The chemical composition of mature whole seeds of four cultivars of faba bean (Vicia faba L.), seven cultivars of white-flowered pea (Pisum sativum hortense L.) and two cultivars of coloured- flowered pea (Pisum sativum arvense L.) was determined with special emphasis on carbohydrates. The average content (per kg DM) of total and enzyme-susceptible starch in faba beans, white- and coloured-flowered peas was 430 and 367 g, 461 and 419 g, and 459 and 390 g, respectively. Faba beans contained less α-galactosides (28 vs. 58 g) than peas. Verbascose was the main constituent (16 g on average) of faba bean α-galactosides, while verbascose (26 g) and stachyose (24 g) were the major α-galactosides in pea seeds. Faba beans contained, on average, 177 g non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), while the level of these polysaccharides in pea seeds amounted to 183 g. In faba beans and in pea seeds, NSP were composed mainly of glucose, arabinose and uronic acids. In general, there were no significant differences among cultivars within each species in terms of NSP content and their chemical composition.