before purchasing a pulse flour grade for regular production?